CM Punk Says He ‘Had Feelings’ On Not Headlining WWE SummerSlam: Minnesota Night One

Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk reacts to not headlining SummerSlam: Minnesota Night One. Heading into SummerSlam 2026 Night One, Punk was widely expected to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes in the main event.

However, that didn’t happen, as Punk and Cody battled in the penultimate match of the night, with the Hell in a Cell match between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi being the headlining act.

Nonetheless, The Best in the World managed to retain the championship after a highly physical battle, albeit thanks to interference from Randy Orton. The Viper showed up in the closing stages of the match and took out Cody with an RKO, paving the way for Punk to hit the GTS and secure the pinfall.

At the SummerSlam: Minnesota Night One Post Show, CM Punk was asked about his mindset when he learned his match wouldn’t be closing out Saturday’s event. Punk said he isn’t the guy who has a mandatory main event clause in their contract, and irrespective of where his match is placed on the card, he remains the main event.

“Of course, I had feelings about that. But I’m not one of those guys who has it in their contract that I have to end the show. Ladies and gentleman, there is a main event, and there is the match that goes last. It ain’t for me to decide; I’m too old for that. I’m just going to lace my boots up and beat somebody’s ass, that’s all I know. Whether I’m first, before intermission, popcorn match, semi-match, main, CM Punk is always the main event.”

Punk’s next challenger would be the winner of the No. 1 contender’s match between Sami Zayn and Finn Balor. That bout is set for tomorrow night. Check out CM Punk’s comments below.

Please credit WWE’s X and give an H/T to 411Mania for the transcription if you take quotes from this article.

"CM Punk is ALWAYS the Main Event" 💯

Nobody delivers a message quite like @CMPunk! pic.twitter.com/jC0TOFJLOq

— WWE (@WWE) August 2, 2026