CM Punk isn’t pretending his SummerSlam win over Cody Rhodes was clean. Punk addressed Rhodes after competing at WWE’s live event Thursday at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, and made it clear Cody can have another shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship whenever he wants.
The SummerSlam build had become increasingly personal, with Punk and Rhodes going back and forth over friendship, intentions and everything that happened on the road to their title match. Punk said Cody has carried WWE for years and admitted he didn’t like the way their match ended.
“Cody, over the past couple of weeks, the road to SummerSlam has been a lot of ‘he said, she said,’ accidents, on-purposes, a lot of talk about friendship. To me, you’re not the champ until you beat the champ. You’re somebody who has been the face of this company for over four years. You’ve done everything. You’ve said yes to everything. These people love you, and I love you. The way that SummerSlam went down, the way I won, it’s dirty. I don’t like it.”
Punk retained the championship after Randy Orton returned during night one of SummerSlam and dropped Rhodes with an RKO, giving Punk the opening he needed to keep the title. Orton has not appeared on WWE television since the attack and has yet to explain why he targeted Rhodes. Despite several other wrestlers being in line for championship opportunities, Punk said Cody doesn’t have to wait.
“I know there’s a ton of guys in the back that want a shot at the champion. There are number one contenders, there are superstars who deserve a shot based on the currency they have with the audience, but you, my friend, you get a rematch any time you want.”
That creates an immediate problem for Kevin Owens. Owens returned on night two of SummerSlam and defeated Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and GUNTHER in a four-way match specifically to become the No. 1 contender for Punk’s championship. Punk appeared to acknowledge that situation before making his offer to Rhodes anyway.
Punk and Owens are both advertised for tonight’s SmackDown in Philadelphia, while Rhodes is also being promoted for the show. WWE has not announced what any of them will be doing.
Punk originally won the Undisputed WWE Championship from Sami Zayn on the July 6 episode of RAW in Chicago. Punk stepped into the title picture after GUNTHER attacked Rhodes and prevented Cody from getting his own rematch. When Punk later told Rhodes to pick the place for their match, Cody chose SummerSlam. Now Punk is giving Cody the same freedom again.
With Owens already holding the official No. 1 contender spot and Orton still lurking after costing Rhodes at SummerSlam, WWE suddenly has several directions it can take the championship picture. Punk may want to make things right with Cody, but that promise could create an even bigger mess around the title.
Who should CM Punk defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against next: Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens or someone else? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
