Cody Rhodes, CM Punk Clash Again Ahead of SummerSlam

CM Punk and Cody Rhodes gave fans another preview of their combustible chemistry at a WWE live event in Springfield, Illinois, just days before the two are set to headline SummerSlam 2026 against each other.

Despite the bad blood building between them, Punk and Rhodes were paired up for the show’s main event, teaming against GUNTHER and Sami Zayn. The unlikely duo came away with the win, mirroring their surprising success as a team earlier this month at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Madison Square Garden, where the two rivals also found a way to get past their issues just long enough to beat the clock and their opponents.

That streak of cooperation didn’t last past the final bell in Springfield, though. Fan-shot video circulating on social media showed Punk approaching Rhodes from behind after the win, appearing to go in for a celebratory moment. Rhodes, seemingly not realizing it was his tag partner behind him, swung an elbow that caught Punk flush, dropping the Undisputed WWE Champion to the canvas.

Punk got back up and immediately got in Rhodes’s face, and the two had to be separated by referees and officials before things boiled over further. The situation didn’t fully die down even after Rhodes was walked to the back — he came back out to the ring apron and flung his shirt at Punk, prompting officials, reportedly including Petey Williams, to step in once more and keep the two apart.

Whether the elbow was an accident or a shot with intent is obviously the question fueling discussion, and WWE doesn’t need much of an excuse to squeeze one more angle out of this feud before it plays out at SummerSlam. Given how personal and drawn-out the Punk-Rhodes program has been, a moment like this — regardless of how it started — is the kind of thing WWE loves to leave dangling in front of fans in the countdown to the show.

What makes this pairing especially combustible is that it isn’t a fresh rivalry built for a single pay-per-view. Punk and Rhodes have spent months circling each other, and forcing them to coexist as tag partners at live events and Saturday Night’s Main Event has only added more friction rather than defusing it. Every time they’ve won together, it has felt less like a partnership and more like two proud, stubborn champions refusing to let the other take credit.

With SummerSlam only days away, this latest scuffle gives WWE one more talking point to promote the main event without giving away anything about the finish. It also reinforces the psychology of the match itself: two men who respect each other’s ability but clearly can’t stand sharing a ring for long unless there’s a title on the line.

Expect WWE to lean into this moment on go-home programming, whether through a confrontation on the final show before SummerSlam or simply through replays of the post-match dust-up. Punk and Rhodes have shown they can win together when the situation calls for it — the real test comes when it’s just the two of them, with the Undisputed WWE Championship as the only prize.

Footage of Cody Rhodes elbowing CM Punk after #WWESpringfield
That was definitely not an accident 👀
There was no Danhausen to save the day this time 😭

📸: @BrockLesnarGuy pic.twitter.com/YCjIgm3ebt

— Teffo (@Teffo_01) July 31, 2026