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Sami Zayn Defeats Cody Rhodes and Gunther to Finally Capture the WWE Championship

On his tenth attempt, Sami Zayn finally captured the WWE Championship Saturday afternoon at WWE Night of Champions.
Rick Ucchino|
Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn | WWE

Sami Zayn is the WWE Champion for the first time in his career.

You read that correctly. The one title that had eluded the Underdog from the Underground throughout his lengthy WWE tenure is now in his possession.

In front of over 18,000 of his ride or die fans in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Zayn knocked off Cody Rhodes and Gunther in the main event of Night of Champions to finally win the big one.

It's a moment that very few predicted would happen, but perhaps they should have seen this title change coming down Main Street in cab. A couple of weeks back on Friday Night SmackDown, Cody Rhodes looked Sami Zayn in the eyes and told him that as long as the WWE Championship was around his waist, then Sami would never hold it.

Sami Zayn is FINALLY the WWE Champion!

That line was either some ominous foreshadowing in the case of The American Nightmare or a statement of fact. It turned out to be the former as Zayn countered a final Cross Rhodes attempt from Cody and rolled him up to secure one of the more surprising three-counts in modern WWE history.

Sami Zayn has been chasing the WWE Championship for a decade, and his opportunity at Night of Champions truly felt like it was a now-or-never moment for him, especially with the event taking place in front of a very pro-Sami Zayn crowd in Saudi Arabia.

An emotional Zayn was initially at a loss for words when he spoke to Byron Saxton after the match, but when the crowd began chanting "you deserve it", the new WWE Champion emphatically agreed with them. He told Saxton that he doesn't care about what happens to him tomorrow or in the future, because he is now and forever a WWE Champion.

He won't have to face him tomorrow, and he may not have to face him at all, but a date with Oba Femi could be in Zayn's future.

The Ruler defeated Jey Uso earlier in the afternoon on Saturday to win the 2026 Men's King of the Ring Tournament. He's now earned the right to challenge the world champion of his choosing at SummerSlam the first weekend in August.

WWE Night of Champions results:

Oba Femi
Oba Femi | WWE
  • Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso to win the 2026 King of the Ring Tournament
  • IYO SKY defeated Women's World Champion Liv Morgan to win the 2026 Queen of the Ring Tournament
  • Seth Rollins defeated Bron Breakker in a Steel Cage Match
  • Trick Williams defeated Ricky Saints to retain the Men's United States Championship
  • Tiffany Stratton defeated Jade Cargill to retain the Women's United States Championship
  • Sami Zayn defeated Cody Rhodes and Gunther to win the WWE Championship
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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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