Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Gunther and Sami Zayn in a triple threat match at Night of Champions on Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to Fox News Digital, Rhodes booked the high-stakes match on "Friday Night SmackDown" after Zayn's officiating as a special guest referee drew heavy criticism during a chaotic bout between Rhodes and Gunther.
Zayn, who was born in Canada to Syrian parents, stands on the verge of becoming the first WWE world champion of Syrian descent.
"Good," said Zayn when asked how he was feeling.
The challenger expressed immense satisfaction with his current position heading into the premium live event in the Middle East.
"Look, anytime you are main-eventing a big PLE, the fact that Saudi Arabia is always a little special for me just being from this part of the world, obviously.
And the fact that you're main-eventing for a WWE championship.
I don't think there's a better spot to be in, except being the champion, which is the goal here.
But besides from being the champion, it's the best spot you can kind of ask for. I really can't complain," said Zayn.
A victory in Riyadh would carry immense personal, cultural, and historical meaning for the challenger, who reflected on the potential fan reaction.
"I think it's kinda one of those things that would kinda be hard to process. I truly don't know.
I don't know how the fans would react," he said.
Zayn noted that his current character is somewhat polarizing but acknowledged the underlying sentimental importance of the match.
"I hope they would enjoy it but you never know because my character right now is a little polarizing – I truly don't know.
But I don't know.
I think there's a lot of like cultural and historical kind of significance that would kinda maybe hit me after the fact.
From a sentimental point of view, for sure, I think it would be kind of awesome. I think it would be a big cultural moment, actually.
I don't think about it. I kind of dismiss it a lot at this point because we come to Saudi a lot.
A lot has been made of the fact that I'm Arab or I'm Muslim or whatever. But growing up, that was not the case.
It was not like this was a common thing or something that you could ever even dream. I couldn't have dreamt that this would happen.
So, yeah, that would be a pretty big deal I think," said Zayn.
Potential Storyline Implications
A potential championship victory could align with Jey Uso winning the King of the Ring tournament, which would allow Uso to choose between challenging Zayn or World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns.
Zayn found the prospect intriguing due to his extensive history with The Bloodline faction.
"I thought about it a little bit but I really try to focus on one thing at a time.
But I do think because of the fact that The Bloodline is reunited on 'Raw' with a slightly different skew now because Jacob adds a slightly different dimension but it begs the kind of question, the elephant in the room, which is, 'Where does Sami Uso lie in all that?'
Because we're on separate shows, I don't know if and when that situation, that question, manifests itself on our television show," he said.
The wrestler noted that television programming would become highly compelling depending on how the various storylines unfold.
"I think one way or another it'd be interesting and that would be a really interesting thing. I think it would be very, very interesting actually.
But we just gotta see where the chips fall.
But I do think, if a scenario like that comes to be, I think it would lead to some interesting week-to-week programming where you kinda gotta see how this unfolds," said Zayn.
As reported by CBS Sports, the six-match card also features Jey Uso against Oba Femi in the King of the Ring final, Liv Morgan facing Iyo Sky for Queen of the Ring, and a steel cage match between Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins.
Night of Champions broadcasts live on ESPN.
