News

CM Punk Repeats History After Undisputed WWE Championship Win

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Jul 07, 2026 11:10 EDT
cm punk wwe
CM Punk celebrates after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship on Raw, July 6, 2026 - Source: WWE.com

CM Punk had multiple reasons to celebrate on Monday.

On the July 6 edition of WWE Raw, not only did he make his first appearance since April, but he also defeated incumbent SmackDown champion Sami Zayn to become the new Undisputed Champion.

Furthermore, all the events transpired in his hometown of Chicago inside the Allstate Arena. CM Punk is now an 8-time world champion in the promotion.

On last week’s SmackDown, a #1 contender’s match between Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso saw The American Nightmare win the honors.

Both Zayn and Rhodes were featured in a backstage segment to open Monday Night’s Raw taping, where Rhodes was attacked by Gunther. It was later confirmed that he was in no condition to compete. General manager Adam Pearce, nonetheless, did not cancel the title match, instead announcing that he would face a surprise opponent.

The match lived up to its hype, with both Sami Zayn and CM Punk delivering a clinical show. At different points in the match, Zayn even hit Punk with two GTS finishers for near falls, whereas Punk hit one Helluva Kick.

Punk, however, came out on top, sealing his victory with a GTS.

CM Punk Brings Back Old Celebration After Winning SmackDown Title

CM Punk is no stranger to winning championships in WWE, but he is also famous for his post-title celebrations.

Who can forget the events following the 2026 Elimination Chamber, where Punk retained his World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor.

Earlier in the night, his wife AJ Lee had defeated Becky Lynch to become the Women’s Intercontinental Champion for the first time. So, Punk shared a ‘naked’ photo of himself on his social media account while wearing both belts that covered his nether regions.

CM Punk followed suit after beating Sami Zayn as well, although nothing as risque, but in what was rather a callback.

One of his latest Instagram photos recreated his 2010 title win celebration (defeating John Cena), showing the Undisputed WWE Championship inside his refrigerator alongside groceries.

Becky Lynch Expresses Displeasure Over Sami Zayn’s Title Loss

Becky Lynch and Sami Zayn’s friendship goes back decades, while also throwing Kevin Owens into the mix.

Following Zayn’s win at Night of Champions, a backstage video emerged of the trio reuniting and celebrating. However, their happy times have now come to an end after a mere 9 days.

Lynch took to her X account to share her thoughts about the title change, claiming that the Canadian superstar was robbed.

The tweet not only highlights her support for her long-time friend but also continues her rivalry with CM Punk and AJ Lee, by extension, which was a major storyline starting in mid-2025 and lasting till WrestleMania 42.

While Zayn’s title win was significant, his future now becomes clouded in mystery.