CM Punk and Roman Reigns top WWE SummerSlam 2026 card
WWE’s two-night SummerSlam in Minneapolis has title fights, Hell in a Cell and an interim women’s championship ladder match on tap.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar are all on the board for WWE SummerSlam 2026, with CBS Sports reporting that the company’s midsummer tentpole is again being stretched across two nights in Minneapolis.
CBS Sports lists SummerSlam for Aug. 1 and 2, with streaming details pointing to ESPN Unlimited and a main card start time of 6 p.m. ET. It is the second straight year WWE has run SummerSlam as a two-night event, a bigger format that has brought a packed card with it.
The title fights leading the card
The undisputed WWE championship match has CM Punk defending against Cody Rhodes. According to CBS Sports, WWE began setting up the bout the night after WrestleMania 42, when Rhodes was still holding gold and Punk was coming off a different path.
CBS Sports reports that Punk later defeated Sami Zayn to win the undisputed title after making a surprise return in a situation where Rhodes had been taken out by Gunther. Rhodes, who had offered Punk a title match, is now getting the championship opportunity he did not receive.
On the world heavyweight championship side, Roman Reigns will defend against Seth Rollins. CBS Sports framed the matchup around their long shared history, from their days in The Shield to their repeated turns as allies and rivals across WWE’s modern era.
Liv Morgan is also defending the women’s world championship against Iyo Sky. CBS Sports reports that Sky earned the spot by beating Morgan in the Queen of the Ring tournament final, then chose to challenge the champion she had already defeated.
Hell in a Cell and more confirmed matches
One of the card’s biggest non-title bouts is Oba Femi against Brock Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell. CBS Sports reports that Femi won King of the Ring at Night of Champions, which gave him a world title shot at SummerSlam, but he chose instead to continue his issue with Lesnar.
The two are tied at one win each in their series, according to CBS Sports, after matches at WrestleMania and Clash in Italy.
The intercontinental championship match has Penta defending against Chad Gable. CBS Sports reports that Gable won a seven-man gauntlet that also included Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Ethan Page, Je’Von Evans, Joe Hendry and Rusev.
A six-man tag is also confirmed: Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, billed as The Bloodline, against LA Knight, Royce Keys and Solo Sikoa. CBS Sports reports the match comes from all three opponents having issues with The Bloodline.
Interim title and possible additions
WWE has also booked an interim WWE women’s championship ladder match featuring Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton and three participants still to be named. CBS Sports reports that Rhea Ripley is out with a torn meniscus, and that WWE believes she is close to returning despite the uncertain timeline.
The winner is expected to unify the interim title with Ripley’s championship when she returns, according to CBS Sports, which noted it is the first interim main roster title match WWE has booked.
CBS Sports also listed several projected matches. Gunther could face Sami Zayn or SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, after Gunther and Aldis were indefinitely suspended for getting physical on Raw. The report said that moment fueled rumors about Aldis, a former NWA world heavyweight champion, potentially making his WWE in-ring debut.
Other possible matches include Trick Williams defending the United States championship against Carmelo Hayes and Baron Corbin, and Bayley facing Lyra Valkyria after Valkyria turned on her mentor following a failed chase of the women’s tag team titles.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.