Sami Zayn FINALLY Wins The Big One! (WWE News)
Sami Zayn shocks the world by winning the WWE Championship at Night of Champions.
WWE decided to finally pull the trigger, as Sami Zayn shocked the world at Night of Champions last night. Yes, Sami walked out of Riyadh's Kingdom Arena as the new WWE Champion.
In an excellent main event, it was Sami Zayn getting the better of Gunther and defending champ Cody Rhodes, picking up the win after pinning Rhodes in just under 19 minutes. That finishing sequence saw the American Nightmare hit a double Cross Rhodes on both Sami and Gunther, then held onto Zayn to hit him with another Cross Rhodes, only for the Last Real Good Guy to slip out of that move and roll Cody up for the 1-2-3 to a huge pop from the Saudi Arabia crowd.
As pointed out on commentary by Michael Cole, this was Sami Zayn's tenth World Championship shot since landing on the WWE main roster in 2015. It's also his first World Championship win, and he now finds himself at the top of the mountain on SmackDown.
Many of Sami's peers have taken to social media to give congratulations and props to the 24-year veteran, including his best friend/mortal enemy Kevin Owens.
I’ve missed a lot of things I wish I hadn’t in the last 15 months because of this injury but today is, by far, the one I wish I had been there for the most.
He has brought out the best in me as both an ally and a foe. That’s because he is THE best.
When you’re consistently… pic.twitter.com/bIn3uCzBLsAdvertisement— Kevin (@FightOwensFight) June 27, 2026
I was crying tears of joy then and I’m crying tears of joy now! So well deserved! Congratulations @SamiZayn!! pic.twitter.com/DwClC5hLAW— Rebecca Quin (@BeckyLynchWWE) June 27, 2026
Sami Zayn— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) June 27, 2026
Samuel Zaynhausen did it— Danhausen (@DanhausenAD) June 27, 2026
Underdog from the underground…now on top of the world.
Congrats champ ❤️
— Matthew Rehwoldt (@DramaKingMatt) June 27, 2026
Sami Zayn Forever pic.twitter.com/d5uoEynRy6
The impossible is possible. @SamiZayn reminded the world that it’s never too late to chase the dreams people told you were out of reach.
He asked, “Why not me?”
So…why not you?
Why not now?
More inspired than ever. Congrats, Sami. You deserve it.Advertisement— Nattie (@NatbyNature) June 27, 2026
And just in case you hadn't picked up on the general sense of happiness and goodwill directed towards Sami Zayn after his big Night of Champions win, @WrestleVotes also notes that, yes, a lot of people backstage in WWE had been wanting to see this happen for a long time.
Sami Zayn wins the title. Good for him. It's something a lot of people backstage have wanted to see happen for a long time.— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) June 27, 2026