Sami Zayn says the first time he won the Undisputed WWE Championship, he was not entirely sure he deserved it, and that winning it a second time is what settled the question.
Zayn beat CM Punk in Mexico City on last week’s SmackDown to take the title back, ten weeks after losing it. He talked about the difference between the two on Busted Open.
“The first one and the second one, even though they were so close together, it felt really different, because the first one is like, wow, I can’t believe I did it,” Zayn said. “It was also quite short-lived, as has been widely discussed by now. It kind of felt like, maybe it was a miracle, maybe it was a fluke, but I got to say that I did it.”
The scarcity of it is what he keeps coming back to.
“It’s really hard to get there. There are probably fewer than 100 people in human history who have held that title,” he said. “To be on that list, it was, well, I did it.”
The second one landed differently.
“Doing it the second time, it’s like, no, this is no fluke. It cemented me, in a way,” Zayn said. “Totally different feeling, equal amount of pride, but it washes away that little part of, well, I just got lucky.”
The first reign came at Night of Champions in Riyadh in June, where he pinned Cody Rhodes to complete WWE’s Triple Crown and Grand Slam. It lasted nine days. Punk returned on the July 6 Raw in Chicago, in his first match since WrestleMania 42, and took it off him in what was Zayn’s first defence.
The second one came with a good deal more mess, and Zayn had bought most of it in advance. He had promised Johnny Gargano the first shot at the title if Gargano helped him win it, an arrangement Gargano collected on backstage before the bell. Candice LeRae pulled referee Dan Engler’s attention away at the point Zayn was in the Anaconda Vice, Punk hit a GTS behind the official’s back and had a visual three count on him, and Gargano came in for the belt and got a GTS of his own for it. Kevin Owens then hit the ring to stop Zayn using the championship and drilled Punk with it instead. Zayn low blowed Owens, hit the Helluva Kick, and covered. Punk’s reign ended at 67 days.
It is also worth saying that the man describing himself as an underdog is not booked as one anymore. Zayn turned heel last month, costing Owens a title match against Punk by hitting his long-time friend with the belt, and has spent the weeks since sabotaging Punk’s defences, including the number one contender’s match between Owens, Gunther and Finn Balor.
The change was the fifth of 2026 for the title, after Drew McIntyre in January, Rhodes in March, Zayn in June and Punk in July. PWInsider Elite reported that several people in WWE expect Crown Jewel to be headlined by Zayn against World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns for the Crown Jewel Championship, in Riyadh, where Zayn won his first title. The same report said the change also saves WWE from running back Punk against Reigns, which headlined night two of WrestleMania 42. Other reports indicated some backstage were against putting the belt back on him, though False Finish reported that Punk was not among them.
Gargano has the promise, Randy Orton opened the Mexico City show by challenging whoever won the main event, and Money in the Bank qualifiers are set for the September 18 SmackDown. Owens, Gunther, Balor and Punk have all been in the picture in recent weeks, and Zayn has cost most of them something.
