Punk & Rhodes Team Up on Saturday Night’s Main Event

WWE brings Saturday Night’s Main Event to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, July 18, with a main event that could reshuffle the SummerSlam title picture. Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk is teaming with his SummerSlam challenger Cody Rhodes to face Gunther and Sami Zayn, and the stakes go well beyond bragging rights. SmackDown added a stipulation this past Friday: if Gunther and Zayn win, they’ll both be added to the Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, turning what was a straight one-on-one bout between Punk and Rhodes into a Fatal Four Way.

The angle has been building for weeks. Gunther attacked Rhodes on the July 6 episode of Raw, prompting Punk to step in and even the numbers before going on to beat Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Rhodes later locked up his title shot at SummerSlam, while Gunther and Zayn have been maneuvering ever since to force their way into that match. Now, before the four men can settle things as rivals in Minneapolis, Punk and Rhodes have to figure out how to function as a team.

World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns is also advertised for the show, arriving alongside New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who recently helped the franchise win its first NBA title since 1973. With Reigns booked to defend his championship against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, there’s reason to expect Rollins could factor into that segment in some way.

The rest of the card includes Danhausen against JD McDonagh in a No Disqualification Match, along with Paige and Brie Bella putting the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship on the line against Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid, with Jacy Jayne likely at ringside. Bayley also squares off with Lyra Valkyria after Valkyria’s recent betrayal of her tag team partner.

Saturday Night’s Main Event airs live at 8 p.m. Eastern on Peacock. SummerSlam follows on August 1 and 2 in Minneapolis.