Add as a preferred source on Google CM Punk and Cody Rhodes will square off for the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, set for August 1-2 in Minneapolis. On paper, it’s one of the biggest matches WWE can deliver right now. The problem lies in the story the company has chosen to tell so far.
On the latest Friday Night SmackDown, Rhodes stepped up to the new champion, laid out the challenge, and got an immediate answer. The two shook hands, treated the showdown like a dream match years in the making, and carried themselves like two top babyfaces who respect one another.
Even Punk himself admitted that their friendship may be the reason they’ve avoided this match for so long. That explanation works fine for the announcement, but it’s still far from building a truly hot rivalry.
That kind of build works when there’s real history behind it. Punk and Rhodes, though, don’t have much to draw from to carry almost a full month of rivalry. They had a heated war of words ahead of the 2024 Royal Rumble, were the final two men left in that match, and crossed paths again on RAW after WrestleMania 42.
The only recorded singles match between the two took place back in September 2008, long before either man became the star he is today.
The bottom line is that WWE needs to create real conflict here. Friendship, respect, and a “best man wins” narrative can deliver a great match, but they’re unlikely to sustain a rivalry capable of carrying SummerSlam.
The better move would be a CM Punk heel turn. He won the title by stepping in for Rhodes against Sami Zayn, taking advantage of an opportunity that landed in his lap. Punk could adopt an arrogant persona, claim he pulled off in one night what Cody couldn’t, and treat the American Nightmare as the company’s hand-picked corporate face. The material is there, and it fits his own character history.
A Rhodes heel turn would be even bolder. Cody lost the title to Zayn, watched Punk take his spot, and now has to ask for a shot at a championship he considered his own. The obsession with getting back to the top could finally crack the flawless image his character has carried since 2022.
The tag match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, with Punk and Rhodes taking on Gunther and Sami Zayn, is the clearest opportunity to kick off that shift.
Without a betrayal, an attack, or some drastic shift in attitude, WWE risks delivering an excellent match inside the ring and a completely forgettable rivalry outside of it. For a SummerSlam main event, that would be a failure.