CM Punk to finally fight a 3-time WWE champion at WrestleMania 41? Exploring the chances

When CM Punk returned to WWE at the 2023 Survivor Series, it caused a lot of excitement among the WWE Universe as many expected he would be involved in a big match at WrestleMania 40. However, a torn right tricep which he suffered in the Royal Rumble ruled out Punk from competing at WrestleMania this year.

While not seeing Punk compete in a match at the biggest event of the year was a disappointment, he has recovered from his injury, and if he can keep himself fit, then he will definitely be a feature at WrestleMania 41. If Punk competes in the PLE next year, there is a huge chance he could face 3-time champion, Gunther.

Currently, CM Punk is involved in a rivalry with Drew McIntyre. However, as per WWE legend Undertaker, the rivalry between Punk and McIntyre is to see who comes out on top. During an episode of his podcast Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, Taker was asked who would face Gunther at WrestleMania.

He answered:

"I would assume... I would guess Punk, maybe? If everybody's healthy," he said. "That's what they're [McIntyre and Punk] fighting for now. They're fighting to see who's gonna come out [on top]."

The Deadman also mentioned Gunther and CM Punk would tear the roof if the match happened. If Gunther is able to defend the World Heavyweight Championship the way he defended the Intercontinental Championship, then there is a chance he could defend his belt against Punk at WrestleMania 41.

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Ex-WWE star defends CM Punk's match at SummerSlam

At the SummerSlam PLE, CM Punk faced Drew McIntyre with Seth Rollins as the Special Guest Referee. While there was a lot of hype around the match due to the heat between Punk and McIntyre, many believed the match did not live up to its expectations.

As per many fans online, the match only revolved around Punk trying to regain his stolen bracelet. While Punk faced a lot of criticism for this, an ex-WWE star came to his defense. During an episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling The Wrestling Outlaws, NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion EC3 said:

"What I loved about their SummerSlam match is these guys had a six-month-long feud without wrestling. So when they finally got the first match, they told a fantastic story. I mean, the bracelet thing is what it is, but the story they told, they hit their 'best of' but they left so much to be done. And I really thought that was super strong work and booking." [2:15 onwards]

Regardless of the opinion about Punk vs McIntyre at SummerSlam, both superstars will have a chance to put up a better performance when they face each other at Bash in Berlin in a Strap Match. This bout will take place from Germany's capital on August 31.