CM Punk returned to SmackDown on July 10, 2026 as the new WWE champion, and Alexa Bliss was part of the headline framing around the show. He had beaten Sami Zayn for the title on Monday, ending Zayn’s nine-day reign before the champion walked back into the ring on Friday.
Nick Aldis welcomed Punk to the ring to celebrate the title change. Punk said he missed the crowd, then said anyone is welcome to try to take the title from him because he is a fighting champion. He also said he would give Sami Zayn a rematch if Zayn wanted one.
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes
Punk then named Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams before Cody Rhodes interrupted him. Rhodes challenged Punk for SummerSlam, and Aldis made the match official on the spot. Rhodes had been upset after being attacked on Monday and missing his scheduled title match against Zayn, which left his route back to the championship to the SummerSlam challenge instead of the match he was expecting.
That sequence left Punk in an uneasy spot for a champion who had just promised open challenges. He talked like a fighting champion, but the first direct follow-up was not an open defense. It was Rhodes getting the SummerSlam match made immediately, which narrowed the next title path to one opponent.
Finn Balor and Tama Tonga
The rest of Friday’s show added more movement around the same title picture. Finn Balor wrestled Tama Tonga and won after Talla’s interference almost gave Tonga the match. Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu were also in the ring after the break to call out Solo Sikoa, but Royce Keys appeared instead and said, “Big Jim's family business was starting to affect him.”
For now, the clearest next step is Punk and Rhodes at SummerSlam, with Sami Zayn left pointing at a rematch he was offered and not yet said to have taken. Punk returned with the belt, but Rhodes left with the official title shot.
