CM Punk has not been on weekly WWE television since the post-WrestleMania 42 edition of Raw, and WWE appears poised to reintroduce him once Night of Champions concludes on June 27 as the build to SummerSlam begins.
The timing is the clearest marker on the calendar: Punk returned to WWE in November 2023 and was installed as one of Raw’s headline attractions during the Netflix era; he captured the World Heavyweight title on two occasions before losing it to Roman Reigns. Less than 24 hours after that title loss, Cody Rhodes confronted Punk on Raw — the last major on‑air beat involving him before his absence set in.
Those facts matter because Punk’s name carries weight for the red brand. Promoters and viewers have noted Raw’s lack of urgency since he stopped appearing; the performer who for months was presented as a central face of the show — the Second City Saint — hasn’t been seen on weekly TV since that post‑WrestleMania Raw.
Complicating the decision over where to place Punk for the SummerSlam push is roster movement. Gunther and Finn Bálor have shifted to SmackDown, and Rhodes’s position on the card is already a factor; there isn’t an obvious open slot on SmackDown that would match the role Punk played on Raw, which makes a return to the red brand the more straightforward option for a high‑priority SummerSlam angle.
That practical logic coexists with a smaller, pointed complaint from parts of the audience and some observers: Punk’s absence is felt, yet including him in the King of the Ring picture without any plan to have him win diluted the tease. If the goal was to keep him visible and relevant on weekly television, the tournament placement felt unnecessary when it produced no decisive payoff.
What fans should watch for after June 27 are the first on‑air signals that a focused SummerSlam program is underway. WWE can bring Punk back to television the week after Night of Champions to begin a storyline tailored to the two‑night SummerSlam event; the last televised interaction with Rhodes and the rapid title exchange with Reigns are obvious seeds for renewed friction or a fresh direction.
Practical booking choices will be revealing. A Raw return would let WWE pick up the brand’s most recognizable weekly attraction and slot him into a main event program without cross‑brand logistical headaches. A surprise SmackDown debut, by contrast, would force a faster reshuffle of top‑card opponents and test whether the company wants Punk to anchor a blue‑brand push despite recent moves of other main‑event pieces.
The immediate next step is simple and dateable: Night of Champions ends June 27, and that night marks the opening bell for the SummerSlam campaign. After that, expect WWE to show Punk on television if the plan is to give him a prominent run into SummerSlam — or to remain silent on his status, which would sharpen questions about how committed the company is to using him as a focal point. The clearest unresolved item heading into the stretch is which brand he will work for and whom he will face; how WWE answers that will determine whether his return restores the sharpness Raw has missed or becomes a mismatched placement that undercuts the promise of his comeback.
