Backstage News On CM Punk's Creative Direction After Undisputed WWE Title Win On Raw

Last night on "WWE Raw," CM Punk returned in his hometown of Chicago after being away from the ring since WrestleMania 42 and defeated Sami Zayn in the main event of the show to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion. Initially, Cody Rhodes was set to challenge Zayn for the title after winning a number one contenders match against Jey Uso on this past Friday's "WWE SmackDown," but after "The American Nightmare" was attacked by GUNTHER at the beginning of "Raw" and was later unable to get cleared to compete, Punk answered the call. Despite the "Second City Saint" having another historic moment in Chicago, he didn't win the title just because "Raw" was held in his hometown, as a new report has outlined his creative direction for the summer. 

According to PWInsider Elite, after "Raw" concluded the expectation backstage was that Punk will be defending the Undisputed WWE Title against Rhodes at SummerSlam next month, which has reportedly been a locked plan for the two-night event for some time. Before Punk went on hiatus, WWE teased the match on the "Raw" following WrestleMania 42 when "The Best In The World" engaged in face-to-face confrontation with Rhodes. Additionally, PWInsider noted that there had been conversations about Punk and Rhodes headlining WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next year, but plans seemingly changed and WWE decided to schedule the match for SummerSlam.

Punk's win last night marks the end of Zayn's first-ever world title reign in WWE, which only lasted nine days after he captured the gold at Night of Champions. With Punk rumored to fight Rhodes, Roman Reigns set to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins, and GUNTHER seemingly entering a program with "SmackDown" General Manager Nick Aldis, it remains to be seen how Zayn will fit into WWE's creative plans heading into SummerSlam.