CM Punk announced as SummerSlam main event against Cody Rhodes

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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.