Sami Zayn critiques CM Punk ahead of SummerSlam match

"

While WWE Champion CM Punk is busy gearing up to throw hands with Cody Rhodes in the main event of the first night of SummerSlam tomorrow evening (Sat., Aug. 1, 2026) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sami Zayn is just as busy getting ready for his own match. That doesn’t mean he isn’t taking time out to throw out a few insults at the two headliners. He’s that pissed about working the undercard, even if that match is a number one contender’s bout. If he can beat Finn Balor, he’ll get another shot at Punk. Or Rhodes. He’s down for either of the two, but the more compelling of them might be Punk. His shots hit harder there: .@SamiZayn is completely GOING OFF on Cody Rhodes and CM Punk! 😳 pic.twitter.com/lFCCbOJ46K — WWE (@WWE) August 1, 2026 Naturally, he had to get back to worrying about Balor, who was in the ring talking about exorcising his own demons. He can’t stop thinking about having to relinquish the Universal championship in 2016 due to injury. He’s come a long way since then, and now is the time to break back into the title picture. There are compelling matches for him there too. We’ll see if they end up coming to fruition. In the meantime, how about Zayn calling Punk a corporate poster boy?!? Get complete SmackDown results and coverage of this week’s entire episode by clicking here.