CM Punk put his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2026. In the closing moments of the contest, Randy Orton made his return and struck Rhodes with an RKO when the referee was knocked out. This gave Punk an opening to deliver a final GTS to Cody Rhodes and retain his title.
Well, mid-match, The Second City Saint attempted a moonsault from the top turnbuckle onto a grounded Rhodes. However, the move went terribly wrong, and Punk landed head-first into the canvas.
During a recent interview with ESPN’s SportsCenter, Punk broke his silence on the moonsault botch. The Undisputed WWE Champion said,
“I don’t know. I could take that either way. It was incredibly bad or it was so bad, it was good. I don’t know. But, a little homage. A lot of homages tonight. That was for Terry (Funk).”
Punk On Which WWE Superstar He Would Face Next
Appearing at the SummerSlam 2026 (Night One) post-show, Punk addressed his future WWE challengers. He said,
“Hey listen, I just wrestled a friend of mine, Cody Rhodes. Finn Balor is somebody who I consider a friend. Sami Zayn not so much. As much as I would like Finn to progress, I don’t know if I want to wrestle a friend again when I could punch Sami Zayn in his stupid loud mouth. He wants to say all these things, all these cool buzzwords. Oh, I’m a hypocrite. I’m a fraud. Brother, you’re following in my footsteps echoing the same things that I sat down cross-legged on a stage in Las Vegas 15 years ago to open up doors for little jerks like you. I did it, and I paved the way. If you won’t show me some respect, I will beat it out of you. I don’t care who wins that match tomorrow. I’ll see him Friday in Philly. I’ll go to RAW and wrestle. They need the ratings boost. Let’s go.”
“Give me names [to face next]. Somebody from AAA. Mini Vikingo. Dominik. How about Grayson Waller? How about somebody from TNA? Huh? Where’s Arik Cannon at? Oba? You want Oba? I want Oba. Listen, Oba Femi, without a doubt, is the future. That does not mean that I am not the present. Be careful what you try to open underneath the Christmas tree. You may not like what you get. Oba is fantastic. My experience trumps his ability. Oba hasn’t picked what champion he wants to go after. If he wants to wallow in obscurity, go after Roman. If you want to live under the bright lights, come after the real champ.”
