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CM Punk’s Next Appearance After WWE Championship Win Officially Announced

By Ahmed Hamdy • Published Jul 08, 2026 07:00 EDT
cm punk wwe
CM Punk celebrates after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship on Raw, July 6, 2026 - Source: WWE.com

CM Punk’s first appearance as the new Undisputed WWE Champion has been officially announced.

The Second City Saint held the World Heavyweight Championship for 169 days before dropping the title to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42 last April.

Following his title loss, the 47-year-old legend took a three-month hiatus before returning to RAW last Monday. Ahead of his comeback, Cody Rhodes was scheduled to challenge Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship on the red brand after winning a number-one contender match against Jey Uso last Friday on SmackDown.

However, The American Nightmare was shockingly attacked backstage by Gunther while confronting the champion before their match. The Ring General left Rhodes bloodied after kicking a car door into his head.

Later in the show, the WWE doctor refused to clear Rhodes for action without further examinations despite the former Undisputed Champion insisting that he was fine. Hence, The American Nightmare was sent to a hospital to get the necessary scans before Jackie Redmond officially broke the news that Rhodes was not cleared to compete against Zayn.

Refusing to cancel the Undisputed WWE Championship match, RAW General Manager Adam Pearce informed Zayn that he would find a replacement for Rhodes.

CM Punk Is Set To Appear On 7/10 WWE SmackDown

CM Punk returned to RAW last Monday as Cody Rhodes’ replacement to challenge Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship. After a fierce battle, The Second City Saint shockingly ended The Last Real Good Guy’s nine-day title reign.

WWE has now announced that The Second City Saint is set to make his first appearance at the new Undisputed WWE Champion this Friday on the July 10 episode of SmackDown.

Also read: Massive Backstage Revelation After Sami Zayn Drops The WWE Title To CM Punk On RAW

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