Sami Zayn captures WWE Undisputed Championship at Night of Champions

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 27: Sami Zayn wins the Undisputed WWE Championship during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena on June 27, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images Instead of asking its talent to work July 3, just one day before Independence Day, WWE simply pushed up its live airing of Monday Night Raw in Atlantic City this evening and taped Friday Night SmackDown afterwards. It’s a big show, considering they’re going back to two hours and it will feature all the fallout from Night of Champions, where Sami Zayn won the WWE championship from Cody Rhodes. SPOILERS are ahead, courtesy of social media, largely John Clark, who has dutifully been trying to keep everyone up to date on his X: Sami Zayn cut a promo on fans for turning their back on him. Cody Rhodes congratulated him on his title win before Jey Uso came out and said he needs the title for himself. That led to Adam Pearce booking the two in a number one contender’s match for later in the show, with the winner challenging Zayn for the title on Raw in Chicago on July 6. Alexa Bliss is wondering what has gotten into Charlotte Flair and her vendetta against Jade Cargill. Flair then teams with Tiffany Stratton & Chelsea Green in a losing effort to Cargill & B-Fab & Michin, with Jade pinning Green. Sami Zayn credited Johnny Gargano for his WWE title win. Rey Fenix def. El Hijo Del Vikingo in a Cruiserweight championship match, continuing the new tradition of tearing the house down in the name of AAA. Blake Monroe launches a sneak attack on Giulia after Kiana James appeared. She also attacked James. No love here, folks. A backstage segment with Royce Keys, Jacob Fatu, and Jimmy Uso leads to tension with Big Jim and Royce over the latter saying he’s family with Fatu. Carmelo Hayes interrupts Trick Williams to say he’s next in line for a shot at the United States championship. They agree to a match eventually, but it’s not for the title and will take place next week. Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh appears to be the match for Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden. Matt Cardona may have killed The Miz & Kit Wilson by pushing a button. Lainey Reid def. Brie Bella in a singles match, with Paige and the rest of Fatal Influence duking it out on the floor. The Tongas attacked Finn Balor backstage after he wished Cody Rhodes good luck in his match. It would seem Jey Uso may have suffered an ankle injury early on but he continued with the main event match. You won’t be surprised to learn that Rhodes ended up winning the match to set up a rematch with Zayn for the WWE championship. Sound like a show worth tuning in for?

With Night of the Champions now in the bag, all eyes at WWE will be on what they do with their major stars heading into SummerSlam. Sami Zayn’s unexpected title win has left both Gunther and Cody Rhodes with fresh angles to work with, while Oba Femi’s coronation as new King of the Ring opens up doors for him too.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 27: Oba Femi in ring during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena on June 27, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. | (Photo: Scott Garfitt/WWE via Getty Images) When Roman Reigns spoke to fans after winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42, he gave them hope that his days as a part-time champion were over. “All this part-time crap?” Reigns began, “We’re gonna fix that. Y’all better make some room because y’all gonna see my ass all summer.” While most focused on him fixing that crap, I was hung up on him suggesting he’d be around “all summer.” Great. But what about fall? What does the OTC have planned for winter, besides telling Jacob Fatu where to hang the ornaments on the Bloodline Christmas tree? Perhaps Reigns meant he was only sticking around through the summer because he only plans on holding the title that long. If that’s the case, then Oba Femi winning the King of the Ring Saturday at Night of Champions makes sense. With his victory, he’s now poised for a world title match at SummerSlam in just over a month. "YOU CAN'T BEAT ME" 👑 The Ruler Oba Femi is now the 2026 King of the Ring! pic.twitter.com/KGBJvtsK4m — WWE (@WWE) June 27, 2026 First, Femi has to declare that he’s going after Reigns. As the King of the Ring, he could opt to face Reigns or Sami Zayn, the new Undisputed WWE Champion. But after crushing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 on the same night Reigns became champion, Femi sure seemed interested in the Tribal Chief. “I think at the end of the year, the OTC can get some,” Femi said during the Mania post-show. It appears that timeline may have shifted, coinciding with Reigns’ vow to stick around all summer. That’s just enough time for the Chief to hand over the keys to the kingdom to its new King.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 27: Seth Rollins sits on top of the Steel Cage during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena on June 27, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. | (Photo: Joe Maher/WWE via Getty Images) WWE’s Night of Champions succeeded in advancing storylines and building matches for SummerSlam, its second biggest event of the year, taking place in just five weeks in Minneapolis. But before that, Saturday’s event from Saudi Arabia raised several questions ahead of WWE’s two-night summer spectacular. Who’s Got First? Sami Zayn is the new Undisputed WWE Champion, shocking Cody Rhodes in a triple threat match with Gunther to win his first world title. Now that he’s the man, for however long that may be, his reign should be more than a lifetime achievement award, and one successful title defense would give it immediate credibility. But who should Zayn’s first challenger be? Trick Williams. Williams defeated Zayn to win the United States Championship at WrestleMania 42, then beat Zayn again to retain the title at Backlash. As SmackDown’s secondary champion and a perfect 2-0 against Zayn, Williams makes the logical choice, especially for Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18, the final big card before SummerSlam. Jey Has Some Explaining to Do Roman Reigns gave Jey Uso orders to win the King of the Ring, then the Undisputed Championship. Instead, Uso lost to Oba Femi, inviting the question: what does “Main Event” Jey tell his Tribal Chief? Simple. The truth. “You’re in trouble, Uce.” Uso letting Reigns know just how dangerous Femi is should shake the OTC’s confidence, especially when Oba declares that he’s coming for Reigns’ title at SummerSlam. That’s right, when, not if. Femi has to choose whether he’ll face World Heavyweight Champion Reigns or New Undisputed Champ Zayn at SummerSlam. Between the two, Reigns is the more accomplished wrestler and arguably the company’s biggest star. If Femi truly wants to stake his claim as the King and “The Ruler,” then he needs to knock off the king of the jungle. A Sad Sight to See Injuries have derailed The Vision since last fall. Logan Paul and Bronson Reed are on the shelf. In storyline, Paul Heyman is, too. Last Monday on Raw, they lost the World Tag Team Championship, and now their top prospect, Bron Breakker, lost to Seth Rollins, the group’s former leader. In the middle of their decline, Austin Theory has been pursuing Maxxine Dupri. So, what’s next for The Vision? It’s tough to say. The group is in such disarray that it’s hard to see how they recover, collectively or individually. If anything, their struggles do make them a compelling watch moving forward. The Visionary’s Vision Board Seth Rollins brought The Vision into the world at WrestleMania 41, and he seemingly took them out at Night of Champions. Where does “The Visionary” go from here? Rollins has made it clear that he wants his world title back. That means a confrontation with Reigns. The problem, though, is that Femi likely has next. Rollins could force a triple threat at SummerSlam, or he could maneuver a title match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, which takes place at Madison Square Garden. “The World’s Most Famous Arena” would make a fitting location for the ultimate showdown between Reigns and Rollins, the two former Shield brothers. Whichever direction WWE chooses, it likely involves Rollins getting back in the hunt sooner rather than later.