CM Punk is Undisputed WWE Champion after Sami Zayn's reign lasted just nine days, and the way it happened was wild

[Dave96]

Monday's Raw delivered one of the most talked about title changes of the year. CM Punk captured the Undisputed WWE Championship from Sami Zayn, but the manner of it is what has everyone buzzing, Punk replaced Cody Rhodes in the match after Gunther brutally assaulted Rhodes backstage, meaning Zayn's reign, which only began nine days earlier at Night of Champions, ended almost as fast as it started

The reaction has been split right down the middle. Several other WWE Superstars along with Jack Perry publicly called Punk a hypocrite for taking the title shot under those circumstances, while Zayn himself addressed the loss afterward and Dave Meltzer has been offering his own read on why the reign was kept so short. The whole angle also set up other movement on the card, with Maxxine Dupri helping Bron Breakker and Austin Theory reclaim the World Tag Team Titles and Punk reportedly headed to SmackDown afterward

The nine day reign is a genuinely unusual booking decision worth sitting with. Sami Zayn's win at Night of Champions was treated as a full career defining moment just over a week ago, the kind of story that usually gets months to breathe, and ending it this abruptly either signals a much bigger story still to unfold or risks making the original title win feel like a footnote rather than the achievement it was sold as

The Gunther attack on Cody Rhodes is clearly the connective tissue driving the next chapter, and with SummerSlam building toward Reigns versus Rollins and reported Punk activity around Chicago storylines already swirling, this feels like one domino in a much larger chain rather than an isolated title change

So the debate for the board. Was nine days too short a reign for what was sold as a genuinely historic moment for Zayn, does Punk taking the opportunity under those circumstances actually make him a hypocrite as his critics in the locker room are saying, or is that just smart advantage taking that any competitor in his position would seize, and where does this leave Cody Rhodes heading into SummerSlam season?

Raw results: July 6, 2026: CM Punk captures the Undisputed WWE Title from Sami Zaynwww.wwe.com