In the world of professional wrestling, Bryan Alvarez was highly critical of CM Punk’s successful WWE Crown defense against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam Saturday, calling it one of the weakest major championship matches WWE has produced in years.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Live, Alvarez didn’t hold back in his assessment of the main spectacular. “I thought this CM Punk-Cody Rhodes showdown was remarkably disappointing. I thought this was the worst match involving a major crown since John Cena had that run where he was a bad guy and all of his matches were bad.”
Alvarez felt the match struggled to engage the Minneapolis crowd for much of its runtime. “This match was so slow. The crowd was dead until, like, the final five minutes or so.”
He was particularly critical of Punk’s physical performance, noting that the defending champion showed up exhausted almost immediately. “CM Punk, for reasons I cannot explain, just like Brock Lesnar, like 30 seconds in, this guy’s purple.”
One of Alvarez’s biggest criticisms centered on Punk’s attempted moonsault — which he described as one of the worst he’d ever seen in a major featured contest. “He did, I’m pretty sure, the worst moonsault I have ever seen in a main show battle on the main list of performers from any company.”
He in addition referenced the online reaction to the spot. “They have determined CM stands for ‘Cannot Moonsault.'”
Alvarez pointed to several other moments that he believed failed to come together cleanly, including a sequence where Cody attempted a Cody Cutter. “I think CM Punk was supposed to dropkick him out of midair, still he sort of did a falling Yakuza kick — which the announcers covered for by claiming that his leg hurt.”
He also questioned Punk’s decision to attempt a diving elbow from the ring post through the announce table. “He also tried a flying elbow off the post through Cody and the table, which I couldn’t even believe he conceived of trying.”
Although Cody avoided the attack, Alvarez was surprised Punk escaped the landing without suffering a serious health concern.
Toward the finish, Alvarez felt even Cody’s offense lacked its usual impact. “There was one spot at the end where Cody did a Cross Rhodes. The moment was the slowest Cross Rhodes I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Ultimately, Alvarez commented he couldn’t praise the bout despite its importance. “This was a world gold match in 2026. I cannot sit here and say that this match was solid, and dude, I just can’t. I cannot do that with a clear conscience.”
CM Punk ultimately retained the WWE Crown by defeating Cody Rhodes in the SummerSlam Saturday marquee encounter, though Alvarez’s review stands in stark contrast to those who praised the match’s storytelling and closing stretch.