On Night 1 of WWE SummerSlam 2026, CM Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes in the main event.
Punk won the title from Sami Zayn on the July 6 episode of WWE Raw in his hometown of Chicago.
Rhodes was still the No. 1 contender since he was unable to challenge Zayn that same night after getting attacked by Gunther.
CM Punk-Cody Rhodes History
The history between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes goes way back to 2006 at Ohio Valley Wrestling. They both started their WWE journey at developmental and even teamed up for one match at OVW against Jay Bradley and Shawn Spears on June 20, 2007.
Punk was the first to debut on the WWE main roster on June 24, 2006 in the now-defunct ECW brand. Rhodes, on the other hand, was called up on July 2, 2007 on Raw.
The Straightedge Superstar became a main eventer in two years, winning his first World Heavyweight Championship by cashing in on Edge. He would remain on the main event scene until his abrupt exit in 2014.
On the other hand, Rhodes never fulfilled his potential during his first stint in WWE. He asked for his release in 2016 and was granted. He rebuilt his career on the independent circuit and was instrumental in the creation of All Elite Wrestling.
Punk and Rhodes crossed paths again at AEW, though they never had a match or story against each other. Rhodes left the company in 2022 and returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38.
Punk was fired in September 2023 after an altercation with Jack Perry, among other issues, shocking the world two months later at Survivor Series: WarGames.
CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes Head-To-Head
Despite being in WWE for the majority of their first stint there, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have only wrestled two singles matches, as per Cagematch. It wasn’t surprising since Punk was a main eventer early in his career while Rhodes didn’t break out until his second stint.
But now that they are on the same level as superstars, their SummerSlam match is just their third match ever.
On the September 22, 2008 episode of Raw in Cincinnati, Punk defeated Rhodes after a 10-minute match.
Rhodes won the rematch on the December 29, 2008 edition of Raw in Manchester, New Hampshire via count-out. That means The American Nightmare has never pinned Punk in his career.
CM Punk’s WWE Career Accomplishments
Here is the list of CM Punk’s career accomplishments in WWE:
- 3-Time WWE Champion
- 5-Time World Heavyweight Champion
- 1-Time ECW Champion
- 1-Time Intercontinental Champion
- 1-Time World Tag Team Champion
- 2-Time Money in the Bank winner
- 19th Triple Crown Champion in WWE history
Cody Rhodes’ WWE Career Accomplishments
Here is the list of Cody Rhodes’ career accomplishments in WWE:
- 3-Time WWE Champion
- 2-Time Intercontinental Champion
- 4-Time Raw Tag Team Champion
- 1-Time SmackDown Tag Team Champion
- 3-Time World Tag Team Champion
- 2-Time Royal Rumble winner
- 2025 King of the Ring winner
- 2024 Crown Jewel Champion
- 39th Triple Crown Champion in WWE history
Night 1 of WWE SummerSlam is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. EST. It’s available for live streaming on the ESPN App in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
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