WWE SmackDown brought a chaotic ending involving Cody Rhodes, Gunther and Sami Zayn ahead of Night of Champions
WWE SmackDown, broadcast on June 19, 2026, from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, in the U.S. state of Missouri, served as one of the key episodes on the road to Night of Champions. According to WWE’s official results, the evening opened with a match for the Undisputed WWE Championship between Cody Rhodes and Gunther, while Sami Zayn served as the special referee. That choice already carried strong dramatic tension before the match, because in recent weeks Zayn had been in a strained relationship with both participants. Instead of a clean resolution, the audience got a controversial finish, a restart of the match and a decision that directly changed the picture of the title program for the next major WWE event.
The episode also closed the most important open positions in the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments. Jey Uso secured the final of the men’s tournament, where Oba Femi will be waiting for him, while Liv Morgan, with a victory over the injured Charlotte Flair, secured a place in the final against IYO SKY. Ricky Saints became the number one contender for the United States Championship, and Damian Priest and R-Truth defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against Talla Tonga and Tama Tonga. According to the schedule published by WWE, Night of Champions will take place on June 27, 2026, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, so this episode of SmackDown had the clear function of putting the final pieces together for several main stories.
Zayn’s role proved decisive in the match for the Undisputed WWE title
The central moment of the evening was the match between Rhodes and Gunther, but the final impression was shaped not only by the physical battle between the two main stars, but also by the way Sami Zayn got involved in the closing stretch. According to WWE’s official report, Gunther controlled much of the action in the early phase of the match, while Rhodes tried to find a comeback through his recognizable bursts and finishing attempts. In the role of referee, Zayn had to make decisions several times in situations that further raised the tension, including stopping the count after Gunther’s foot ended up under the bottom rope. From the start, the story of the match was therefore directed toward the question of whether Zayn could remain neutral in a situation in which his own ambitions and earlier conflicts inevitably pulled him toward the center of attention.
The most disputed part happened after Gunther lost patience and attacked Zayn. WWE states that a new referee then ran into the ring, but Zayn knocked him down as well and, with a fast count, enabled Rhodes to retain the Undisputed WWE title. Such an outcome did not bring a sense of final victory, but opened room for additional chaos. Rhodes, according to the report from the show, refused to accept that the encounter should end in that way and demanded that the match be restarted. The restarted match lasted only briefly because Zayn got involved again, attacked Gunther and Rhodes, and practically prevented a clear sporting resolution.
After that, SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, according to reports from the show, accepted the direction the story had imposed: Cody Rhodes will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions in a triple threat match against Gunther and Sami Zayn. This is an important turn because Zayn is no longer only an indirect factor in the conflict between Rhodes and Gunther, but a direct candidate for the most important title on SmackDown. Gunther left the evening with the argument that he had once again been wronged, Rhodes remained champion without a convincing clean victory, and Zayn established himself as the most unpredictable figure in the program. That is exactly why the main story of the episode managed to create a strong reason for the match in Riyadh, even though some reactions were divided because of the way the initial title match was stopped.
Jey Uso got past Je’Von Evans and earned a final with Oba Femi
In the King of the Ring semifinal, Jey Uso defeated Je’Von Evans and thereby secured the final against Oba Femi at Night of Champions. According to WWE’s official description of the match, Evans entered the contest with compromised ribs, which was the result of Bron Breakker’s attack on an earlier edition of Raw. Uso immediately turned that detail into the central tactical point, targeting the injured part of the body and slowing down his opponent’s explosiveness. Despite that, Evans tried to maintain a high pace, relying on speed and aerial moves, but every major action opened space for a new attack on the ribs.
The finish confirmed Uso’s advantage in experience. WWE states that Jey stopped Evans’ attempted OG Cutter, hit a Spear and then closed the match with the Uso Splash. With that, he gained not only a victory but also a position in the final of a tournament whose winner, according to the rules WWE published for this year’s King and Queen of the Ring, earns the right to a world title match at SummerSlam 2026. That gives the final a wider significance than the tournament crown itself, because the winner can directly influence the picture of the main title in the summer part of the season. Uso’s advancement is therefore not an isolated result, but a potential introduction to an even bigger program, especially if it is connected to the current outcome surrounding Rhodes, Gunther and Zayn.
Oba Femi secured his place in the final earlier with a victory over Dominik Mysterio. The comparison of the finalists brings an interesting contrast of styles: Femi is presented as an exceptionally dominant physical force, while in recent years Jey Uso has been building the status of an independent star with strong audience support behind him and a long narrative legacy tied to The Bloodline. WWE thereby gets a final that can function both as a sporting clash of strength and experience and as a test of Uso’s ability to move from the status of popular protagonist into the position of a candidate for the highest titles. In the context of Night of Champions, that encounter could have consequences stretching all the way to SummerSlam.
Liv Morgan used Charlotte Flair’s injury and went to the Queen of the Ring final
The women’s side of the tournament picture received an equally important resolution. Liv Morgan defeated Charlotte Flair in the Queen of the Ring semifinal and secured the final against IYO SKY. According to WWE, Flair was attacked backstage before the match, and the attack was led by Jade Cargill and her allies. The consequence was a visible injury because of which Charlotte did not enter the match at full readiness. WWE also states that Morgan worsened the situation further before the bell with an illegal strike, which meant that from the start the encounter was shaped as a fight between an injured challenger and a champion who coldly used every weakness.
Charlotte Flair tried, according to the development shown, to withstand the pressure and complete the match despite obvious limitations. But Morgan kept the advantage, directed her attacks toward the problematic part of the body and finally hit Oblivion for the victory. For Liv Morgan, that result has double value. As Women’s World Champion, she enters the Queen of the Ring final with an already existing champion’s status, and winning the tournament could open an additional path toward a major summer match. For Charlotte Flair, the defeat does not have to mean the end of the story, because the circumstance of the attack before the match left a clear foundation for the continuation of the rivalry with Jade Cargill and her circle.
The final between Liv Morgan and IYO SKY brings a meeting of two competitors who reached the closing stage in different ways. IYO SKY had earlier gotten past Raquel Rodriguez, while Morgan reached the final through a match strongly marked by her opponent’s injury and additional controversies. WWE thereby introduced a clear tension into the women’s tournament between a legitimate sporting outcome and circumstances that create narrative doubt. That uncertainty gives the final additional weight because the consequences of the attack on Charlotte and the growing role of Jade Cargill can spill over into the wider SmackDown women’s division.
Ricky Saints became the contender for the United States title
Ricky Saints earned an opportunity for the United States Championship with a victory over Carmelo Hayes. According to WWE’s preview ahead of the encounter, that match was the third important continuation of their rivalry because both had already held one victory each. This time the stakes were much higher: the winner was supposed to receive the right to challenge United States Champion Trick Williams at Night of Champions. The match, according to the official results, was even in the early phase, with a series of counters and quick tempo changes that emphasized the compatibility of Hayes and Saints in the ring. Hayes’ springboard DDT was especially highlighted, but the finish went in a direction that suited Saints’ character more.
WWE states that the padding on one of the ring corners came off during an exchange, after which Saints used the exposed corner to his advantage. Hayes ended up with his head toward the unprotected part of the ring, and Saints then covered him and secured the victory. Such an outcome protects Hayes from a clean defeat because it leaves him with the argument that he lost because of an unfair situation, but at the same time confirms Saints as a challenger who does not hesitate to use an opening for an advantage. In the context of Night of Champions, that can be an important element because Trick Williams now gets an opponent who showed both talent and a readiness for opportunism in the qualifying match.
The United States Championship thus remains one of the key mid-card titles on the event card in Riyadh. According to information WWE published in the preview of the match between Saints and Hayes, the winner was supposed to challenge Trick Williams precisely at Night of Champions, so the result from Kansas City directly completed that part of the program. For SmackDown, that is important because the United States Championship currently connects several younger and dynamic performers who can carry a separate story outside the main world title picture. Saints’ advancement further sharpens the question of whether Williams will manage to keep control over the division or whether his title reign in Riyadh will enter its most dangerous phase.
Priest and R-Truth retained the tag team titles, Solo Sikoa complicated the situation again
The WWE Tag Team Championship remained in the hands of Damian Priest and R-Truth after their defense against Talla Tonga and Tama Tonga. According to WWE’s official report, the challengers had moments of dominance, with Talla Tonga physically opposing Priest’s strength while Tama Tonga took control over R-Truth. But the match turned because of Solo Sikoa, whose appearance at ringside proved counterproductive for his own side. WWE states that Sikoa mistimed a distraction of Talla, and that mistake allowed Truth to catch Tama Tonga with a roll-up and bring the victory to the champions.
The result is important for Priest and Truth’s team because it confirms that their combination, despite its unusual dynamic, works in decisive moments. At the same time, the challengers’ defeat continues the theme of internal problems within the wider Bloodline and MFT story. If allies cannot maintain focus because of Solo Sikoa’s interference, their threat to the champions remains limited regardless of their physical superiority. In this match, WWE therefore combined a title defense with the continuation of factional tension, which is a frequent way to keep a tag team program relevant even when the main title stories occupy a larger share of attention.
For Night of Champions, that result has an indirect but important effect. Priest and R-Truth remain stable champions, while Talla and Tama Tonga come out of the match with a reason for dissatisfaction toward Solo Sikoa. Such a position can open new conflicts within the faction, but also keep the champions in the role of a popular team that survives challenges thanks to experience, improvisation and chemistry with the audience. Although that match had a simpler outcome than the main program, it continued several existing storylines.
A night that built stories more than it offered clean finishes
Reactions from specialized portals to the episode were mostly solid, but not without reservations. Bleacher Report, in its analysis, especially highlighted that the Rhodes and Gunther match served more for story development than as a clean wrestling peak, while the segment with Zayn was assessed as crucial for the continuation of the rivalry. Cageside Seats, in a separate review, emphasized a similar impression: SmackDown had a strong central plot around Zayn, but certain matches and finishes left room for criticism. Such reactions describe well the dual nature of the show: it provided important answers for Night of Champions, but through interferences, injuries, disqualifications and dirty finishes, not through a series of clean victories.
That is especially visible in the title program. Rhodes remained champion, but not in a way that closes Gunther’s objections. Zayn received a place in the title match, but not through a classic challenger’s path, rather through the chaotic role of a special referee that turned him into an active participant in the conflict. Jey Uso and Liv Morgan did secure tournament finals, but both matches were marked by previous injuries to their opponents, which adds a layer of narrative uncleanness to the victories. Ricky Saints also reached contender status by exploiting the exposed ring corner. Added up, the SmackDown of June 19 was not an episode of clean sporting resolutions, but an episode of deliberately increasing tension.
Such an approach has clear logic one week before a major event. WWE needed to finish the tournament pairings, add weight to the fight for the United States Championship, keep the tag team champions in place and, at the same time, turn the main picture around the Undisputed WWE title into a triple threat match. According to the available card published by WWE and relevant media, Night of Champions now includes the King of the Ring final between Jey Uso and Oba Femi, the Queen of the Ring final between Liv Morgan and IYO SKY, the match between Rhodes, Gunther and Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship, and Saints’ challenge to Trick Williams for the United States Championship. In addition, other major programs have been announced, including a steel cage match between Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker and a match for the Women’s United States Championship between Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill, according to published previews of the event card.
The biggest question after SmackDown is therefore not only who won, but how much those outcomes changed the balance of power. Rhodes travels to Riyadh as champion, but also as a champion who now has to defend the title against two opponents in a match in which he does not have to be directly defeated to lose the title. Gunther enters the same match with the feeling that his title opportunity slipped away again because of an outside factor. Zayn, meanwhile, arrives as the person who moved from the position of referee into the position of challenger, which makes him the most dangerous precisely because his motives are the hardest to predict. SmackDown therefore ended without a feeling of complete resolution, but with clear enough stakes for Night of Champions on June 27 to carry significantly more weight than before the start of the show in Kansas City.
Sources:
- WWE – official SmackDown results from June 19, 2026 (link)
- WWE – official announcement about Night of Champions 2026 in Riyadh (link)
- WWE – overview of the King and Queen of the Ring 2026 tournaments (link)
- WWE – preview of the match for the number one contender to the United States Championship (link)
- Times of India – overview of the card for WWE Night of Champions 2026 after SmackDown (link)
- Bleacher Report – analysis, grades and reactions to WWE SmackDown from June 19, 2026 (link)
- Cageside Seats – review of the episode and analysis of reactions to the outcome involving Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes and Gunther (link)