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Sami Zayn enters Night of Champions with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Zayn has been complaining for weeks about Cody Rhodes being “the golden boy” and Gunther getting an Undisputed WWE Championship ahead of him. He has interfered in a special guest referee match and has been a general thorn in the side of Rhodes and Gunther. So much so that Rhodes booked the triple threat for the title at the premium live event in Saudi Arabia.
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Cody Rhodes speaks during SmackDown at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 8, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
Matt Cardona analyzed Zayn’s chances of winning in an interview with Pakinomist Digital, but he hoped Rhodes would retain.
“Night of Champions, this Saturday, Sami Zayn, he has nothing to lose,” Cardona said. “How many times has he been put in a similar situation and lost? If he loses again, no big deal, but that’s what makes him dangerous. He will do everything to win this fight.
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Matt Cardona watches during SmackDown at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on February 27, 2026. (Mike Marques/WWE)
“So whether it’s Sami, Gunther personally, I hope it’s Cody because I want to be the WWE Champion and if I beat anybody, I want to beat Cody Rhodes. People don’t know, Cody’s last match before WWE before he left was against me and I beat him.”
Rhodes vs. Zayn vs. The Gunther match is one of three championship matches on the Night of Champions card.
Elsewhere, Trick Williams will defend the United States Championship against Ricky Saints and Tiffany Stratton puts the United States Women’s Championship on the line against Jade Cargill.
WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy on June 5, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
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Night of Champions begins at 1:00 PM ET on ESPN.
