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CM Punk's First Appearance as the New WWE Champion Announced

There's no questioning his status as the best in the world. CM Punk is once again the WWE Champion and his next appearance has now been announced.
Rick Ucchino|
CM Punk
CM Punk | Netflix

The last time anyone saw CM Punk on WWE programming, prior to Monday night in Chicago, the 'Best in the World' said he just needed to stay ready, because you never know when a title shot will just fall out of the sky.

Cody Rhodes' misfortune on Monday turned into Punk's opportunity as the Second City Saint was called to the Allstate Arena to challenge Sami Zayn for the WWE Championship after Gunther ambushed The American Nightmare to open up Raw.

Having not competed since losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42, Punk fed off the energy of his hometown Chicago crowd and beat Zayn in an exhilarating main event to capture the WWE Championship for the first time in 13 years.

CM Punk officially moves to SmackDown this coming Friday, July 10

Punk's victory means that the rumors regarding his move to SmackDown are true. The WWE Championship is anchored to the Blue Brand, which means whoever holds the gold is contracted to that show.

WWE has now officially announced Punk's first official appearance as the new WWE Champion. He'll be at SmackDown this coming Friday, July 10. The week's episode will air live on the USA Network from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Former WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is also being advertised for this week's show, which means we could get a medical update on The American Nightmare after he had his head slammed in a car door on Monday night.

Sami Zayn, Gunther and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, who is currently on administrative leave, are all expected to be in Oklahoma City as well.

There are also two matches that have been made official. After suffering a 2-on-1 blindside attack last Friday night, Finn Balor will battle his old Bullet Club buddy Tama Tonga. And Carmelo Hayes has been begging for an opportunity to face his old friend Trick Williams for the Men's United States Championship.

Trick Williams
Trick Williams | WWE

Melo will get his shot against Trick this Friday night, but the title will not be on the line. We'll have more information on this week's episode of WWE SmackDown when our preview goes live at 6 a.m. EST (3 a.m PST) here on The Takedown on SI.

WWE SmackDown card for July 10 (announced):

  • WWE Champion CM Punk to appear
  • Men's United States Champion Trick Williams w/ Lil Yachty vs. Carmelo Hayes in a non-title match
  • Finn Balor vs. Tama Tonga
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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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