Tonight's WWE Night of Champions has kickstarted the Road to SummerSlam, with at least two matches set to be made official by the time the show goes off the air. One of the main events of SummerSlam will obviously be contested for the Undisputed WWE Champinship, with the challenger and champion heading into SummerSlam set to be revealed tonight.
While Cody Rhodes is the firm favorite in the KOTR finals against his mentor, two other legends Rhodes draws inspiration from, CM Punk and John Cena, will be in action in the main event with the WWE Championship on the line. Cena is expected to retain to set up his blockbuster rematch with The American Nightmare at SummerSlam, and the road to the rematch may begin as soon as tonight.
Cena might use underhanded tactics, possibly even a distraction by Seth Rollins, to retain his Undisputed WWE Championship tonight. If The Unseen 17, or even Rollins, decides to inflict a post-match assault on Punk following the main event, Cody Rhodes could make the save and confront the attacker.
Throughout the build to SummerSlam, Rhodes and Punk could remain allied in order to ensure that the unpredictable sections of the WWE Universe do not begin to cheer for Cena and start booing Rhodes once again. His mere association with Punk would ensure this dynamic. CM Punk could even help The American Nightmare get ready to win back the title by coaching him in the buildup to his rematch against John Cena.
The potential of Seth Rollins getting involved at Night of Champions in the main event would leave Cena and Rollins on one side and Rhodes and Punk on the other. This could set up a major tag team bout leading up to SummerSlam.
Alternatively, both Punk and Rollins could get involved in the WWE Championship picture, perhaps setting up a Fatal Four-Way Match for the title at SummerSlam. What makes this tag-team/four-way scenario so alluring is not just the dynamic between mutual enemies, but the dynamic between allies, too.
Even if Cena teams up with Rollins, he needs to keep an eye on the Money in the Bank briefcase. Meanwhile, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes may be great friends, but their dynamic has multiple layers. It'll be interesting to see how the creative books these stars moving forward.