Cody Rhodes is coming after the most prestigious prize in sports entertainment at WWE Summerslam 2025 next month. The main event bout of the biggest WWE premium live event of the summer has been confirmed on the latest episode of Smackdown, featuring the current poster boy of the company.
On the July 4 episode of Friday Night Smackdown, Cody Rhodes made an appearance and officially announced that he will face John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WWE Summerslam 2025 in the headliner bout. Rhodes won the King of the Ring last weekend and earned the privilege to go after a world title in the WWE, per his choice at the PLE.
Rhodes issued a challenge for the Undisputed WWE Champion during the taped episode of Smackdown from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after which WWE also started promoting the match on social media. Rhodes’ mentor, Randy Orton, also made an appearance during the segment and urged him to kick John Cena’s a** at WWE SummerSlam 2025.
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Cena vs. Rhodes II.
Undisputed @WWE Championship.#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/g6PfWGZ9De— Triple H (@TripleH) July 5, 2025
Cody Rhodes became KOTR winner to secure WWE Summerslam 2025 main event
WWE Night of Champions 2025 took place last weekend at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the 11th event under the Night of Champions chronology, where Rhodes defeated Orton for the King of the Ring crown in a tournament final. The stipulation of the win led Rhodes to move into the main event of WWE Summerslam 2025.
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WWE is promoting this upcoming match as Rhodes vs. Cena II, given that these two previously faced each other in a singles contest at Wrestlemania 41. With help from Travis Scott, Cena defeated Rhodes on that night to end the latter’s one-year reign with the WWE title that started at Wrestlemania XL, last year.
WWE Summerslam 2025 premium live event takes place on Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3, 2025, at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes is the first match to be announced for the PLE.
Rhea Ripley, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, and WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton are also being advertised to be on the PLE match card. Plus, celebrity rapper Cardi B will be the host of WWE Summerslam 2025 PLE.