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The gist

CM Punk retained the WWE Championship against Kevin Owens on SmackDown. Sami Zayn's interference and title shot decided the match.

Background

WWE SmackDown on August 21, 2026 featured a title match between CM Punk and Kevin Owens. The storyline involves Owens chasing Punk, with Sami Zayn's allegiance in question. The event also included other matches and segments, setting up future storylines.

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 21, 2026On SmackDown, CM Punk defeated Kevin Owens to retain the WWE Championship after Sami Zayn interfered, initially helping Owens but then hitting Owens with the title.
  2. Aug 21, 2026Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga (MFT) retained the WWE Tag Team Championships against Damian Priest and R-Truth.
  3. Aug 21, 2026Blake Monroe attacked Giulia before their match, laying her out with the Glamourizer, and the match never happened.

Still unverified

Reports suggest Ilja Dragunov's absence is due to WWE's analytics-driven approach, but this is not officially confirmed.

Sources

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