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Gunther attacked Cody Rhodes on the May 2, 2026 episode of SmackDown.

On this week’s episode of SmackDown in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Cody Rhodes defeated Ricky Saints in a non-title match. It was Saints’ debut match on the main roster, but he fell short against The American Nightmare.

After the match, Gunther came out and put Rhodes to sleep with the Gojira Clutch. The Ring General then made it known that he’s coming after the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Gunther has a ton of momentum since July, when he retired Goldberg in Atlanta. He followed it up by retiring John Cena in December and AJ Styles in January. He also defeated Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42, with a bit of help from Bron Breakker.

WWE Universe Reacts to Gunther’s Attack on Cody Rhodes

GettyCody Rhodes is introduced before his match against John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

WWE fans on social media had mixed reactions to Gunther setting his sights on Cody Rhodes and the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Some are ecstatic about The Ring General’s feud with Rhodes.

@Mhussein9911: “Yes Finally!! Hopefully Gunther Wins this Title.”

@VHeart87: “Yeah, Lesnar is retired. Gunther vs Cody at Backlash. Let’s get it.”

However, others are not particularly thrilled with Gunther vs. Rhodes.

@idogames360220: “WTF are you doing to the company I have been watching for 40 years?”

@JDuc7153: “So typical of this cheap wrestler using cheap ways to knock wrestlers out cheap moves from a cheap has been wrestler total loser!!”

@REAL_BIG_STEF: “Please tell me what’s the point of Cody vs Randy at WrestleMania if Randy won’t win the championship.”

@Canaan_Arthur93: “Never find yourself someone that hates you like Triple H hates LA Knight.”

While it’s not yet official, the match could happen at Backlash on May 9. Another possibility is at Clash in Italy on May 31.

Cody Rhodes Stops Dream Match Talk vs. CM Punk

GettyCM Punk waits in the ring for the start of his match against Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On the Raw after WrestleMania 42, WWE teased the possibility of a Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk match. Punk declared his intent to get his hands on the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Rhodes then had an open challenge invitation for a shot at his title last week on SmackDown. Gunther seemingly answered the call after laying out The QB1 in the middle of the ring on Friday.

But before that, Rhodes spoke to ESPN on TikTok and revealed his dream opponent. He named The Second City Saint, but he immediately stopped any hopes of it happening.

“Fans think it might happen but I think is very hard to put together,” Rhodes said, via Fightful. “I’ll use myself as an example. A dream match that I’d like to be a part of is probably myself versus CM Punk. The likelihood of it happening, who knows? Wrestling has gotten mor, it’s difficult, you know?

He added, “We’re collaborators these days, so it’s difficult. I don’t know if he’d want that and I don’t know if I’d want it. But, I know just it would be really great and be very good for wrestling.”

The last time they faced each other in a singles match was on the December 29, 2008 edition of Raw. Rhodes defeated Punk via countout.