Fresh off his victory over Shinsuke Nakamura at Saturday Night’s Main Event, AJ Styles is set to face CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of “WWE Raw.” Styles opened the show on Monday and said it was no secret he plans to retire in 2026, even if he beats GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble. He said if he does take down “The Ring General,” he wants another run as world champion.

That brought out Punk, who questioned Styles for putting his career on the line against GUNTHER on Saturday. Styles told the champion he was coming off disrespectful and he knows he can beat both GUNTHER and Punk. Punk said that if Saturday doesn’t go well for Styles, he can’t ever prove that he can beat him.

Styles put forth the option that if he and Punk fought on Monday and he beat him, then went on to beat GUNTHER and continue his career, that he would be considered number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Punk briefly considered the idea, then said he declared himself a fighting champion back when he won the belt in November. He said if they were going to fight on “Raw,” it would be for the title. “The Phenomenal One” accepted, and shortly after the segment, the match was confirmed to be the main event by commentary.