CM Punk and Kevin Owens sell nearly 15,000 tickets for SmackDown in Toronto

"

TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 21: CM Punk and Kevin Owens face off for the very first time in their illustrious careers during SmackDown at Scotiabank Arena on August 21, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images WWE surely knew what they had when Kevin Owens was ready to return to television from a long layoff with a neck injury that nearly took his career. He was coming back to Friday Night SmackDown, where CM Punk was the reigning WWE champion. The two share a history such that real life issues could surely make all involved plenty of moolah if they could translate it to the screen. So they went about doing just that. Owens was a surprise entrant in a number one contender’s match at SummerSlam, emerging victorious. Punk, too, retained his title by defeating Cody Rhodes that same weekend. WWE wasted no time booking the two for a match a few weeks later, for the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. That gave the two rivals a couple of face-to-face meetings to talk as many people into the building as they could. Well, according to PW Insider, the word within WWE is that this week’s show was “the highest grossing WWE Smackdown taping ever in Toronto.” Rumors suggest this was a one-and-done, but maybe it shouldn’t be?

"

WWE has successfully monetized personal issues between CM Punk and Kevin Owens. The two top stars are set to compete for the WWE Title in Toronto.