CM Punk looking forward to main eventing WWE SummerSlam night one

The main event of SummerSlam night one appears to officially be set with CM Punk saying he’s looking forward to headlining the show.

To promote SummerSlam, Punk was a guest on the Good Guy/Bad Guy Podcast with UFC legends Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen. They asked Punk how important it is for him to main event Saturday’s card against World Heavyweight Champion Gunther.

“Me main eventing, I think it’s important. It’s important for the title. I think it’s important for Gunther,” Punk said. “I think the title should more often times than not always be featured in a main event. So, you know, I’m looking forward to not only main eventing SummerSlam but stealing the whole weekend.”

This is the first time SummerSlam has ever been a two-night event. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is hosting the show this Saturday and Sunday, with John Cena and Cody Rhodes’ street fight for the Undisputed WWE Championship expected to headline night two.

Punk had huge praise for Gunther ahead of SummerSlam, telling Good Guy/Bad Guy that he sees Gunther as someone who could have been a star in any era.

“Gunther’s a guy that I feel I’m super excited to get in the ring with. Like, you said it, he’s on fire. This dude is the best wrestler in the world. He’s got the gold to prove it, too,” Punk said. “Just everything about him is a throwback. I think he’s refreshing. I think he’s real. He had me speechless the one Monday, and I’m almost speechless now trying to explain how excited I am to get in there with him, you know, because he’s a guy who represents the business to me.

“He’s a guy who represents the current business, and you could take him and you could drop him into a territory in the 60s and he would thrive. You could put him in, you know, Madison Square Garden in the 70s across from Bruno or whatever and he would thrive. So he transcends decades to me. He’s one of the best right now.”

If Punk defeats Gunther, he’ll win his first WWE gold in more than a decade. His last WWE Championship reign lasted from November 2011 through January 2013.

SummerSlam will stream live on Peacock in the United States and Netflix elsewhere. Each night has a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern.

WWE SummerSlam 2025 (match order not announced) —

Night one (Saturday, August 2):

  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss
  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against CM Punk
  • Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul
  • Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill
  • Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

Night two (Sunday, August 3):

  • Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against AJ Styles
  • Street fight: Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against Cody Rhodes
  • Steel cage match: United States Champion Solo Sikoa defends against Jacob Fatu
  • No DQ match: Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Lyra Valkyria (if Lynch retains, Valkyria cannot challenge for the title again while Lynch is champion)
  • Women’s World Champion Naomi defends against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match
  • Six-pack TLC match: WWE Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Sicks defend against Motor City Machine Guns, The Street Profits, DIY, Fraxiom, and Andrade & Rey Fenix