CM Punk hijacked the main event of the latest episode of SmackDown, as he interrupted the WWE Championship match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
The championship bout came to be when Zayn and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis opened the show, as the two had a tense confrontation.
Recalling how he won his second WWE world title against Punk last episode, Zayn claimed that his win means “justice for all.”
The champion then told Aldis that he expects “equality” in terms of picking the next championship contender.
“When you have all these other top WWE superstars knocking on your door asking for championship opportunities, I expect you to treat them equally with the way you treated me,” Zayn said.
“The way you put obstacle after obstacle… you did everything you could do to block me. I expect equality.”
However, Zayn was interrupted by Johnny Gargano, who played a key role in his title win.
Owens, Gargano want a shot at gold
Zayn admitted that he could not have done it without Gargano’s assistance, but Gargano recalled that he was owed a title match.
Aldis then interrupted and said that he is the one who calls the shots.
The general manager recalled that Gargano already had a championship bout against Punk and failed, as Owens then appeared to stake his claim.
Owens was another factor in Zayn’s championship win, as he stopped Zayn from cheating during last week’s match but accidentally attacked Punk which ultimately cost him the belt.
During the segment, The Prize Fighter took Gargano out of the equation as he hit him with a Stunner.
Aldis was sceptical with giving Owens an opportunity given his actions last week, but Owens recalled how Zayn himself was interrupting and sabotaging matches when Punk was still champion.
The general manager then made Owens versus Zayn the main event of the night.
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Punk attacks Owens and Zayn
The two former best friends fought tooth and nail for the championship, but Gargano and his wife Candice LeRae made their presence known as they looked to assist Zayn once more.
LeRae launched a Tornado DDT to Owens and the champion followed up with a Helluva Kick, but the challenger miraculously kicked out of the pinfall attempt.
Later on, Punk made a surprise appearance and clocked Owens with the championship belt.
But Zayn hit Punk with a Helluva Kick and retained the belt when he also hit the manoeuvre on Owens.
As the bell rang, Punk was not done as he unleashed a GTS on both Zayn and Owens, signalling that he is still pursuing the Undisputed WWE Championship.
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