CM Punk will be challenging for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, his first title match with the promotion in almost 12 years. Punk is set to meet Seth Rollins in the ring during the January 6 Netflix premiere of "WWE Raw," hoping to wrap up the second vendetta since his 2023 Survivor Series return and get back on track to win his sixth WWE World title and main event WrestleMania – naming the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber as potential means to that end. 

But it would appear he could circumvent both as he faces Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Steel Cage match at a WWE Live event in Chicago on Sunday. 

Tomorrow in Chicago pic.twitter.com/K5bD1oBVdv

— GUNTHER (@Gunther_AUT) December 28, 2024

Punk has been victorious over Gunther's Imperium stablemate, Ludwig Kaiser, during WWE Live shows in Pittsburgh and New York over the past couple of days. But he caught the eye more for his save in a later bout between Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest also within a Steel Cage, coming out to make the save during an ambush on Priest by Kaiser and Mysterio having only just gotten out of the shower – thus attired in just a towel and a shower cap – to the excitement of those in attendance and later on social media. Punk is working a cage match for the first time since stepping inside the double cage for WarGames at Survivor Series 2023, winning the bout against The Bloodline alongside Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, and The Usos. It's not yet been remarked on whether an unprecedented title win would render his future match against Rollins its own title defense.