CM Punk Recreates Throwback Photo Following WWE Raw World Title Win

Last night on "WWE Raw," CM Punk returned following a near three month hiatus and defeated Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Title in his hometown of Chicago. Originally, Zayn was scheduled to defend the title against Cody Rhodes, but after "The American Nightmare" was attacked by GUNTHER at the start of the show and later ruled out of in-ring competition for the night, Punk took his spot. "The Best In The World" is now an eight-time world champion in WWE, and to celebrate, he recreated a moment from 15 years ago.

When Punk defeated John Cena at Money In The Bank 2011 to capture his fourth world title, he took a picture of the championship in his fridge which went viral on social media, and following his victory over Zayn, he recreated the iconic photo. Interestingly, a Mindy's Bakery bag can also be found in Punk's fridge, which is the bakery he promoted during his infamous AEW All Out media scrum.

Although many were happy to see Punk with gold around his waist again, his win did come at the expense of Zayn, who only held the Undisputed WWE Title for nine days after defeating Rhodes and GUNTHER at Night of Champions. Additionally, it's expected that Punk will become a member of the "WWE SmackDown" roster now that he holds the brand's top title, and with SummerSlam on the horizon, it's rumored that his opponent at the two-night event will be Rhodes.

Before last night, Punk's name was at the top of several headlines during his absence, as speculation began to circulate online regarding his WWE status. Being unhappy with the company's creative team, getting into a backstage dispute at WrestleMania and asking for his release were just some of the rumors about Punk, though many reports shut down the online speculation during the world champion's time off.