Michael Cole Previews WWE SummerSlam 2026, Calls CM Punk & Cody Rhodes the ‘Standard Bearers’ of Wrestling for Nearly 20 Years

WWE play-by-play announcer Michael Cole joined ESPN SportsCenter this week to preview this weekend’s two-day WWE SummerSlam 2026 premium live event. He also noted that he considers Cody Rhodes and WWE Champion CM Punk the standard-bearers of wrestling for nearly 20 years. Below are some highlights:

Michael Cole on Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk

“The Cody Rhodes/CM Punk match is really unique because these two men have been the standard-bearers of this industry for somewhat well nearly 20 years now, and they’re finally meeting for the undisputed WWE Championship. They’ve had a couple of matches in the past but never for this high of stakes. CM Punk, who came from out of nowhere to win the championship back earlier this month. Cody Rhodes lost it at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, which was seen on ESPN at the end of June. He wants his title back. So, two of the best in the world will go at it for the most prestigious championship in our business, the WWE Title.”

His Thoughts on Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi in Hell in a Cell

“Well, here’s the thing about Hell in a Cell, and if you’re a casual fan, maybe you’ve never witnessed a Hell in a Cell match before. This is a massive steel cage. It weighs five tons. It surrounds the entire ring. There’s a roof on top. Once you get inside, the door is locked. There are no pinfalls. There’s no There’s no uh count outs. There’s no disqualifications. I should mention you only win via pinfall or submission inside Hell in a Cell. There are no escapes. So this Brock Lesnar/Oba Femi rivalry has gotten to the point where they have to settle this inside the steel structure. Back at WrestleMania, Oba Femi shocked the entire [music] world when he knocked off Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar would come back at Clash in Italy, and it took seven of his F5s, his signature move, to put Oba Femi away. Femi then went on to win the King of the Ring tournament. So, he’s the reigning King of the Ring, and he decided he wanted to challenge Brock Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell to finally put this rivalry to rest this weekend.

On Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan

“Well, this matchup will be part of SummerSlam Saturday. Liv Morgan, who won the women’s world championship back at WrestleMania with a win over Stephanie Vaquer, finally defends the title. It’s been a number of months she’s since she has defended the championship. And she takes on the woman in Sky, who beat her at Night of Champions to win the Queen of the Ring tournament. And as soon as she won the tournament, she looked at the person she beat, Liv Morgan, who is the current champion, and said, ‘I want to face you at SummerSlam.’ So, this is what we have for SummerSlam. Saturday, Iyo Sky, Liv Morgan battling for the women’s world championship. Two of the best in the entire world.”

WWE SummerSlam 2026 is being held at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 1-2. It will air live on the ESPN App in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ESPN SportsCenter with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.