Exclusive new update on CM Punk ahead of WWE return
There are plans for CM Punk to move over to the WWE SmackDown roster, but he might end up making at least one more appearance on Raw before that happens.
Dave Meltzer reported earlier this month that, when Punk returns from his post-WrestleMania 42 absence, he’s expected to join SmackDown, potentially for a feud with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. That move is intended to help balance the rosters given that Raw has more star power at the moment.
Following up on that, Meltzer gave another update in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, stating that Punk has been pushing “very hard” for his return to take place on the July 6 episode of Raw given that the show is being held in the Chicago area:
- Even though Punk is earmarked for Smackdown, he was pushing very hard for his return to be on the 7/6 Raw show because it’s in Chicago. His departure was basically to get him ready for moving to Smackdown and eventually a program with Rhodes, but to say there are no issues at all, that wouldn’t be correct. It’s not as bad as some have made it out to be, but it’s not like there aren’t any issues at all.
Punk has been away from WWE programming since the Raw after WrestleMania 42. There have been rumors about his absence and whether it was solely creative-related or if there are issues between Punk and WWE, which Meltzer addressed in the quoted section above.
At WrestleMania, Punk dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns. A future Undisputed WWE title match between Rhodes and Punk was then teased on Raw the next night.
Rhodes is defending his title against Gunther and Sami Zayn in a triple threat match at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia this Saturday. Coming out of the PLE, WWE will officially begin the build to SummerSlam. The King of the Ring finals between Oba Femi and Jey Uso at Night of Champions will earn one of them a World title shot at SummerSlam, with the winner able to challenge either Reigns or Rhodes.
WWE’s schedule after Night of Champions —
The Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois is hosting the July 6 episode of Raw. Before that, WWE has a combined Raw/SmackDown taping in Atlantic City, New Jersey on June 29. The July 3 edition of SmackDown is being taped in advance due to the Fourth of July holiday.
SummerSlam will take place from Minneapolis across two nights on August 1-2.
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.