Add as a preferred source on Google CM Punk and Cody Rhodes will come face-to-face one last time on the July 31 episode of WWE SmackDown at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
WWE announced the segment Thursday. It’s the go-home show for SummerSlam, where Punk defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Rhodes the following night in the main event of Night 1 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
In promoting the segment, WWE billed it as the final face-off between the two before the title match and pointed back to the heated exchange they had on last week’s show.
That comes a week after Rhodes told Punk he respects him but doesn’t like him. Punk fired back that Rhodes was manufacturing an enemy to cope with the pressure of the match, and that “Dusty’s kid” wasn’t on his level.
Punk and Rhodes haven’t worked a singles match since 12/29/08. They went one-on-one twice that year, with Punk going over on the 9/22/08 Raw — the 800th episode — before Rhodes won the rematch by count-out in December to leave the series at 1-1. SummerSlam is their first singles meeting since both left AEW.
Also set for Friday is Giulia vs. Lash Legend for the fifth and final spot in the Interim WWE Women’s Championship ladder match on Night 2. The winner joins Charlotte Flair, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green in that one. WWE is crowning an interim champion with Rhea Ripley on the shelf.
Damian Priest and R-Truth defend the WWE Tag Team Titles against The War Raiders, who hold the AAA World Tag Team Titles. WWE still hasn’t clarified whether both sets of belts are on the line.
SmackDown airs live Friday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on USA. Both nights of SummerSlam stream on ESPN in the U.S. and Netflix internationally.