The fallout from WrestleMania 42 took an emotional turn on the April 20, 2026, episode of WWE RAW as CM Punk finally spoke about everything that has been going on. But what started as a personal moment for him eventually turned into a tease for a possible match with Cody Rhodes.
Punk came out still dealing with his loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, where he lost the World Heavyweight Championship. But it wasn’t just about the title. He opened up about some of his recent real-life struggles as well.
CM Punk talked about losing people close to him, including his MMA trainer, Duke Roufus, his dog Larry, and some of his close colleagues in WWE. He shared how tough the past few months have been for him.
He also thanked the fans for helping him get through it. Punk said holding the championship gave him something to hold onto during that difficult time. Without it, things could have been even harder.
However, he made one thing clear: he is not going anywhere. Punk said he will “stay ready” because he believes a title opportunity can come anytime.
Cody Rhodes responds after CM Punk eyes a championship opportunity
Soon after, Cody Rhodes came out to the ring with the WWE Championship and a black eye with cuts from his WrestleMania match.
Rhodes then admitted something surprising. Despite winning, he was the one who was feeling like a loser. CM Punk then asked Rhodes whether he was implying that Punk should be the one feeling like a “loser.”
However, Punk didn’t argue with him. Instead, he tried to explain that Rhodes might feel that way because he beat someone he respects, which can feel different than beating someone you hate.
But there was more going on beneath the surface.
Punk again said he will stay ready for any opportunity, and this time, he made it clear he was looking at Rhodes’ title. “I just gotta stay ready, because you never know when a championship opportunity is just gonna fall out of the sky,” Punk said.
Rhodes understood what Punk meant. As Punk was leaving, Rhodes stated, “Hey Punk, just say when.”
With that one line, WWE may have just set up its next big rivalry.
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