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WWE Drops Cody Rhodes Bombshell Ahead Of Clash In Italy

By Monika Thapa • Published May 26, 2026 07:12 EDT
Cody Rhodes WWE
Cody Rhodes on his dream opponent (Source-WWE.com)

“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes is set to put his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against “The Ring General” Gunther at Clash in Italy. Ahead of the upcoming Premium Live Event, a major update regarding Cody’s match has been revealed.

WWE has recently started broadcasting the first hour of Premium Live Events on traditional cable TV as a promotional free sample strategy to drive sign-ups for ESPN’s premium streaming services as part of WWE’s massive five-year, $1.6 billion U.S. media rights deal with Disney.

Hence, WWE will air a free sample hour for the upcoming Clash in Italy Premium Live Event on Sunday, May 31, live on ESPN’s traditional linear cable channels.

Once the first hour concludes, the traditional broadcast coverage will cut off, and viewers will be instructed through on-screen graphics and commentary to open the ESPN app and stream the rest of the show through the paid ESPN Unlimited subscription tier.

Cody Rhodes Vs. Gunther At WWE Clash In Italy Will Take Place On The First Hour On ESPN

That said, WWE recently announced that Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther for the Undisputed WWE Championship and Rhea Ripley’s WWE Women’s Championship match against Jade Cargill will be the two major title matches airing during the first hour of ESPN’s free sample coverage.

Fans can then watch the rest of the event on ESPN Unlimited. There are a total of five matches on the Clash in Italy match card.

The other three are: Roman Reigns (the champion) vs. Jacob Fatu (the challenger) in a Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship, a WrestleMania rematch between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi, and a WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship featuring Becky Lynch (the champion) vs. Sol Ruca (the challenger).

The Tribal Chief and his cousin, the Samoan Werewolf, are expected to headline the event.

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