CM Punk falls short in quest to win World Title in Chicago homecoming

CM Punk wrestled in his hometown of Chicago for the first time since returning to WWE in 2023. On Sunday, Punk headlined WWE’s Holiday Tour at the Allstate Arena, the same building where he made his grand comeback at last year’s Survivor Series. As expected, Punk received a hero’s welcome as he challenged Gunther for the World Heavyweight Title inside a steel cage.

The last time Punk challenged for a world title in Chicago, he defeated Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship. Unfortunately for Chicagoans, Punk’s homecoming had a different outcome this time. And it was all thanks to WWE’s dirtiest player.

Punk got the best of Gunther early on, frustrating the Austrian Oak with strikes. After he split Gunther’s chest open, Punk soon paid the price. As the two exchanged chops, Gunther got the better of Punk. As the match wore on, they each took turns using the cage as a weapon to wear the other man down.

As Punk rallied back midway through, he attempted a Go to Sleep. However, Gunther countered it into a powerbomb for a false finish. Fans immediately rallied around their native son with a massive CM Punk chant.

As Punk turned the tide, he tried escaping the cage through the door. But to everyone’s surprise, he was stopped by Dominik Mysterio, who slammed the door on Punk’s head. That allowed “The Ring General” to waltz out of the cage and Chicago with his title intact.

After the match, Mysterio attacked Punk and was joined in his post-match assault by the New Day and Santos Escobar. LA Knight, Otis, and Rey Mysterio came to Punk’s rescue, leading to an exciting shootout. Rey Mysterio hit a quadruple 6-1-9 on all four villains, while Knight and Otis drove Xavier Woods from the ring with a double caterpillar and simultaneous elbow drops.

In other action:

• Seth Rollins def. Chad Gable
• Women’s World Title Match: Liv Morgan (c) def. Iyo Sky
• The Wyatt Sicks (Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis & Nikki Cross) def. The Final Testament; Cross pinned Scarlett
• LA Knight def. Santos Escobar
• 2-out-of-3 Falls for the Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker (c) def. Sami Zayn; Zayn won the first fall with a Helluva Kick; Breakker won the second fall following a spear; Breakker won the third fall by catching Zayn with another spear as Zayn flew off the top rope
• Kofi Kingston (with Xavier Woods) def. Otis
• Rey Mysterio def. Dominik Mysterio
• Steel Cage Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Title: Gunther (c) def. CM Punk. According to my sources, Punk did not beat up his coworkers backstage following the show. However, it’s unclear if any pastries from Mindy’s Bakery were consumed.