WWE Raw takeaways: CM Punk returns, beats Sami Zayn for Undisputed title

WWE Raw on July 6, 2026, took place at Allstate Arena in Chicago, and featured an Undisputed Championship match between Sami Zayn and a returning CM Punk.

It was a packed show with three title matches in total, causing big shifts ahead of SummerSlam. Ethan Page and Rusev picked up a win against Chad Gable and Dragon Lee, then beat down Joe Hendry. There were two strong promo segments in the ring as well with Seth Rollins and LA Knight and later, Oba Femi and Paul Heyman.

Here’s the top takeaways from this week’s show:

The Vision win tag titles

The first match of the show was for the men’s tag titles: The Street Profits vs. The Vision. The challengers got an ultimatum from Paul Heyman just before their entrance, and it worked.

.@HeymanHustle is HERE 🫢

The Oracle with some HARSH words for The Vision! pic.twitter.com/O3qoXrwKOT

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2026

Logan Paul was ringside in support of his crew, and drew chants from the crowd early in the match. He got involved by sliding brass knuckles into the ring, but was caught by the referee - however, Bron Breakker had another pair.

That attempt backfired too, and when Angelo Dawkins picked them up and began threatening Austin Theory, Maxxine Dupri appeared in the ring. A low blow landed, and Theory got the pin to win the titles.

MAXXINE DUPRI 😱😱

The Vision WIN the Tag Team Titles!!! pic.twitter.com/zMdaBIiyy5

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2026

Welp, that was a short reign for Montez Ford and Dawkins. At least we get the payoff of Dupri officially joining The Vision, and the new on-screen romance with Theory could be interesting.

Sol Ruca retains women’s IC title

The next match was for the women’s IC title between champ Sol Ruca and challenger Raquel Rodriguez.

While the match was going along nicely with Ruca pulling off flashy reversals and high-flying moves, it was only a matter of time until Judgment Day got involved.

THE GENIUS OF THE SKY!!! 🙌@Iyo_SkyWWEpic.twitter.com/hQrPA0r1Na

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2026

Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez appeared, but so did IYO SKY. The interference attempt backfired, allowing Ruca to hit a Sol Snatcher to score the pin.

SOL SNATCHED!!! 🌊

Sol Ruca RETAINS the Women's Intercontinental Title!!! pic.twitter.com/j8PoM5kvvA

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2026

It’s good to see Ruca getting a nice run with the title. It would have been nicer to see Ruca beat Rodriguez without the distractions, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. Rodriguez will get a title run of her own at some point, but for now, Ruca keeps stacking up wins as the crowd support grows each week.

CM Punk returns, wins Undisputed Championship

The main event was originally planned to be Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed Championship. However, Rhodes was taken out backstage by Gunther at the top of the show.

OH MY GOD!! 😱

Gunther has ATTACKED Cody Rhodes!!! pic.twitter.com/RSroYWeubH

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2026

Naturally, in Chicago, CM Punk made his return to fill in. He got a special reveal entrance from the loading dock and everything to really milk the crowd pop.

This was a solid singles title match, as the new-look Punk and Zayn went back and forth, keeping the crowd into every ebb and flow. Punk seemed to get the job done with an Anaconda Vice, but that would not be enough. After a few reversals, Zayn connected with a GTS, and a second soon after, but couldn’t get the three-count. Punk rallied back with a Helluva Kick and a GTS to win the title.

CM PUNK IS UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPION!!!! 🏆

CHICAGO HAS ERUPTED!!! pic.twitter.com/FFKaN4zk7o

— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2026

Zayn’s reign was always expected to be a short one, but wow. WWE couldn’t let him defend once to let the Zayn fans believe? It’s brutal, but there was no way to ruin a CM Punk title match in Chicago.

We’re likely heading for Punk vs. Rhodes at SummerSlam, or maybe WWE gets creative with a fatal 4-way involving Gunther and Zayn. Whichever direction we go from here, Punk looks ready for a long run with all that new muscle. The Summer of Punk is upon us again.

This article originally appeared on Wrestling Junkie: WWE Raw takeaways: CM Punk returns, beats Sami Zayn for Undisputed title