Following Sami Zayn’s big win at Night of Champions, an update has emerged regarding plans for the Undisputed WWE Championship Match at SummerSlam 2026.
One week ago, WWE pulled off one of the more surprising world title changes in recent memory, as Sami Zayn pinned Cody Rhodes in their three-way with GUNTHER at Night of Champions 2026 to win the Undisputed WWE Championship for the first time.
Reports ahead of the title change indicated that CM Punk was set to potentially join SmackDown upon his return to WWE TV, with a feud between he and Cody Rhodes the planned direction – something that Punk and Cody teased during the former’s most recent WWE appearance on the Raw after WrestleMania 42.
Sami’s win, coupled with the fact that 2026 King of the Ring winner Oba Femi has opted to face Brock Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam rather than challenging for the Undisputed WWE Title, has left plans seeming uncertain for SmackDown’s top prize.
However, thanks to a new report from Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we now know what plans were in the pipeline for SummerSlam prior to WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley suffering her knee injury back at Clash in Italy on May 31.
According to Meltzer, Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk was the planned Undisputed WWE Title match for SummerSlam 2026.
Interestingly, current champion Sami Zayn is not mentioned in the past SummerSlam line-up, indicating that WWE didn’t originally have significant plans for him at “The Biggest Party of the Summer.”
The full WWE SummerSlam 2026 line-up as of before Ripley’s injury was as follows:
Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk – WWE Championship
Rhea Ripley vs. Alexa Bliss or Jacy Jayne – WWE Women’s Championship
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – World Heavyweight Championship
Liv Morgan vs. IYO SKY – Women’s World Championship
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar – Hell in a Cell
Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill
Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes – United States Championship
GUNTHER vs. Royce Keys
Paige & Brie Bella vs. Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid – Women’s Tag Team Championship
It’s currently unclear whether WWE’s plans have changed since Ripley suffered her injury, and if so, how much.
While fans would assume that Ripley potentially not being available for SummerSlam shouldn’t directly impact what WWE had in mind for the rest of SummerSlam, we don’t know that for certain, as creative changes can often have ripple effects elsewhere on a show. There’s also a decent chance that WWE’s plans have changed independently of Ripley’s injury.
We will provide further updates in regards to the company’s plans for the Undisputed WWE Title, and other unannounced matches for SummerSlam, as soon as new information becomes available.
With the July 3 episode of SmackDown being taped on Monday night in Atlantic City, spoilers are available for the show – click here if interested in more details regarding plans for Zayn and the Undisputed WWE Title picture.
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