Nick Aldis Helps Cody Rhodes & CM Punk Win High-Stakes Tag Team Match Against Gunther & Sami Zayn at Saturday Night’s Main Event: NYC

Posted By: Patrick A Ganczewski on Jul 18, 2026

Nick Aldis got payback on Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event: NYC, costing The Ring General a crucial tag team main event and ensuring the Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 2026 will be CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes.

The night's main event saw SummerSlam rivals CM Punk and Cody Rhodes join forces against the uneasy alliance of Gunther and Sami Zayn in a high-stakes tag team showdown. The contest erupted before the opening bell, with all four competitors brawling around ringside before the action officially settled inside the ring.

The match featured several momentum swings, including a dramatic sequence where all four men were left laid out. Sami Zayn dropped Punk with an Exploder Suplex, Rhodes answered with Cross Rhodes on Zayn, Gunther leveled Cody with a devastating lariat, and Punk responded by planting the World Heavyweight Champion with a GTS.

Later in the bout, Gunther trapped Punk in a Sleeper Hold, but the Undisputed WWE Champion escaped and tagged in Rhodes. Cody connected with another Cross Rhodes on Gunther, though Sami broke up the pin attempt by shoving referee Charles Robinson into Punk.

Chaos escalated after Rhodes accidentally struck Punk when Gunther avoided an attempted Cutter. With the official incapacitated, Gunther grabbed the Undisputed WWE Championship and blasted Rhodes with it before delivering a thunderous Powerbomb. As another referee sprinted to the ring to count the fall, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis made a shocking appearance.

Still seeking revenge after Gunther's brutal assault on him the previous week, Aldis pulled the replacement referee from the ring before smashing Gunther with the championship belt. The opening allowed Punk to hit a Go To Sleep on The Ring General before dragging Cody on top of him. Aldis then rolled Charles Robinson back into the ring, and the recovered official counted the three-count to give Rhodes the victory.

The result officially confirms that the Undisputed WWE Championship will be on the line at SummerSlam 2026, where allies-turned-opponents CM Punk and Cody Rhodes will collide in one of WWE's biggest championship matches of the year.