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WWE Makes Major CM Punk Announcement

By Gaurav Singh • Published Jun 13, 2026 04:57 EDT
CM Punk WWE
CM Punk (Image Source-WWE.com)

WWE made a huge official announcement regarding the former World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, amid his absence from TV.

CM Punk enjoyed a great reign as the World Heavyweight Champion, which culminated in a match against Roman Reigns in the night 2 main event of WrestleMania 42. The amazing encounter ended with Roman beating Punk and capturing the World title. The Second City Saint also showed up on the RAW after Mania to share a segment with the WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, before going on a hiatus.

Amid his absence from TV for nearly two months now, some people on the internet speculated that CM Punk is on his way out of the WWE and could possibly head back to AEW as well. However, those speculations were debunked by a recent report, which revealed that Punk is on a well-deserved rest since losing his World title, and he will be back sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, WWE made an official statement regarding CM Punk amid his absence. Through their X social media handle, the Stamford-based promotion will be appearing in the Fanatics Fest on July 19th at the New York City:

The Best in the World is headed to NEW YORK CITY! CM Punk will be at @FanaticsFest on Sunday, July 19th! Tickets are on sale NOW 🎟️: https://fanaticsfest.com @Fanatics”

WWE reportedly planning a major creative change for CM Punk

In the recent edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE’s plan is to have CM Punk return on SmackDown instead of RAW, to balance both brands with top stars, and Punk vs Cody Rhodes has also been a direction:

The plan right now is for him to return on Smackdown, which is basically a balancing act. The belief is with Raw having Reigns, Rollins, The Usos, Fatu, Femi, Logan Paul and Breakker that Punk made more sense on Smackdown with a top tier of Rhodes, Gunther, Ripley and soon to be Punk, Orton and McIntyre. Plus Rhodes vs. Punk has been a direction.”

Meltzer also noted that Punk making his return on the 6th July episode of RAW in his hometown, Chicago, makes sense:

The return date of 7/6 Raw in Chicago makes sense, although that is a Raw date, not Smackdown, but that’s really not material in the sense Chicago does make sense for him to appear,” Dave said.

It remains to be seen if the Best in the World is slated for a return next month.