Cody Rhodes, Solo Sikoa and Most Likely Heel, Face Turns at WWE SummerSlam 2026

SummerSlam 2026 may be the most important show WWE has produced in years. This is a chance to redefine the company and sell skeptical fans on its next direction.

To make the most of the moment, this weekend's two-night premium live event needs to be big and drive discourse for months to come.

This is the time to deliver big moments, including shocking heel and/or face turns that require fans to tune in weekly going forward.

The following are the most likely turns to come out of SummerSlam 2026, including conversation on why each would be worth delivering.

Face: Solo Sikoa (or Heel: LA Knight and Royce Keys)

Solo Sikoa has been a heel since day one on the main roster. From helping protect Roman Reigns to attempting a hostile takeover of The Bloodline, Sikoa has never been a crowd favorite.

That could be changing at SummerSlam, given his recent teases.

Sikoa has shown much more personality in recent weeks and received strong responses from fans for his humor and candor.

At SummerSlam, he will team with two babyfaces in LA Knight and Royce Keys against three fan favorites that have slightly leaned heel: The Usos and Jacob Fatu.

One of these teams will likely turn coming out of this story, and the most interesting option would be to give Sikoa a chance to play the face.

However, it is also possible Knight and Keys could join Sikoa on the darker side in the growing conflict against The Bloodline.

This trio should stick together, and either path should make all three more relevant.

Heel: The Bella Twins

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Paige and The Bella Twins

Nikki Bella is back, and she has realigned with her sister, Brie, going into SummerSlam.

With The Bella Twins on the same page again, it would not be surprising to see them turn against Paige by the end of the night.

If Fatal Influence defeats the veteran team, especially if Paige takes the fall as she did when they lost the Women's Tag Team Championships at Saturday Night's Main Event, it would be easy to sell a turn.

Nikki has been at her best character-wise since returning to WWE playing the heel, and the twins have always been better at playing the mean girls.

Turning against Paige could also set up an AJ Lee return and return to an old-school tag team rivalry, which would make sense for all involved.

Face: Sami Zayn

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Sami Zayn

It might be odd for Sami Zayn to turn babyface again since he recently embraced a new heel role as The Last Real Good Guy.

However, fan sentiment around Zayn is leaning far more sympathetic than heated, especially after CM Punk ended his only world title reign after just nine days.

As Punk and Zayn likely continue their feud, WWE could be hard-pressed to completely sell The Best in the World as the man in the right.

Instead, Zayn can battle through adversity on his path to a second world title run while embracing the support of his "ride-or-die" fans.

It is the most interesting path for The Last Real Good Guy, who can still keep the edge he has built up with this new character.

Face: Roxanne Perez

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Roxanne Perez

At this point, the possibility of The Judgment Day turning on one another is a running joke.

WWE regularly teases the group falling apart, but most of the time it amounts to nothing.

However, two years ago at SummerSlam, The Judgment Day did deliver a bold change of pace.

Dominik Mysterio chose Liv Morgan over Rhea Ripley while Finn Bálor turned his back on Damian Priest.

Perhaps this year could be another chance for a change, particularly for Roxanne Perez.

The Prodigy is the odd woman out in the group. She has had to sit back and watch Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez get multiple opportunities to finally win gold.

If WWE needs a fresh challenger for either Morgan or Rodriguez, why not Perez?

She is talented and fresh at only 24 years old, waiting for her moment to shine. It would serve as a powerful statement if The Prodigy laid out Morgan at SummerSlam and declared herself free from The Judgment Day.

Heel: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes needs to turn heel. It is as clear as John Cena's need to freshen up his character in the early 2010s.

However, WWE did not freshen up Cena, stubbornly holding firm to his role as the plucky babyface all the way until his ill-advised final-year heel turn.

WWE must learn from where it all went wrong and move much faster with The American Nightmare.

While Rhodes is still popular, fan reaction for him has grown more mixed, and the most exciting conversation around him has been whether he might go bad soon.

He has grown too familiar and too corporate. His first world title victory was massively celebrated, while the second was largely accepted. But the third was mostly a disappointment.

Despite both playing the heel, Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn dethroning Rhodes were celebrated moments, and the quick title losses were side-eyed as The American Nightmare pushed his way right back into the conversation.

In many ways, Rhodes' journey has mirrored Cena's top run in WWE, but it is Roman Reigns' path that has proved the value of a well-timed heel turn.

If Rhodes cheats to beat CM Punk or attacks him after a devastating loss, it would not only make The American Nightmare interesting again but also turn him into a cooler character for more fans.

Rhodes could use the change to freshen up his character and the perception of him as a top guy, and WWE can always pivot him back to a face role when fans are fully invested in him again.

Heel: Seth Rollins

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Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns

Seth Rollins has acted like a heel throughout his feud with Roman Reigns, but it seems like WWE wants fans to accept that The Visionary is only doing this out of personal anger with The Tribal Chief.

The two men have plenty of history as friends and foes, and Sunday's match could truly spell the end of their story together.

For that reason, WWE needs to deliver a bold moment at the end of this SummerSlam Night 2 main event that can push both men forward.

The possibilities are endless. Rollins could cheat to beat Reigns out of selfish need to be back on top. The Visionary could also align with heels like a returning Randy Orton or Drew McIntyre in his pursuit of glory.

He could even realign with Paul Heyman, who may be without a client after SummerSlam.

Whatever happens, SummerSlam will be a definitive moment in the career of Rollins, and it would be a disappointment if it was simply a good match with a safe result.