Will ‘The Best in the World’ Finally Get One Over on ‘The American Nightmare’ at SummerSlam 2026?
At WrestleMania 42, CM Punk lost the World Heavyweight Championship to the ‘OTC’ Roman Reigns in the main event of Night One. Following the loss, ‘The Best in the World’ interrupted the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes during his promo on the Raw after WrestleMania, telling him to stay ready because he never knew when a championship opportunity would fall right into his hands. Those words would come to life months later when Punk won the Undisputed WWE Championship from Sami Zayn in a surprise return following Gunther’s attack on Rhodes, who was the original challenger to Zayn’s world title. With a difficult decision to make, SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis made the world title match official for SummerSlam 2026: ‘The Best in the World’ versus ‘The American Nightmare’. Punk doesn’t have the best track record against Rhodes, but will that all change when The Biggest Party of the Summer heads to Minneapolis?
‘The Voice of the Voiceless’ found his way onto the SummerSlam 2026 card by surprise. After dropping the world title to Reigns at WrestleMania 42, he took some time away from WWE television, resting his body up after months of carrying the Raw brand and its top title. Meanwhile, Rhodes was still making appearances on television despite receiving a brutal punt kick courtesy of Randy Orton in the conclusion of Night One of WrestleMania 42. ‘The American Nightmare’ defended his title against Zayn and Gunther, with both men denying each other the opportunity to capture the gold. After months of back and forth, the three men competed at Night of Champions, where ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ would pick up the victory to win his first world title on the main roster. Nine days later, Rhodes would challenge Zayn for the title, but an attack from ‘The Ring General’, Gunther, at the start of the show put those plans on hold. When it seemed like ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ would walk away without defending the title, a surprise challenger emerged: ‘The Second City Saint’. Punk would take advantage of the opportunity and win the Undisputed WWE Championship. Despite Zayn and Gunther gunning for an opportunity at a rematch for the title. Aldis ultimately came to the decision to have Rhodes fight for the world title at SummerSlam 2026.
Both men have gone head-to-head on two occasions, with both matches happening in 2008. Punk won the first match while Rhodes walked away with the victory in their second encounter. One of their most recent encounters came at Royal Rumble 2024, when a returning ‘American Nightmare’ threw ‘The Best in the World’ over the top rope to win the match. Although there have been multiple teases of a match between the two main event players, nothing has ever emerged. All that changes come SummerSlam 2026, with Rhodes having the opportunity to become a four-time WWE Champion. After 18 years since their last singles match, both men will have the opportunity to find out who is the better man.
Both Punk and Rhodes know that they are entering this match with a target on their back, as Zayn and Gunther will look to go after them as they feel cheated out of a world title run. Both men could still be added to the match, but with ‘The Ring General’ possibly feuding with SmackDown general manager, and Zayn with an unclear path following his world title loss, WWE knows that a matchup between ‘The American Nightmare’ and ‘The Best in the World’ on its own is a must-watch encounter. Punk sees himself as the bigger star, while Rhodes will look to prove that he truly belongs with ‘The Second City Saint’ at the top of the mountain. Can Punk finally put his demons behind him and shut Rhodes down, or will ‘The American Nightmare’ once again get the best of ‘The Best in the World’?
