4 Reasons why CM Punk vs. Gunther is not headlining WWE SummerSlam Night 1

Gunther (left) and CM Punk (right) [Image Credits: WWE
Gunther (left) and CM Punk (right) [Image Credits: WWE's official X acccount]

WWE Superstar CM Punk won a Gauntlet match a few weeks ago on RAW and earned himself a World Heavyweight Championship match at the 2025 SummerSlam against Gunther.

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Despite being the two top stars and the world title being involved, it doesn't seem like the match between the two will be the main event of Night One of the Biggest Party of the Summer.

Here are four reasons why their bout may not headline the premium live event on August 2.


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#4. Roman Reigns is making his in-ring return

The 2025 SummerSlam will mark the in-ring return of Roman Reigns since WrestleMania 41. The OTC is one of the biggest draws of WWE, especially in premium live events. Thus, it is highly likely that The Head of the Table will headline Night One of SummerSlam.

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WWE is already putting Reigns' SummerSlam match as the cover of Night One of the PLE, hinting at the possibility of the OTC main eventing the event.

Ever since he adopted the mantle of The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns has always headlined the main event of the PLEs he has been in. This also increases the chances that Reigns and Jey Uso's tag team match against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed could headline Night One of the New Jersey event.

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#3. CM Punk may not be winning the World Heavyweight Championship

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CM Punk earned the number one contender spot for the World Heavyweight Championship after winning a five-man Gauntlet match. The Second City Saint was the final entrant in the bout and defeated Bron Breakker to make the cut. However, while he will get the chance to win the World Title for the fourth time in his career, the odds of him losing the match are higher.

Gunther will most likely be in control of the title for a long time once again. Moreover, CM Punk still has the threat of Seth Rollins looming above his head. While The Visionary is off active programming, he could always sabotage his title match.

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After all, he has already admitted that his primary goal is to prevent The Second City Saint from becoming a world champion in WWE. Moreover, Punk himself cost Drew McIntyre several championship chances despite being injured.


#2. Roman Reigns and Jey Uso versus Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed has a better buildup

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CM Punk and Gunther have delivered two promos ahead of their upcoming match at SummerSlam. Despite both wrestlers having excellent mic skills, their segments were very bland and failed to showcase any sort of hostility between the two. Compared to this, the one time Punk had shoved The Ring General and knocked him down carried more impact than any promotions done for the match.

On the other hand, Roman Reigns and Jey Uso's beef with Seth Rollins and his men, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, is heavily fleshed out. The Aus-Zilla and The Dog of WWE have targeted the YEET Master multiple times, and the OTC saved his cousin in an iconic return, ending his hiatus since RAW after WrestleMania 41.

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However, this week's red brand episode saw Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed gaining the upper hand and destroying The Tribal Chief and his Right Hand Man. The heel superstars unleashed several spears and Tsunamis onto the OG Bloodline members.

The end of the show also saw Breakker double spearing Uso and Reigns through the barricade, and Reed stealing the OTC's Jordan sneakers. Additionally, Seth Rollins' alliance is also backed by Paul Heyman, the former Wiseman of The Head of the Table. Thus, due to better storytelling, this match could supersede CM Punk versus Gunther as the headliner of Night One.

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#1. Seth Rollins may not be coming back anytime soon

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Seth Rollins sustained a knee injury during his Saturday Night's Main Event XL match against LA Knight. Owing to this, while The Megastar was reportedly to lose the bout, he defeated a hobbling Rollins with a quick BFT. So far, no clarification has been released regarding how many weeks or months will be missed by Mr. Money in the Bank.

This essentially puts CM Punk's rivalry with Seth Rollins on hold. Moreover, with the MITB contract holder missing, the tension of the world title match will decrease. With The Architect not being available to give the loser of the World Heavyweight Championship match a chance to save face, it would be better if the match doesn't headline Night One of SummerSlam.

It should be noted that the final card of the PLE hasn't been released, and the order of matches is subject to change. It would be interesting to see what lies ahead for CM Punk and Gunther.

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Edited by Jeevak Ambalgi
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