Cody Rhodes Controversially Retains the Undisputed WWE Title Over Gunther

Cody Rhodes is still the Undisputed WWE Champion.

Rhodes defeated Gunther in the opening match of the Clash in Italy PLE this afternoon in Turin, Italy, which took place on the free portion of the show that aired on ESPN.

During the match, Rhodes took the usual onslaught of offense from The Ring General, Gunther, who connected with powerbombs and a variety of different chops in front of the Italian audience that was heavily siding with Rhodes.

CODY RHODES RETAINS HIS UNDISPUTED TITLE AND DEFEATS GUNTHER‼️#WWEClash continues on ESPN or stream on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan: https://t.co/FgJdl5jjFm pic.twitter.com/IjPxjbylC2
— ESPN (@espn) May 31, 2026

Rhodes hit a Pedigree on Gunther, but the infamous move was not able to win the match. In the end, Rhodes connected with a Cody Cutter. After that, he hit a Cross Rhodes and then made the cover for the victory.

The referee missed a huge call in the Rhodes vs Gunther match

After the match, Gunther was livid at the referee and argued that the ref missed Gunther's foot being under the bottom rope as the first two counts of the pin were made. The announce team called up the replay of the finish and it clearly showed exactly what Gunther was referring to. Gunther's foot was under the ropes for the first and second counts of the pin. On the third, Rhodes pulled Gunther into a better leveraged pin.

Rhodes celebrated with the Turin audience after the victory, but it's clear that WWE will look to run this rematch back sooner than later. Gunther and Rhodes also clashed in November of 2024 in Saudi Arabia. Rhodes won that match as well and earned himself the title of WWE Crown Jewel Champion.

Rhodes became the Undisputed WWE Champion earlier this year after beating Drew McIntyre. He successfully defended the championship against Randy Orton in the night one main event of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

Gunther is PISSED following the ending of his match with @CodyRhodes! 👀 pic.twitter.com/QAfSd94VeU
— WWE (@WWE) May 31, 2026

Like Rhodes, Gunther had a huge 2025 and start to 2026. Last year, Gunther retired Goldberg at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. Later in the year and also at Saturday Night's Main Event, Gunther defeated John Cena in Cena's retirement match, winning that opportunity during the Last Time Is Now Tournament, where he earned the spot.

This year, Gunther also retired AJ Styles. The two men collided in a match at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. Like he did with Cena and Goldberg, Gunther choked Styles into submission to get the victory.

WWE Clash in Italy is the first-ever PLE in Italy. In the main event of the show, Roman Reigns will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat.

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