Kevin Owens Explains Why His WWE Title Match With CM Punk Is On SmackDown

A major match will be taking place on the August 21 episode of Friday Night SmackDown as Kevin Owens and CM Punk will have their first-ever match against each other, with Owens set to challenge Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Speaking with FACES Magazine, Owens revealed why the match will be taking place on SmackDown in Toronto, as opposed to another WWE event.

"You know, I don’t know if it's so much homefield advantage, honestly, because he’s obviously extremely popular, and the crowd might be split, the crowd might be more on his side, I really don’t know. I’m Canadian, yes, and Toronto’s always been incredible for me, but, you know, he’s a very, very popular guy. The reason I picked Toronto for the match was because not only is it an amazing crowd, but that’s where I had my last match, where I, what I thought would be my last match. And I remember thinking, if it is my last match, I really couldn’t have asked for a better place to have it, and a better opponent to do it with," Owens stated.

"So now, to get to come back and have a show so soon in Toronto, and in such a major match, is great. Also, my parents will get to be there, my family will get to be there, and that wouldn’t have been the case if the match happened somewhere else, because my mom, through her health issues over the last several years, her ability to fly and go to shows that are far away, it’s just not the case anymore. But Toronto, it’s a manageable drive from Montreal. So, my parents will be able to be there, and there was a while where I didn’t know if my parents would ever get to see me in the ring again. And now, they’re going to get to see it, and it’s a big match, and it’s potentially a match where I could win the undisputed world title in front of them, which, when I won the Universal Title, my wife, my kids, my parents, they were all watching on TV, but they weren’t there live. So, if I was able to do that with them live, after everything we’ve been through, it would just make everything so much, just so much better."

What Owens believed would be his final WWE match was the Unsanctioned Match with Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber 2025 in Toronto. Kevin Owens became number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship courtesy of the win in his return match at SummerSlam after 18 months out of action due to a serious neck injury.

August 21 will be the fifth Undisputed WWE Title match on SmackDown of 2026 and the first since CM Punk captured the championship from Sami Zayn on the July 6 episode of Monday Night Raw.