CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have agreed to an Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 2026. The bout was made official during the July 10 episode of WWE SmackDown in Oklahoma City.
CM Punk captured the Undisputed WWE Championship by defeating Sami Zayn on the July 7 episode of Raw. He replaced an injured Cody Rhodes in the main event after Gunther attacked Rhodes backstage.
On SmackDown, Punk listed potential challengers including Sami Zayn, Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. Cody Rhodes interrupted the promo and referenced their prior in-ring encounters.
Rhodes proposed the match for SummerSlam. Punk accepted, and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, who had been reinstated earlier in the show, made the contest official for the event scheduled August 1 and 2.
Punk has also been moved to the SmackDown roster following his title win. He is set to appear at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 18 at Madison Square Garden.
