Cody Rhodes Calls Out John Cena, Says He'll 'Whip His Ass' at WWE SummerSlam

Cody Rhodes is ready to gain a measure of revenge on John Cena at SummerSlam.

The pair are facing off in a rematch from WrestleMania 41, where Cena beat Rhodes to become the undisputed WWE champion. Appearing Thursday on First Take, The American Nightmare said bluntly he's "going to whip his ass" when asked how the second go-round will be different:

The SummerSlam encounter will be a Street Fight rather than a traditional singles match, and Rhodes believes that stipulation will give him an edge.

If Rhodes were going up against almost anybody else in WWE, you'd install him as a heavy favorite on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. When it comes to the big shows, you typically want to send the fans home happy with the babyface victorious, and that's what a Rhodes win would achieve.

Cena's impending retirement presents a different variable because WWE's creative team has to maximize what's left of his dwindling appearances. Maybe the promotion wants to prolong his run as the top heel into the fall.

Perhaps WWE manages to pull off the very difficult double turn, where Cena and Rhodes reverse their roles. That would set up a number of different pathways for both looking ahead to Survivor Series and then the proverbial Road to WrestleMania.

Should Rhodes come up short against Cena yet again, it will be fascinating to see which direction he goes because he has hung around the world title picture for so long.