Cody Rhodes WWE SummerSlam 2026 Opponent

WWE

Coming out of WrestleMania 42, Cody Rhodes remains at the top of Friday Night SmackDown as the Undisputed WWE Champion.

“The American Nightmare” could still be holding the gold by the time the company gets to SummerSlam 2026 where there could be a number of different opponents waiting.

From longtime rivals to former friends, the options for who could be Cody’s rival come this August are quite intriguing for one of the biggest events of the year.

Here are eight potential Cody Rhodes WWE SummerSlam 2026 opponents.

8. Randy Orton

At WrestleMania 42 Night One, Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

After this loss, Orton attacked his former friend by nailing him with the WWE Title belt and delivering a Punk Kick to Rhodes’ head.

“The Legend Killer” has not appeared on WWE television since this loss in the main event of ‘Mania.

With reports indicating that Randy Orton was originally set to win at WrestleMania, WWE has left the door open for Rhodes and Orton to rekindle this rivalry in time for the SummerSlam premium live event this August.

7. Ricky Saints

On the May 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Ricky Saints made his WWE main roster debut by confronting Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

After spending over a year in the company, Saints had established himself as a ready-made main roster act following his NXT run where he became a former NXT Champion.

During his SmackDown debut, Saints showcased his skills by pushing Rhodes to his limit in a singles meeting.

Following a few months on the SmackDown brand, Ricky may find some success and build up enough momentum to not only get another match against Rhodes, but earn himself a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2026.

6. Royce Keys

At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Royce Keys made his debut with the company as an entrant in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.

Keys has found himself a home on the WWE main roster on the Friday Night SmackDown brand as of late.

After winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Keys might not want to wait long before challenging for championship gold.

With his history with “The American Nightmare” from their time in All Elite Wrestling, it would make sense if Keys went after Cody Rhodes and became his challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the SummerSlam 2026 PLE.

5. Jacob Fatu

To start 2026, Jacob Fatu made his return after a sneak attack in 2025 and immediately found himself in the Undisputed WWE Championship picture.

Trying to get his hands on “The Scottish Warrior,” Fatu accidentally cost Cody Rhodes the Undisputed WWE Championship during his Three Stages of Hell Match against Drew McIntyre on the January 9 edition of SmackDown.

From there, Fatu and Rhodes were embroiled in a heated rivalry where they brawled all over the building on SmackDown and at the January 24 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event.

While he is currently involved in the World Heavyweight Title scene on Monday Night Raw, Fatu is still technically a member of the SmackDown roster, and might look to finish his feud with Cody Rhodes in time for WWE SummerSlam 2026.

4. Sami Zayn

Over the past few months, Sami Zayn has been having a crisis of confidence after coming up short against Drew McIntyre in an Undisputed WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble 2026.

This loss led to Zayn having several notable disagreements and intense exchanges with Cody Rhodes backstage on Friday Night SmackDown.

During his feud with Trick Williams, the fans have turned against Zayn with the former underdog babyface receiving loud boos, while his rival is regularly cheered.

After their most recent interaction, the groundwork has been laid for Zayn and Rhodes to feud sometime in 2026 with WWE SummerSlam feeling like a logical destination for this showdown over the Undisputed WWE Championship.

3. Trick Williams

Since arriving on the WWE main roster in January, Trick Williams has quickly become one of the most popular stars on SmackDown.

At WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Williams defeated Sami Zayn to win the WWE United States Championship.

Despite currently holding some gold, Williams has made it no secret that his true goal is to become a world champion now that he has reached the next level of his career.

Trick challenging Cody Rhodes would make for a compelling Undisputed WWE Championship match for WWE SummerSlam 2026 that would mark the next progression of Williams’ rise up the ladder in the company.

2. GUNTHER

On the May 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, GUNTHER made a surprise appearance to attack Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

Laying out “The American Nightmare” after laying out with the sleeper, “The Ring General” looks to have his sights firmly on the top prize on SmackDown.

While this title match may be coming in the near future, this might just be the start of a longer feud between Rhodes and GUNTHER.

“The Career Killer” taking the gold from Rhodes could set up the eventual blowoff of this rivalry taking place in Minneapolis at WWE SummerSlam 2026.

1. CM Punk

At WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Roman Reigns defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Following this loss, Punk was confronted by his friend and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, who was down in the dumps after being hurt following his win over Randy Orton at Mania.

Teasing that he could change his focus to coming after his title, Punk was given clearance to “just say when” from Rhodes.

With the company teasing this showdown on several different occasions over the past three years, it feels like destiny that Punk will face Rhodes on a major stage like the WWE SummerSlam 2026 premium live event in Minneapolis this August.

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• wwe
• SummerSlam
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