CM Punk‘s appearance for this week’s WWE RAW has been officially confirmed ahead of the show in Quebec City, Canada. Known as “The Best in the World,” Punk will start the broadcast, marking a significant moment after his recent short reign as World Heavyweight Champion.
The RAW General Manager, Adam Pearce, shared a promotional video highlighting key matches for the upcoming event. This included the Women’s World Championship defense by Naomi against IYO SKY, Sami Zayn competing against Rusev, and Maxxine Dupri facing Becky Lynch in a singles match. Pearce specifically announced that CM Punk would be the first to appear on the show.
“And who better to be on the broadcast than Quebec’s favorite son, Montreal’s own, Sami Zayn, and he will go one-on-one with Rusev. Plus, in the biggest match of her life, Maxxine Dupri will oppose the Women’s Intercontinental Champion, The Man, Becky Lynch. And for the Women’s World Championship, Naomi defends against IYO SKY. Who walks out with the gold? Tune in tomorrow night to find out. And kicking this whole shindig off, The Best in the World, CM Punk,” said Pearce.
Context on CM Punk’s Recent Championship Status
CM Punk captured the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE SummerSlam 2025 by defeating Gunther in the main event. However, his title run was abruptly ended when Seth Rollins, known as “The Visionary,” revealed that his injury from the previous month during Saturday Night’s Main Event was fabricated. Rollins then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract immediately after Punk’s victory to take the championship.
Bill Apter Critiques CM Punk’s SummerSlam Title Loss
Bill Apter, a respected wrestling journalist, recently shared his opinions on Punk’s loss at SummerSlam during a Sportskeeda review. Apter expressed disappointment over how one-sided the match appeared, noting Punk was mostly on the defensive against Gunther before Rollins’ title cash-in.
“What I didn’t like was that CM Punk was killed during the whole match. The fans loved Punk; he let Gunther pretty much run the match. And I wanted to see more of a, you know, Punk’s a fine wrestler. So is Gunther. And I wanted to see more of a pro-wrestling match, not so one-sided. I didn’t want to see it so one-sided,” he said.
Anticipation Builds Around CM Punk’s Upcoming RAW Segment
With CM Punk set to kick off the WWE RAW show in Quebec City, there is considerable interest in what he will say regarding his brief title reign and the circumstances surrounding his loss. Fans and commentators alike are watching closely for his response amid a card filled with high-profile matches, including significant championship defenses and marquee singles bouts.
This episode is poised to deepen the storylines following SummerSlam and could set the tone for upcoming WWE events and rivalries. Given Punk’s status and the vibrant wrestling scene in Quebec City, his segment may carry notable impact both in storyline progression and fan reception.
