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It was a weekend to celebrate Sami Zayn.
Zayn, after more than a decade on the WWE main roster, finally won a world title when he pinned Cody Rhodes during their triple-threat match with Gunther at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. Zayn didn’t need any shame or outside distractions. He maintained the “American Nightmare” and unleashed a massive frenzy in Riyadh.
Zayn’s triumph now begs the question of what Rhodes does from here.
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Busted Open pointed out that it had been a while since Rhodes lost without any upset or interference.
It just underscores the reign Rhodes has had over WWE since returning to the company at WrestleMania 38.
It’s been a strange 10 months or so for Rhodes. He defeated John Cena last August to regain the Undisputed WWE Championship. He dropped the title to Drew McInyre in January and then won it back nearly two months later. He held the title through WrestleMania 42 when he defeated Randy Orton on Night 1. He took the liberty of booking the Night of Champions triple threat to leave no doubt as to who the top WWE star is.
Sami Zayn wrestles Cody Rhodes during Night of Champions at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 27, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
Maybe a little short sighted. Zayn is on top of the mountain, and Rhodes stands back stunned, looking up at one of the men he talked out of the most.
Zayn spoke to Pakinomist Digital before winning the championship at Night of Champions. He said he believed the victory could be a “cultural moment”.
“I think it’s one of those things that would be kind of hard to process. I really don’t know. I don’t know how the fans would react,” he said. “I hope they would enjoy it, but you never know, because my character right now is kind of polarizing—I really don’t know. But I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of similar cultural and historical significance that maybe would hit me afterward.
“From a sentimental point of view, I definitely think it would be something great. I think it would be a big cultural moment, actually. I don’t think about it. I kind of dismiss it at this point because we come to Saudi a lot. A lot has been made of me being Arab or I’m Muslim or whatever. But growing up, it wasn’t even like that was a dream or it was never something that you ever dreamed of. I couldn’t have dreamed of, that this would happen, so yeah, it would be a pretty big deal, I think.”
As Zayn begins the culture change, Rhodes’ biggest fans will be watching to see where he goes from here.
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Will Ospreay – officially a Death Rider?
Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland compete in a wrestling match at AEW Forbidden Door in San Jose, California on June 29, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
Will Ospreay came away with the victory over Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament on Sunday night at the Forbidden Door. He will earn a title shot against the AEW World Champion at All In.
As the professional wrestling world celebrates Ospreay’s opportunity at All In, the looming shadow of The Death Riders grew significantly. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Pac, Yuta Wheeler and Marina Shafir were in Ospreay’s corner when he put Strickland away. They celebrated with him and Alex Windsor in the ring.
Although Ospreay seemed to keep The Death Riders at arm’s length, an alliance seemed to be forming in earnest. He used Moxley’s moves to beat Strickland. Moxley and Castagnoli put him on their shoulders. Those who were skeptical of Ospreay applauded him.
Ospreay and Windsor headed back up the ramp as The Death Riders exited the crowd. Whatever develops next is going to be really interesting. Will both sides be able to trust each other with two months before All In.
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King Oba’s reign
Oba Femi fights Jey Uso during Night of Champions at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 27, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso to win the King of the Ring tournament. He earned a shot at a world title of his own choosing because he won.
Femi was defiant when interviewed in the ring after his win.
“It feels so good to go from ‘The Ruler’ to being the king,” Femi said in his post-match promo. “Jey Uso didn’t understand what he was up against tonight. He thought he was just fighting one man. You might beat a man, but you can’t beat destiny, and you can’t beat destiny, and most importantly, you can’t beat me.
“I am the ruler, the destroyer, the bringer of war, the mountain you cannot climb, the mountain that you cannot conquer, one-of-one, the animal slayer, the one, the chosen one, the king of the ring, Oba Femi!”
The bigger question is how Femi will be booked going forward. He will likely turn his attention to Roman Reigns, the World Heavyweight Champion, who has thrown his reign over the Raw roster. That would be the best way to go after Femi.
But there is a beast of a shadow looming behind him.
Femi’s rivalry with Brock Lesnar isn’t over yet. Lesnar did not interfere in Femi’s match against Uso. Pro wrestling fans are likely hoping that the final match will take place at SummerSlam. It would be an incredible ending if that is the case.
It would also raise the question of whether or not Femi is having two matches at SummerSlam. Could he handle Lesnar and Reigns in one weekend? How about in one day? Femi has a rocket strapped to his back, that’s for sure.
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Jonathan Gresham speaks PRODUCER
Pro wrestling star Jonathan Gresham spoke to Pakinomist Digital about his latest endeavor in the sport. Gresham and Abe will join a new wrestling series presented by Orange Crush. The event is called “PRODUCE Volume 1: The Octopus.” It takes place at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York at 8 p.m. ET.
He is also listed as a co-producer for the event.
“The one thing I think — attention to detail and consistency over time,” Gresham told Pakinomist Digital when asked what fans can expect from the event. “I think that’s something that’s missing in modern wrestling, and it’s something that Adam and I talk about quite a bit.”
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Title changes at TNA Slammiversary
Nic Nemeth enters the ring during New Japan Pro-Wrestling at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Sapporo, Japan on February 23, 2024. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) saw several championships change hands at Slammiversary. Nic Nemeth won the TNA World Championship, Xia Brookside won the TNA Knockouts Championship, Rosemary and Allie captured the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship and The Hardys captured the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
Plus, there was a big announcement about a new title coming to the list. TNA announced the formation of the Knockouts TV Championship, which would be defended exclusively on “Impact”.
TNA’s Slammiversary show was extremely solid considering the discourse surrounding the company this past week. The next few big events could become must-watch shows.
News and notes from the professional wrestling world last week:
- WWE announced a double show on August 30. NXT Heatwave and Lucha Libre AAA will take place at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas. Tickets go on sale to everyone on July 8.
- Uhaa Nation debuted at Slammiversary as part of Mustafa Ali’s open challenge for the TNA International Championship. However, Ali was able to fend off Nation and Rich Swann in a triple-threat match.
- Kendal Gray became the new NXT Women’s Champion at The Great American Bash. She defeated Lola Vice to win the title.
- A new WWE ID Champion was crowned. Max Abrams defeated Chazz “Starboy” Hall.
- Nikkita Lyons defeated Wendy Choo to become the new WWE Evolve Women’s Champion.
- Major League Wrestling announced during “MLW Fusion” that it was in the midst of a “contract dispute” with Bishop Dyer – one half of the team’s champions.
- The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) announced that it will air “Powerrr” on Tubi.
- WWE star Nattie Neidhart will return to the National Wrestling Alliance for NWA 78 on July 25.
- Trevor Murdoch was believed to have retired from pro wrestling after an illustrious career. But he rejected everyone, calling the fans “idiots”. He mocked everyone for thinking he would retire. He dubbed himself “King Trevor Murdoch I.”
