TKO member to punish Cody Rhodes after WWE SmackDown? Exploring the possibility

Cody Rhodes vs John Cena is now a Street Fight match. [Image credits: WWE on YouTube]
Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena is now a Street Fight at WWE SummerSlam 2025 [Image credits: WWE on X]

The latest episode of WWE SmackDown concluded with Cody Rhodes destroying John Cena and putting him through a table. It was a SummerSlam contract signing segment where the Last Real Champion made a surprising declaration that he would be missing The Biggest Party of The Summer.

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Cena mentioned that he was mentally and physically drained due to filming a Netflix project. Hence, he declared that after discussing with the higher-ups at TKO and Netflix, he could not compete at SummerSlam 2025. The Franchise Player also refused to sign the contract and tried to walk out. Following this, The American Nightmare attacked him and forcefully took his signature on the contract.

He also disclosed that Cena vs. Rhodes will be a Street Fight at the upcoming premium live event. Meanwhile, after what happened on Friday Night SmackDown, it's possible that a member of the TKO Board of Directors, The Rock, might return to WWE. As a consequence of Cody's actions tonight, he might punish the former Undisputed WWE Champion on the blue brand.

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It's not a secret that Rock and Cena are part of a villainous association. It started at Elimination Chamber 2025, where the 17x World Champion turned heel and sold his soul to The Final Boss. Since The Rock is part of the TKO Board of Directors, he could use his power against Rhodes.

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The Final Boss could make his much-anticipated comeback and punish the former Legacy member for forcing Cena to sign the contract for his SummerSlam bout. In a normal real-life scenario, forcing someone to get their signature on a contract would make the contract invalid.

With this, the Hollywood star could even cancel the Cody vs. Cena Undisputed WWE Title rematch at SummerSlam. It will be interesting to see how the storyline will progress further as we head towards the big summer PLE.

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While the chances of this scenario seem possible, it is pertinent to note that it is just speculation for now, and fans have to wait to see the action unfold in the coming weeks to know more.


Cody Rhodes teased a heel turn during WWE SmackDown

Not only did the contract signing segment make Cena vs. Rhodes' Street Fight match official, but The American Nightmare also dropped considerable hints of a heel turn. One of the major tells was the former Undisputed WWE Champion attacking The Cenation Leader with the title belt, something he has stayed away from thus far.

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It's rare that a babyface uses titles or championships as a weapon. Additionally, before the contract signing segment started, 40-year-old star asserted that he would not flinch this time against Cena.

This shows that Cody Rhodes will not hesitate this time against the veteran and is ready to pull any trigger he needs to at WWE SummerSlam to get back the title. His actions on WWE SmackDown appear to be hinting at a villainous turn in the future.

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Edited by Harish Raj S
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