CM Punk defends Undisputed WWE Title against Sami Zayn in Mexico City

Ever since losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to CM Punk, Sami Zayn has been screaming about injustices to anyone who will listen, as well as interfering in any match having to do with the championship that doesn't involve him. Sick of Zayn's meddling, Punk challenged his nemesis to a championship bout just moments after retaining the title against Johnny Gargano last week on SmackDown, despite Zayn's interference. Punk takes on "The Last Real Good Guy" when SmackDown journeys to Mexico City.




— Michael Cole and Wade Barrett greet audiences at home as Randy Orton makes his way to the ring and we head over to a video showcasing what went down between him and Cody Rhodes at WWE Sunday Night's Main Event this past Sunday.

Orton asks Mexico City what they want to talk about and says he wants to talk about Cody Rhodes. He says Rhodes showed the world who he was at Sunday Night's Main Event and that he isn't a killer, then calls Rhodes a good man. He says he doesn't care if people perceive him as a good person, then says anyone who comes between him and his 15th World Championship and puts whoever walks out of tonight as Undisputed WWE Champion on notice.

— We shoot to Michael Cole, who delivers a speech about today marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11. We shoot to a special video WWE produced for this and then the show shifts gears and settles into a commercial break.

— Ricky Saints makes his way to the ring. Rey Fenix follows.


AAA Cruiserweight Championship Match: Rey Fenix (c) vs. Ricky Saints

The bell rings and Fenix delivers a hurricanrana to Saints. He follows it up with an armdrag off the top rope and a dropkick to Saints, then connects with a second hurricanrana on Saints, but Saints levels Fenix on the outside.

Saints dumps Fenix back inside the ring during the commercial break, then fires off mocking kicks on him in the corner of the ring and lands a double ax handle on him off the middle rope. Saints then drags Fenix up the ropes, but Fenix connects with a hurricanrana on Saints and flies off the top rope to take him down back from the break before he connects with a Muscle Buster on him for the win.

Winner and STILL AAA Cruiserweight Champion: Rey Fenix

— After the match, Fenix extends his hand to Saints but Saints refuses to shake it and leaves the ring.

— Backstage, Cathy Kelley is standing by with Sami Zayn. Zayn says he knows what everyone is thinking, but insists this isn’t about him — it’s about justice. Zayn says he was perfectly happy for someone else to get the job done. He tried to help Kevin Owens defeat CM Punk, but Owens didn’t want his help.

He would have been happy if Johnny Gargano had done it, but that didn’t work out either. Zayn says he has now realized it could never have been Owens, Gargano, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Gunther or Finn Balor. For there to be justice, it has to be him.

Zayn says Punk stole the WWE Championship from him, and tonight, he’s taking it back. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae enter. Zayn tells Gargano that tonight is the night. Gargano reminds Zayn that, just like he said last week, if Zayn wins the WWE Championship, he wants the next title shot. Zayn tells Gargano he’s got it.

— Nikki Bella makes her way to the ring. Paige follows.

Paige vs. Nikki Bella

Paige slides into the ring hot, and the bell sounds. Paige rains down right hands on Nikki and dumps her across the ring twice, then sends her crashing into one of the barricades spine first and jams her boot into Nikki's chest.

Paige tosses Nikki on the Spanish announce desk and delivers a kick to the side of her head, but Nikki rolls up Paige back inside the ring for the win.

Winner: Nikki Bella

— Backstage, Cathy Kelley is with Lash Legend and Nia Jax. Jax calls Chelsea Green’s title reign a travesty and vows to end Green’s career. Legend then warns Tiffany Stratton against getting involved, threatening to break her ribs if she does. We head to another break.

— Back from commercial break, Trick Williams makes his way to the ring.

Williams shouts out Mexican soccer player Julian Quinones, then says like Quinones kicks goals into the net on the soccer field, he took Baron Corbin's head and kicked his head in at WWE Sunday Night's Main Event. He says he might have to change his name from "Tricky Two Times" to "Tricky Two Titles" with WWE Money In The Bank right around the corner, then introduces Lil Yachty. Yachty appears, but Williams just assumes he wants a bigger introduction. He calls for the fans to give him a drumroll and gives him a grander introduction, but Yachty still doesn't appear. Corbin drags Yachty out to ringside and immediately runs to the back.

Williams and an official check on Yachty, but Corbin reemerges to crack a kendo stick across Williams' spine.

— Backstage, Nick Aldis is speaking with Finn Balor. Balor says he heard Randy Orton talking about going after the championship, but reiterates that the line starts with him. Danhausen appears behind them as Aldis suggests Balor should also be thinking about Money in the Bank.

Danhausen asks if he said “human moneys in the bank,” and Aldis tells him he’ll explain it later. Gunther then enters and tells Balor that he peaked 10 years ago. Gunther says that if Balor had any decency, he would have hung up his boots a long time ago.

He adds that perhaps someone needs to beat that realization into him. Gunther walks away, but Balor calls him a “whiny little bitch.” Gunther turns around and Balor catches him with a right hand before leaving with Aldis. Gunther gets back to his feet as a frightened Danhausen stands behind him. Danhausen quickly makes his exit.

— Back at ringside, The Irresistible Forces make their way out. Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton follow.


WWE Women’s Championship Match: Chelsea Green (c) vs. Nia Jax

The bell rings and the action immediately spills out of the ring. Jax sends Green crashing over the Spanish announce desk, then dumps her back inside and sends her crashing into the turnbuckles. Green slaps Jax, but Jax regains control and delivers a running senton to Green.

Green connects with a hurricanrana on Jax and lands a pair of double knees on the back of her neck, but Jax responds with a Fallaway Slam on Green. Legend looks to level Green with a right hand, but Stratton pushes Green out of the way and takes the right hand for her. Green sends Legend crashing into the ring post and sets up for an An-Nia-Lator on her, but Green moves out of the way and delivers an Unprettier to her for the win.

Winner and STILL WWE Women’s Champion: Chelsea Green

— Backstage, Cathy Kelley is with WWE Champion CM Punk ahead of his title defense. Punk says sometimes bad behavior needs to be taught a lesson. Punk says all eyes are on the champion, but anyone who thinks he came to Mexico City to lose his title to a man who broke his hand “jerking it” to his nine-day fluke title reign has another thing coming.

Punk mentions Mexico City’s elevation, saying the air is rare at 8,000 feet, but it will be even more rare when his challenger is on the champion’s shoulders. Punk says that when he hits the GTS, his opponent will understand why he is CM Punk, why he is the champion and why he is the Best in the World.

— Damian Priest and R-Truth make their way to the ring. The War Raiders follow.


AAA Tag-Team Championships Match: The War Raiders (c) vs. Damian Priest & R Truth

The bell rings and The War Raiders go straight after Priest and Truth. Erik and Ivar fire off right hands on Truth's spine, but Ivar and Priest tag in and Priest fires off right hands on Ivar. Priest levels an interfering Erik with a back elbow and delivers a flatliner to Ivar.

Priest runs over Ivar and Erik on the outside, but Erik bodyslams Ivar on top of Priest during the commercial break and dumps him back into the ring. Erik pins Priest, but Priest kicks out.

Ivar tags in and wears down Priest with a submission hold before Truth tags back in. Ivar levels Truth with a back heel kick, then tags in Erik. The War Raiders then deliver a double chokeslam to Truth for the win.

Winners and STILL AAA World Tag Team Champions: War Raiders

— Following the match, Damian Priest gets back into the ring and embraces R-Truth. Priest asks for a sombrero and places it on Truth's head before suddenly dropping him with a clothesline. Priest isn't finished, as he grabs Truth and plants him with South of Heaven.

— Backstage, Alexa Bliss is speaking with Charlotte Flair and tells her that what happened was just one mishap. Fatal Influence interrupts, prompting Flair to ask if they have a problem because she isn't in the mood.

Jacy Jayne tells Flair that her mood will only get worse with Money in the Bank. Tatum Paxley then enters and tells Fatal Influence to hold onto the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. Jayne calls Paxley a "freak" and says she's Bliss and Flair's problem before Fatal Influence walks away.

Flair tells Paxley that she knows she can trust Bliss, but questions whether she can trust Paxley. Flair adds that she hopes what happened at Sunday Night's Main Event was simply a rookie mistake.

— Cathy Kelley is backstage with Rey Fenix, who says a victory for Penta on Monday would mean a lot. Fenix says he had a great match tonight, has to defend his title at TripleMania on Sunday, and Penta could become champion on Raw the following night.

Ricky Saints interrupts and apologizes to Fenix. Saints tells him that he was the better man tonight, and the two shake hands before Saints walks away.

As Fenix turns back toward Kelley, Saints attacks him from behind and throws him into a garage door. Saints tells Fenix that while he may be the better man, tonight Saints was the better man before walking away.

— Back at ringside, Sami Zayn makes his way out. CM Punk follows.


Undisputed WWE Championship Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Sami Zayn

The bell rings and Punk flies out of the ring with a dive through the middle rope to level Zayn. Punk dumps Zayn back in the ring and fires off right hands on him, then connects with a suplex on him. Zayn lands an elbow on Punk's head and wears him down with a submission hold during the commercial break, then delivers a chop to his chest in the corner and rains down right hands on him.

Zayn sends Punk's left ankle bouncing off the ring post twice and fires off right hands on it. Punk responds by ripping off the brace on Zayn's left wrist, then gets up for a GTS. Zayn blocks Punk's knee and cinches in a Figure Four Leg Lock on him, but Punk rolls over to the bottom rope and grabs it to break the hold.

Zayn fires off chops on Punk's chest, but Punk delivers a roundhouse kick to Zayn's head to level him and sets up for a GTS. Zayn avoids it and lands a Blue Thunder Bomb on Punk, then goes for a pin but Punk kicks out. Zayn then delivers an Exploder to Punk and calls for a Helluva Kick, but Punk levels Zayn with a clothesline and delivers a GTS to him. He crawls over to Zayn to pin him, but Zayn has enough time to recover and kick out.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae run out to the ring to get Zayn fired up, and Zayn cinches in a Figure Four Leg Lock on Punk. Punk grabs Zayn's injured left wrist to escape and cinches in an Anaconda Vice on him, but the referee misses Zayn tapping out when he's distracted by LeRae. Gargano then crawls into the ring to hit Punk with the Undisputed WWE Championship, but Punk levels Gargano with a GTS.

Kevin Owens slides into the ring to keep Zayn from grabbing the Undisputed WWE Championship belt. He looks to hit Zayn with it, but Zayn ducks out of the way and Owens hits Punk instead. Zayn low blows Owens and delivers a Helluva Kick to him for the win.

Winner and NEW Undisputed WWE Champion: Sami Zayn