WWE Champion CM Punk is ready to protect his identify days after successful it on RAW through defeating Sami Zayn.
Punk returned to WWE TV remaining week in his fatherland of Chicago following a temporary hiatus and changed an injured Cody Rhodes because the challenger to Sami Zayn’s WWE Championship at the night time.
Thank you for the submission!
The 2d Town Saint defeated Zayn and changed into an 8-time WWE International Champion. He now has a goal on his again. Punk has vowed to be a combating champion, similar to he did when he had the International Heavyweight Identify sooner than shedding it at WrestleMania 42 to Roman Reigns.
His first identify protection will happen this week on the PPL Middle, the place WWE is having a are living tournament as a part of its Summer season Excursion of 2026. The principle tournament will see Punk protect his identify towards Gunther.
PPL Middle shared the inside track on its official Instagram account.
Gunther loses it on SmackDown, chokes out Nick Aldis over short of CM Punk’s WWE Championship
CM Punk got here out remaining Friday on SmackDown and reduce a promo wherein he mentioned he can be a combating champion. Cody Rhodes, who misplaced the WWE Identify at Evening of Champions in June, got here out to problem the 2d Town Saint for the identify at SummerSlam.
A fit between Rhodes and Punk for the identify has lengthy been awaited, and it used to be the very last thing Punk teased sooner than occurring hiatus after WrestleMania 42. The fit is now authentic for SummerSlam, handiest this time, Rhodes is the challenger and no longer the champion.
This has pushed one individual off the rails, and that’s Gunther. The Ring Basic misplaced two back-to-back bouts he used to be focused on for the identify, however has since blamed everybody however himself and long gone on a violent imply streak.
He persisted to deliver carnage this previous Friday when SmackDown basic supervisor Nick Aldis, with whom he had already had an altercation after Evening of Champions, didn’t give him what he sought after and put him in a tag group fit along Sami Zayn towards Cody Rhodes and CM Punk for Saturday Evening’s Primary Match.
A livid Gunther attacked Aldis and put him in his fatal sleeperhold again and again till he handed out. Now he has some other alternative on the identify on the are living tournament this Thursday.
To peer Gunther and CM Punk in motion on are living TV, fanatics can song in to Saturday Evening’s Primary Match on July 18th.
Get all the most up to date wrestling information FIRST through clicking here
Edited through Harikesh Shekhar
