CM Punk WWE schedule update
CM Punk is now the top champion on WWE SmackDown — and he’s officially set to appear on the brand going forward.
The event page on WWE.com has been updated to include Punk among the advertised talent for all listed episodes of SmackDown. That starts with this Friday’s show in Oklahoma City, which Punk has already been confirmed for. Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, Trick Williams, and Gunther are the talent WWE is using for its SmackDown advertising.
Along with this, Punk is advertised for the house shows WWE is holding in Las Cruces and Albuquerque, New Mexico this Saturday (July 11) and Sunday (July 12).
Punk returned to WWE programming on Raw this Monday and defeated Sami Zayn to win the Undisputed WWE Championship. Our Dave Meltzer had reported that Punk moving to SmackDown was expected upon his return, with WWE wanting to balance out the star power on its brands. Punk had been away since shortly after dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42.
CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes expected for WWE SummerSlam —
Punk is also advertised for WWE SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis at the start of August, where he is expected to defend his title against Cody Rhodes. WWE had originally announced a title match between Zayn and Rhodes for this Monday’s Raw, but it was part of an angle to set up Punk making a hometown return in the Chicago area and dethroning Zayn for the belt. Rhodes was taken out by Gunther in a backstage attack, which led to Punk subbing in and defeating Zayn.
Zayn’s title reign only lasted nine days following his win over Rhodes and Gunther at Night of Champions.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.