Cody Rhodes and CM Punk engaged in a heated exchange during the 2026 WWE SummerSlam kickoff event in New York City. The confrontation followed an earlier backstage incident after their tag team victory.
Tensions escalated between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk after they defeated Gunther and Sami Zayn in a tag team match on WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. Punk accidentally struck Rhodes with the Undisputed WWE Championship belt, leading to a profane argument backstage where officials including Bobby Roode intervened.
One day later at the SummerSlam kickoff broadcast live from Fanatics Fest, the pair continued their dispute on stage. Punk described the prior incident as regrettable and suggested they move on like brothers, while Rhodes expressed embarrassment and accused Punk of hypocrisy regarding ego.
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque attempted to defuse the situation but was unsuccessful. Punk then shoved Rhodes and declared the action was intentional.
