CM Punk: I Get Asked To Show Up In Chicago For A Title Shot, I’m Damn Well Gonna Show Up And I Hope It Pisses People Off

CM Punk and Cody Rhodes brawl to close WWE SmackDown.

Tomorrow, the two will face off for the WWE Championship. Things have gotten tense between these two over the past few weeks, and on the 7/31 WWE SmackDown, both stars had some harsh words for each other.

Punk said the following about winning the WWE Title in Chicago a few weeks back.

“Did I know I was gonna ruffle some feathers? Yeah, of course I did, you bet your ass. Did I know I was gonna hurt some feelings? I was counting on it, but what was I supposed to do? Be like one of these piss babies in the back, crying and moaning about the same four people are always champion? Sami Zayn, talking like a starter when he’s a bench player? Was I supposed to say no like those mediocre bums? No, I’m CM Punk. I get asked to show up in Chicago for a title shot, I’m damn well gonna show up and I hope it pisses people off. I hope people get angry about it. I ruffle feathers, it’s what I do. It’s what I’ve done for 20+ years in this company and for 10 of them, I was gone. The mere mention of my name sent shivers down men’s spines like I’m the Boogeyman.”

So much for friends… 😲@CodyRhodes and @CMPunk are BEATING THE HELL out of each other! pic.twitter.com/lnNh36wF6w

— WWE (@WWE) August 1, 2026

Their segment ended with both stars brawling with each other. Security stepped in shortly after to separate these two, but it took a lot of effort from many people.

Fans can read Fightful’s live coverage of WWE SmackDown by clicking here. They can also check out the post-show review and highlights stream on YouTube by clicking here.