Will ‘The Prizefighter’ Get Another WWE Championship Opportunity in 2026?
On the August 21st edition of Friday Night SmackDown in Toronto, Ontario, top contender to the WWE Champion, ‘The Prizefighter’ Kevin Owens, faced champion CM Punk in the main event. Sami Zayn came out mid-match and tried to help his best friend of 20 years defeat Punk, the one man Zayn has despised since ‘The Best in the World’ beat him for the WWE Championship. However, Owens had an opportunity to win when ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ slid the WWE Championship into the ring with no referee. ‘The Prizefighter’ didn’t want to win his second World Championship by cheating, so instead, Zayn blasted Owens with the belt, allowing Punk to hit the GTS and retain the title. Now, after being screwed out of the championship, will ‘The Prizefighter’ receive another WWE Championship opportunity in 2026?
A long line of superstars is waiting for a championship match opportunity, with some looking to hold the title for the first time and others looking to take it back. For instance, there’s Zayn, Owens, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Gunther, Finn Bálor, and even Drew McIntyre once he returns to the blue brand. ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ claims he’s been screwed multiple times since losing the title. He was supposed to face Rhodes on the August 14th episode of SmackDown, but Orton came out and interrupted the match before it even started. Before that, it was at SummerSlam when Zayn and Bálor were supposed to have a top contenders match for the WWE Championship, yet general manager Nick Aldis added Gunther and Owens into the match, which ‘The Prizefighter’ won and then challenged Punk last night.
Will ‘The Prizefighter’ receive another WWE Championship opportunity in 2026? Presumably, since being screwed by his former best friend, Owens should get another title match, but it leaves the question of when and where? It could be at Sunday Night’s Main Event in two weeks or even Money in the Bank in October. However, Zayn and Owens may hash it out before ‘The Prizefighter’ gets another opportunity against ‘The Best in the World’ because ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ could be a deterrent to the former Universal Champion, which would be a problem in any rematch with Punk going forward.
Once that rematch happens between Punk and Owens, there should be a stipulation involved. Both men were trying to swing at one another before the match even began last night, as their personal beef stemming from 20 years has brought much more weekly interest to SmackDown and the WWE Universe as a whole. So this rematch between Punk and Owens should be something like a Last Man Standing, No Holds Barred, Extreme Rules, a Street Fight, a Steel Cage, or even a Hell in a Cell match. This rivalry needs to continue and should last the remainder of 2026, possibly finishing at the 2027 Royal Rumble with Owens becoming the new WWE Champion after not winning a World Championship in 10 years and being out 17 months with a neck injury that could have possibly ended his career.
