One of the most glaring absences in WWE following WrestleMania 42 has been that of former World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. The Best in the World faced and lost to Roman Reigns on Night 2 of the PLE.
Despite his star power, popularity, and importance to WWE, the promotion has moved on with its feuds without the former World Heavyweight Champion. When stars are missing after such a big event like WrestleMania, it’s usually due to a scheduled hiatus, a change in dates, or because of nagging injuries.
Recent reports from Fightful claim that both of these factors could be behind the Second City Saint’s disappearance from RAW following his high-profile loss to The Tribal Chief at the Showcase of the Immortals. Missing out on the European dates was especially perplexing due to his status as a top draw in the industry.
“Where the heck is CM Punk? Well, he was planned for shows following WrestleMania and then all of a sudden he just wasn’t. Now it’s very surprising for me to not see him on the European tour because he’s a big draw. I haven’t heard of an injury of any sort. That doesn’t mean that one can’t exist.”
Unknown injuries are often a reason given when a particular star hasn’t been used, but Punk appeared the following night on RAW, looking no worse for wear after his war with Reigns.
Another issue could be that because Punk held the World Heavyweight Championship, he worked most of the shows leading up to the Showcase of the Immortals.
“So he was healthy all of last year and he wrestled 38 matches. Right? They got through February and he already had 11 matches. So that’s roughly a third of the matches in just under two months.” (H/T: Ringsidenews)
Since Punk lost the title, he wasn’t needed for the secondary WWE shows following the biggest show of the year. A third of his limited dates have already been used this year.
Punk’s role in WWE for the rest of 2026
With the tease of a potential match with Cody Rhodes on the SmackDown before and the RAW after WrestleMania, fans may see CM Punk move to SmackDown once he returns from his hiatus.
Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton were Rhodes’ primary challengers in 2026, and both are also currently off programming for different reasons.
McIntyre is filming the Highlander movie reboot. Orton is likely spending some planned time off after a heated rivalry leading up to the two-night PLE.
Several photos showing The Best In the World’s physique while working out have made the rounds on the internet. He appears ot have put on muscle to help endure whatever feuds he takes part in once he comes back.
With the WWE Champion busy with Gunther and presumably Sami Zayn for the next few weeks, Punk could return after Night of Champions to set the stage for a big program at SummerSlam. Whenever he returns, he’ll surely be involved in a high-profile main-event feud.
