Edited by Paul Elegbeleye | Photo: Diego Serrano / Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Sami Zayn became the Undisputed WWE Champion on Saturday, 27 June 2026, defeating Cody Rhodes and Gunther in an 18-minute triple threat main event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The finish arrived in stunning fashion, with Zayn countering a Cross Rhodes attempt into a pinning combination that left the referee’s hand hitting the mat for the count of three before anyone in the building could process what had happened.
Zayn collapsed to the canvas. The crowd in Riyadh, who had been chanting his name throughout the evening, erupted into a roar that the Kingdom Arena will not forget quickly. After 24 years in professional wrestling, Sami Zayn is a world champion.
Furthermore, the night contained a second result of historic significance. In the opening match of the event, Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso to win the King of the Ring tournament, earning a guaranteed world championship match at Summer Slam in Minneapolis.
Femi absorbed everything Uso threw at him, including three Superkicks, a Spear, and two consecutive Uso Splashes, and still found a way to kick out. When the Fall From Grace connected in the eighth minute, the result was decided cleanly and without controversy. Oba Femi is the King of the Ring. A world title match awaits.
Night of Champions also delivered a brutal steel cage match between Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker, a Queen of the Ring tournament final won by Iyo Sky, and title defences for Trick Williams and Tiffany Stratton.
Overall, the event built a clear roadmap to Summer Slam, with Zayn and Femi now positioned as the two most compelling stories heading into August in Minneapolis.
Table of Contents
Full Results: WWE Night of Champions 2026
- King of the Ring Final: Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso via pinfall (8:00)
- Queen of the Ring Final: Iyo Sky defeated Liv Morgan via pinfall (14:55)
- Steel Cage Match: Seth Rollins defeated Bron Breakker via pinfall (19:05)
- WWE United States Championship: Trick Williams (c) defeated Ricky Saints via pinfall (10:50)
- WWE Women’s United States Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) defeated Jade Cargill via pinfall (7:35)
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Sami Zayn defeated Cody Rhodes (c) and Gunther via pinfall (18:40)
Oba Femi Is the King of the Ring
Nobody expected the match to be this competitive. Jey Uso arrived in Riyadh determined to prove that momentum, timing, and high-flying ability could overcome a man who outweighs him by over 100 pounds.
For stretches, he was absolutely right. Three consecutive Superkicks landed clean. A Spear connected at full pace. Two Uso Splashes followed, each drawing a two-count that briefly had the crowd believing.
Femi refused. He powered out of a sleeper hold, delivered two running uppercuts that shook Uso to his foundations, and executed the Fall From Grace for a clean three-count. Clean. No interference. No outside involvement. No drama beyond the match itself.
Critically, the clean finish matters enormously for the story ahead. Critics who feared Bloodline or Brock Lesnar interference were pleasantly surprised. Femi’s win was built entirely on his own ability. His Summer Slam world title match now awaits, and the question of which championship he chooses is the first major talking point heading into July.
The Main Event That Changed Everything
Cody Rhodes had every opportunity to leave Riyadh as champion. He hit the Cross Rhodes on Gunther clean. He survived a Blue Thunder Bomb and a package pile driver attempt from Zayn.
He power bombed Zayn through an announcement table. For long stretches, Rhodes looked like a champion who would retain by the narrowest of margins. Then Zayn rolled him up.
The sequence unfolded with Gunther unconscious at ringside after a Helluva Kick. Rhodes attempted a Cross Rhodes to finish Zayn and retain the title. Zayn countered the arm position mid-move, reversed his hips, and pulled Rhodes into a small package. Charles Robinson counted to three before Rhodes could react. New champion.
WWE Night of Champions Takeaway
Key moments from the triple threat
- Zayn pulled the referee out twice during Gunther’s pinfall attempts, keeping the match alive both times
- Gunther power bombed Rhodes through both remaining announce tables late in the match
- The winning roll-up took approximately 0.8 seconds from initiation to three-count
- Zayn becomes a Triple Crown champion and Grand Slam champion with this victory
- Critics rated the main event between A and A+ across multiple publications
Rollins Ends the Cage War
Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker buried a feud that has defined Raw’s main event scene for months inside a steel cage packed with foreign objects. Both men bled. Both men absorbed finishers.
The match’s defining moment arrived when Rollins executed a superplex from the top of the cage through a table, leaving Breakker with a cut above his left eye.
Subsequently, Breakker still landed a spear for a near-fall. He nearly escaped through the cage door. He hit a torpedo-style spear that somehow produced only a two-count. Eventually, a second rope Stomp from Rollins kept him down for the three-count after a total of 19 minutes.
Additionally, the match ended their trilogy on a high note. Rollins retains his credibility. Breakker, despite losing, looked stronger in defeat than he has at any point in the rivalry. What comes next for both men at Summer Slam remains to be determined.
The Rest of the Card
Three other results rounded out a loaded evening:
- Iyo Sky won the Queen of the Ring by defeating Liv Morgan with an Over the Moonsault, completing a comeback from a legitimate knee injury sustained when Morgan knocked her off the top rope. Sky chose to challenge Morgan for the Women’s World Championship at SummerSlam immediately after her victory.
- Trick Williams retained the United States Championship against Ricky Saints in 10 minutes, surviving a referee ejection of Lil Yachty and landing the Trick Shot knee strike at the decisive moment. Saints impressed but Williams was the better man on the night.
- Tiffany Stratton retained the Women’s United States Championship against Jade Cargill after Charlotte Flair struck Cargill with the championship belt while the referee was distracted. Cargill suffered her third consecutive premium live event loss.
The Road to Minneapolis
SummerSlam in Minneapolis now takes shape with considerable clarity. Sami Zayn heads there as Undisputed WWE Champion after a 24-year journey that critics are already comparing to legendary title wins by Mankind, Daniel Bryan, and Kofi Kingston.
Oba Femi arrives with a King of the Ring crown and a guaranteed world title shot of his choosing. Iyo Sky challenges Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship.
Raw on June 29 streams live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Zayn’s first night as champion, Femi’s announcement of his SummerSlam opponent, and the fallout from every result in Riyadh all begin there. After a night like this one, that episode cannot come quickly enough.
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