CM Punk announced as SummerSlam main event against Cody Rhodes

"

WWE kicked off tonight’s (July 10) episode of SmackDown with Nick Aldis in the ring announcing that he’s been reinstated as SmackDown’s General Manager. He got straight to business by introducing new WWE Champion CM Punk. The fans in Oklahoma absolutely loved CM, who came out with a black eye. Punk said he’s been negotiating with WWE management to move over to SmackDown for over two months, but his surprise championship win over Sami Zayn on Raw this week expedited the process. The Best in the World went on to name all the SmackDown stars he wants to defend his belt against, including Zayn (who was booed), GUNTHER, Finn Balor, Trick Williams, and Royce Keys. There was one obvious star who Punk did not name, and of course he’s the one who interrupted the promo. Sami Zayn… Gunther… Finn Balor… Royce Keys… Damian Priest… Trick Williams… THE UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMP is ready for you! 👀 pic.twitter.com/oEzzhPvNnK — WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026 Cody Rhodes confronted Punk and recalled how this was a mirror image of their meeting from the Raw after WrestleMania, when Rhodes was the champ with a busted up eye. Cody reminded CM how he told him that all he had to do was say “when” to get a title shot against him. Punk interrupted to say “when.” The men shook hands on doing it at SummerSlam, and GM Aldis made it official. Just like that, it will be Punk vs. Rhodes for the belt on the weekend of August 1 & 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "Just say when…" 👀 CM PUNK will battle CODY RHODES for the UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPIONSHIP at SUMMERSLAM! pic.twitter.com/bfFrsQhEwT — WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026 Given SummerSlam’s poor ticket sales, I’m not surprised at all that WWE wasted no time in announcing Punk vs. Rhodes for the WWE championship as the main event, even before Sami Zayn or GUNTHER had anything to say about it on this episode. Here’s the updated card for the two night event: WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo Sky Hell in a Cell: Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar How do you feel about the big news, Cagesiders? Catch up on all the results from SmackDown in our live blog right here.

"

On tonight’s (July 10) episode of SmackDown, GM Nick Aldis officially booked WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes in the main event of SummerSlam. He seemingly made this decision without thinking about how Sami Zayn and GUNTHER would react to being snubbed. Zayn called in to the GM and we found out that he’s taking a mental health break from WWE. I can’t blame The Last Real Good Guy after his devastating loss of the WWE championship just nine days after winning it. GUNTHER took a very different approach by confronting Aldis backstage and ordering him to fix his mistake before the end of the night. When the end of the night came, Aldis did indeed announce that GUNTHER got his match against Punk and Rhodes, but it’s at Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18 at Madison Square Garden. The thing is, it’s one of those lame ‘can they co-exist’ tag team matches where CM and Cody take on GUNTHER and Zayn. With that out of the way, Aldis informed the Ring General that the main event of SummerSlam remains unchanged. That wasn’t the answer GUNTHER wanted, so he violently beat the shit out of the GM. 🚨 JUST ANNOUNCED: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes will team up to battle Gunther & Sami Zayn at #SNME on July 18th at Madison Square Garden! Gunther is NOT happy about it… pic.twitter.com/18FH5LweHw — WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026 The American Nightmare came out to make the save, but SmackDown went off the air. Thankfully social media is here to fill the blanks and show that…the heel left like a coward after Cody challenged him to a fight. Cody Rhodes came to the rescue of Nick Aldis from Gunther as SmackDown went off the air. Cody then challenged Gunther to a one-on-one match… but Gunther walked away. 👀 pic.twitter.com/0cUI6vOzsg — WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026 This angle has to be leading to a match between GUNTHER and Aldis at SummerSlam, right? What are your thoughts on the main event tag team match that WWE just booked for SNME at MSG? Let me know in the comments below, Cagesiders. Catch up on all the results from SmackDown in our live blog right here.