CM Punk says Cody Rhodes can have another shot at the Undisputed WWE Prize whenever he is looking to it, admitting he was unhappy with the way he retained the belt at SummerSlam.
Punk made the offer during WWE’s Summer Tour live show at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday. After competing, Punk addressed Rhodes and reflected on the circumstances surrounding their SummerSlam contest. “Now, Cody, over the past couple of weeks, the road to SummerSlam has been considerable ‘He said — she said’, accidents, on-purposes, a lot of talk about friendship.”
Punk then acknowledged Rhodes’ position within WWE and remarked he does not consider what happened at SummerSlam a satisfactory way to settle things between them. “To me, you’re not the champ until you bested the champ. You’re somebody who has been the face of this company for over four years. You’ve said yes to everything, these people love you, and I love you.” You’ve done everything.
“The way that SummerSlam went down, the way I earned, it’s dirty. I don’t like it.”
Giving Punk the opening to win the clash, punk retained the gold after Randy Orton returned and hit Rhodes with an RKO. Orton has not made an appearance on WWE television since SummerSlam and has yet to explain his actions.
Despite acknowledging that other wrestlers have legitimate claims to a title opportunity, Punk told Rhodes that he would not have to earn another one. “Now, I know that there’s a ton of guys in the back that want a shot at the champion. Notably, there are number one contenders, there are superstars who deserve a shot based on the currency they have with the audience, yet you my friend, you get a rematch any time you want.” That promise creates an immediate complication for Punk.
Kevin Owens returned on night two of SummerSlam and bested Sami Zayn, Finn Balor. Gunther in a four-way clash specifically to become the number one aspirant for Punk’s championship. Punk surfaced to acknowledge that situation in his comments before nevertheless giving Rhodes an open invitation.
Punk originally won the championship from Zayn on the July 6 Raw in Chicago. He stepped into the crown clash after Gunther attacked Rhodes and prevented him from receiving his own rematch.
Punk, Owens and Rhodes are all advertised for on the night's program’s SmackDown in Philadelphia, although WWE has not announced anything involving the three.
When Punk subsequently offered Rhodes an opportunity and told him to choose the location, Rhodes selected SummerSlam.
Their SummerSlam encounter was the initial one-on-one battle between Punk and Rhodes in nearly 18 years.