What is being said about CM Punk’s match for SummerSlam 2026 following Sami Zayn’s WWE Title win

Sami Zayn is scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes on the July 6th 2026 edition of WWE RAW in Chicago. There is speculation that CM Punk will return from his hiatus either during or after the match.

According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, the expectation is that Punk will appear on the show, which is what Punk reportedly suggested. Meltzer stated that “there have been minor issues which were traced back to us as starting with the loss of the title at WrestleMania” but it’s still believed that Punk is returning.

Cody vs. Punk for the WWE Title was rumored to be one of the planned matches for SummerSlam 2026. Meltzer noted the following about the situation…

“If it ends up being Zayn vs. Punk at SummerSlam, then you know this was a last minute change of plans. If it’s Rhodes vs. Punk with no title at stake, it was also a change in plans. If Rhodes gets the title back, they did it [made Zayn champion] for a momentary pop, and the way business is today, you can argue it cheapens the belt, but I don’t know how much that really matters.”