At WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Then on the April 20 WWE Raw After WrestleMania 42, Punk looked to regroup by saying that he will always stay ready because you never know when a title opportunity will fall out of the sky.
To solidify himself as a contender once again, Punk could have a major matchup at the upcoming WWE Backlash 2026 premium live event.
Here are seven potential CM Punk opponents at WWE Backlash 2026.
7. GUNTHER
Back at WWE SummerSlam 2025, CM Punk defeated GUNTHER to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
This marked the last time that GUNTHER has been pinned in a WWE ring. Since then, “The Ring General” has fully recovered from this loss.
Over the past few months, GUNTHER defeated John Cena in his final match and retired AJ Styles at WWE Royal Rumble 2026.
“The Career Killer” wanting revenge on Punk following his World Heavyweight Title loss could make for a high profile showdown on the WWE Backlash 2026 premium live event.
6. LA Knight
On the April 20 post-WrestleMania 42 edition of WWE Raw, LA Knight confronted GUNTHER backstage, teasing that both men were coming after the World Heavyweight Championship.
When he first made the jump to Monday Night Raw in 2025, Knight made it clear that his sights were firmly on the top prize on the show.
Along the way, Knight had gotten into several different confrontations with CM Punk with both men gunning for the gold.
Now that Punk is not the champion, Knight may need to finally go one-on-one with “The Best In The World” at WWE Backlash 2026 to get his shot at Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship down the road.
5. Aleister Black
While CM Punk has been one of the faces of Monday Night Raw, he could add a lot if he chooses to make the jump to Friday Night SmackDown.
Heading to the blue brand, Punk could offer a ton of star power to Friday nights and give him a whole new crop of talent to battle.
Over the past few months, Aleister Black has been gaining momentum, especially after his wins over Randy Orton and Sami Zayn.
Black challenging Punk would make for an intriguing showdown between these two men and a potential showstealer on the WWE Backlash 2026 card.
4. Ethan Page
On the April 20 WWE Raw After WrestleMania 42, Ethan Page made his way to the main roster after two years on the NXT brand.
“All Ego” immediately made his mark on Monday nights with a win over Je’Von Evans in singles action.
Despite having his sights set on the Intercontinental Championship, Page could reach higher up the totem pole and address some unfinished business with CM Punk.
With “The Best In The World” being part of the reason he lost the NXT Championship back in October 2024, Page could show that he wants revenge with an attack to set up a bout at the upcoming WWE Backlash 2026 event.
3. Seth Rollins
Speaking of unfinished business, Seth Rollins is someone who has been one of the main rivals of CM Punk since his return to WWE in 2023.
Prior to his serious torn rotator cuff injury, Rollins was set to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk to conclude their rivalry.
Over the past two years, Punk and Rollins have battled several different times and been at each other’s throats.
While he is currently embroiled in a feud with Bron Breakker, Rollins could want to close the book on his issues with Punk at WWE Backlash 2026 before taking down The Vision that he created.
2. Randy Orton
At WrestleMania 42 Night One, Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
After his loss, Orton attacked Rhodes with a title belt shot to the face and punted him in the head.
This match and attack caused some injuries to Rhodes who suffered an orbital bone injury and a suspected concussion.
Orton being placed in a showdown with CM Punk to crown a new Undisputed WWE Champion if Rhodes has to relinquish his title due to these injuries could make for a major main event match for the Backlash 2026 PLE from Tampa, Florida.
1. Cody Rhodes
On the April 17 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, CM Punk came out to give his friend Cody Rhodes a pep talk ahead of their WrestleMania 42 main event matches.
Then on the April 20 WWE Raw After WrestleMania 42, Rhodes came out to join Punk in the ring and talk about the results of “The Show of Shows.”
This led to Punk giving Rhodes advice on trying to recover from having to beat up his friend and mentor in Orton. Punk also teased coming after Cody’s Undisputed WWE Championship.
After “The American Nightmare” made it clear that his friend just has to say when, Punk could make his way to SmackDown and become the next challenger for Rhodes at WWE Backlash 2026 on May 9.
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