Sami Zayn’s reign as Undisputed WWE Champion came to a stunning end on this week’s episode of WWE RAW, as hometown favorite CM Punk returned to capture the championship in the night’s shocking main event.
The title match was originally scheduled to feature Zayn defending against Cody Rhodes after Rhodes earned the opportunity by defeating Jey Uso on SmackDown. However, those plans were thrown into chaos at the start of RAW when an enraged GUNTHER ambushed Rhodes backstage, blaming him for what he believed was an unfair outcome at WWE Night of Champions 2026. Following the attack, RAW General Manager Adam Pearce announced that Rhodes had been medically ruled out of competition, but confirmed that the championship would still be defended.
Pearce then revealed a surprise replacement, with CM Punk making his long-awaited return to a massive ovation in his hometown of Chicago. The appearance marked Punk’s first time on WWE television since the RAW following WrestleMania 42.
Punk and Zayn delivered a hard-fought main event, trading momentum throughout the contest. In the closing moments, Punk avoided Zayn’s Helluva Kick before responding with a kick of his own and following it up with the Go to Sleep to score the three-count.
With the victory, CM Punk became the new Undisputed WWE Champion.
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