Both CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have a lot of things in common. The two of them started in WWE when they were young. They both had successful first stints before becoming unhappy with their roles in the company. The two of them left, eventually making their way to AEW.
Then they left AEW to come back to WWE, although their departures from there were under extremely different circumstances. Since coming back to WWE, they’ve been constantly positioned at the top of the card.
That has allowed them to work with some of the best men on the roster, including AJ Styles, Gunther, and Roman Reigns. They’ve also been fortunate to become champions since their return. Since returning, Punk has been the WWE World Champion twice and is currently the Undisputed WWE Champion, while Rhodes has been Undisputed WWE Champion three times.
With their first one-on-one match since their returns next weekend, the meeting between the two of them was bound to be good.
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes Verbally Battle Before SummerSlam
Punk returned to WWE after Survivor Series: WarGames in 2023, a year and a half after Rhodes returned at WrestleMania 38. Rhodes eliminated him to win the Royal Rumble two months afterward. They didn’t share the ring again until they were on the same team at Survivor Series: WarGames last year with Roman Reigns.
Their loss, as well as Reigns’ Royal Rumble win, set up a WrestleMania: Vegas battle where Reigns defeated Punk to become World Champion.
On the July 6, 2026 episode of Monday Night Raw, Punk beat Sami Zayn to become Undisputed WWE Champion. After Zayn won the title nine days earlier, Rhodes was out to get it back, but wasn’t medically cleared that night. The two won a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event against Gunther and Zayn, but they weren’t on the same page. Now with a week until their match at SummerSlam, they had a lot to say to each other.
Before their much-anticipated confrontation, Rhodes dropped Punk’s microphone. When Punk got another one, he said he didn’t want to turn his back or pick the first one up because he didn’t want to be attacked. Rhodes insisted both the mic drop and title nudge at SNME were accidents.
He then said he needs to win the title back for himself, bringing up their friendship and how he doesn’t like him. Then he brought up Punk’s pipebomb, saying that he did all the things in the promo, but said the fans wished it were him in his position.
He told him that he was done apologizing for his actions and that he has to beat him at SummerSlam. Punk praised him for paying attention, but said the fans would decide if he was better at it than him.
He then said he learned from him that there was a way back to WWE, before saying that their paths finally cross next weekend. Then he told Rhodes that he couldn’t handle the pressure of taking the title off of a friend, and if wrestlers like John Cena and Randy Orton were his enemies, he was his only friend.
Rhodes brought up how they were going to tag together in live events over the next week, mentioning a gift on Thursday. He said it was an apology for getting his title back. Punk said he was sending him the same gift and that no one could beat him, including Dusty’s kid.
As his music played, Rhodes demanded his music be played, as that’s what will play when he wins his fourth Undisputed WWE Championship. The two stared at each other before leaving the ring. Given the intensity of this promo, their match at SummerSlam will be action-packed and filled with energy.
