WWE Champion CM Punk is set to defend his title days after winning it on RAW by defeating Sami Zayn.
Punk returned to WWE TV last week in his hometown of Chicago following a brief hiatus and replaced an injured Cody Rhodes as the challenger to Sami Zayn’s WWE Championship on the night.
The Second City Saint defeated Zayn and became an 8-time WWE World Champion. He now has a target on his back. Punk has vowed to be a fighting champion, much like he did when he had the World Heavyweight Title before losing it at WrestleMania 42 to Roman Reigns.
His first title defense will take place this week at the PPL Center, where WWE is having a live event as part of its Summer Tour of 2026. The main event will see Punk defend his title against Gunther.
PPL Center shared the news on its official Instagram account.
CM Punk came out last Friday on SmackDown and cut a promo in which he said he would be a fighting champion. Cody Rhodes, who lost the WWE Title at Night of Champions in June, came out to challenge the Second City Saint for the title at SummerSlam.
A match between Rhodes and Punk for the title has long been awaited, and it was the last thing Punk teased before going on hiatus after WrestleMania 42. The match is now official for SummerSlam, only this time, Rhodes is the challenger and not the champion.
This has driven one person off the rails, and that’s Gunther. The Ring General lost two back-to-back bouts he was involved in for the title, but has since blamed everyone but himself and gone on a violent mean streak.
He continued to bring carnage this past Friday when SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, with whom he had already had an altercation after Night of Champions, didn’t give him what he wanted and put him in a tag team match alongside Sami Zayn against Cody Rhodes and CM Punk for Saturday Night’s Main Event.
A furious Gunther attacked Aldis and put him in his deadly sleeperhold over and over again until he passed out. Now he has another opportunity at the title at the live event this Thursday.
To see Gunther and CM Punk in action on live TV, fans can tune in to Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18th.
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