Cody Rhodes writes John Cena's 17th WWE Championship reign off with a salute to the GOAT

John Cena and Cody Rhodes battled for the Undisputed WWE Championship tonight at SummerSlam. Cody was able to defeat Cena in an epic battle.

The Cenation Leader and The American Nightmare have been feuding ever since Cena turned heel and attacked the latter at WWE Elimination Chamber. This rivalry grew even more intense as the weeks passed. Both men faced off for the first time at WrestleMania 41, where John Cena won his 17th World Title.

Following this match, The American Nightmare fought back to re-enter the World Title picture by winning the King of the Ring tournament. Afterward, a match was set up between Cena and Rhodes for SummerSlam. This time, the two men were scheduled to compete in a Street Fight, where anything goes.

The match was brutal and showcased both men's resilience. Cody Rhodes delivered multiple Cross Rhodes on the Last Real Champion. At one point, it looked like John Cena would retain his title when he hit an avalanche Attitude Adjustment on Rhodes. However, The American Nightmare persevered and kicked out.

Toward the end of the match, Cody gave Cena a fitting salute before attempting one last Cross Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship for the second time.

It will be interesting to see what's next for Cody Rhodes after tonight's win.

About the author

Sunil is a pro wrestling journalist, covering AEW and WWE news stories at Sportskeeda. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing, and has nearly 7 years of experience. A wrestling aficionado since childhood, Sunil used to imitate his favorite wrestlers as a young kid, and started writing professionally about the sport via Sportskeeda’s revenue-sharing opportunity.

Sunil admires former world champions AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega for their ability to consistently deliver great matches as well as entertain crowds with their mic skills.

If ever given a chance to change a storyline, Sunil would have booked Roman Reigns to end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. According to him, The Tribal Chief needed the victory more than Brock Lesnar, as the latter was already an established performer when he defeated ‘Taker. He would’ve also made that as Taker’s final match.

Always focused on making his work accurate and reliable, Sunil thoroughly checks his facts before writing his articles. When not writing for pro wrestling, he spends his time watching cricket.

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Edited by Neda Ali