Cody Rhodes May Undergo Shocking Change After WWE SummerSlam 2026

Cody Rhodes may not be the same after WWE SummerSlam.

The American Nightmare lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat match that included Gunther at Night of Champions last month. Zayn’s reign, however, ended only a few days later on RAW at CM Punk’s hands.

Rhodes later confronted The Second City Saint on SmackDown to challenge him for the title at SummerSlam. Before their clash at The Biggest Party of the Summer, Punk and The American Nightmare teamed up against Zayn and Gunther in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Despite their victory, things got tense between Rhodes and Punk after the latter “accidentally” clipped his SummerSlam opponent in the eye with the championship belt during their celebrations. They have since had several heated arguments heading into their title match, including one at the SummerSlam Kickoff Show where The Second City Saint pie-faced his challenger.

What Could Happen To Cody Rhodes’ Character If He Loses At WWE SummerSlam?

During the most recent episode of his Notsam Wrestling, WWE analyst Sam Roberts discussed Punk and Rhodes’ rivalry heading into their SummerSlam match.

The 42-year-old suggested that Punk could retain his title at The Biggest Party of the Summer, leading to a significant shift in The American Nightmare’s character after the show.

If CM Punk beats Cody Rhodes and CM Punk gets cheered, what does that do to Cody Rhodes? At that point, I think Cody Rhodes maybe needs to forget his manners a little bit. At that point, I think Cody Rhodes needs to put his foot down and put his flag in the sand. At that point, I think Cody Rhodes needs to be the one to go, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no. No one else is equipped to do what I’m equipped to do. That’s mine. What you’ve got, I’m here to have that, not to trade it off. I’m not here to be a four-time champion. I’m here to be a forever champion.

And that’s when we get a Cody Rhodes that maybe isn’t so interested in making sure that everybody in the locker room gets an opportunity, that everybody knows how good CM Punk is, that everybody knows how good the roster is, that everybody knows how good this one is. Maybe now it’s time to be like, ‘Oh, you know what? I thought my work spoke for itself, but apparently it doesn’t. So, now everybody’s gonna suffer for it.’ And if that’s a heel Cody Rhodes, that’s a heel Cody Rhodes. (28:10 onwards)

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit original source and then h/t with a link back to TJR Wrestling for the transcription.

Also read: Cody Rhodes Knows What Would Change If He Went Heel In WWE

Make TJR Wrestling your choice for news by clicking here.