Cody Rhodes had a WWE Championship match lined up on RAW, but he never made it to the ring.
The July 6 episode of WWE RAW started with Cody backstage with Sami Zayn ahead of their scheduled title match. Sami was already fired up and made it clear that he believed Cody was trying to jump right back into the title picture. Cody claimed he was only there to wish Sami luck, but that moment didn’t last long.
Gunther showed up and wrecked the whole thing. He attacked Cody, powerbombed him through a table, and then sent him into Sami’s car. Just like that, Cody’s title match was in serious trouble before RAW even got going.
WWE later showed a doctor checking on Cody, and Adam Pearce made it clear that he couldn’t let Cody wrestle unless he was cleared. Pearce asked if more testing could be done, but the damage was already done. Cody was pulled from the match.
Sami later reacted backstage and tried to play it off like he felt bad for Cody, even though he didn’t exactly look heartbroken about it. Sami said he was looking forward to facing Cody, but figured they could just wait until SmackDown.
That wasn’t good enough for Adam Pearce. RAW was in Chicago, and Pearce said the fans were promised a title match. That meant Sami still had to defend the championship, even with Cody out of the picture.
Gunther’s attack changed the whole night. Cody lost his shot, Sami was forced to defend against someone else, and Gunther made it clear he is still a problem in the title scene.
Cody getting pulled from RAW was a major shift for the show, and now WWE has a few directions it can go. Cody could come back looking for revenge on Gunther, Sami could have to deal with a new challenger, and Gunther may have just forced his way into the championship conversation.
Do you think Cody Rhodes should go after Gunther first, or should he still be focused on Sami Zayn and the title? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
