Sami Zayn faces pressure as WWE champion on SmackDown

Look, I don’t know what is going to happen on Monday Night Raw this coming week, where Cody Rhodes will challenge Sami Zayn for the WWE championship in Chicago. It’s entirely possible CM Punk returns, Rhodes wins the title back, and WWE gets to the big money match-up for SummerSlam next month in Minneapolis. It would feel terrible to longtime fans of Zayn, who have wanted him to reach the top of the mountain and be treated as a legitimate top star as opposed to a transitional champion who was simply getting a big win because the event was in Saudi Arabia and the promotion wanted to add an air of unpredictability to the show or whatever. That’s all fair. The other reason it would suck is because Sami has held the title for such a short period of time and yet he’s out there having the absolute most fun with it. LIFE IS GOOD pic.twitter.com/Gu3ur4J5l8 — Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) July 4, 2026 We have to enjoy this while we can, y’all. Sami Zayn forever.

The main event of tonight’s (July 3) episode of SmackDown featured Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso in a number one contender match for Sami Zayn’s WWE championship. The winner fights Zayn for the gold in just three nights on the July 6 episode of Raw in Chicago. The two babyfaces went back and forth with no shenanigans or dirty tactics. Rhodes proved to be the better wrestler after blasting Uso with one too many Cross Rhodes for him to withstand. The American Nightmare is No. 1 Contender! 🇺🇸@codyrhodes will battle @samizayn for the Undisputed WWE Title on Monday Night Raw! pic.twitter.com/md5gtiIMwi — WWE (@WWE) July 4, 2026 As a result of the win, Cody now gets his rematch for the WWE championship against Zayn on next Monday’s Raw, the same night that CM Punk is rumored to return to WWE in Chicago. Sami’s improbable title reign will only be nine days long at that point, and Rhodes will presumably be favored to win back the belt. Maybe this explains why WWE didn’t update its SummerSlam promotional materials to feature WWE Champion Sami Zayn… Are you worried that The Last Real Good Guy’s WWE title reign is already coming to an end in his very first title defense, especially against the Golden Boy? Let me know what you think of WWE’s booking here in the comments below, Cagesiders. Catch up on all the results from SmackDown in our live blog right here.

Tonight’s (July 3) two-hour episode of SmackDown kicked off with new WWE Champion Sami Zayn giving his victory speech after winning the belt at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. Sami appreciated all of his ride-or-die fans who always knew he could win the big one. However, he spent quite a bit of time addressing all the other WWE fans who either doubted him or turned their backs on him. Zayn could be petty and tell them all to kiss his ass, but he won’t do that because he’s a good guy who won the title his way, which is also the right way. It’s now undeniable that grand slam champion Sami Zayn is an all-time great WWE star (and you can totally kiss his ass even though he’s too nice to say it). Sami Zayn wants us all to know, he is a GOOD GUY! 👀 pic.twitter.com/vTro5ZQxj4 — WWE (@WWE) July 4, 2026 Former WWE Champion Cody Rhodes interrupted at that point, soon to be followed by Jey Uso. They both wanted the first shot at Zayn’s belt. Acting General Manager Adam Pearce soon made it official that Rhodes vs. Uso will happen later tonight in the main event, with the winner being the new number one contender. What’s more is that the winner doesn’t have to wait until SummerSlam to get their match against Zayn, because the title match is already happening on next week’s (July 6) Raw in Chicago. Jey Uso vs Cody Rhodes TONIGHT!! 👊 The Winner will be No. 1 Contender for the Undisputed WWE Title! pic.twitter.com/Cw7EZAxnA6 — WWE (@WWE) July 4, 2026 Uh oh, this could end very badly for The Last Real Good Guy in WWE. Is Sami Zayn’s WWE title reign about to go up in smoke in just a few days? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, Cagesiders, after you’re done kissing Sami’s championship ass. Catch up on all the results from SmackDown in our live blog right here.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 27: Sami Zayn after winning 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 WWE SmackDown is live coming at you pre-taped tonight (July 3, 2026) from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and we’re still dealing with the fallout from last weekend’s Night of Champions! Advertised for tonight: Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty Sami Zayn returns to SmackDown triumphant as the WWE Undisputed Men’s Champion! Plus, Rey Fenix defends the AAA Cruiserweight Championship against El Hijo del Vikingo, Brie Bella takes on Lainey Reid, and Charlotte Flair teams with Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green against Jade Cargill and her Baddies, and all of that in just two hours! Check out spoilers if you like here, or 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 JULY 3

SmackDown airs tonight with a taped show (spoilers here) emanating from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This is the first episode of SmackDown during the five week build to SummerSlam, which takes place on the weekend of August 1. Sami Zayn’s reign as WWE champion is already in big trouble Sami Zayn shocked the world at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia when he pinned Cody Rhodes to become the new WWE champion. Sami is now scheduled to make his first appearance as champ on tonight’s SmackDown, where he will surely have a lot to get off his chest during an emotional victory speech that many fans and colleagues said would never happen. Even though Sami’s ride-or-die fans and Johnny Gargano remained by his side throughout a tumultuous 2026, most others turned their backs on him and have been booing him for months. Zayn now has a chance to put those haters in their place and either graciously welcome them back into the fold, or rub his impossible win in their stupid faces. Zayn better soak in this “I told you so” moment as WWE champion as much as he can, though, because there’s no way Rhodes will sit idly by backstage and not interrupt this speech looking for a shot at winning the belt back. And we know for sure that “Main Event” Jey Uso is on his way to SmackDown tonight with orders from Roman Reigns to go bring Sami’s belt back home to The Bloodline. Now that Sami Zayn has the pressure of never winning a world title off his back, will he start acting like his old self again, or will he double down on being The Last Real Good Guy in WWE? Can he last until SummerSlam as champion, or do Cody and Jey plan to make him one of the worst champions in history by bringing his unlikely title reign to an end as soon as next week? Tune into SmackDown tonight to find out. The rest of the card It looks like Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill are on a collision course for SummerSlam after The Queen screwed Jade over in her match against Women’s United States Champion Tiffany Stratton in Saudi Arabia. Their rivalry continues tonight when Flair teams up with Stratton and Chelsea Green to fight Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab. How does Flair’s tag team partner Alexa Bliss feel about being left out? AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix vs. El Hijo del Vikingo is also booked on tonight’s episode in your weekly AAA Cool Moves showcase. Let’s hope Vikingo is cleared to compete after he was attacked backstage on Tuesday’s NXT and unable to wrestle as advertised. The fact that this episode of SmackDown was taped on Monday suggests he’ll be just fine to battle Fenix and potentially steal the show. Other stuff to keep an eye on – WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley’s health status is a big question mark heading into SummerSlam. Does WWE have an update on her injury, and if there is some kind of plan to vacate her belt? – Roman Reigns’ personal assassin / lap dog Jacob Fatu says he’s been ordered to go to SmackDown. Is he here to destroy Solo Sikoa, who revealed last week that he hates Reigns and The Bloodline? Whose side is Royce Keys on? – GUNTHER was sent home and Nick Aldis has been placed on Administrative Leave after things between them got physical in Saudi Arabia. Is this angle leading to Aldis’ return to the ring at SummerSlam so that the Ring General can kill his career once and for all? – Blake Monroe finally came to SmackDown last week and attacked Giulia, who just scored a win over Kiana James. Does this mean Blake and Kiana are now aligned, or is “The Glamour” only out for herself? Will her first official match on WWE’s main roster be against The Beautiful Madness at either Saturday Night’s Main Event (July 18) or SummerSlam? – Tama and Talla Tonga abandoned Solo Sikoa’s MFT, and later crossed paths with Finn Balor, who has history with the Tongans. Tama warned Balor to remember what happened when Shinsuke Nakamura was recently in a similar situation on SmackDown. Does Balor prefer to join forces or fight against these guys? – United States Champion Trick Williams is probably ready to move on from that jabroni Ricky Saints, who was taken out with a People’s Elbow by Lil Yachty at Night of Champions. Will Carmelo Hayes try to get back in the title mix, or is it time for a brand new challenger to emerge at SummerSlam? – Matt Cardona is a winner again after recently getting on Danhausen’s good side. Will Cardona screw it all up by revealing whatever that Baron Corbin-sized secret is hiding under a sheet in Danhausen’s science laboratory? Is there any way for The Miz and Kit Wilson to stop being electrocuted zombies? – WWE Tag Team Champions R-Truth and Damian Priest are in the process of setting up a date for a winner-take-all match against AAA World Tag Team Champions War Raiders. Will this match take place in WWE or AAA? – Jacy Jayne and Fatal Influence just can’t figure out how to beat WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Paige and Brie Bella. What new strategy or scheme will the heels come up with tonight, seeing how trying to win a fair fight just isn’t working? – Will temporary SmackDown GM Adam Pearce trade Finn Balor back to Raw after Raw GM Adam Pearce traded Finn to SmackDown for nothing a few weeks ago? – Where the f*** is Ilja Dragunov? He hasn’t wrestled a match since the night before WrestleMania 42 in April. Will it be even harder for him to get TV time now that SmackDown is down to two hours again? What will you be looking for on SmackDown?