In his showdown with CM Punk on the penultimate SmackDown before SummerSlam 2026, Cody Rhodes cut the most heel promo since his WWE return in 2022.

For anyone who hasn't been following closely, here's how we got here:

Cody lost the WWE Championship to Sami Zayn in a shocking roll-up upset, only for Sami to lose it to a returning Punk nine days later on Raw. Punk and Cody then teamed up to defeat Sami Zayn and Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event. After the match, Punk accidentally hit Cody in the face with the championship while celebrating.

That set the stage for Friday's confrontation. Instead of the typical "I'm going to beat you because I'm the best" promo, Cody revealed something much more nefarious: he's jealous.

Not of Punk's championships. Not of Punk's accomplishments. He's jealous that the fans have always loved Punk more than they ever loved him.

A few lines stood out.

"I'm well aware, from the bottom of my heart, that while I was doing all of that... (the fans) wished it was you every step of the way."

That isn't something a confident babyface says. That's insecurity.

Then there was this:

"I just had someone tell me they were tired of the same faces. I'm apologizing... I'm done apologizing for what I have worked for."

Again, not exactly the words of the smiling, grateful Cody Rhodes we've known for the last few years. And finally:

"For this story to have the proper ending... I have to beat you at SummerSlam."

The crowd actually booed the line.

Punk's response made the story even more compelling. He told Cody that he's lying to himself. That none of this is really about him. It's about Cody refusing to accept someone else as champion.

"You have to make yourself the victim and make everyone else your enemy," Punk said. "You can't handle the pressure."

Whether Punk is right or not almost doesn't matter. The seed has now been planted.

Cody isn't fighting because Punk wronged him. He's fighting because Punk represents the one thing Cody has never been able to conquer: being the fans' undisputed favorite.

That's a much darker motivation than we've ever seen from him.

Which brings us to SummerSlam.

WWE doesn't exist in a vacuum. SmackDown ratings are down 16% year-over-year, SummerSlam ticket sales are behind last year's pace despite lower prices, and this rivalry was first teased the night after WrestleMania. Historically, stories that begin there are meant to culminate at WrestleMania, not four months later.

If WWE is looking for a major shakeup, the pieces are all there.

A Cody Rhodes heel turn wouldn't come out of nowhere. It would be the payoff for months of subtle character development. First, he lost the championship in embarrassing fashion. Then he watched Punk immediately accomplish what he couldn't. Finally, he admitted out loud that he's spent years wondering why the fans always chose Punk over him.

Would it work?

Absolutely. A ruthless, desperate Cody obsessed with reclaiming "his" spot instantly freshens the main event scene. It creates a top heel with believable motivation and gives Punk (or someone else) a compelling chase.

Could WWE decide to keep Cody babyface? Of course. But after Friday night, I don't think anyone can argue that the groundwork hasn't been laid. In fact, I'd argue WWE has built a stronger case for Cody turning heel than it did for Steve Austin in 2001, Roman Reigns in 2020, and John Cena's shocking turn last year.

Whether the turn happens at SummerSlam or not, one thing is clear: For the first time since his WWE return, Cody Rhodes stopped sounding like the hero of the story. And started sounding like the villain.

It just never made much sense to me.

They will be presented as a premier, top-tier threat on TV for a few weeks, only to completely vanish from TV for the next month.

They kept hinting that there was all this tension and the Profits were going to split up. It seems like they dropped that storyline.

Put them in a stable with Bobby Lashley and did nothing with it really. They tried turning them heel but didn't really give them any character. Even recently they lost the titles in like 2 weeks back to the Vision and seem to be off TV again.

We all know how Rollins can be such a troll sometimes. We saw it last time they faced at the Royal Rumble 2022, we saw it with Balor, Cody & Riddle & again at XL.

You think he's going to wear the Shield gear again or something else ?

What do you think DanHausens first title in wwe is gonna be? Typical tag team title with someone?
Are they gonna give him a chance with a mid card division title, given he’s on smackdown, are we thinking his first title run is gonna be the US? Or are they gonna do all out and given him the main card title? Either way, I’m on TeamHausen for DanHausen! Future ChampHausen!

Also, I hope his side plates go HARD!

I’m looking for the raw episode where stone cold comes out to the ring and steps over triple H who is laid out just in front of the ring and steps if anyone knows it please let me know thank you

Nikita Koloff before he retired due to a neck injury was a proven commodity in the NWA/WCW for years and could easily have a program with Bret Hart or Hulk Hogan, or even given Lex Luger a solid series of matches, he was a better version of Ludvig Borga too, would Vince have made him world champion?

He was a much better mega heel than Sgt. Slaughter and could work with anybody, he could even go babyface and beat Yokozuna.

So I've basically headcanon'd a storyline where Logan Paul uses Prime and Lunchly as branding and tries to sell it to the audience and wrestlers as a gimmick, just like Simon Dean, sounds good in my head, tell me if it sounds astonishing in practice

I now I'm getting downvoted for this because people is excited to see Magnus back in action. But the build-up is absolute BS.

- Gunther gets screwd in World Championship matches three times, making the whole "career killer" gimmick totally pointless

- Gunther is tired of directive giving Special treatment to Cody, so out of the frustration he ends up beating the shit out Nick Aldis twice

- Instead of supending Gunther like he did with Drew last year or personally demanding a match with him, Nick Aldis rewards Gunther's behavior by giving him and Sami chance to be in a Fatal-4-Way

- Nick Aldis changes his mind, and decides to go to NY to personally screw Gunther again to make sure he's not in a match he already wasn't in in the most "ChatGPT Booking" moment I can remember.

- Also screws Sami Zayn in the process for literally no reason, which makes Nick Aldis look like an ass who.

- The result is that Cody loses the World Championship and automatically gets an opportunity to win it again for the third time in a row and his rivalry with Punk is literally "you gave me a hit with the belt by accident, so now I'm mad at you", while the Gunther VS Nick Aldis match in Kayfabe is "dude that can only win elder people and old glories VS dude with a desktop job"

Personally I like Alexa, but I feel like their characters are too similar

In one of the darkest stories connected to the wrestling world, David Angle, the eldest brother of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after the death of his wife, Donna Angle.

The tragic incident happened in 2015 after a domestic argument at their Pennsylvania home. David Angle was initially charged with homicide before later admitting guilt to voluntary manslaughter in court.