CM Punk’s 67-day run as Undisputed WWE Champion is over, but he isn’t disappearing after losing the title. Punk has already made it clear that Sami Zayn now has something he plans on taking back.
Following the September 11 SmackDown in Mexico City, Punk took to his Instagram Story with his first reaction to the loss. He admitted there was no point pretending he wanted to lose, even joking that he would like to claim he did it for Je’Von Evans.
“I lost. 67 day undisputed title run. At 47. I’d like to say I did it on purpose for my boy (Je’Von Evans) but nobody wants to lose.”
Punk didn’t spend much time feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he turned the loss into a message about getting another opportunity to do something he thought was gone from his life for years.
“Here’s the thing: Winners lose way more than losers do. I don’t have to try again. I get to try again. I didn’t have to come to Mexico. I don’t HAVE to do house shows. I get to. I get to wrestle in front of the best fans in the world in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City.”
There was also no retirement tease or suggestion that the defeat would take Punk away from WWE television. He specifically named Corpus Christi as his next stop and promised that losing the championship only gave him another reason to come back to work.
“I don’t have to get the title back. I get to try to get the title back. I don’t HAVE to come to work. I GET TO COME TO WORK. So I’ll see you all in Corpus Christi. I will get MY title back. You don’t have to watch. You get to.”
Punk lost the championship in a SmackDown main event where just about everything that could go wrong for him did. He had Zayn trapped in the Anaconda Vice and actually got him to tap, but Candice LeRae distracted the referee before the submission could be seen. Johnny Gargano later tried to hit Punk with the WWE Championship, only to eat a GTS instead.
Kevin Owens then tried to use the title against Zayn and accidentally struck Punk. Zayn took advantage, dropped Owens with a low blow and finished Punk with the Helluva Kick to become a two-time WWE Champion.
Punk could easily point to any of that as the reason his reign ended. His first message after losing, though, wasn’t about making excuses. At 47 years old, he’s looking at losing the WWE Championship as another chance to chase it, and he’s already told Zayn exactly how he expects that chase to end.
Do you think CM Punk will take the WWE Championship back from Sami Zayn, or is Zayn’s second reign here to stay? Let us know in the comments.
