Bully Ray Speculates That CM Punk & Cody Rhodes Could Open Night 1 Of WWE SummerSlam

WWE SummerSlam has several mouthwatering clashes lined up across its two nights, and Bully Ray has weighed in on which matches could main event Night 1 and Night 2 of the show.

Ray said on "Busted Open" that Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will likely headline Night 2, but admitted he was unsure which match could main event Night 1. He proposed that the Undisputed WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes could open Night 1, which will air for free on ESPN. He also believes WWE could have Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar close out the show, given that SummerSlam is taking place in Lesnar's hometown.

"Because what I was thinking is, let's just say night one is on ESPN, right? They've already done Oba and Brock on ESPN for WrestleMania. Is there anything to be said because of the town? Because it's Brock's, you know, because it's Brock's hometown. Is there anything to Punk and Cody on the first hour for free? And then the main event is Brock and Oba," he said.

The WWE Hall of Famer pointed out that Lesnar and Oba opened Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, which also aired for free on ESPN. He emphasized that Night 1 of SummerSlam 2026 is packed with several major matches, including GUNTHER vs. Nick Aldis and Liv Morgan vs. IYO SKY, in addition to the aforementioned two clashes. 

He believes Night 2 of the show is centered entirely around the story between the two former Shield members, Rollins and Reigns, which he thinks will headline Sunday night. Night 2 of the event also has a few exciting matches, like the five-way for the interim WWE Women's title, Danhausen against Dominik Mysterio, and Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor.