Sami Zayn has held the Undisputed WWE Championship since Sept. 11, 2026, with outside help in both the title win and the first defense. Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Ricky Saints have all stepped in along the way. Zayn is now set for a Men’s Crown Jewel Championship match against Roman Reigns on Nov. 7.
How Sami Zayn Took The WWE Title Back In Mexico City
Zayn’s first reign began at Night of Champions on June 27 in Riyadh, with a rollup of Cody Rhodes in a triple threat that also included Gunther. The run lasted nine days. On the July 6 Raw, Gunther attacked Rhodes before a scheduled title match. CM Punk stepped in and pinned Zayn with the GTS.
On the Sept. 4 SmackDown, Punk defended the title against Gargano, with LeRae at ringside. Zayn interfered for the challenger, grabbed the title belt, and used it on Kevin Owens, Gunther, Finn Bálor, and Punk. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and officials sent Zayn and LeRae to the back. Punk retained with the GTS and challenged Zayn to a title match on Sept. 11 in Mexico City.
The Sept. 11 main event drew interference from three people. LeRae distracted the referee, and Gargano swung the belt at the champion and missed. Owens then swung the title at Zayn but struck Punk instead. Zayn answered with a low blow to Owens, then landed the Helluva Kick on Punk for the pin.
How Gargano, LeRae, And Saints Have Helped Sami Zayn
The first defense came against Owens on Sept. 18. LeRae hit the challenger with a tornado DDT behind the referee’s back, and Zayn followed with a Helluva Kick for a two-count. Gargano later pulled the referee out of the ring to stop a three-count, then tried to use the belt as a weapon and ate a Stunner. Punk appeared, struck Owens with the title, and Zayn won with another Helluva Kick. After the bell, Punk hit Zayn and Owens with the GTS.
On the Oct. 16 SmackDown, Rey Fenix retained the AAA Cruiserweight Championship by disqualification after Saints shoved referee Charles Robinson into the ropes and nearly headbutted the official. On the Oct. 23 SmackDown, a tag match pitting Zayn and Gargano against Trick Williams and Fenix ended in a disqualification when Saints interfered. Penta, Williams, and Fenix then beat the trio in a six-man tag, earning Williams a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship on the Oct. 30 SmackDown.
Sami Zayn Still Calls Himself The Last Real Good Guy
Zayn calls himself the “Last Real Good Guy,” even as crowds have booed him for most of 2026. On Sept. 25, the self-styled good guy said fighting Aldis got Gargano and LeRae into Money in the Bank qualifiers. Zayn then asked Gargano if the two were ride or die. Gargano agreed, while LeRae looked skeptical. Owens pinned Gargano in the Oct. 2 qualifier, a triple threat that also included Rhodes.
Zayn confronted Punk and Owens on the Oct. 9 SmackDown and warned that the Money in the Bank briefcase would not guarantee either man the Undisputed WWE Championship. Penta won the ladder match on Oct. 10 in New Orleans, with both men in the six-man field. On the Oct. 16 SmackDown, Zayn urged the Money in the Bank winner to stay focused on Reigns, the World Heavyweight Champion. Backstage, Fenix refused to tell Zayn when Penta planned to cash in.
End Of My Sami Zayn Rant
Zayn winning ugly is the best thing on SmackDown. Fans turned on the longtime underdog, and WWE leaned all the way in. A self-proclaimed good guy swinging belts, throwing low blows, and letting a buddy drag the referee out of the ring is a champion built to be booed. Every Friday, fans get another reason to want someone to take the title off him.
A heel champion needs a crew, and Zayn has one. Gargano and LeRae do the dirty work, Saints brings the muscle, and the man in the middle still swears to be the last good guy in the building. Any challenger has to get through three bodies before reaching the gold. Every contender who survives that gauntlet comes out looking bigger.
Oct. 30 is the first test, and Riyadh is the bigger one if the title survives. Reigns has seen every trick in the book, and few people on the roster know Zayn better. A clean loss in either spot would waste everything SmackDown has built since Mexico City. Zayn should keep the title the way he took it in September, with a mess behind the referee’s back and a finish nobody can call clean.
