Sami Zayn’s reign with the Undisputed WWE Championship got here to a screeching halt on “WWE Raw” on Monday in Chicago when CM Punk made his return to challenge for the gold. After Zayn’s original opponent, Cody Rhodes, was brutally taken out by GUNTHER backstage, “The Second City Saint” was revealed to be his recent opponent for the fundamental event of the show.
After a back-and-forth bout where the pair hit each other’s finishers, it was Punk to emerge victorious after a Helluva Kick, then a Go To Sleep. After the match, WWE cameras caught up with an irate Zayn backstage in a video posted to social media. As an obviously emotional Zayn rants to the camera, and the Chicago crowd still celebrating may be heard within the background.
“How is that after 24 years of crawling and inching for each little inch to get the WWE Championship, after I finally get it, nine days after I get it, that piece of s*** can walk back in here after not being here for months?” Zayn questioned. “For months. And waltz right in and get it? Get a likelihood? That motherf*****. He has no business. No business.”
Because the “Raw” theme song plays to seemingly end the show for the live crowd, Zayn falls to his knees and begins to sob. The camera stays on the distraught former champion for a moment before the video ends.
.@SamiZayn speaks. 😳 pic.twitter.com/W6dE3Z39XS
— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2026
Punk returned to WWE for the primary time because the “Raw” after WrestleMania 42, the event where he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns. On that edition of “Raw,” Punk went face-to-face with then Undisputed WWE Champion Rhodes, where the pair seemingly agreed to a match for the gold in the longer term. Zayn won the title from Rhodes, in a triple threat match involving GUNTHER, at Night of Champions.