The Turin Traitor Crowd and Cody's American Nightmare

Bartender, pour me a double of the cheapest whiskey you have and leave the bottle, because we need to talk about the train wreck heading straight for Cody Rhodes. On Sunday, May 31, 2026, WWE is rolling into the Inalpi Arena in Turin for Clash in Italy, their first-ever premium live event in the country. And right at the top of the marquee, we have Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against GUNTHER.

If you think this is going to be another cozy night of American families singing along to Cody's theme song and waving plastic flags, you need your head checked. The European fans do not play by the standard WWE script. They want pure, unadulterated violence, and they are about to treat GUNTHER like their returning Caesar.

The warning signs are already flashing red, and the Ring General himself is smelling blood in the water. During a recent sit-down with the Italian Wrestling Channel, GUNTHER was asked how he felt about the very real possibility of the Turin crowd turning on Cody and cheering for him instead. Instead of spitting out the usual generic heel garbage about hating the local fans, the Austrian kept it completely icy.

He simply noted that he thinks it makes the match "a little bit more interesting." That is classic GUNTHER for you. No shouting, no cheap heat, just a cold-blooded killer looking at a champion whose squeaky-clean act is finally running out of gas.

You can already see the panic setting in backstage. As WrestleTalk reported, the looming threat of Cody getting booed out of the building is the main talking point in the industry right now. Cody is about to walk into a complete nightmare.

The Austrian Machine vs. The Melodrama Factory

Let's talk about the history here, because this isn't their first rodeo. Back at Crown Jewel 2024, these two met in a champion-versus-champion match for the inaugural ceremonial title. GUNTHER dominated that match, chopping Cody's chest into a purple, bleeding mess.

Cody only survived because he pulled off a crafty, Bret Hart-style roll-through pin to escape a sleeper hold. It was a clever finish, sure, but let's be honest. It felt like a get-out-of-jail-free card for a champion who was running out of answers against a superior athlete.

GUNTHER has not forgotten that night. He spent a record-breaking 666 days turning the Intercontinental Championship into the most prestigious title in the business. He does not take kindly to being outsmarted by a guy who spends half his promo time crying about his dad.

Now, the Ring General is on SmackDown, and he is coming for the big gold. The way WWE booked the path to this match, however, shows exactly why creative sometimes loses its mind. On the May 15 episode of SmackDown, Cody tried to hand GUNTHER a contract on his own terms.

GUNTHER, playing the smart tactician, refused to sign, demanding a proper fight without all the corporate theatricality. Out of nowhere, Royce Keys interrupted the segment. For those who don't know, Keys is the monster formerly known as Powerhouse Hobbs, who jumped ship from AEW in early 2026 and debuted at the Royal Rumble under his new name.

Keys claimed that if GUNTHER didn't want the match, he would take it. General Manager Nick Aldis immediately booked a number one contender's match for that night. The result was a public execution.

GUNTHER treated Keys like a minor speed bump on his way to the championship. He absorbed Keys' best clotheslines, hit a thunderous German suplex, and then flattened him with a powerbomb for the 1-2-3. It was a spectacular display of power, but it also highlighted WWE's frustrating booking habits.

Why did they feed a newly signed, red-hot star like Royce Keys to the wolves with zero build on a random Friday night? Keys has the size, the look, and the talent to be a main-event player, but they used him as a disposable pawn just to fill a television segment. It is this kind of short-term thinking that keeps the midcard feeling thin, even when the roster is loaded with elite talent.

Why Europe Always Rejects the White Meat Babyface

European crowds are a completely different breed of cat. They do not want the sanitised, PG-rated, baby-kissing hero who talks about "finishing stories" like he's writing a teenager's diary. We saw this exact same phenomenon play out in Berlin earlier this year when Drew McIntyre challenged Cody.

The German crowd didn't care about Cody's patriotic suits or his emotional speeches; they wanted McIntyre to rip his head off. The same thing is going to happen in Turin. European fans respect the grind, they respect the sport, and they respect the chop.

When GUNTHER walks out, they aren't going to boo him; they are going to sing along to his theme and treat him like a conquering hero. As the team at WrestleTalk pointed out, the "away game" atmosphere is going to be incredibly real for Cody.

This is a massive test for Cody's championship run, which has started to feel a bit repetitive lately. The constant "What do you want to talk about?" opening line is losing its luster when faced with an opponent who doesn't want to talk at all. GUNTHER doesn't cut twenty-minute promos about his legacy; he just enters the ring, slaps your chest until it looks like raw hamburger, and leaves with your title.

If the Italian crowd turns the Inalpi Arena into a hostile territory for Cody, it will force WWE's hand. They can't just turn down the crowd microphones on the Netflix broadcast and pretend everyone loves the American Nightmare. They will have to adapt, and that means Cody might finally have to show some teeth and get dirty.

The Inevitable Collision in Turin

When the bell rings on May 31, we are going to see a physical war. GUNTHER is going to target Cody's ribs with those vicious chops that sound like a gunshot in a closed room. Cody will have to rely on his speed and resilience, fighting out of the sleeper hold and trying to hit a Cody Cutter or a Disaster Kick.

But if Cody thinks he can escape with another roll-through pin, he is severely mistaken. The Ring General is too smart to fall for the same trick twice. Expect a brutal, high-stakes encounter that will push both men to their absolute limits.

If Cody wants to leave Italy with his title, he will have to survive the most hostile crowd of his life. He has to overcome the most dangerous wrestler on the planet. Get ready, because Turin is about to be absolute chaos.