Sami Zayn Faces CM Punk After Gunther Attack Sidelines Cody Rhodes on Raw

A title defense that was supposed to feature Cody Rhodes took a sharp turn on Monday, July 6, when Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn ended up squaring off against CM Punk instead.

Rhodes had been lined up to challenge Zayn for the title on Raw, but Gunther attacked him before the match could get underway, leaving officials to rule Rhodes unable to compete. Punk stepped in as the replacement challenger — marking his first in-ring action since dropping the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 42, as well as his first appearance back in WWE programming since that loss.

Zayn was predictably less than thrilled about the swap. The champion didn’t hold back when reacting to Punk’s sudden return to the spotlight, asking pointedly, “How does that piece of shit walk back in and get a title shot after months of not being here?” It’s a fair question from a champion’s perspective — Punk had been absent from television for months, then immediately found himself in a WWE title match the moment he resurfaced.

The situation also keeps the Zayn-Rhodes feud in a state of limbo. With Gunther directly responsible for taking Rhodes off the card, the Gunther-Rhodes storyline has now directly bled into the championship picture, adding another layer to an already-crowded main event scene.

Whether Rhodes gets the shot he was promised, or Punk’s return shakes up the title landscape heading into the summer, remains to be seen — but Zayn’s championship reign just got considerably more complicated.