Gunther wasn’t finished causing chaos after WWE SmackDown went off the air on Friday night.
The July 10 episode concluded with The Ring General attacking SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis. As the assault continued, Cody Rhodes sprinted toward the ring to make the save, but the broadcast ended before he could get there.
In post-show footage later released by WWE, Rhodes confronted Gunther and challenged him to a one-on-one match.
Gunther, however, refused the challenge and simply walked away, leaving Rhodes frustrated.
The confrontation adds another layer to the ongoing rivalry heading into Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18, where Cody Rhodes and WWE Champion CM Punk are scheduled to team up against Gunther and Sami Zayn in a high-profile tag team match.
You can watch WWE’s post-show footage of the confrontation below.
Cody Rhodes came to the rescue of Nick Aldis from Gunther as SmackDown went off the air.
Cody then challenged Gunther to a one-on-one match… but Gunther walked away. 👀 pic.twitter.com/0cUI6vOzsg
— WWE (@WWE) July 11, 2026
