CM Punk to Face Chad Gable for the First Time

Stone Cold Steve Austin once walked out of WWE for booking him to face Brock Lesnar in a match with no hype on free TV. When CM Punk faces Chad Gable for the very first time, it’s not even going to be on a TV show, apparently. According to PWInsider, the initial tangle between two of the best technical wrestlers in the company, will highlight a Youngstown, Ohio live event on October 29th. It’s being billed as a special Raw vs. Smackdown match, with a triple threat WWE Championship match as the main event, pitting Sami Zayn against Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens.

A huge caveat we should make note of is that cards are always “subject to change.” It’s an old carney trick to advertise a stacked card with a disclaimer, then announce last-minute cancellations at the event itself. That said, most fans nowadays are smart to the notion that future main events often get practiced on house shows, often with an indecisive finish so the final televised one will implicitly promise a winner. This could be a chemistry test to see if a longer feud is a good idea.

Other matches announced include Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker, WWE United States Champion Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest, and WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green vs. Nia Jax.