CM Punk wins the WWE Undisputed Championship from Sami Zayn on Raw

It was a big week in professional wrestling that is usually only staged after a premium live event or pay-per-view. This week, WWE and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) saw major championship changes at the top of their respective rosters as both companies move toward their marquee events – SummerSlam and All In.

CM Punk returned to WWE programming on “Monday Night Raw” and was the replacement in the Undisputed WWE Championship match against Sami Zayn. Cody Rhodes was supposed to be in the match until he was attacked by Gunther. Zayn thought he was ready until Raw General Manager Adam Pearce told Zayn he had a replacement. Punk appeared and the Chicago crowd was immediately sent into a frenzy.

CM PUNK TO DEFEND UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST CODY RHODES AT SUMMERSLAM

Punk and Zayn put on one of the better televised matches of the year for WWE. In the end, it was Punk who captured the Undisputed WWE Championship, ending Zayn’s short-lived reign as champion after nine days. Later in the week, Punk and Rhodes were booked for a title match at SummerSlam, but first they must team up to take on Zayn and Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City.

AEW’s “Dynamite” featured MJF attempting to defend his AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega. If Omega lost the match, he would no longer be able to challenge for the title. It was a similar stipulation that Rhodes dealt with when he was in AEW and that “Hangman” Adam Page had in his own match against MJF earlier this year, which he lost.

AEW routinely main events at the “Dynamite” pay-per-view level, and Wednesday’s title match was no different. MJF and Omega showcased their elite talents and went above and beyond to make the title matter. MJF crashed through the announce table and tried to use the Dynamite Diamond Ring to cheat for another win.

KENNY OMEGA GETS AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN EPIC MATCH OVER MJF

Guaranteed a title match at All In, Will Ospreay stepped in to take the ring away from MJF before he could use it, but almost cost Omega the title for good. MJF hit Omega with a low blow and the title as the referee tried to kick Ospreay out of the ring area. However, Omega kicked out when the referee only counted one.

The Florida crow was electric. MJF, apparently fighting through a knee injury, did everything he could to keep Omega down, but to no avail. Omega hit MJF with a pair of V-Triggers and a One-Winged Angel to finally put MJF away. He captured the championship and began his second reign as AEW World Champion.

There are many unknowns in pro wrestling despite the scripted nature of the shows and events. You never know who’s going to come back, you never know who he’s going to be on the shelf, and you never know who’s really going to win when it’s all said and done.

What we do know right now is that August will start and end spectacularly. SummerSlam and All In are shaping up to be must-see events. Each event has been a slower build than what most fans are used to, but everyone can expect high-level drama and intrigue in each event. Let’s not discount that fact as the days and weeks go by.

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‘Hangman’ Adam Page returns on ‘Collision’

“Hangman” Adam Page returned to AEW programming after being gone for several months following his AEW World Championship loss to MJF earlier this year. Dressed in a black suit, Page ran down the entrance ramp to a raucous crowd.

He opened up about dealing with cervical radiculopathy, which has kept him out of the ring for nearly four months. He talked about his gardening hobby and planting seeds and told the crowd he wanted to plant one more seed. He recalled that he put his chance to ever win the AEW World Championship back against MJF and lost the match.

Page promised he would be a “man of my word.”

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“I know the provision, it doesn’t live signed in ink on a contract tucked away in a file cabinet somewhere, but it lives in me. And I wanted to let you know that I intend to be a man of my word,” he said. “I will never challenge for the All Elite Wrestling World Men’s Championship again.”

He suggested that he took inspiration from Omega’s title win and that he sees “miles and miles of empty track” ahead of him. He called TNT Champion Kevin Knight, National Champion Mark Davis, Continental Champion Jon Moxley and International Champion Kyle Fletcher.

“I’ll have to find something else to do and you bet you’re a… I will.”

Welcome back, Page.

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Sheamus says goodbye to WWE

Sheamus made his WWE debut in 2009 – first on ECW and later on Raw. He immediately became a formidable challenger to John Cena, capturing the WWE Championship against him in stunning fashion at TLC in December of that year.

Man, how time flies.

Sheamus would become a four-time WWE champion, three-time United States champion, five-time tag team champion and the winner of King of the Ring, Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble. In the final years of his career, he would be hampered by injuries, but got one last moment with Cena in the ring at Madison Square Garden before Cena finally retired.

Reports surfaced during the week that Sheamus’ contract would expire and he would be leaving the company. He apparently confirmed the reports when he changed his social media profiles to his real name, Stephen Farrelly, and fired off an outgoing message to fans.

“Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Banger after Burger after Banger after Banger after Banger after,” he wrote on X, “slán mo WWE was chairman.”

It is unclear if this will be the end of the road in professional wrestling for the 48-year-old Irishman. But there will certainly be huge opportunities in and out of the ring for him to move forward.

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Spotlight: CM Punk and Candice LeRae’s interaction

Overall, it might lead to nothing and go largely unnoticed, but the interaction between CM Punk and Candice LeRae jumped off the screen during “Friday Night SmackDown.”

Punk finished talking to Cathy Kelley when he turned to see LeRae and Johnny Gargano still planking and not talking to anyone. Remember, Sami Zayn was the only one Gargano seemed to listen to – for better or for worse. LeRae offered a sharp reminder to Punk after he beat Zayn for the title.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself,” LeRae said. “As annoying as Sami can be, he’s the one person who didn’t give up on Johnny. He’s actually the voice of the voiceless. And as long as Sami had that title, it was hope. Hope for the real underdogs. Hope for Johnny, hope for me, and you, stole it from us. So yeah, I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

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Punk responded in the only way he could.

“I’m proud of myself. You had hope for nine whole days. Good for you,” he said. “I hope you can hear me, Johnny Wrestling, because that’s who I remember. Johnny Wrestling. Not what this is. And you too. Just stop whatever you’re doing and get back in the ring. Get back to doing what you two do best. Whatever this is, it’s not working.”

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Baron Corbin returns to WWE

It had been a while since Baron Corbin had been seen in a WWE ring. However, when he quit Major League Wrestling (MLW), rumors abounded that his return to WWE was imminent.

He made himself quite known to the roster on Friday night when he interfered in a fight between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes.

Corbin entered the ring and hit the End of Days on both Williams and Hayes. But the big question is why? Why go after both guys who were in a fight? Was he back to challenge for the US Championship? And what did it mean for Ricky Saints, who were watching the game intently?

We’ll have to keep watching SmackDown to find out.

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Rocky Romero talks about New Japan’s G1 Climax

New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s prestigious G1 Climax kicked off this weekend in Chicago. Rocky Romero spoke to Pakinomist Digital about the event before the bell rang.

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Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling airs this week

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) will hit the airwaves this week when it debuts on TSN at midnight ET Wednesday.

Rohan Raja spoke to Pakinomist Digital in May about MLP and why fans should tune in.

“I remember when we ran our first show, a lot of fans, I, even if you go on Twitter and even news articles would report it, the quality is like an AEW or WWE product. It’s very top. We have Mauro Renallo as the voice of MLP,” he said at the time. “He’s on fire and he’s still doing a lot of things like Jake Paul, he did Anthony Joshua’s last fight, Tyson Fury’s last fight. We’ve got all these star-studded guys.

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“How I kind of sum it up is it’s like a worlds collide, but every week because we’ve had guys from AEW out there, we’ve got guys from Japan, we’ve got guys from Mexico, we’ve got guys and girls from WWE coming on it. So I feel like that’s the biggest thing where they’re not only showcasing the Canadian talent, but now I want to get a glimpse. worlds collide, but I feel like we’re the promotion that’s got everyone—a taste of everything in one. With the TSN tapings and how it’s going to go, it’s really just going to reinforce what we’ve been building, and it’s something you don’t want to miss.”

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Other pro wrestling news and notes you may have missed:

• Kyle Fletcher defeated Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship during “Beach Break.” It is the third championship held by the Don Callis Family faction.
• Willow Nightingale captured the AEW World Women’s Championship at Redemption against Thekla.
• Xia Brookside defended the TNA Knockouts World Championship against Lei Ying Lee on “Impact”.
• Chris Jericho spoke with Pakinomist Digital about his upcoming documentary “Vietslam.”
• Major League Wrestling (MLW) announced that world champion Killer Kross will be featured in the movie “Godshot”.
• Avery Styles, son of WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles, will make his Game Changer Wrestling debut on July 31st.
• Fight Factory Wrestling’s Dave Sturchio previewed The War on the Shore 3 with Pakinomist Digital.
• MLW Women’s Champion Shotzi Blackheart clarified who the real “Indy God” is in an interview with Pakinomist Digital.