SummerSlam 2026: Punk and Rhodes face off one day before title match, Reigns already booked for Money in the Bank

On the final SmackDown before SummerSlam, broadcast from Green Bay on 31 July, reigning WWE Champion CM Punk and challenger Cody Rhodes came face to face one day before their title match at “The Biggest Event of the Summer”, the two-night SummerSlam at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on 1 and 2 August. According to WWE, the meeting followed an “extremely heated war of words” the previous week.

On the same show, reigning WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and R-Truth defended their titles against AAA Tag Team Champions Erik and Ivar of The War Raiders. The champion-versus-champion match was arranged after the challengers accepted the call-out several weeks earlier. Giulia faced Lash Legend for the final place in the ladder match for the interim Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair and Chelsea Green had already qualified, while Lash was looking to avenge her partner Nia Jax, who was reportedly “robbed” by a disqualification in her previous qualifying match.

Meanwhile, WWE confirmed its spring schedule without waiting for SummerSlam to take place. Roman Reigns has officially been announced for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view scheduled for October. Following his match at SummerSlam this weekend, he will appear on the next episode of Raw and then make another four televised appearances before the premium live event.

The betting markets have Punk defeating Rhodes, Oba Femi beating Brock Lesnar and Liv Morgan retaining her title on the first night of SummerSlam, with analysts expecting no major upsets. Several wrestlers on the card, including Reigns, have had officially licensed online casino slots based on their personas and matches released over the years, while platforms such as https://slottactics.com/ maintain separate records of these releases connected to specific superstars and events.

The first night of SummerSlam will take place on 1 August, followed by the second night on 2 August, featuring the five-woman ladder match. Reigns’ storyline will continue away from Minneapolis on Raw the following week and is set to run at least until Money in the Bank in October.