CM Punk and Kenny Omega Gave WWE and AEW Exactly What They Needed
CM Punk and Kenny Omega are back on top of their respective brands, creating shockwaves ahead of two of the biggest wrestling events of the year.
It has been an eventful week in pro wrestling, where both the WWE and AEW World Championships changed hands on TV within 48 hours. This rare occurrence was likely a coincidence, but it set up exciting matchups for both companies this summer.
Punk made his long-awaited return to replace Cody Rhodes in the main event of the latest episode of WWE Raw. The Second City Saint received a hero's welcome in his hometown of Chicago as he ended Sami Zayn's inauspicious reign.
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With the stakes higher than ever, Omega avenged his Dynasty loss to MJF in their Last Chance rematch and proved he still has plenty left in the tank. Now, the Canadian star has set his sights on his first All In main event appearance and a familiar challenger.
The circumstances were very different, but both men delivered stellar television matches at the perfect time. Punk immediately makes SmackDown more interesting, and Omega's history with Will Ospreay adds another layer on the journey to Wembley Stadium in London.
Omega's Quest For Redemption
MJF has had an incredible year, but Omega is the ideal opponent for Ospreay at All In: London.
Ospreay, 33, is destined to become the new face of All Elite Wrestling. However, he will have to contend with another high-profile signee from New Japan Pro-Wrestling who came in with similar expectations.
The parallels between Omega and The Aerial Assassin make their rivalry all the more compelling. They both failed to win the world title in their first year, and they're both trying to prove something to themselves after career-threatening medical issues.
Last year, Omega showed flashes of brilliance again, but he was unable to defeat his greatest rival, Kazuchika Okada, at All In: Texas. The stunning loss was enough to cast doubt on what the remainder of his career would look like.
Nevertheless, the 42-year-old stormed into 2026 more motivated than ever to reclaim his former glory and cement his legacy as a two-time AEW world champion. Although he fell short of his goal at Dynasty on April 12, his matches with Swerve Strickland, Andrade El Ídolo, and Zack Sabre Jr. were outstanding.
The Last Chance match against MJF on July 8 raised the stakes, but he was determined to redeem himself. Omega needed to win the right way this time to distance himself from Don Callis.
Finally, AEW's first grand slam champion could take his rightful place on top with the adulation he earned. Now, he has to fight to keep it and attempt to delay the coronation of a younger challenger in pursuit of his childhood dream.
Ospreay's alliance with Jon Moxley and The Death Riders adds another intriguing element to this storyline.
Moxley has clashed with Omega since his AEW debut at Double or Nothing in 2019. In the following year, Callis famously helped him defeat Mox at Winter Is Coming, kicking off his first world title reign as The Belt Collector.
Their past has created subtle tension between Ospreay and Omega, who already have a complicated relationship after their 2023 feud. The two have become close allies, but the third match in this trilogy will test their friendship.
Obviously, this marquee pairing will produce an awesome contest, but their story also has so much depth. It's a great use of continuity that will reward longtime AEW and NJPW fans.
Punk's Long Overdue Confrontation With Cody Rhodes
Punk's eighth WWE world title win was much more divisive than Omega's triumph over MJF.
The Best in the World made his surprise return at Allstate Arena in Chicago after rumors circulated about his status with the company. As Rhodes' replacement, he beat Zayn, cutting his reign surprisingly short.
The partisan Chicago crowd cheered as he mimicked his 2011 Money in the Bank exit, but the online outrage was swift. Even some of his most vocal fans couldn't defend this because it's exactly the kind of booking that caused them to reject John Cena.
Zayn may be a reluctant heel, but he was a fan favorite for so long that it was nearly impossible not to be happy when he finally won the big one. It's equally difficult not to feel like he deserved better than a nine-day reign.
Conversely, Punk had a tremendous run as the world heavyweight champion and produced an instant classic with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42. So, you can immediately see the appeal of putting him in the top spot on the blue brand.
Rhodes has also been growing stale, and SmackDown could use Punk's star power. More to the point, The American Nightmare could desperately use a new adversary, and WWE has been teasing this matchup for three years.
The two have exchanged words during the road to WrestleMania for consecutive years. In 2024, they were the final two participants in the men's Royal Rumble match, but Rhodes eliminated Punk to become a two-time winner.
They have crossed paths many times since, but it has yet to lead to a one-on-one encounter. This blockbuster match was reportedly set to take place this year on The Grandest Stage of Them All before Seth Rollins got injured.
That would explain why they were in a segment together during the episode of SmackDown before the event and the following edition of Raw afterward. The latter clearly foreshadowed Punk's intention to challenge Rhodes sometime this year.
The way The Straight Edge Superstar won the title on Monday even echoed his words from their last exchange: "I just have to stay ready because you never know when a championship opportunity is just going to fall out of the sky."
Punk has been saying all this time that he wouldn't stab him in the back because he would see him coming. He has been telling Rhodes, who is technically still the number one contender, that he's coming for him.
We can't wait to see how their next face-to-face plays out.
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