Sami Zayn shockingly reclaimed the WWE Championship on the September 11th episode of Friday Night SmackDown, much to the surprise of thousands of fans crammed into the Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Many had expected defending CM Punk to leave the Mexican capital with the win and cling to the championship, especially after seeing off the challenges of both Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens in recent weeks. However, in the end, it was the ‘Last Real Good Guy’ who emerged with the title.
Zayn Shocks the World Again
In a chaotic main event on the blue brand, Punk and Zayn went blow for blow, but it was a slew of shenanigans late in the match that opened the door for a shocking title change. First, Johnny Gargano and Candice LaRae interfered in a bid to cost Punk the title, and while the referee was busy dealing with those two, Kevin Owens appeared. He attempted to drill Zayn with the championship belt, but the challenger managed to evade, with Owens nailing Punk in the head with the title instead.
Zayn would go on to take full advantage. He hit Owens with a low blow before finishing off Punk with a Helluva Kick to seal a shocking championship win that left Mexico City briefly stunned into silence.
Two-Time Champion
It’s not the first time that Zayn has claimed the WWE Championship as a betting underdog in recent months. Ahead of his triple threat match with Cody Rhodes and Gunther at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia back in June, outlets such as the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook, which allows betting on WWE, made Zayn a +300 underdog, with Rhodes the overwhelming -600 favorite to retain the gold.
But it was indeed Zayn who picked up the win to claim the WWE Championship for the first time in his lengthy career. The reign was ultimately short-lived, with Punk dethroning Zayn in his hometown of Chicago on Monday Night Raw just nine days after he claimed the gold. Now, however, Zayn has secured his ultimate revenge, or more so “justice” as he has called it, winning the title back from Punk and shocking the world for a second time in just over two months.
And here’s the kicker: it was the right decision.
Zayn the Star of 2026
Whether you love Sami Zayn or hate him, you cannot deny that the Canadian deserves his moment in the sun. The Ultimate Underdog has spent the vast majority of his career being overlooked, losing countless title shots while WWE continued to hand the ball to other superstars. But since WrestleMania 42 back in April, Zayn has consistently been the most entertaining thing on WWE TV each and every week, and that much is undeniable.
Fans had turned on Zayn in recent years, and throughout most of that turn, he had ignored the boos. After his Mania defeat to Trick Williams, however, he started leaning into them, teetering on the edge of turning heel. His pursuit of a maiden WWE Championship win was very real, and when it came with that pinfall victory over Cody Rhodes, his moment was ripped away from him after just nine days by Punk.
Yes, wrestling is scripted. But one can only imagine how Zayn the man felt in that moment, scratching and clawing his way to the WWE Championship for over 20 years, only to have it ripped away in nine days. It was an injustice, and that is exactly what Zayn called it on TV each and every week. His refusal to allow anyone else to dethrone Punk, interfering in every single other title defense, only made his pursuit of the gold seem more believable.
Now, he is champion again. And he deserves his moment.
WWE Championship Hot Potato Represents a Welcome Change
Ever since Roman Reigns held the world championship hostage between 2020 and 2024, WWE has resisted the urge to pull the trigger on blockbuster title changes. Only one title reign between April 2022 and March 2026 was 100 days or shorter. Since then, however, Zayn has held the title for nine days, Punk has held it for 67 days, and now the strap is back on the Last Real Good Guy’s Shoulder. The change to quickfire title changes is a welcome one, providing a much-needed jolt of unpredictability to WWE programming.
And truth be told, the recent trend could well continue.
No Shortage of Challengers
The WWE Championship picture is currently stacked. Punk will be gunning for a rematch, as will Kevin Owens, who only lost to now-former champion Punk after interference from Zayn.
Then there’s Randy Orton, who recently beat Cody Rhodes in the American Nightmare’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, before immediately clamoring for the chance to claim his 15th world championship. And that’s without mentioning Rhodes himself and the ‘Career Killer’ Gunther, a man who has retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles in the last year.
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