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WWE SmackDown Results & Booking Grades (7/24/26): Cody Rhodes and CM Punk Ready for SummerSlam

Did Cody Rhodes and CM Punk's blow up from Saturday Night's Main Event continue tonight on WWE SmackDown?
Matt Black|
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes | WWE

Tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown took place at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, California.

Last week's episode featured Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill qualifying for the Interim WWE Women's Championship match at SummerSlam while Cody Rhodes battled Gunther in the main event.

WWE SmackDown results:

Tonight's episode kicked off with Adam Pearce presiding over the contract signing for the match between Nick Aldis and Gunther at SummerSlam. Pearce informs Aldis that once he signs the contract, he relinquishes his GM status, and it will go to him, and that WWE is not responsible for whatever happens to him in the ring.

Aldis said he understands what he's doing and that Gunther has pushed him to his breaking point and willingly signed the contract. Gunther said this match will be the greatest moment of Nick's career, stating that all of this is beneath him. Gunther believes Aldis is jealous of him and even though he is a former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, he never achieved his dream of being a WWE Superstar.

The Ring General signs the contract and tells Aldis he's going to turn him into a legend and add him to the list of people he's retired. Gunther goes to leave, but Aldis calls him on his bluff and claims that he's saying all this because he never thought it would come to this. Aldis said Gunther has got himself in a situation he can't get out of. This eventually leads to a brawl, which Aldis controlled until Pearce tried to separate it. Gunther kicks Aldis low and powerbombs him through the table.

Booking Grade: 7/10

  • Both Gunther and Nick Aldis had time to explain their actions on the microphone
  • Wade Barrett notes on commentary that Aldis relinquishing his power is temporary, which pretty much gives away the SummerSlam finish
  • Why is Adam Pearce trying to separate this fight? Just let them go!

Sami Zayn has a path back to the title at SummerSlam

Backstage, Cathy Kelley looks to give an update on Nick Aldis but is interrupted by a furious Sami Zayn, who buries the company for what they did to him as the WWE Champion. Zayn believes management is against him, and once he took down the golden boy in Cody Rhodes, they had a fresh CM Punk right there ready to take the title from him.

Adam Pearce comes in, and Zayn demands he add him to the main event of SummerSlam between Rhodes and Punk. Pearce said he can't do that, but offers to put him in a number one contender's match at SummerSlam against the winner of tonight's fatal four-way between Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, and Trick Williams. Zayn isn't happy, but accepts it as a way to get back in the title picture.

In the opening match of the evening, Brie Bella took on Lainey Reid of Fatal Influence. This match saw Brie catch Lainey with a sunset flip to score the pinfall victory. Fatal Influence attacked after the match, which brought out a returning Nikki Bella to even the odds. Nikki challenged Fatal Influence to a six-woman tag match at SummerSlam.

Booking Grade: 9/10

  • A relatively short match, but both women performed well
  • Nikki Bella's return adds longevity to this storyline
  • We'll likely find out at SummerSlam if Paige's run with the Bellas is on borrowed time

Can Finn Balor get back in the title picture?

Backstage, Cathy Kelley speaks with Finn Balor, who hypes up tonight's fatal four-way main event. Gunther interrupts and tells Balor it doesn't matter who the WWE Champion is because after he takes care of Aldis at SummerSlam, he's next in line.

Over in the locker room, Solo Sikoa tries to pump up Royce Keys about his match tonight and the potential of possibly working both nights of SummerSlam. LA Knight comes in and warns Keys about the Bloodline potentially costing him tonight. Sikoa goes on a hilarious tirade about them as a group and Knight looks at him like he had three heads.

Elsewhere backstage, Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green talk about possibly leaving SummerSlam as the Interim WWE Women's Champion. Green goes to get ready for her match and Blake Monroe shows up to speak to Stratton, claiming she likes her more than most of the women in the locker room. Monroe teases a future match between the two for the Women's United States Title.

Back in the ring, Chelsea Green defeated Kiana James with the Unprettier to qualify for the WWE Interim Women's Championship match at SummerSlam.

Booking Grade: 7/10

  • Even shorter than the opener
  • Chelsea Green deserved to win and get a match at SummerSlam
  • Kiana James has really fallen off as of late in terms of being pushed

Tired of the same old WWE Champions?

Backstage, R-Truth and Damian Priest speak about their match tonight and the upcoming match against the Viking Raiders. Cody Rhodes comes in and Priest informs him that he will win tonight's main event and he's coming for the WWE Championship. Priest said the boys in the back are tired of the same guys holding that title. Rhodes said that, as someone who used to be one of the boys, he appreciates what Priest had to say.

Cody Rhodes makes his way out to the ring and brings out WWE Champion CM Punk. The two talk about not trusting each other, but Rhodes accepts that what happened at Saturday Night's Main Event was an accident. Rhodes admits he doesn't like Punk and talks about how he dropped a pipe bomb on the industry, but he dropped a nuke, and all the while the fans wished it was Punk instead of him.

Rhodes puts over the WWE roster right now, calling it the best they've ever produced, and claims he doesn't sweat any of them, except for Punk. Cody said for his story to have a happy ending, he has to beat Punk at SummerSlam. Punk questions if Rhodes doesn't like him or doesn't like the fact that he's the champion. Punk puts over Rhodes for paying attention to what he said on the pipe bomb but questions if he did it better than him, stating it's for the history books to decide.

CM Punk alludes to their time together in AEW, when Rhodes showed him that there was a path back to WWE. Punk said Rhodes can't handle the pressure of trying to take the title off of someone he loves, and he has to make an enemy out of them so he can be the victim. Punk reminds Cody that he's his only friend and he's going to break his heart at SummerSlam.

Booking Grade: 10/10

  • This promo earned Rhodes and Punk the SummerSlam night two main event, in my opinion
  • The AEW references without actually naming the company were nicely done
  • Both men spoke with passion and made you believe how important this match is to them

Charlotte Flair still wants revenge against Jade Cargill

Cathy Kelley speaks to Charlotte Flair backstage about costing Nia Jax her match against Jade Cargill last week. Flair admitted this is still about getting revenge on Cargill for what she did to Alexa Bliss. Flair said she will win tonight so she can get her hands on Cargill at SummerSlam.

This led to the match between Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax, which once again saw Jax lose via disqualification thanks to outside interference from Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab. After the match, Jax had a rightfully earned temper tantrum at ringside.

Booking Grade: 3/10

  • Why is WWE suddenly protecting Nia Jax like she can't take a clean loss?
  • This match got way more time than the other matches tonight, but the finish ruined it
  • Jade Cargill looks just as bad, if not worse, than Flair did last week

Finn Balor punches his ticket to SummerSlam

In the main event of the evening, Finn Balor defeated Damian Priest, Royce Keys, and Trick Williams in a fatal four-way. The match saw interference from The Usos, Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, and Jacob Fatu. In the ring, Balor hit Priest with the Coup de Grâce to score the pinfall victory. Balor will now move on to SummerSlam to face Sami Zayn in a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship.

Booking Grade: 8/10

  • Best match of the show
  • Finn Balor is now on a three-match winning streak heading into SummerSlam
  • Too much outside interference

Finn Balor celebrated his victory in the ring as WWE SmackDown went off the air.

WWE SmackDown quick results:

  • Brie Bella defeated Lainey Reid
  • Chelsea Green defeated Kiana James to qualify for the Interim WWE Women's Title Ladder match at SummerSlam
  • Charlotte Flair defeated Nia Jax via disqualification to qualify for the Interim WWE Women's Title Ladder match at SummerSlam
  • Finn Balor defeated Royce Keys, Damian Priest, and Trick Williams to earn a number one contender's match against Sami Zayn at SummerSlam
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Published | Modified
Matt Black
MATT BLACK

Matt Black got involved in the wrestling media industry over two decades ago, covering WWE video games released by Acclaim, THQ, and 2K. He has been covering professional wrestling for multiple digital outlets since 2019. He is the former Senior Editor of WrestleZone and has extensive knowledge of the entire wrestling industry. In his spare time, Matt enjoys cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Lakers. He's also a diehard comic book movie fan and doesn't pick sides when it comes to the endless debates of Marvel versus DC.

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