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Seth Rollins made clear when CM Punk returned to WWE nearly two years ago that he was going to do everything in his power to make sure Punk never held a world title again.
For a few moments, Rollins failed to keep that promise. CM Punk defeated Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship in a classic pro wrestling match. It was his first WWE title in 12 years but just as soon as the celebration began, it ended.
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Seth Rollins makes his entrance before cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to take on CM Punk in the the WWE World Heavyweight Championship during the WWE 2025 SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium on August 02, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Rollins’ music hit and the fans at MetLife Stadium exploded. Paul Heyman held the Money in the Bank briefcase and Rollins was in a brace and crutches seemingly signaling he was still injured from his Saturday Night’s Main Event mishap against LA Knight. He hobbled onto the ramp and then turned around, only to throw his crutches down and take off his brace.
He rushed down to the ring with the briefcase, hit Punk a few times and cashed in his opportunity. Rollins hit the Stomp on Punk and pinned him to win the championship.
Rollins pulled off the heist of the summer.
He also buried an absolute classic match between Punk and Gunther. They pulled out all the stops on Saturday night in the main event of the first night of SummerSlam.
It was a dog fight in the beginning. The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” hoped to leave the Garden State with the World Heavyweight Championship while Gunther was trying to prove, once again, that he’s the best of this generation of WWE superstars.
Seth Rollins celebrates after winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to take on CM Punk during the WWE 2025 SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium on August 02, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)
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The two competitors went blow for blow and chop for chop. Gunther took a slow but brutal approach to Punk throughout the match. He put him in hold after hold after hold as he wore down the veteran WWE superstar.
As the match wore on, Gunther was hitting Punk with all the clotheslines he could handle. Punk tried to hit Gunther with a Go To Sleep but Gunther got out of it. Still, Punk wouldn’t go away. The resilience of Punk soon became a big factor in the match as he continued to kick out of powerbombs and dropkicks in the final stages of the match.
Putting Punk away was going to be tougher than Gunther thought. The crowd, clearly behind Punk, waited for the Chicago native to get back to his feet. Gunther met him with a chop and then added some more damage on the outside of the ring.
But Gunther decided to take his eye off the ball for a split second. While celebrating on the Spanish announce table, Punk tripped him up. When Gunther got back up to his feet, fans got to see something they’ve never seen before – Gunther was busted open.
Punk took advantage for a few moments but Gunther put him into a sleeperhold. Punk fought out of it and hit the Go To Sleep, not once, but twice in a row.
Seth Rollins uses his Money in the Bank contract to take on CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship during the WWE 2025 SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium on August 02, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)
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Punk pinned Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship. But it was all for naught. Rollins is now a two-time world heavyweight champion.
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