WWE Likely Bringing Back Ex-Champion On RAW To Counter 2026 FIFA World Cup Match
A former World Heavyweight Champion could return on WWE RAW tonight.
The upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW at Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, is just hours away. Triple H and Co. have loaded the show with as many as three title matches, including Sami Zayn putting his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against Cody Rhodes.
While Sol Ruca is scheduled to defend her Women’s Intercontinental Title against Raquel Rodriguez, The Street Profits will face The Vision in a World Tag Team Championship bout. Also, Seth Rollins, Oba Femi, and more are set to make huge appearances.
Despite the strong card on paper, RAW will face strong competition as it goes head-to-head with the United States of America’s Round of 16 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Belgium at Seattle Stadium.
Sean Ross Sapp was recently asked on the Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast if WWE is planning anything extra to counter-program the aforementioned World Cup match. Sapp stated that apart from the already announced matches and segments, CM Punk will also likely make his comeback in the sports entertainment juggernaut.
The last time CM Punk was on WWE programming:
Punk: “I just gotta stay ready because you never know when a championship opportunity is just gonna fall out of the sky.”
Cody: “Hey, Punk… just say when.” pic.twitter.com/EaIUX2SST7
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) July 5, 2026
The Second City Saint hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since the RAW after WrestleMania 42, and what better place to make a grand return than his hometown, Chicago.
CM Punk pushed to be on tonight’s WWE RAW
Various updates have emerged on CM Punk in the time he has been away from the WWE spotlight. According to rumors, Punk is earmarked for SmackDown to balance both main roster brands.
Despite that, Dave Meltzer, on a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, mentioned that CM Punk was pushing “very hard” for his return to be on the July 6, 2026 (tonight’s) edition of RAW in Chicago.
Even though Punk is earmarked for SmackDown, he was pushing very hard for his return to be on the 7/6 Raw show because it’s in Chicago. His departure was basically to get him ready for moving to SmackDown and eventually a program with Rhodes, but to say there are no issues at all, that wouldn’t be correct. It’s not as bad as some have made it out to be, but it’s not like there aren’t any issues at all.
It will be interesting to see if The Second City Saint does show up on the red brand.
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