More details have emerged about how WWE Superstars reacted to CM Punk’s Undisputed Championship victory over Sami Zayn on last week’s episode. Raw.
After an 11-week long break from television, CM Punk returns Raw To challenge Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The 47-year-old defeated Zayn via pinfall, vacating Zayn’s title reign in just nine days.
In this day and age, it’s easy for the WWE Universe to speculate on the potential backstage heat when a part-time Superstar wins a major title.
But in a recent question-and-answer session, Shawn Ross Sapp of Fightful Select (h/t eWrestling News) reported that there was no “major commotion” backstage regarding CM Punk’s victory. Sapp said that most stars worked “amicably” with Punk and understood his status as a top superstar:
“It didn’t cause a huge uproar as it sometimes does online,” Sapp said. “That’s it. If it had come in 2023, soon after his arrival, yes, it would have.
“There are still some people who have bitter feelings, but the vast majority of the talent works with him amicably and knows he’s going to be a big part of the company. There’s really not much to go on from here. Maybe some people will turn a blind eye – nothing too bad.”
After Zayn defeated Cody Rhodes to win the WWE Title at Night of Champions, it was reported that the reaction backstage was overwhelmingly positive, as Cody Rhodes is highly respected internally.
Unfortunately for Zayn, WWE creative was unwilling to pursue him with the world title.
WWE fans finally got their dream match of CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes
(Photo by Melina Pizano WWE via Getty Images)
AEW never ran a dream match between Punk and Rhodes during its brief run. Of course, this is likely to happen if Cody and Brandi Rhodes had not unexpectedly left AEW in 2022.
At any rate, the stage is set for a dream match between future Hall of Famers. And you won’t find a better stage than a WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.
