CM Punk is the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Punk defeated Jey Uso on Saturday night at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event and won the vacant title after connecting with his GTS and getting the pin for the victory. The championship was vacant after Seth Rollins was stripped of it due to injury.
It’s been a long road to the world title for CM Punk, who returned to WWE in November of 2023, but didn’t get his hands on WWE gold until SummerSlam this year. That gold was taken away almost instantly when Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract just minutes after Punk defeated Gunther to win it.
CM Punk / WWE
Punk issued his first comments on winning the world championship at a hockey game in Utah the day after his victory. Punk called his return to WWE a dream come true and related this run to that of an old -ime hockey player.
“Every day’s been a dream. Honestly, every day is gratitude. Obviously, I love hockey so much, I kind of draw the parallels between my wrestling career and hockey, and I’m the old guy in the room now”
– CM Punk
Punk continued:
“I’m just happy I get to lace up my skates, and the privilege to be able to walk the room, walk the locker room, and the halls with a lot of talented young stars and seeing all the fans, all the places I’ve been all around the world multiple times. Getting to revisit stuff and see the young and old all love wrestling. It’s great. It’s been a dream.”
– CM Punk (h/t Fightful)
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In an interview last week, CM Punk called this WWE run the best run of his career and a time in which he believes he’s doing his best work ever. Punk was injured soon into his WWE return, but since then has worked memorable matches in feuds, including a main-event WrestleMania match.
Punk vs. Drew McIntyre, Punk vs. Seth Rollins, Punk vs. John Cena, and Punk vs. Gunther are all major matches that he’s had since being back in WWE. Punk is advertised for this week’s episode of WWE Raw and will make his first appearance as world heavyweight champion.
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