CM Punk and Cody Rhodes go from tag team partners to bitter rivals just over a week before SummerSlam

[Sophie89]

CM Punk and Cody Rhodes were on the same page as recently as Saturday Night's Main Event, teaming up to beat Gunther and Sami Zayn, but things soured fast when Punk accidentally clipped Rhodes in the face with the championship belt during their post match celebration. The tension spilled into the SummerSlam Kickoff event at Fanatics Fest in New York, where Punk implied Rhodes should be embarrassed and apologize, needling that his ego was getting in the way, and the two nearly came to blows before officials separated them

On the July 24 SmackDown from Oakland, Rhodes brought Punk to the ring to hash things out, and it escalated into a personal exchange. Rhodes accused Punk of needing to be seen as a victim and of ruining every friendship he has had since returning to WWE, while Punk brought up his own 2011 pipe bomb promo and 2022 return, pointing out that fans had always wanted Rhodes to be the guy willing to burn it all down the way Punk himself once did. Neither man threw a punch, but both clearly meant what they said

The confrontation sets the stage for their Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam on August 1 and 2, with Punk defending the title he won from Sami Zayn just weeks earlier on the July 6 episode of Raw. The segment also comes the same night Gunther and SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis signed a contract for Aldis's in-ring return, his first match in three years, after weeks of tension between the two

Cody Rhodes has finally had enough of CM Punk's 'bulls**t'www.cagesideseats.com

[GlassyWolf]

Punk bringing up Rhodes's own pipe bomb comparison and 2022 return was a clever way to make the promo feel personal rather than just generic trash talk

[Courier53]

An accidental title belt clip escalating into full blown resentment this fast is exactly the kind of low simmer build that makes a title match feel earned

[Inference Reuben]

Rhodes accusing Punk of needing to be the victim in every rivalry is a sharp bit of writing, actually plays on real patterns from Punk's past feuds

[QuantumDay]

Punk only just won the title from Zayn a few weeks ago, so Rhodes chasing it back this quickly keeps the whole title picture feeling fast moving rather than stagnant

[Lynx]

This being their first real one on one program despite both being top guys for years makes the timing feel overdue in a good way

[WWFGareth98]

Gunther and Aldis signing the same night is a nice bit of show balance, gives the card multiple hot angles heading into SummerSlam rather than just one

[Always_David72]

Punk turning it back around and saying Rhodes secretly always wanted to be the one who burns it down is such a good dig given Rhodes's own AEW co-founding history

[Quasar Vulture]

SummerSlam's card is stacking up to be one of the more compelling ones in years between this and the women's interim title situation