Sami Zayn Just Ended CM Punk's WWE Title Reign
WWE didn't just have Sami Zayn beat CM Punk in Mexico City. It took the title off its biggest merch seller with Randy Orton already circling.
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WWE Is Paying Mexico City in Championship Belts
WWE hasn't aired live from Mexico City in 15 years. Its welcome-back gift is four championship matches on a go-home SmackDown nobody bought a ticket expecting.
WWE Bet the Whole Show on Rhodes-Orton Being Personal
No championship is on the line when Cody Rhodes fights Randy Orton tonight. After a month of personal attacks, WWE is betting that won't matter at all.
CM Punk Wore His Dead Dog's Paw Prints Into a Title Match
CM Punk wore his late dog Larry's actual paw prints into his WWE Championship defense — then Sami Zayn turned heel to help him keep the belt.
Kevin Owens Used Danhausen as a Text Message to CM Punk
Kevin Owens saved Danhausen from The Miz, then Stunnered him anyway, told him to pass it to CM Punk. Cold, calculated, and it worked perfectly.
Kevin Owens Is Back. Now Comes the Real Test.
Kevin Owens is chasing CM Punk's title after a year-plus away, but tonight's SmackDown is really a test of what WWE plans to pay off from SummerSlam.
The AAA Deal Stopped Being a Poster This Week
Rey Mysterio pitched Roman Reigns a real WWE/AAA tournament with a title shot in Mexico City. It's the first sign the AAA deal is more than a logo on a poster.
Kevin Owens Is Back and He's Coming for Punk
Kevin Owens said he never made peace with his career being over. Seventeen months later he's stunnering his way to a CM Punk title match. Don't ruin this, WWE.
Oba Femi Beat Brock Lesnar. That's the SummerSlam Story.
Oba Femi beat Brock Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam, closing out a trilogy WWE built for years. That's the story, not the title match.
WWE Got Its Randy Orton Pop and Used It to Screw Cody
Randy Orton's SummerSlam return got one of the loudest ovations of the night for what was supposed to be a heel turn. WWE heard it and bet against it anyway.
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes Actually Fought on SmackDown
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes actually threw hands on SmackDown, and the nervous urgency behind that booking says more about SummerSlam than any hype video.
CM Punk Calling Cody Rhodes "Dusty's Kid" Was Ice Cold
CM Punk called Cody Rhodes Dusty's kid to his face on SmackDown, and Oakland cheered louder for Punk than for the guy WWE calls its franchise babyface.
CM Punk Told Cody Rhodes 'That's on Purpose'
CM Punk shoved Cody Rhodes on the WWE SummerSlam Kickoff stage and said the quiet part out loud in front of Triple H. This feud stopped being business days ago.
WWE Doesn't Know Which Era It's In
CM Punk won the title. Cody Rhodes built the future. At SummerSlam 2026, one of them has to actually win the argument—and the belt is almost beside the point.
Punk vs. Cody Is Finally Happening
CM Punk stole Cody's title shot. Three years of detours built toward SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis — and the belt is the least interesting part.
WWE Already Knows How SummerSlam Ends. So Does the Market.
WWE sold 22,069 tickets for SummerSlam Night 1. A 25% discount didn't move the needle. The audience isn't priced out — they already know how the rematches end.
Punk vs. Rhodes at SummerSlam Is the Right Call
WWE officially booked CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam 2026. The ticket sales were bad. This match just fixed it.
SummerSlam Can't Fill One-Third of a Building
WWE booked Punk-Rhodes, Reigns-Rollins, Lesnar in Hell in a Cell — and still can't fill a third of US Bank Stadium. The card is fine. The product isn't.
WWE Built Three Months of Story in One Friday Night. Somehow That's Normal.
CM Punk is SmackDown champion, SummerSlam vs. Cody Rhodes is set, and Gunther choked out the GM on the same night. Only wrestling operates like this.
Sami Zayn Finally Got the Title. CM Punk Took It Nine Days Later.
CM Punk took the WWE title from Sami Zayn in Chicago after nine days. His raw, tearful post-loss promo wasn't scripted. It was 24 years of heartbreak.
CM Punk Is Champion and SummerSlam Just Got Better
CM Punk won the WWE Championship on Raw in Chicago. He didn't complicate SummerSlam — he gave it an emotional architecture it didn't have before.
SummerSlam 2026 Is the Card WWE Didn't Plan
WWE's SummerSlam 2026 card is stacked — Punk vs. Cody, Roman vs. Seth, Femi vs. Lesnar in a Cell. Here's why the accidental detours made every storyline better.
CM Punk Is WWE Champion in Chicago Again
CM Punk is the WWE Champion again, and it happened in Chicago, at Allstate Arena, the way it was always supposed to. Nine days, Sami. Nine days.
CM Punk Is Coming Back to Chicago, and the Story Writes Itself
CM Punk returns to Chicago tonight — same building as the 2011 pipe bomb. Fifteen years later, WWE stumbled into the perfect SummerSlam setup.
Sami Zayn Broke WWE's Entire Summer Plan
Sami Zayn wasn't supposed to win the WWE title. CM Punk was. Now Punk walks into Chicago on Monday and has to deal with it. I'm fully locked in.