Sami Zayn’s second Undisputed WWE Championship reign began with a dramatic, controversy-filled victory over CM Punk on the September 11 edition of WWE SmackDown, and the implications of that title switch may extend far beyond the blue brand.
Zayn defeated Punk after interference from Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Kevin Owens, ending Punk’s run with the championship in a result that immediately altered WWE’s main-event landscape. Major championship changes on weekly television have traditionally been treated as rare occasions, which made the finish especially striking. In this case, however, the move appears connected to WWE’s plans for Crown Jewel 2026.
There is belief within WWE that Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is being lined up for a match between Zayn, now holding the Undisputed WWE Championship, and World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns. The proposed meeting would be contested for the WWE Crown Jewel Championship, placing two of the company’s top championship holders opposite one another on an international premium live event stage.
Nothing has been officially announced regarding the Crown Jewel main event, and WWE’s direction can always change. Still, Zayn’s sudden victory over Punk creates a clear path toward a fresh champion-versus-champion attraction while also avoiding an immediate repeat of Punk versus Reigns.
For more background on this topic, read The Rock Reveals He Has Lost 50 Pounds While Preparing for ‘Lizard Music’.
A fresh route to Crown Jewel
Punk and Reigns last met in a match that headlined night two of WrestleMania 42 in April. Revisiting that encounter so soon would have presented WWE with a difficult creative question: how does the company follow a WrestleMania main event without making the rematch feel like a step backward?
Putting Zayn in Punk’s place provides a different answer. Zayn and Reigns carry a substantial shared history, but their current positions make this potential match distinct from their earlier conflicts. Reigns is the World Heavyweight Champion, while Zayn has returned to the very top of the company as Undisputed WWE Champion. Rather than revisiting a recent WrestleMania program, WWE could frame Crown Jewel around two reigning titleholders with unfinished emotional history.
The Riyadh setting also gives the possible matchup an added layer of significance for Zayn. Saudi Arabia was the site of his first WWE championship victory at Night of Champions in June. Returning to Riyadh as the Undisputed WWE Champion would represent a considerably bigger moment, particularly if he enters the event opposite Reigns in a match carrying the Crown Jewel Championship stakes.
For WWE, the potential contest would have obvious marquee value. Reigns remains one of the company’s defining attractions, while Zayn’s rise from underdog favorite to two-time Undisputed WWE Champion has given audiences another central figure at the top of the roster. A match between them would allow WWE to promote a championship clash without necessarily requiring either man’s primary title to be directly put at risk.
Zayn gets an opportunity to redefine his reign
The new reign also gives Zayn an opportunity that did not exist during his first run as Undisputed WWE Champion. His previous time with the title lasted only nine days. After WrestleMania, Punk returned from a hiatus and defeated Zayn on an episode of WWE Raw, cutting the initial reign short before it could fully develop.
That history adds immediate weight to Zayn’s current status. He is not simply beginning another title reign; he is beginning a second chance at proving he can carry the championship over a sustained period. If the expected Crown Jewel direction comes together, Zayn would have a far more substantial run than the one that ended after just over a week.
There is a useful tension built into that possibility. Zayn may be champion again, but the manner in which he won guarantees that questions will follow him. Gargano, LeRae, and Owens all played roles in Punk’s defeat, leaving Punk with a clear grievance and giving Zayn’s rivals reason to challenge both his legitimacy and his ability to survive without outside involvement.
Zayn’s standing as champion will therefore depend not only on reaching Crown Jewel, but on what he does between now and then. A champion who escaped Punk amid interference will have to deal with the fallout of that finish while managing the growing list of wrestlers seeking a title opportunity.
CM Punk remains an immediate factor
Punk is the most obvious threat to Zayn’s new reign. He did not simply lose a standard championship match; he lost the Undisputed WWE Championship after the involvement of several people connected to Zayn’s current story. That type of finish rarely closes the book on a rivalry.
Whether Punk receives an immediate rematch, pursues revenge in another form, or becomes occupied by the people who cost him the title remains to be seen. What is clear is that his loss on SmackDown keeps him near the center of WWE’s championship picture. A former champion of Punk’s stature does not disappear from contention simply because the title changes hands.
His presence also complicates the reported Crown Jewel direction. If WWE is building toward Zayn versus Reigns, the company still has to explain why Punk is not in that position. The easiest answer may be that Zayn successfully navigates a defense against Punk or that Punk is pulled into the increasingly hostile situation involving Owens, Gargano, and LeRae. But until WWE establishes the route on television, Zayn’s path remains vulnerable to interruption.
Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano loom over the champion
Owens’ involvement is particularly notable because of his long and complicated relationship with Zayn. Their history has included friendship, betrayal, reconciliation, competition, and repeated collisions at the highest levels of WWE. Owens helping Zayn take the championship from Punk does not automatically mean the two are aligned for the long term. If anything, Owens’ willingness to influence the title match creates another reason for him to seek proximity to the championship.
Gargano and LeRae are also positioned prominently after their actions on Friday. Zayn addressed Gargano directly following the win and promised that Gargano would be the first wrestler to receive a championship opportunity if Zayn captured the title. That promise now matters immediately.
Zayn said Gargano would be the first man to get a shot if he won the Undisputed WWE Championship.
On the surface, that suggests Gargano could be Zayn’s first defense. Yet the interference against Punk makes the situation more complicated than a straightforward sporting gesture. Gargano helped create the conditions for Zayn’s win, and a title match between them would naturally invite speculation about whether the promise is an honorable commitment, a strategic alliance, or the first step toward another conflict.
LeRae’s involvement reinforces that Gargano is not entering this picture alone. WWE has already established that multiple parties were willing to affect the championship outcome, and those relationships could continue influencing the title scene in the weeks ahead.
A crowded SmackDown championship race
Zayn’s challenger list is not limited to Punk, Owens, and Gargano. GUNTHER and Finn Balor have also put themselves in the conversation in recent weeks. Both men bring the kind of credentials that make them credible threats to any champion, and both have reasons to be frustrated with Zayn.
The new champion has cost several contenders a chance to pursue the title, creating no shortage of resentment around him. That is a valuable foundation for a title reign because it gives WWE multiple directions to explore without needing to manufacture challengers from scratch. Every possible defense can advance Zayn’s broader story while also determining whether he reaches Crown Jewel with the Undisputed WWE Championship still in his possession.
- CM Punk has an unresolved claim following the interference that cost him the title.
- Kevin Owens remains deeply connected to Zayn and played a pivotal role in the championship change.
- Johnny Gargano has been promised the first title opportunity of Zayn’s reign.
- GUNTHER and Finn Balor have both made their interest in the championship clear.
That depth is important because a potential Reigns match should not make Zayn feel like a temporary placeholder. The strongest version of the Crown Jewel story would see Zayn establish himself through meaningful defenses and difficult decisions before standing across the ring from the World Heavyweight Champion.
The next chapter begins on SmackDown
Zayn’s victory changed WWE’s title picture in a single night. Punk is no longer Undisputed WWE Champion, Gargano may be first in line, Owens remains tied to the controversial finish, and several major names are watching the champion closely.
Above all of that sits the possibility of Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel. The match has not been made official, but Zayn’s championship win has opened a logical road to Riyadh and a major titleholder-versus-titleholder collision. For Zayn, the immediate task is simple in theory and daunting in practice: survive the crowded field on SmackDown, honor or reconsider his promise to Gargano, deal with Punk’s inevitable response, and make sure he arrives at Crown Jewel with the championship still around his waist.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.