The road to the Undisputed WWE Championship match took a dramatic turn on the July 6 episode of WWE RAW. Just hours before challenging Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes was attacked backstage by Gunther and left bloodied.
RAW opened by showing highlights of Sami Zayn’s title win before moving backstage, where the new champion greeted the officials. Then came Rhodes, who earned another title shot by defeating Jey Uso in a No. 1 Contender’s Match on the July 3 episode of SmackDown.
Gunther attacks Cody Rhodes
At first, the meeting between Zayn and Rhodes was respectful. But the mood quickly changed. Zayn said Rhodes was there to take back the championship he lost at Night of Champions and said that he would leave Chicago as the Undisputed WWE Champion.
Rhodes replied that he had only come to wish the WWE Champion good luck. However, after hearing his opponent’s comments, Rhodes admitted that Zayn was right. He fully intended to win the title back.
Before the conversation could go any further, Gunther rushed in and attacked Rhodes from behind. The Ring General wasted no time, lifting Cody up and driving him through a merchandise table with a powerful powerbomb.
Referees and security quickly ran over to break things up, but Gunther wasn’t finished.
He turned to Sami Zayn and told him that he need not worry about Cody Rhodes anymore and that he was Zayn’s problem now. Gunther also claimed that Zayn was a “fluke” and never should have been champion and warned him that he would soon come after the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Then Gunther delivered one final attack. He slammed a nearby car door into Rhodes’ head, catching him near the ear. The impact left Rhodes bleeding as WWE officials rushed in to help him.
The fallout continued backstage later in the show. RAW General Manager Adam Pearce confronted Gunther and demanded an explanation for the attack. The Ring General blamed Pearce, saying the situation had forced him to take matters into his own hands.
The argument erupted when Nick Aldis arrived. As security escorted Gunther out of the building, he took one last shot at Aldis, saying he had failed both as a wrestler and as a general manager.
Nick Aldis then criticized Pearce for booking Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn on RAW, accusing him of taking SmackDown’s biggest match. Aldis continued arguing with Pearce, saying he had allowed Rhodes to be attacked under his watch.
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