SummerSlam 2026: Cody Rhodes to Challenge CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Title

The Undisputed WWE Title match for SummerSlam was made official on this week's SmackDown.

SummerSlam 2026: Cody Rhodes to Challenge CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Title

Official poster for CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam [via- WWE]

The upcoming two-night SummerSlam PLE added another big-time match on this week’s SmackDown. It will see CM Punk defend his Undisputed WWE Title in a long-awaited showdown with Cody Rhodes. ‘The QB1’ stepped up to the ‘Second City Saint’ just as the champ was going through his potential challengers on the blue brand.

After Rhodes entered the ring, he gave a closer look to Punk’s black eye, which made the champ chuckle for a bit. ‘The American Nightmare’ inquired how bad was it, which made Punk say he knew Rhodes didn’t come out for just that. ‘The Prodigal Son’ concurred but he found the entire situation mirroring that of when they met on Raw after WrestleMania 42.

The former AEW EVP recalled Punk talking about championship opportunities falling from the sky, which was precisely what happened this past Monday on Raw, and Punk caught it. Rhodes then talked about certain championship matches that have been building for years, which the Chicagoan assumed was a nod to CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes.

‘The Best in the World’ admitted that the two of them might’ve subconsciously been avoiding each other, which was why Punk didn’t mention Rhodes in that potential list of challengers before Cody came out.

Punk said that they were friends and didn’t want anything to come in between that. ‘The Cookie Master’ also thought that they would fight in the main event of WrestleMania, but it seemed to him that they couldn’t run away from each other anymore.

Rhodes seconded that, and Punk eventually uttered “when” to receive “SummerSlam” in response from ‘The American Nightmare’. They stared for a while before shaking hands. The SmackDown GM Nick Aldis made their match official for SummerSlam. It’s going to be the first singles match between Rhodes and Punk since September 2008. WWE CCO Triple H later took to X, promoting the years-in-the-making clash, as could be seen below.

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WWE concerned about lagging ticket sales for SummerSlam

WWE has fast-tracked CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes to SummerSlam rather than putting it off until next year’s WrestleMania in Riyadh. As per a report from False Finish, the Stamford-based promotion was preparing for SummerSlam to be better than WrestleMania. The company’s second-biggest show of the year, however, is struggling massively with ticket sales.

SummerSlam ticket sales are looking pretty bad at the moment
SummerSlam ticket sales are looking pretty bad at the moment [via- WWE]

Based on recent estimates from WrestleTix, the first and second nights of SummerSlam had just moved 22,069 and 21,731 tickets, respectively, as of two days ago. WWE even ran a 25% sale for a week through July 6 on all domestic live events in the US. However, it didn’t help with the stagnant ticket sales for SummerSlam.

WrestleVotes noted Friday morning that it’s been a hot topic within the company over the last month or so. The concern isn’t sudden and it was broached weeks ago. It explains why the company is going all-out in terms of stacking the card for SummerSlam. They have already booked a Hell in a Cell showdown between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi.

This will be their trilogy match and the first HIAC match at SummerSlam since 2008. Also, Roman Reigns will defend the World Heavyweight Title against Seth Rollins in their first singles match in over 4 years. It’s expected to close out night two of SummerSlam. It would likely mean that CM Punk and Cody Rhodes will headline the first night of the Biggest Party of the Summer.

For those wondering if WWE might relocate to a smaller venue for SummerSlam, it’s apparently too late for that. Dave Meltzer wrote in Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the company will have to lower the ticket prices in order to attract more fans and have a strong walk-up for the event. Meltzer also believes that WWE should reconsider the decision of hosting two-night stadium shows other than WrestleMania.

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