CM Punk Returns On WWE Raw, Immediately WINS Undisputed WWE Championship (WWE News)

CM Punk is your new WWE Champion.

WWE Raw CM Punk
WWE

Not only did CM Punk make his WWE return on last night's Raw, but the Second City Saint is the new WWE Champion.

With Raw taking place from Chicago's Allstate Arena, there was plentiful speculation that Punk might return in his hometown, marking a first appearance since the Raw after WrestleMania 42. However, going into Raw, the advertised main event was Sami Zayn defending the WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes.

As Raw opened with Sami arriving at the arena and having a brief backstage interaction with Rhodes, that was interrupted by Gunther, who swiftly powerbombed the American Nightmare through a nearby table and then kicked a car door into his head, leaving Cody bloodied. Throwing the Zayn vs. Rhodes main event up in the air, we'd eventually see medical staff deem Cody Rhodes unfit to compete, though Raw General Manager Adam Pearce confirmed that Sami Zayn would still be defending his WWE Title that night, and SmackDown GM Nick Aldis said he was going to make a phone call.

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When the main event rolled around, it was indeed CM Punk coming out to face Sami Zayn, with the two putting on an excellent 20-minute match that culminated in Sami missing a Helluva Kick, Punk hitting his own Helluva Kick, and then putting the Last Real Good Guy down with the GTS. Post-match, the Straight-Edge Superstar called back to his famous Money in the Bank 2011 win as he blew a kiss and headed into the crowd.

In further callback to Money in the Bank 2011, CM Punk was quick to take to Instagram to show the WWE Championship in his refrigerator, which is exactly the same as what he did when he defeated John Cena for the WWE Title back at that MITB event.

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CM Punk WWE Title Fridge
Instagram @cmpunk

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.