Former World Heavyweight Champion to return & cost CM Punk against Gunther at SummerSlam? Exploring the possibility

CM Punk won a Gauntlet Match on this week's edition of Monday Night RAW to earn a World Heavyweight Championship match against Gunther at SummerSlam. The bout was largely dominated by Bron Breakker, who consecutively pinned three top WWE Superstars: Penta, LA Knight, and Jey Uso. However, he fell short against The Second City Saint, who punched his ticket to The Biggest Party of the Summer.

CM Punk will aim to capture his first world title after returning to WWE at Survivor Series 2023. However, that dream could be derailed once again, thanks to his arch-nemesis, Seth Rollins. The Visionary's hatred for Punk runs deep, and he hasn't been shy about making it known.

Rollins has vowed to prevent Punk from ever winning a title in WWE. Staying true to his word, The Visionary, along with his crew, even flew all the way to Saudi Arabia to cost Punk a potential Undisputed WWE Championship victory against John Cena at Night of Champions 2025.

With The Second City Saint earning another opportunity at gold, The Visionary is likely to get himself involved in some capacity once again to ensure Punk walks out of New Jersey empty-handed. That said, Rollins' status for SummerSlam remains unclear due to the knee injury he suffered during his match against LA Knight at Saturday Night's Main Event XL.

The timeframe for Rollins' recovery has not been revealed yet. However, if the injury isn't too serious, the 39-year-old could make a shocking return at SummerSlam and cost CM Punk his match against Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship. Moreover, The Visionary is still Mr. Money in the Bank. Therefore, not only could he prevent Punk from winning the title, but he could also walk out of SummerSlam with it by cashing in the contract.

That said, it is just speculation for now, as it all depends on the severity of The Visionary's injury. Fans will have to tune in to see what the Triple H-led creative team has in store for SummerSlam.

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CM Punk reveals he almost returned to WWE several years ago

Speaking on Robbie Fox's My Mom's Basement podcast, CM Punk spilled the beans regarding a secret meeting he had with Vince McMahon and Triple H in 2018/19. The veteran revealed he had a handshake agreement about returning to WWE before being ghosted by Vince.

"I had a hilarious, clandestine meeting in the Borgata in Atlantic City with Vince [McMahon] and Triple H. I don’t even know now. What is it? It’s 2025. This has to be 2018 or ‘19, and it’s just because Vince just started calling me. He was like, 'Hey! I’m eliminating the middleman,' and I was just like, 'This is insane,' and it just so happened that, 'Oh, well, I’m gonna be here.' 'Alright, we can get there.' You know, 'Okay, alright' and we had a meeting and we had a handshake agreement and then he ghosted me. So, that’s why it didn’t happen. Unbelievable. I’m gonna write a book someday… It’s a great story. It’s a fantastic story," he said. [H/T: Fightful]

The veteran eventually returned to professional wrestling by making his debut at the Tony Khan-led AEW in August 2021. Following a controversial exit from the Jacksonville-based promotion in September 2023, CM Punk made his shocking comeback to the global juggernaut at the Survivor Series PLE of that same year.

It will be interesting to see if The Best in the World is able to dethrone Gunther as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam 2025.