Sami Zayn captured the Undisputed WWE Championship on the 2026 Night of Champions by defeating Cody Rhodes and GUNTHER in a Triple Threat match. Nonetheless, just nine days later, this week on RAW (July 6, 2026), Zayn lost the title to a returning CM Punk in Chicago.
During a recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted why Sami Zayn lost his world championship this soon. He said,
“Sami Zayn was never going to be the champion that the individuals who were really comfortable he won wanted him to be. It was never going to occur. The large query was, was it going to be nine days, three weeks, or a month? You recognize what I mean? And it was nine days.”
“I saw numerous people upset about it. Nevertheless it was like, look, that is what it was going to be. You knew that moving into. At this cut-off date, they do that for the undercard titles. They really don’t do it for the 2 major men’s titles.”
“Up to now, absolutely, there have been times when the belts were passed around. I’ve told the stories. We’ve all told the stories. They really aren’t pass-around belts now. They are surely within the hands of the people who find themselves perceived as the cash players.”
“And Sami isn’t, of their minds, one among those people. He might have been. There was a time when he was, but even then, of their minds, he still wasn’t. It’s one among those things where they’re still brainwashed by the cosmetics in numerous ways, and that certain persons are good hands, but they’ll’t be the guy. And Sami is one among those guys who, of their minds, can’t be the guy.”
WWE Legend Congratulated Zayn On His Title Win
In a recent episode of his “Kliq This” podcast, Kevin Nash shared his thoughts on Zayn’s Undisputed WWE Title on the PLE in Saudi Arabia. The Hall of Famer said,
“I just desired to personally say congratulations to Sami Zayn on becoming the World Champion. You busted your a**, you’ve endured numerous things, you’ve been told to observe your political stance. You’ve jumped through some hoops, and I’m glad that you just’ve stayed in there, persevered. And I’m comfortable to see you get that. There’s numerous people and numerous the boys which can be comfortable that you just’ve been rewarded.”
“Until you grow to be World Champion, you don’t know what it’s prefer to be a World Champion. And after they hand you that belt for the primary time, it’s as real as our sports entertainment will get. So I do know that you just had that feeling because I got it in Madison Square Garden. And it’s special because all of us, in some form or fashion, watched this business as kids.”
“And although it’s a piece and it’s this and it’s that, it’s still the top. With that strap, belt, championship, regardless of the f*** they wish to call it, it signifies, if nothing else, anyone that they trust in and put able to — whether or not it’s a month, every week, 10 years — to be the face of the corporate. So congratulations, Sami. It just tells me volumes about Cody. You recognize, Cody has no problem putting anybody over.”