GUNTHER faces Cody Rhodes with Sami Zayn as special referee tonight

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The Last Real Good Guy with the Last Real Chance Just a hunch, but I think the Last Real Good Guy may be a tad emotional. Listen, Sami Zayn tried to do his best as special guest referee for the Cody Rhodes versus Gunther WWE title match. But a referee needs to be stoic. They have to manage combatants in the heat of the moment when they are not listening, and they need to do so with poise. But Sami, especially in his current, fragile state, is not that person. The title match actually opened the show, which is always a bit disappointing because it telegraphs shenanigans. And we sure did get those with the Last Real Good Guy. Early on, we saw Sami forcefully removing the competitors from the corner after he’d hit his five count. That once led to Cody getting into Zayn’s face and sticking his finger in the referee’s chest. Sami responded by shoving Rhodes who fell right into a Ring General Sleeper. But it really escalated when Gunther would not remove that sleeper when Cody reached the rope after the five count. So Sami pulled him off by grabbing the challenger by the mouth. Gunther powerbombed the guest referee, knocking him out of the ring. Clearly he was trying to enforce the rules, and to this point wasn’t playing favorites. But he was reacted too personally each time Cody & Gunther wouldn’t heed him. Darryl Sharma took Sami’s place and we had a real match for a brief amount of time. But when it looked like Gunther could win with a powerbomb, Zayn pulled Sharma out of the ring. I guess you can argue he was taking his role back, but at this point it was clear he was too hot about what Gunther did to him. Back in the ring, Cody was attempting a sunset flip powerbomb but Gunther had the ropes to prevent it. So referee Sami Zayn kicked Gunther’s hands off the rope and then fast counted the pin. Of course, General Manager Nick Aldis was not pleased and all four had words in the back. Cody returned to the ring and insisted the match be restarted, which frustrated Zayn who argued he was the official so his decision should be final. However his protestation just put him on the bad side of a Gunther beating. Aldis did restart the match but it wasn’t long until Zayn Helluva Kicked the challenger, knocked out the official, and also (maybe accidentally but I don’t think so) knocked Rhodes out with the title. At that point, there can’t be much pretense that he was trying to be the good guy. He was just too angry, though still fighting himself internally. This was some real sports entertainment and I didn’t mind it at all. I’m a ride or die for the Last Real Good Guy, who got to cut a promo on Nick Aldis later in the night insisting that he never wanted this and it was Aldis who put him in the match. So it was really Nick’s fault. It’s a good argument. Just enough truth to believe it if you want to. But of course Sami put himself in the Gunther/Rhodes feud despite claiming otherwise. That’s what makes this version of Zayn so good. Like Drew McIntyre the last few years, Sami Zayn really thinks he’s the good guy even though we can see why he’s not. But if you’re like me and you are a fan who wants to see him get to the mountain top and aren’t into booing him, you don’t have to. You can be a Ride or Die because there’s enough there to defend. In that way, the heel turn was smart. I think some fans were going to reject a straight heel turn. But this allows all reactions no matter what they be. At the request of the champ, we officially got the announcement for the triple threat at Night of Champion, where I can delude myself into thinking maybe this situation can actually lead to Zayn walking out with the title. Last time they were in Saudi, I deluded myself into thinking that Sami Zayn could defeat Drew McIntyre in a venue that just loves Sami. And he was squashed to the point I was like “Sami is never sniffing that title.” Now just four months later we’re back in Saudi, Sami is in another title match in a situation where a win isn’t out of the realm of possibility. It won’t happen, but I’m going to let myself believe it can again. Because I’m a Ride. Or. Die. Onto the Finals One thing I’ve enjoyed about the majority of the King/Queen of the Ring matches is the in-ring action actually has been overall enjoyable. Unfortunately that thread was lost tonight, especially because both matches opted to work with a pre-match injury which dictated the match, though one was more egregious than the other. Liv Morgan defeated Charlotte Flair Charlotte Flair’s knee was attacked by Jade Cargill and her Baddies (are they officially calling them that here?) as she was making her way to the ring from backstage. It was bad enough that multiple times Nick Aldis and even Alexa Bliss pleaded with Charlotte not to go through with or continue the match. The entire bout was Liv working and Charlotte selling that knee. I don’t hate the idea per se, but with the match finish pretty much telegraphed before the bell rang and the fact the tourney had consisted of some fun matches prior to tonight, it was a let down. The Queen kicked out of an Oblivion but had to tap to a single leg Boston crab at the conclusion of the match, a match that was 75% Flair holding the knee and occasionally shouting “My knee!” Subtle. The angle served to show Charlotte’s resilience and further her feud with Jade as they figure out how to navigate without Rhea Ripley. (Her star power is missed.) But it didn’t serve for a good main event match. Jey Uso defeated Je’Von Evans In this match, Evans sold the spear he took from Bron Breakker on Monday Night Raw the entire match, giving Main Event Jey Uso a target. Unlike the prior match, it wasn’t overly egregious and in this case, I appreciated them selling a spear from Monday’s Raw. Je’Von is still a treat to watch and still had some fun sequences in this match. Also, he’s showing a bit more attitude than at his initial debut which gives him some depth. He’s going to be a star. It took two ugly-looking spears (especially compared to Breakker’s spear that was looming over this entire match) and an Uso splash to allow Jey to advance. I’m not entirely sure how they want me to feel about Jey Uso. They want fans to dance to his entrance, probably because that moves merch. But his actions, including how he treats Jacob, within the Bloodline are obnoxious, and that feels intentional. Then there’s my own issues that I’m still bitter because I believe WWE’s one big title win due to a wave of popularity went to him and not LA Knight. (And I’m sorry, I don’t buy that he’s significantly better in the ring than Knight in singles matches.) This could be leading to some interesting things regarding Jey’s place in the Bloodline, but I also worry they don’t want to push the story too far because they still want another interactive entrance that moves merch. Bloodline Drama Lite Talla & Tonga Loa were unsuccessful in their attempt to capture the tag team titles against R-Truth & Damian Priest. And it’s kind of the Bloodline’s fault? The Bloodline, for some inexplicable reason, is sending Jacob Fatu to recruit Solo Sikoa back into the fold. Again, not clear why because Solo has been playing a loser for many moons now. But that distraction was something that the Loas didn’t want during their tag team match so they firmly requested Solo wait in the back instead of accompany them to the ring. Of course, Solo eventually came out to attempt to assist his guys, but his presence distracted Talla. (To be fair, Talla was way too easily distracted there.) While Sikoa would take a Damian Priest bullet for his tall MFT brother, it also was all distracting enough that it allowed Priest & Truth retain. I don’t mind this story but it’s not really moving me either. You’ve got questions of the Bloodline trying to get Solo back. (Again… why?) You have Solo trying to recruit Royce Keyes. It’s a lot of midcard drama, which isn’t a bad thing. It would be worse if it bleeds into a main event story, such as anything Roman Reigns is doing. And unfortunately, it’s possible it could be heading that way given Solo is threatening to mess with Reigns’s family business. Fair Game Ricky Saints became the #1 contender for the United States title when he won the rubber match against Carmelo Hayes tonight. Hayes lost because he hit an exposed turnbuckle twice — once on his crotch and another on the back of his head. The turnbuckle wasn’t purposely exposed so Saints really didn’t cheat to win but it did help protect Hayes a little. It’s not the narrative that WWE is pushing given their video above says that “Saints cheats” to win the match, but it was pretty clear that turnbuckle pad was not ripped off intentionally. And after it is off, it is what it is. I find it interesting the way they use Hayes. He is a guy the powers that be know is very talented in the ring so they’ll book him in series of matches with guys with whom he has good chemistry. Unfortunately, it often doesn’t end well long term for that opponent. He did it in Andrade (released and back in AEW). He did it with Ilya Dragunov (not being used). And now he’s done it with Saints, who hopefully for his sake doesn’t get released or end up chilling in catering. That’s entertaining because Hayes is really good in the ring. So were all those other guys we mentioned. But it isn’t how this company typically books guys they have big plans for. As for Ricky, I’m still not buying him yet. He’s a fine promo and is strong in the ring, but I don’t see it otherwise. It’s probably intentional that he comes off as a smaller guy who wants to pretend he’s bigger than he is. That’s a good way for a heel to act. But right now, none of it is clicking for me. Quick Hits I’m a bit tired of “Blake Monroe coming soon.” It’s time for her to debut. Is Danhausen (pronounced dan-HAUSEN if you’re Stephen A. Smith) going to bring back Zack Ryder? We got a quick backstage promo from Fatal Influence. I really like Jacy Jayne but the group really feels like three random women grouped together and not a true faction. My girlfriend finds it unfortunate that Wade Barrett is greying in such a way that his beard is half grey and half brown. But outside dying it in one color or the other or shaving it off, I don’t think there’s much he can do about it. I’m going to go a little behind the scenes in my recap approach here. I find the hardest shows to recap are mediocre ones. Great shows leave you feeling energized with a bunch of aspects you want to praise and little details you want to point out. Terrible shows are fun to just rip apart because they’re just so bad. But mediocre shows leave you with little really tear open but nothing that made you excited to talk about that because they’re just there. Meh doesn’t inspire either way. And that’s what we got here. A mediocre episode of television. I enjoyed the WWE title stuff enough, especially with the great character work Sami Zayn is doing. While that didn’t light the world on fire, it was enjoyable and probably the best part of the show. The King of the Ring matches, especially the main event, left some to be desired. The rest of the show was kind of forgettable. Grade: C Sound off below.

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SmackDown airs tonight (June 19) with a live show emanating from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This is the third episode of SmackDown during the four week build to Night of Champions, which takes place on June 27. GUNTHER chose the wrong stipulation for his WWE title rematch against Cody Rhodes SmackDown is a loaded show tonight, capped off with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defending his belt in a rematch against GUNTHER. The match will air commercial free during the broadcast. Their first match at Clash In Italy had a controversial finish where the referee didn’t see GUNTHER’s foot under the ropes at the start of the three count that led to GUNTHER’s loss. As a result, the Ring General was allowed to choose the stipulation for this rematch, and he decided to go with “The Last Real Good Guy” Sami Zayn as the special referee. Once again, GUNTHER has proven to be a poor strategic thinker by choosing a stipulation that doesn’t actually solve his problem. First, Zayn is an objectively worse referee than any of the regular ones on WWE’s roster. GUNTHER is actually introducing more chaos, uncertainty, and bad refereeing into the mix by putting Zayn in this spot. It would be like an NFL kicker who missed a game winning field goal being replaced by a linebacker on the next field goal attempt. Just because the qualified guy messed up in a big spot doesn’t mean an unqualified guy elsewhere on the roster has a better chance of getting it right the next time. It’s much more likely that GUNTHER didn’t actually choose Sami in the hopes of getting a more competent referee for this rematch. He saw Sami and Cody have a big blow-up in the ring last week that resulted in face slaps and Zayn grabbing a steel chair, and now the Ring General is looking to capitalize on their animosity towards each other. If GUNTHER was confident that he could beat Cody in a fair match, he would have instead gone with a stipulation that plays more to his own strengths like a Submissions match, or adding instant replay to any pin falls so that the referee’s ruling isn’t necessarily final. The ultimate boss move would have been demanding that Cody puts his WWE career on the line, so that GUNTHER can add his name to the list of careers killed alongside Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles. GUNTHER didn’t go down any of those routes, because he knows he needs an unfair advantage to beat Rhodes for the title. But there isn’t evidence that Sami likes GUNTHER any more than he likes Cody right now. Sami’s emotions are all over the place, where some weeks he does the right thing, and other weeks he takes a more selfish approach. We don’t know which Zayn we’re getting tonight. Perhaps GUNTHER thinks he can manipulate Zayn into favoring him over Rhodes during the match, but why even take that chance? If GUNTHER wanted a crooked ref, all he had to was cut a deal with one of the more obvious assholes on the WWE roster who would gladly screw over Rhodes if they were guaranteed a title shot or some other incentive on the other side. Instead, Sami Zayn is now the big wild card that neither Rhodes nor GUNTHER can control, who will determine the fate of the WWE championship as the special referee for their rematch. Will Sami do the right thing and call the match down the middle, or will he cement his heel turn by screwing Cody out of the championship that Rhodes said Sami will never win? Tune into SmackDown tonight to find out. The rest of the card The semifinal round of the Queen of the Ring tournament wraps up tonight with Charlotte Flair vs. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan. The winner advances to the tournament final at Night of Champions against IYO SKY. Will Alexa Bliss be able to neutralize any potential interference from the rest of the Judgment Day? Jey Uso vs. Je’Von Evans in the King of the Ring tournament is also booked on tonight’s show. The winner gets to be annihilated by Oba Femi in the final match of the tourney at Night of Champions. Jey is a very technically skilled former world champion wrestler and major favorite to win a clean match over Evans. But what happens if one of Jey’s enemies like Solo Sikoa or LA Knight shows up to stop his latest world title push dead in its tracks? Damian Priest and R-Truth’s run as WWE tag team champions is in danger tonight when they put the belts on the line against MFT’s Talla and Tama Tonga. The winner may come down to whether Royce Keys prefers to attack Damian Priest or MFT. And what about SmackDown newcomer Finn Balor? He crossed paths with Tama Tonga last week, and has bad blood with Priest going back to their breakup in the Judgment Day. Will he choose to put his thumb on the scale here? Finally, Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints is scheduled for tonight, and the winner will be the new number one contender for United States Champion Trick Williams. Will this match have a screwy finish where both stars can somehow claim the number one contendership? Other stuff to keep an eye on – Is there a new update on WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley’s injury? How much longer will WWE wait before possibly vacating the belt? Liv Morgan has defended the women’s world title zero times since winning it over 60 days ago, so Rhea should theoretically be able to hold onto the belt until after SummerSlam, even if she can’t wrestle until then. – Jade Cargill took out her frustrations on Chelsea Green and Women’s United States Champion Tiffany Stratton last week after being eliminated from the Queen of the Ring tournament. Is Jade about to get a title shot against Tiffy Time? – Will World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns send his lap dog Jacob Fatu over to SmackDown again to deliver a more violent message to Solo Sikoa, or does the Samoan Werewolf have other matters to deal with first? – What does Fatal Influence need to do to earn a future shot at WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Paige and Brie Bella after losing a non-title match against them last week? – Giulia demonstrated her mastery of the English language last week by slapping Kiana James in the face. When will GM Nick Aldis book these former allies to fight each other for the first time? – Is Blake Monroe ready to show up live in a SmackDown ring yet, or does she need a few more weeks of talking trash about all the SmackDown women in pre-taped videos? – Is Danhausen going to reveal who is under that sheet in his science laboratory now that the New York Knicks drama is over? Has The Miz recovered yet from being electrocuted back to 2010? Is Matt Cardona willing to put on a headband and sunglasses so that his cursed WWE booking can be reversed with a simple “Woo woo woo, you know it!”? – Will WWE once again ignore Juneteenth National Independence Day? WWE’s silence spoke volumes last year as the other major wrestling promotions in the USA all acknowledged and celebrated the holiday. – Where the f*** is Ilja Dragunov? He hasn’t wrestled a match since the night before WrestleMania 42 in April. Who knows, maybe he’s hiding out on one of Drew McIntyre’s many movie sets. What will you be looking for on SmackDown?

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LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - MAY 22: Gunther attacks Cody Rhodes during SmackDown at Rupp Arena on May 22, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Cooper Neill/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images WWE SmackDown is live tonight (June 19, 2026) from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and we are carrying forward on the road to Night of Champions. Advertised for tonight: “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes defends the WWE Undisputed Men’s Championship against GUNTHER, and last real good guy Sami Zayn is the special guest referee! Plus, Damian Priest and R-Truth defend their tag titles against the MFTs, Ricky Saints and Carmelo Hayes go one-on-one one more time to find out who gets a chance to have Trick Willie’s lemon pepper steppers up his backside, a King of the Ring semifinal between Jey Uso and Je’Von Evans, and a Queen of the Ring semifinal pitting Charlotte Flair against Liv Morgan! Get ready with our preview here! Come right back here back at the normal start time of 8 pm ET. That’s when the SmackDown live blog will kick off in the space below once the show starts on USA. WWE SmackDown RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JUNE 19