CM Punk goes full John Cena after losing the WWE championship to Sami Zayn

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - SEPTEMBER 11: CM Punk celebrates with the crowd during SmackDown at Arena Ciudad de Mexico on September 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images CM Punk was WWE champion for all of 67 days before he lost the title to Sami Zayn on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Mexico City. It was a legitimate surprise, considering Zayn winning the title the first time felt like a transitional run unlikely to be repeated, no matter how much he may deserve the spot after all his years of hard work. Punk is still the bigger star, and that carries a lot of weight. But there are some interesting stories to tell with Zayn as champion and Kevin Owens getting involved in all this, playing such a big part in the finish. It’s highly likely the three of them are headed for something from here, we just don’t know what yet. For his part, Punk has responded to the defeat by doing his best John Cena and getting all