Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly lists his top five things to watch at SummerSlam during the match between John Cena and Cody Rhodes set for Aug. 3 at MetLife Stadium and streaming exclusively on Peacock in the United States and Netflix internationally.
THE SETUP
SummerSlam’s inaugural two-night event is set to culminate with a bang with the highly-anticipated WrestleMania rematch pitting Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena against Cody Rhodes. With Cena’s Farewell Tour heading down the home stretch and SummerSlam marking the second time that Cena will battle Rhodes this year, expect an all-out banger. Here are five things to watch in this can't-miss title fight.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR
A STREET FIGHT?
I was surprised by the announcement of the Street Fight since the conflict was still on the rise before warranting the volatile stipulation. Maybe if you go back to WrestleMania 41 and consider how Cena double-crossed Rhodes twice in a little more than a month to win the Undisputed WWE Championship, but that was more than three months ago. Plus, Rhodes has been busy with and against Jey Uso and fighting old buddy Randy Orton. However, if Travis Scott slapped the taste out of his mouth, The Final Boss set him up, and Cena beat him to become the 17-time World Champion. Perhaps Rhodes has simply been biding his time to finally get back at Cena. In any event, prepare for mass destruction throughout this total free-for-all.
FINAL BOSS RETURNS
We haven’t even had a sniff of The Rock since he backstabbed Rhodes during WWE Elimination Chamber after The American Nightmare refused to sell out to The Final Boss. The possibilities are endless if The Final Boss decides to return at SummerSlam. Given how WrestleMania unfolded, there is a possibility that The Rock will indeed make an appearance and impact the outcome. If he does, how he affects the outcome will be significant.
CODY’S DEMEANOR
Kissing babies and hugging kids is why Cody Rhodes is such a fan favorite. In a division that is lacking a lot of top "good guys" sans The American Nightmare, it is hard to fathom him turning to the dark side anytime soon. But there have been instances over the past few weeks that Rhodes has changed his strategic approach from rolling with the punches and doing things the right way to being more aggressive. Is that a change in his persona based on what happened to him the last time he faced Cena or something new? Rhodes has been more combative and hostile. He wouldn’t let Cena weasel his way out of the SummerSlam match (which may have a callback at some point) and attacked him with a Cross Rhodes earlier during the lead-up. Is there an endgame to this behavior? With Rhodes being the ultimate "good guy," his turning his back on the fans seems like a long shot now. Then again, long shots are good for business.
PREPARE FOR EVERYTHING
Absolutely everything is on the table for Cena as SummerSlam moves him closer to the end of his career. The Cody rematch seems a little premature, but it allows for pretty much the rest of the year to go in any direction. Again, my opinion is that Cody is as close to turning "bad guy" than at any other time, but we could also see Cena turning his Farewell Tour into his Redemption Tour. You can’t rule out either or both. I'm guessing the Cena vs. Rhodes match will close out SummerSlam weekend on Sunday, a fitting placement for the highly-anticipated WrestleMania 41 rematch where anything can happen.
ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS
Cena is as deserving as any to be placed on top of the Mount Rushmore of all-time wrestling greats. The self-professed "Last Real Champion" has 14 more appearances left in WWE, including SummerSlam and potentially three other PLEs and possibly a Saturday Night's Main Event in Boston to close out his career. The bottom line, time is running out. What will be the payoff for all that "The Greatest of All Time" has done? Perhaps the answer will be revealed at The Biggest Event of the Summer.
PREDICTION: Cena will retain the Undisputed WWE Championship with help from The Final Boss.
