WWE Reportedly Planning CM Punk's Move to SmackDown, Setting Up Potential Cody Rhodes Feud
WWE is reportedly planning to move CM Punk to the SmackDown brand upon his return to television, with a future feud against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes identified as a key creative direction. Punk has been absent from WWE programming since the Raw following WrestleMania 42, where he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns, with his absence attributed to a lack of ready creative storylines rather than contract disputes. The reported brand switch and Rhodes rivalry would represent one of WWE's biggest potential matches, given both men's parallel journeys through AEW and back to WWE.
According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer, WWE plans to transfer CM Punk to the SmackDown roster when he returns to television, framing the move primarily as a roster-balancing measure. Raw is currently stacked with top-tier talent including Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, The Usos, Jacob Fatu, Oba Femi, Logan Paul, and Bron Breakker, making SmackDown — headlined by Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Rhea Ripley, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntyre — a more logical fit for Punk. Meltzer also noted that a program between Punk and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has been identified as a creative direction, a rivalry that was visibly teased during a face-to-face segment on the Raw after WrestleMania 42. Punk's return date has not been officially confirmed, though July 6 — when Raw visits Chicago, Punk's hometown — has been floated as a plausible appearance date despite being a Raw, not SmackDown, event. SummerSlam 2026 (August 1–2) and potentially WrestleMania 43 have been mentioned as possible stages for a Rhodes vs. Punk world title match, with a Saturday Night's Main Event special on July 18 also falling within the window.
What's missing
Neither source includes any official confirmation or comment from WWE or CM Punk's representatives, leaving the reported plans entirely unverified at the organizational level.
How coverage differed
Both outlets rely on the same primary source — Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter — and frame the story similarly. Forbes adds more editorial analysis and context around roster changes, while F4WOnline provides a more direct quote from Meltzer and a tighter focus on the reported facts and upcoming event timeline.
What different sources said
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