WWE SmackDown books Cody Rhodes vs Gunther main event for July 17 show

Cody Rhodes and Gunther collide in Albany ahead of Saturday Night's Main Event

WWE SmackDown emanated from the MVP Arena in Albany, New York, on July 17, 2026, featuring a final buildup for the upcoming Saturday Night's Main Event. The broadcast was highlighted by a high-stakes singles main event between Cody Rhodes and Gunther, a match arranged by Adam Pearce to address mounting tensions surrounding the WWE Championship picture.

The conflict traces back to a series of physical confrontations involving Gunther, who has expressed frustration with his standing on the blue brand. Following recent losses to Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, Gunther launched a physical assault on General Manager Nick Aldis. Adam Pearce, serving as the acting manager for the evening, noted that Aldis had previously fought to keep Gunther active despite the superstar's repeated extracurricular attacks on both Rhodes and Aldis.

Pearce announced a major stipulation for the upcoming tag team match at Saturday Night's Main Event: should Gunther and Sami Zayn defeat the team of Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, both Gunther and Zayn will be added to the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, turning the contest into a four-way encounter. Upon learning of the booking, Rhodes confronted Gunther in the ring, initiating a brawl before demanding a one-on-one match for the July 17 show, which Pearce ultimately made official.

The main event saw Rhodes attack Gunther during his entrance. CM Punk eventually made his way down to the ring as the contest progressed. The bout ended in a disqualification after Sami Zayn intervened and attacked Rhodes, leading to a chaotic scene where officials struggled to separate all four participants as the broadcast concluded.

Finn Balor secures win against Talla Tonga

Finn Balor continued his rivalry with the MFT by facing Talla Tonga. This match followed Balor’s victory over Tama Tonga the previous week. Despite Talla Tonga’s size advantage and interference from Tama Tonga at ringside, Balor hit two separate iterations of the Coup de Grâce to secure the pinfall victory.

Interim Women's Championship qualifying matches

Following the news that Rhea Ripley is injured and unable to compete, Adam Pearce confirmed that an interim WWE Women's Champion will be crowned in a ladder match at SummerSlam. Two qualifying matches took place on July 17:

• Tiffany Stratton vs. Jacy Jayne: Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid attacked Stratton before the bell, but Brie Bella and Paige made the save. Stratton ultimately defeated Jayne after executing the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.
• Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax: The contest ended in a disqualification after Charlotte Flair attacked B-Fab and Michin at ringside before entering the ring to assault Cargill. Flair attempted to injure Cargill’s arm with a chair, though Cargill escaped the attack.

Following the finish of the Cargill-Jax match, Nia Jax and Lash Legend confronted Adam Pearce regarding the outcome. Pearce determined that Jax will receive a second opportunity to qualify in a singles match against Charlotte Flair on the next episode of the show.

Additional developments

The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) defeated the team of Nathan Frazer and Axiom. Elsewhere, backstage segments featured Baron Corbin identifying Trick Williams as a target, with Carmelo Hayes interrupting to reiterate his own interest in the United States Championship. Additionally, Blake Monroe attacked Candice LeRae following an interaction between LeRae, the catatonic Johnny Gargano, and Gunther. In other programming, Jackie Redmond interviewed Danhausen regarding his upcoming No Disqualification match against JD McDonagh.