CM Punk Wins Undisputed WWE Title From Sami Zayn On WWE Raw

Posted By: Patrick A Ganczewski on Jul 06, 2026

CM Punk Shocks WWE Universe, Defeats Sami Zayn to Capture the Undisputed WWE Championship on Raw

The WWE landscape has been turned upside down.

CM Punk is once again on top of the mountain after making a stunning surprise return on Monday Night Raw to defeat Sami Zayn and become the new Undisputed WWE Champion.

The night's main event was originally scheduled to feature Sami Zayn defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes, who earned the opportunity by defeating Jey Uso on SmackDown. However, those plans were derailed before the match ever began.

Earlier in the evening, Gunther launched a brutal assault on Rhodes, furious over what he believed was an unjust outcome at WWE Night of Champions. The attack left Rhodes medically unable to compete, forcing Raw General Manager Adam Pearce to make a last-minute decision. Rather than postpone the championship match, Pearce announced that Zayn would still defend the title, but against a mystery opponent.

That opponent turned out to be none other than CM Punk.

Making his first appearance since the Raw following WrestleMania 42, Punk received a thunderous hometown ovation before stepping into the biggest match of the night. The two fan favorites delivered a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle worthy of a world championship main event.

In the closing moments, Zayn looked poised to retain after setting up for the Helluva Kick, but Punk narrowly avoided the strike before firing back with one of his own. Moments later, Punk connected with the Go 2 Sleep, scoring the decisive three-count to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion.

The victory marks Punk's third recognized WWE Championship reign and his first since the championship was unified into the Undisputed WWE Title.

Meanwhile, Sami Zayn's championship reign comes to an abrupt end after just nine days. Zayn captured the title at WWE Night of Champions but was unable to overcome the surprise challenge from Punk in one of the most shocking title changes of the year.

With CM Punk now standing atop WWE once again, the road ahead for the new Undisputed WWE Champion, and the fallout involving Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Sami Zayn, promises to reshape the championship picture heading into the coming weeks.