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It was a weekend to celebrate Sami Zayn.
Zayn, after over a decade on the WWE main roster, finally won a world title by defeating Cody Rhodes in their triple threat match with Gunther at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. Zayn didn’t need any shenanigans or distractions from the outside. He called it the “American Nightmare” and caused a massive frenzy in Riyadh.
Zayn’s triumph now raises the question of what Rhodes will do from here.
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Busted Open pointed out that it had been a while since Rhodes lost without distractions or interference.
This only further highlights Rhodes’ reign over WWE since returning to the company at WrestleMania 38.
It’s been a strange ten months for Rhodes. He defeated John Cena last August to regain the undisputed WWE title. He dropped the title to Drew McInyre in January, then regained it almost two months later. He held the title through WrestleMania 42 when he defeated Randy Orton on night one. He took the liberty of booking the Night of Champions triple threat himself to leave no doubt as to who WWE’s top star was.
Sami Zayn faces Cody Rhodes at Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 27, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
Maybe a little short-sighted. Zayn is at the top of the mountain and Rhodes stands stunned looking at one of the men he cared about most.
Zayn spoke to PK Press Club Digital before winning the championship at Night of Champions. He said he thought the victory could be a “cultural moment.”
“I think it’s one of those things that would be difficult to deal with. I really don’t know. I don’t know how the fans would react,” he said. “I hope they enjoy it, but you never know because my character right now is a little polarizing – I really don’t know. But I don’t know. I think there are a lot of cultural and historical meanings that would perhaps strike me after the fact.
“From a sentimental point of view, of course, I think it would be pretty great. I think it would be a great cultural moment, actually. I don’t think about it. I dismiss it a lot at this point because we come to Saudi Arabia a lot. There was a lot of talk about me being Arab or Muslim or whatever. But growing up, that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t like it was a common thing or something you could even dream of. I couldn’t have dreaming that would happen. So, yeah, that would be a big deal, I think.”
As Zayn begins his culture change, Rhodes’ biggest fans will be watching where he goes from here.
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Ospreay – officially a Death Rider?
Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland will compete in a wrestling match at AEW Forbidden Door in San Jose, California on June 29, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
Will Ospreay walked away with victory over Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament Sunday night at 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 Death Riders’ looming shadow has grown significantly. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Pac, Yuta Wheeler and Marina Shafir were in Ospreay’s corner as he put away Strickland. They celebrated with him and Alex Windsor in the ring.
Although it seemed that Ospreay was keeping the Death Riders at bay, an alliance seemed to be forming in earnest. He used Moxley’s moves to beat Strickland. Moxley and Castagnoli put it on their shoulders. Those who were skeptical of Ospreay applauded him.
Ospreay and Windsor walked up the ramp as the Death Riders came out through the crowd. What happens next will be really interesting. Will both sides be able to trust each other two months before All In.
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King Oba’s reign
Oba Femi faces Jey Uso during Night of Champions at 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 chance at the world title of his choice because he won.
Femi was defiant when interviewed in the ring after his victory.
“It feels so good to go from being ‘Ruler’ to being a 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 a man. You might be able to beat a man, but you can’t beat destiny and you can’t beat destiny and, more importantly, you can’t beat me.
“I am the ruler, the destroyer, the bringer of war, the mountain you cannot climb, the mountain you cannot conquer, the one, the slayer of beasts, the chosen one, the king of the ring, Oba Femi!”
The biggest question is how Femi will be booked in the future. He will likely turn his attention to Roman Reigns, the world heavyweight champion who has dominated the Raw roster. This would be the best path forward for Femi.
But there is a shadow beast 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 probably hoping that the final match will take place at SummerSlam. It would be an incredible ending if that were the case.
This would also raise the question of whether Femi will make two matches at SummerSlam. Could he handle Lesnar and Reigns in one weekend? And in one day? Femi has a rocket strapped to his back, that’s for sure.
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Jonathan Gresham talks about PRODUCING
Professional wrestling star Jonathan Gresham spoke to PK Press Club Digital about his latest venture into the sport. Gresham and Abe will compete in a new wrestling series presented by Orange Crush. The event is called “PRODUCE Volume 1: The Octopus”. It will take place at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York at 8 p.m. ET.
He is also listed as a co-producer of the event.
“The only thing I think about — attention to detail and consistency over time,” Gresham told PK Press Club 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 a lot.”
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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) has seen several championships change hands at Slammiversary. Nic Nemeth won the TNA World Championship, Xia Brookside won the TNA Knockouts Championship, Rosemary and Allie won the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, and The Hardys won the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
Additionally, there was a major announcement regarding the arrival of a new title to the list. TNA announced the formation of the Knockouts TV Championship, which would be defended exclusively on “Impact”.
TNA’s Slammiversary show has been extremely strong considering the talk about the business over the past week. The next big events could become must-see shows.
News and notes from the world of professional wrestling this past week:
- WWE has 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 will go on sale for everyone on July 8.
- Uhaa Nation debuted at Slammiversary as part of Mustafa Ali’s open challenge for the TNA International Championship. However, Ali managed 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 has been 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 middle of a “contract dispute” with Bishop Dyer – one half of the tag team champions.
- The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) has announced that it will stream “Powerrr” on Tubi.
- WWE star Nattie Neidhart returns to the National Wrestling Alliance for NWA 78 on July 25.
- Trevor Murdoch was thought to have retired from professional wrestling after an illustrious career. But he turned everyone away and called the fans “idiots.” He made fun of everyone who thought he would retire. He nicknamed himself “King Trevor Murdoch I”.
