SmackDown preview, July 31, 2026: Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk and Cody Rhodes come face to face before SummerSlam

CM Punk and Cody Rhodes will come face to face one final time before their blockbuster Undisputed WWE Championship Match this weekend at SummerSlam.

Things have certainly reached a boiling point between the longtime friends en route to their highly-anticipated title encounter, manifested in an extremely tense war of words last Friday night.

What will happen when The Best in the World and The American Nightmare engage each other one night before The Biggest Event of the Summer?

Find out Friday at 8 ET 7 CT on SmackDown on USA.
 

After accepting a challenge several weeks ago from AAA Tag Team Champion War Raiders, WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest & R-Truth are set to put their title on the line against Erik and Ivar in what is sure to be an explosive tag team collision. 

Don't miss the Champion vs. Champion matchup for the WWE Tag Team Title, Friday at 8 ET/7 CT on SmackDown on USA.

Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair and Chelsea Green have all qualified for the WWE Interim Women’s Championship Ladder Match at SummerSlam.

Now, Giulia will square off against Lash Legend to determine who will join the elite competition.

Lash received the news that she will battle the former Women's United States Champion just moments after last week's SmackDown, even as her tag team partner Nia Jax was complaining to General Manager Adam Pearce about losing her second Qualifier by disqualification when her opponent, Flair, was attacked by The Storm. 

Will The Irresistible Force help Lash qualify after being cheated out of the high-stakes SummerSlam Match? Who will seize the final spot in the massive showdown at The Biggest Event of the Summer? Find out tis Friday at 8 ET/7 CT on USA.