Sami Zayn’s First Challenger for the WWE Title Determined on Pre-Taped SmackDown

Sami Zayn will defend the Undisputed WWE title on the upcoming edition of Raw in Chicago. It's where CM Punk is rumored to return.

Sami Zayn’s First Challenger for the WWE Title Determined on Pre-Taped SmackDown

Sami Zayn after winning the WWE Championship [via- Cageside Seats]

Sami Zayn has been walking on air since winning the Undisputed WWE Championship in an absolute shocker at Night of Champions. He proved his doubters wrong and put an end to the outside noise telling him that he would never be able to put the big gold around his waist in WWE. However, there’s no rest for the weary.

‘The Last Real Good Guy’ is slated to defend the title on the upcoming episode of Raw in Chicago. It’ll play out on this week’s SmackDown, which was taped immediately after Raw this past Monday in Atlantic City. Sami Zayn kicked off the show and called out the fans for turning their backs on him in recent months.

It didn’t take long for Cody Rhodes to make his way out. ‘The American Nightmare’ congratulated Sami Zayn for finally succeeding in his pursuit of becoming a world champion in WWE. Rhodes was about to exit, but Jey Uso‘s music hit. ‘The Yeet Master’ had already made it clear on Raw that he’ll journey to SmackDown and will bring the championship gold back to the Bloodline.

Uso entered the ring and pulled Zayn in for the hug. The two of them even dapped up in the same way they would often do during their time as a cohesive unit in the OG Bloodline. Once the greetings were out of the way, ‘The Great Disruptor’ informed both Rhodes and Uso that they needed to get to the back of the line in order to receive a crack at the WWE title.

Adam Pearce came out shortly afterwards to announce that Zayn would defend the Undisputed WWE Championship on Raw next week. Pearce announced Rhodes vs. Uso in a No. 1 contenders match as the main event of SmackDown to determine Zayn’s first challenger. ‘The QB1’ defeated Jey Uso later on in the night to earn himself an opportunity to regain the WWE title in just under two weeks after losing it.

One might question the rationale behind the Undisputed WWE Championship getting defended on Raw when it’s a SmackDown-exclusive entity at the moment. It must be remembered that the upcoming edition of Raw will emanate from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, which happens to be the hometown of CM Punk.

Punk was heavily rumored to make his long-awaited WWE return there, which could set him up for a major SummerSlam match. It was noted during Wrestling Observer Radio that Rhodes vs. Punk has always been the long-term plan for this year’s SummerSlam. It remains to be seen if WWE would put the title back on Rhodes this Monday for Punk to have a massive stake in the feud he’s about to enter.

The company did tease a title program between Rhodes and Punk on Raw after WrestleMania 42. But if WWE were to go that way, it’d mean taking the championship off Sami Zayn in just his first defense of the title he won after toiling for 25 years. The finish to Zayn vs. Rhodes on Raw with a rumored Punk return in the end has to be handled with utmost precision to prevent a sabotaging effect on the involved parties.

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Sami Zayn trolls Cody Rhodes with his birthday post

Cody Rhodes turned 41 this Tuesday, and Sami Zayn didn’t miss out on wishing a happy birthday to his friend. The Arabic-speaking WWE Superstar couldn’t have trolled Rhodes any better by acting like he’s all good with ‘The QB1’ just days after taking the world title off of him.

Sami Zayn about to bounce Cody Rhodes' head off the table
Sami Zayn about to bounce Cody Rhodes’ head off the table [via- Fox News]

Sami Zayn also appeared on Raw Recap this week and said that the fact he pinned Rhodes to win the WWE title felt special due to ‘The Prodigal Son’ being the man to beat at the moment. Zayn stated how almost everyone in the company has hitched their wagons to the former AEW EVP.

The Syrian-Canadian wrestler admitted that his on-screen friendship with Cody Rhodes has indeed fractured over the past few months, and he was willing to take the blame for some of that. Zayn knew Rhodes didn’t like getting called the golden boy of WWE but the reigning WWE Champion thought it was a huge honor for somebody to be addressed like that.

The 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion asserted that pinning Rhodes to the mat was extra satisfactory due to some personal reasons that he didn’t want to get into in that very moment. However, Sami Zayn firmly believed that there was some poetry in the feat he was able to pull off at Night of Champions.

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