CM Punk shocked the WWE Universe with his long awaited return on this week's edition of RAW in Chicago, Illinois, and it appears the outcome had been mapped out long before fans saw it unfold.

After being absent from WWE television since the RAW following WrestleMania 42, Punk made his comeback as the surprise replacement for Cody Rhodes in the night's main event. Earlier in the broadcast, Rhodes was attacked by GUNTHER and was later declared medically unable to compete, opening the door for Punk to challenge Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

The hometown crowd erupted as Punk made his entrance, and the former World Champion capitalized on the opportunity by defeating Zayn to become Undisputed WWE Champion for the third time. Zayn's historic first reign with the title came to an end after just nine days.

New details suggest the title switch was never a last minute decision. According to Fightful Select, via Cultaholic, WWE had planned for Punk to dethrone Zayn all along, with the company knowing well in advance that his return was on the horizon.

Adding further insight, False Finish reported on X that the championship change had actually been scheduled for more than a month. The report also claimed WWE originally intended to build toward a CM Punk versus Cody Rhodes showdown for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 43 before changing direction. The revised plan reportedly reflects a desire to make SummerSlam 2026 an even bigger event than WrestleMania 42.