At Night of Champions, the wrestling league sets a WrestleMania rematch between champion John Cena and Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam – an unexpected twist provides plenty of talking points.
The main event of WWE’s summer highlight is set: SummerSlam in New York will feature a WrestleMania rematch between reigning WWE champion John Cena and former titleholder Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes won the King of the Ring final against his mentor Randy Orton at the Night of Champions event on Saturday evening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Record champion Cena ultimately defended his title against his old rival CM Punk. It was the widely expected outcome – but an unexpected twist at the end added some new excitement.
WWE Night of Champions ends in chaos
The Cena vs. Punk duel – fueled in advance by a bitterly creative exchange of personal barbs – ended in chaos: Money in the Bank winner Seth Rollins intervened and attempted to “cash in” his anytime title match, accompanied by his allies Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.
Both Cena and Punk tried to prevent Rollins from completing the move – ultimately getting help from crowd favorites Penta and Sami Zayn, who took Reed and Breakker out of the game.
When the dust had seemingly settled, the stage was set for a man-to-man finale: Punk and Cena faced each other – and Punk even offered a handshake.
John Cena defeats CM Punk happily
Cena, who has turned into a villain this year, accepted the offer, grabbed Punk’s hand, hugged him – only to then get the evil look he had when he turned on Rhodes in the winter.
CM Punk was ready for ONE but not the OTHER! pic.twitter.com/z3O2YlRvvA
— WWE (@WWE) June 28, 2025
Cena went for a kick to Punk’s groin, but Punk was ready for it, blocked it, and set Cena up for his finisher, the GTS. However, Rollins, who had regained consciousness, hit Punk from behind with the MITB briefcase and missed the stomp.
Before Rollins could hand the briefcase to the referee and officially enter the match, Cena pushed him out of the ring, pinned Punk, and left the scene relieved.
Cena’s maneuvering provides food for discussion
Noteworthy: Cena seemed torn several times about whether he should continue down the dark path. Shortly before the final segment, he also hesitated to knock Punk down unfairly with the title belt – the move with which he had defeated Rhodes at Mania – and instead dropped the trophy, which had been repurposed as a weapon.
The conspicuous vacillation immediately sparked speculation as to whether the farewell tour of Cena, who is retiring at the end of 2025, will soon take another turn and the “real,” good-hearted John Cena will emerge from behind the embittered version of himself.
There is also speculation on social media about a possible “double turn” for Cena and Rhodes at SummerSlam – Cena back as the good babyface, Rhodes as the evil heel. A “heel turn” for Rhodes is reportedly a thought experiment by ring and Hollywood idol Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who sits on the board of WWE’s parent company TKO.
Big wins for Jade Cargill and Solo Sikoa
This year’s SummerSlam, which will be a two-day event for the first time, will take place on August 2 and 3 at the NFL stadium in New York – and a second match has already been confirmed.
In the Queen of the Ring final, up-and-coming Jade Cargill defeated Japan’s Asuka, who had just returned from injury, earning herself a title shot against WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.
There was a title change, a return and a debut earlier in the US Title match between Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa: Sikoa, younger brother of the Usos, dethroned his former Bloodline disciple Fatu with the help of the returning Tanga Loa and the giant Hikuleo, who was making his first appearance on a main show. Hikuleo is the adopted son of WWE legend Haku (Meng), who is also Loa’s father.
In other matches, former women’s champion Rhea Ripley defeated Raquel Rodriguez in a no-rules street fight, while Sami Zayn, who is particularly popular with Arab audiences, brought Karrion Kross to his knees.
