CM Punk, Cody Rhodes Set For Face-To-Face On SmackDown

WWE SmackDown rolls into Green Bay, Wisconsin on Friday, July 31 for the final go-home show before SummerSlam, and the lineup is stacked with confrontations designed to set the table for Sunday’s card in Minnesota.

The headline attraction is a face-to-face meeting between Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk and challenger Cody Rhodes, who square off for the title at SummerSlam. With the two icons meeting in person less than 48 hours before their championship bout, expect the segment to carry heavy emotional weight given the history between them and the magnitude of the match awaiting them.

Elsewhere on the card, WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and R-Truth defend their titles against The War Raiders, a pairing that adds another dose of stakes to the tag division heading into the premium live event. The unconventional Priest–Truth partnership has been one of the more entertaining wrinkles on the blue brand, and a strong challenge from The War Raiders could shake up the champions’ momentum right before SummerSlam weekend.

Also on tap is the final qualifier for the WWE Interim Women’s Championship Ladder Match, with Giulia taking on Lash Legend for the last available spot. That ladder match has been building steadily heading into SummerSlam, and whoever wins this qualifier locks in a chaotic multi-woman scramble for interim gold — a title picture that has added intrigue to the women’s division in recent weeks.

WWE has also been hyping the number-one contender picture for the Undisputed WWE Championship, teasing that the winner between Finn Balor and Sami Zayn at SummerSlam will emerge as the next challenger. That storyline gives Friday’s show even more urgency, since whatever happens on SmackDown will feed directly into how that rivalry — and the larger title chase around Punk — shapes up going forward.

With SummerSlam only a day away, this go-home episode is built to deliver the final push of hype, tension and last-minute drama before the annual summer spectacular kicks off in Minnesota. Fans should expect additional segments and possible surprises layered on top of the announced matches as WWE looks to maximize buzz heading into the weekend.

All eyes will be on how Punk and Rhodes leave their sit-down — calm, combustible, or somewhere in between — because whatever tone gets set in Green Bay could color how their long-awaited title showdown is remembered once the bell rings at SummerSlam.

The No. 1 Contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship will either be @FinnBalor or @SamiZayn and we'll find out THIS WEEKEND when they go one-on-one at #SummerSlam! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pQipRIc94z

— WWE (@WWE) July 30, 2026