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Sami Zayn closed out WWE Night of Champions 2026 from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday afternoon with a championship win that rocked the WWE universe. Zayn shocked Cody Rhodes to claim the WWE title, Oba Femi and Iyo Sky punched their respective tickets to SummerSlam, and Charlotte Flair opened the door for a potential showdown with Jade Cargill.
As WWE turns its attention toward SummerSlam in just over a month, here’s six big takeaways from a wild night in Saudi Arabia.
After teasing a championship run on and off over the past decade, WWE finally pulled the trigger on Sami Zayn with a move that shakes the foundation of the organization.
The “will they, won’t they” tease was played expertly throughout Saturday’s main event, with Zayn finding opportunities and either getting a near-fall or one of his opponents forcing the sudden breakup. Cody Rhodes looked ready to dominate his way to another title defense, hitting a double Cross Rhodes on Gunther and Zayn, before holding onto Zayn for a second finisher. But Zayn then dropped onto his back and rolled up Rhodes for the stunning victory.
The win opens the door for a plethora of options for what happens over the next month. With a backlog of talent vying for opportunities — including Oba Femi’s impending SummerSlam title challenge — the odds of this being a sustained title run feels low.
Whether the new champ holds the belt until SummerSlam — and an almost certain challenge from Femi — or he drops the belt sooner remains to be seen. There’s also the unknown of Brock Lesnar, who almost certainly is set up for a prominent spot at SummerSlam in Minneapolis and likely the third chapter in his trilogy with Femi. For now, though, Zayn should bask in the glory of reaching the pinnacle.
Oba Femi’s inclusion in the King of the Ring tournament signaled one of two logical paths: either Brock Lesnar was going to cost him the tournament or Femi was going to win the whole bracket and go on to claim his first world title at SummerSlam. After Saturday, it looks like we’re headed toward option two.
Jey Uso opened the match with a decent amount of offense, but Femi’s dominance couldn’t be held in check. He battled through a splash from Uso and eventually put the former world champ on his back en route to his first major title shot in Minneapolis this August.
I would assume WWE keeps Femi away from Roman Reigns for as long as humanly possible, paving the way for a shot at the WWE title and the brand-new champion, Sami Zayn. My money is on Zayn’s belt exchanging hands before SummerSlam, though, and Femi’s title shot somehow involving Brock Lesnar at this summer’s extravaganza. With about a month to go, there’s plenty to unfold before “The Ruler” makes the long walk to the ring in Minneapolis.
Iyo Sky is officially back where she should be — in the world title picture, following her successful tag run alongside Rhea Ripley. After missing out on having a match at WrestleMania 42, Sky has carved out a significant slot against Liv Morgan at SummerSlam later this summer.
This gets a 10/10, no notes from me. Sky and Morgan put on a match worthy of competing for the championship and it was a nice tune-up for their rematch in just over a month. Sky beating the champ in the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament final cleanly with an Over the Moonsault leaves no room for questioning who she should challenge, with Sky and Morgan’s return match already scheduled for August.
Important note here is that Morgan’s loss to Sky came immediately after Danhausen cursed her. We’ve seen the real-life (hello, Knicks) and WWE universe impacts of Danhausen’s curses, which seems to clearly signal what’s coming for Morgan and the broader Judgement Day this summer.
Speaking of cursed, The Vision is a legit snakebitten faction, which started with real-life injuries and now has led to the group being perhaps at its lowest. In the span of a week, they lost the tag titles and Breakker was pinned clean by Rollins at Night of Champions.
Rollins and Breakker put everything into their cage match on Saturday, using nearly everything underneath the ring in an absolute war. Breakker was busted open, the duo went through multiple tables, and the conclusion signified the end of their rivalry, with Rollins using an avalanche stomp for the pinfall.
Without their tag belts and now a loss to Rollins, it seems like The Vision is on its last legs. The evolution of guys like Austin Theory and Logan Paul haven’t materialized, with Breakker making the clear leap to the next level. Whether that develops into a full dilution of their faction or not remains to be seen. It doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility at this point that all involved would simply go their respective ways.
A month after failing to claim the Women’s World Heavyweight Championship, Jade Cargill met the same fate when she challenged Tiffany Stratton for the United States title on Saturday evening.
After Charlotte Flair indirectly cost Cargill the world title at the Clash in Italy, Flair was the direct reason for Stratton holding onto her title on Saturday, slamming the championship against the challenger’s head before a Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pinfall.
Where this goes from here is fascinating. The spotlight is firmly on where Cargill and Flair take this, and Cargill has now lost three championship matches to two champions since April, so she’s exactly not the most established challenger. But Flair becoming so deeply involved in her matches feels like a big enough reason for a showdown at SummerSlam, even without a title involved.
A quick and tidy 10 minutes gave Ricky Saints plenty of time on offense to show off his repertoire. Ultimately this match felt more like filler and a vehicle to get Lil Yachty some in-ring action than a genuine opportunity for Saints to claim the Intercontinental Championship.
Trick Williams earned the win with the Trick Shot, but the highlights will focus on what happened post-match, with Lil Yachty getting himself physically involved with Saints. He landed a shot to the midsection with a kendo stick, then connected on a Yacht Drop elbow drop.
With SummerSlam just around the corner, odds are that we’re getting a tag-team match featuring Yachty alongside Williams.
Continue reading...
As WWE turns its attention toward SummerSlam in just over a month, here’s six big takeaways from a wild night in Saudi Arabia.
1. There’s a new champ in town
After teasing a championship run on and off over the past decade, WWE finally pulled the trigger on Sami Zayn with a move that shakes the foundation of the organization.
The “will they, won’t they” tease was played expertly throughout Saturday’s main event, with Zayn finding opportunities and either getting a near-fall or one of his opponents forcing the sudden breakup. Cody Rhodes looked ready to dominate his way to another title defense, hitting a double Cross Rhodes on Gunther and Zayn, before holding onto Zayn for a second finisher. But Zayn then dropped onto his back and rolled up Rhodes for the stunning victory.
The win opens the door for a plethora of options for what happens over the next month. With a backlog of talent vying for opportunities — including Oba Femi’s impending SummerSlam title challenge — the odds of this being a sustained title run feels low.
Whether the new champ holds the belt until SummerSlam — and an almost certain challenge from Femi — or he drops the belt sooner remains to be seen. There’s also the unknown of Brock Lesnar, who almost certainly is set up for a prominent spot at SummerSlam in Minneapolis and likely the third chapter in his trilogy with Femi. For now, though, Zayn should bask in the glory of reaching the pinnacle.
2. Call him king
Oba Femi’s inclusion in the King of the Ring tournament signaled one of two logical paths: either Brock Lesnar was going to cost him the tournament or Femi was going to win the whole bracket and go on to claim his first world title at SummerSlam. After Saturday, it looks like we’re headed toward option two.
Jey Uso opened the match with a decent amount of offense, but Femi’s dominance couldn’t be held in check. He battled through a splash from Uso and eventually put the former world champ on his back en route to his first major title shot in Minneapolis this August.
I would assume WWE keeps Femi away from Roman Reigns for as long as humanly possible, paving the way for a shot at the WWE title and the brand-new champion, Sami Zayn. My money is on Zayn’s belt exchanging hands before SummerSlam, though, and Femi’s title shot somehow involving Brock Lesnar at this summer’s extravaganza. With about a month to go, there’s plenty to unfold before “The Ruler” makes the long walk to the ring in Minneapolis.
3. Queen of the Sky
Iyo Sky is officially back where she should be — in the world title picture, following her successful tag run alongside Rhea Ripley. After missing out on having a match at WrestleMania 42, Sky has carved out a significant slot against Liv Morgan at SummerSlam later this summer.
This gets a 10/10, no notes from me. Sky and Morgan put on a match worthy of competing for the championship and it was a nice tune-up for their rematch in just over a month. Sky beating the champ in the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament final cleanly with an Over the Moonsault leaves no room for questioning who she should challenge, with Sky and Morgan’s return match already scheduled for August.
Important note here is that Morgan’s loss to Sky came immediately after Danhausen cursed her. We’ve seen the real-life (hello, Knicks) and WWE universe impacts of Danhausen’s curses, which seems to clearly signal what’s coming for Morgan and the broader Judgement Day this summer.
4. Keep on Rollin(s)
Speaking of cursed, The Vision is a legit snakebitten faction, which started with real-life injuries and now has led to the group being perhaps at its lowest. In the span of a week, they lost the tag titles and Breakker was pinned clean by Rollins at Night of Champions.
Rollins and Breakker put everything into their cage match on Saturday, using nearly everything underneath the ring in an absolute war. Breakker was busted open, the duo went through multiple tables, and the conclusion signified the end of their rivalry, with Rollins using an avalanche stomp for the pinfall.
Without their tag belts and now a loss to Rollins, it seems like The Vision is on its last legs. The evolution of guys like Austin Theory and Logan Paul haven’t materialized, with Breakker making the clear leap to the next level. Whether that develops into a full dilution of their faction or not remains to be seen. It doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility at this point that all involved would simply go their respective ways.
5. Cargill’s collision course with Flair
A month after failing to claim the Women’s World Heavyweight Championship, Jade Cargill met the same fate when she challenged Tiffany Stratton for the United States title on Saturday evening.
After Charlotte Flair indirectly cost Cargill the world title at the Clash in Italy, Flair was the direct reason for Stratton holding onto her title on Saturday, slamming the championship against the challenger’s head before a Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pinfall.
Where this goes from here is fascinating. The spotlight is firmly on where Cargill and Flair take this, and Cargill has now lost three championship matches to two champions since April, so she’s exactly not the most established challenger. But Flair becoming so deeply involved in her matches feels like a big enough reason for a showdown at SummerSlam, even without a title involved.
6. The time is now for Lil Yachty
A quick and tidy 10 minutes gave Ricky Saints plenty of time on offense to show off his repertoire. Ultimately this match felt more like filler and a vehicle to get Lil Yachty some in-ring action than a genuine opportunity for Saints to claim the Intercontinental Championship.
Trick Williams earned the win with the Trick Shot, but the highlights will focus on what happened post-match, with Lil Yachty getting himself physically involved with Saints. He landed a shot to the midsection with a kendo stick, then connected on a Yacht Drop elbow drop.
With SummerSlam just around the corner, odds are that we’re getting a tag-team match featuring Yachty alongside Williams.
Continue reading...
