CM Punk has reportedly been absent from WWE television due to ongoing creative changes behind the scenes following WrestleMania 42.
As fans saw during WrestleMania 42 Sunday, Roman Reigns defeated Punk to capture the World Heavyweight Championship in one of the event’s marquee matches. Punk appeared on WWE programming the following night on Raw but has not returned to television since then.
Speculation surrounding Punk’s status intensified earlier this month when fans noticed he had quietly been removed from promotional advertising for WWE’s upcoming European summer tour. Punk had previously been featured alongside several of the company’s top names, including Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, and Liv Morgan.
According to a new update from False Finish, Punk’s current absence is reportedly tied to WWE reshuffling several major storyline directions following recent roster and creative adjustments.
“Sources tell False Finish that CM Punk is currently awaiting creative to return to WWE TV. Punk’s schedule and creative were shifted after WWE made the decision to move Gunther to SmackDown along with bringing Jacob Fatu to RAW to feud with Roman Reigns.”
The reported shake-up appears connected to WWE’s evolving main event landscape following WrestleMania, particularly with Gunther transitioning to WWE SmackDown while Jacob Fatu was moved into a major program with Reigns on WWE Raw.
At this stage, WWE has not officially announced when Punk will return to television or what direction his next storyline will take.
As @FightfulSelect has mentioned, CM Punk being absent from TV is due to a “schedule change”.
Sources tell False Finish that CM Punk is currently awaiting creative to return to WWE TV. Punk’s schedule and creative were shifted after WWE made the decision to move Gunther to… pic.twitter.com/NFC3gbDstx
— False Finish (@FalseFinishHQ) May 23, 2026