CM Punk caused a drastic shift in the WWE landscape with his resurgence in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, on the July 6 episode of Raw. He came in as a last-minute replacement for Cody Rhodes, who was attacked, and delivered a compelling performance in a championship match against Sami Zayn, which saw Punk defeat him for the Undisputed WWE title.
Following his victory, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque dropped a photo with the new champion via his X account, continuing his tradition for the coronation of new champions. His caption acknowledged the full-circle moment of Punk winning the WWE title in the same arena where he won it 15 years earlier. Triple H was referring to the infamous 2011 Money in the Bank event, where Punk defeated John Cena to win the title and then left WWE after his contract expired.
The Game wrote:
Same building, 15 years later. Different opponent, same result. @CMPunk is the Undisputed @WWE Champion!!! #AndNew.
CM Punk replaced Cody Rhodes for the title match against Sami Zayn
At the start of the July 6 episode of Monday Night Raw, Gunther viciously attacked Cody Rhodes, ruling him medically unable to compete later that night against Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE title. As the match approached, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis appeared and told RAW GM Adam Pearce that he had found a suitable replacement.
When Sami Zayn arrived in the ring ready to compete, he found out his mystery opponent was the returning CM Punk, who made his first-ever appearance since the RAW after WrestleMania 42. He marched into the AllState Arena with the crowd firmly behind him.
The Best in the World and the Ultimate Underdog put up a highly captivating showdown that ended with Punk delivering a combination of a Helluva Kick and GTS to pin Zayn and win the Undisputed WWE title in a major shocker.
