CM Punk Wins World Heavyweight Title At SummerSlam, Immediately Loses It To Seth Rollins (WWE News)

With WWE kicking off its first-ever two-day SummerSlam in explosive fashion, Night 1 closed out with not one, but two World Heavyweight Championship changes.

In the main event, it was CM Punk challenging Gunther for the top male prize on the Raw brand. An excellent 30-minute war, the story here was the younger, bigger, stronger, meaner Ring General taking the bulk of the match, largely dominating Punk, with the Second City Saint then firing up in brilliant fashion, only to be knocked back down again.

This was the spirited veteran babyface, scratching and clawing as he looked to take down one of the most physically imposing wrestlers on the planet. Grit, heart, and courage were all on display as CM Punk did a fantastic job in the role he was cast here, and likewise, Gunther was phenomenal as, well, Gunther.

The tide eventually turned Punk's way after Gunther was bloodied after a tumble on the announce desk, although even then, the big Austrian was able to get the Straight-Edge Superstar in a sleeper before Punker fully got going. That 'got going' involved a running knee in the corner, a top rope elbow drop, and eventually two GTSes to put Gunther down for the 1-2-3.

An emotional CM Punk celebrated in the ring, marking a first title of any kind for him in WWE since 2013. As some had speculated, though, those celebrations were cut short by Seth Rollins' music. However, the Visionary appeared on stage with two crutches and a knee brace, accompanied by Paul Heyman, with the initial message being for Punk to enjoy that championship while he can, for Seth would be coming for him once he'd healed up from his knee injury.

In a great sequence, Rollins started to walk to the back, only to drop both crutches, turn around and remove that knee brace, remove his jacket, and head down to ringside with the Money in the Bank briefcase that Heyman had been holding. And the MetLife Stadium crowd ate it up!

With referee Jessica Carr in place, Seth Rollins nailed CM Punk several times with the MITB briefcase, formally cashed in, and hit one solitary Curb Stomp to put Punk away and become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Again, tying to the story of Punk having gone through a war with Gunther, of getting beaten down and brutalised in that main event, of using every ounce of energy and fight to overcome the odds... only for Seth to appear and pick the bones? That was extremely well done, continuing to further the ever-heated, ever-personal issues between Seth Rollins and CM Punk.

Get 76% off, four free months, and a free Amazon gift card when you sign up to NordVPN here: http://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=564&aff_id=3013&url_id=31010&aff_sub1=WhatCulture.