After a decade in WWE, Sami Zayn is finally living his dream, at least for now, as the new Undisputed WWE champion.

In an absolute stunning ending to the Saturday, June 27 Night of Champions PLE streaming on ESPN live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Zayn pinned Cody Rhodes to win the triple-threat match over Rhodes and Gunther.  The crowd was mostly behind Zayn given his Syrian-descent, but who was born in Canada.

Cody Rhodes’ third WWE title reign has come to an end, Gunther took his frustration out on his own loss on WWE SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis, backstage after the match, which led to an altercation leading everyone to speculate Aldis will come out of ring retirement to face Gunther at August’s SummerSlam. Meanwhile, the future for Rhodes is less clear. Will this be the time that he finally turns heel? Stay tuned.

Courtesy/WWE

As the cameras rolled, and as Zayn was making his way back up the ring ramp with the title belt, he shared, “A lot of folks said I would never win the WWE championship. But I stand here tonight in front of my people, the WWE Champion. Twenty-plus years in the game at the highest level, never got the recognition. Ten-plus years chasing this championship… I don’t care what happens to me tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Forever, I will be Sami Zayn, WWE champion.”

THE RULER IS NOW THE KING

Meanwhile, in other key Night of Champion match-ups: The Men’s King of the Ring was crowned when Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso. Now, earning his title shot at SummerSlam, will he pick Zayn or Roman Reigns as his opponent?

In the Women’s Queen of the Ring after being cursed by Danhausen, Liv Morgan lost to Iyo Sky, who then turned around after being named Queen of the Ring to tell Morgan she looks forward to wrestling her again for her title at SummerSlam.

Photo: WWE

Elsewhere on the card, Trick Williams retained his Men’s United States Championship over Ricky Saints. Tiffany Stratton bested Jade Cargill to retain the Women’s US Championship with the help of a belt to the face by Charlotte Flair to Cargill, in a crazy finish, with multiple women popping up from under the ring apron including: Chelsea Green, Michin and B-Fab.

Photo: WWE

WHAT’S NEXT FOR SETH?

In the best match of the night, Seth Rollins defeated Bron Breakker in a steel cage match which saw both men go to extremes to take down the other. While Rollins now needs to move on to a new program away from The Vision revenge story, Breakker, who showed what a phenomenal athlete and performer he is once again, also should move on to a singles competition.

Photo: WWE

During the post-show interview on ESPN, Rollins reminded the audience what is true. He never lost the WWE championship currently held by his nemesis Roman Reigns. Seth had to vacate it due to his shoulder surgery. Will we finally be on the road to “The Shield” rematch years in the making between Reigns and Rollins, or will that need to wait till WrestleMania 43, which will also take place in Riyadh in 2027?

So many questions coming out of WWE Night of Champions! Take a look at some of the highlights below.

Now let us know, were you shocked to see Sami Zayn pin Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed World Title? Glad for Oba and Iyo? How would you grade the night? We give it a B+.  Let us know via the comment section.

This summer beginning on July 21, Netflix streams the return of WWE: Unreal for its third season. The behind the scenes docudrama series gives fans a glimpse of life in WWE and inside the writers room, as injuries, last-minute pivots, and career-defining decisions reshape WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 42.

WWE Unreal is taking fans deeper than ever inside World Wrestling Entertainment’s creative process, The hit docuseries will once again pull back the curtain on some of the biggest moments, boldest decisions, and unforgettable storytelling with some of the WWE’s greatest legends who’ve shaped the industry and new stars who are emerging as prominent parts of the future.

In the new season of ‘Unreal’ which consists of 5 episodes at 50 minutes each: John Cena says goodbye, a fan favorite returns, and the next generation of Superstars rise to the occasion.

Photo: WWE

The cast and WWE superstars featured include: the aforementioned Cena, plus Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, CM Punk, AJ Lee, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, Stephanie Vaquer, Oba Femi, Bron Breakker, Chelsea Green, Matt Cardona, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.

As previously reported AJ Lee revealed on General Hospital star Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) mental health series, State of Mind, that she was part of the cast of WWE: Unreal.

WWE: Unreal production credits include: Directors/Showrunners: Chris Weaver and Erik Powers Executive Producers: Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, Marc Pomarico Sr. Producers: Harley Glantz, Brian Decker, Michael Flynn Producers: John Galiani, Dan Gati, Jeremy Lundblad Production Companies: Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, WWE.

So, what do you think of the loglines for the new season of WWE: Unreal? Who are you most excited to see featured in the behind the scenes drama from the list of WWE superstars and the twists and turns leading into this past April’s WrestleMania 42? Let us know via the comment section below.

Light it up! On an all-new episode of General Hospital star, Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) mental health series, State of Mind, he welcomed back to the show, AJ Lee (aka AJ Mendez) for update on her life in and out of the pro wrestling ring.

Before the Sunday, June 14 episode dropped, AJ had previously appeared on State of Mind, back in November of 2021, where she shared with the three-time Daytime Emmy winner her struggles with bipolar disorder, and one terrible situation back in 2014 where she contemplated a suicide attempt.

As WWE fans know, in September of 2025, Lee made a triumphant return to the wrestling ring after she stepped away 10 years ago. AJ is married to former WWE champion CM Punk (aka Phil Brooks), and both were a part of a major storyline against Seth Rollins and his real-life wife, Becky Lynch. This past April, Lynch defeated Lee to win back the women’s Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 42. Following that, Lee stepped away, for now, from the WWE. CM Punk, who lost the WWE World title to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, is expected back on WWE programming in the near future when ‘RAW’ rolls into his hometown of Chicago on July 6.

Photo: WWE

AJ LEE’S RECENT WWE COMEBACK WAS DONE UNDER WATCHFUL EYES

AJ, who has been an open book about her mental health struggles and who has been advocate for those also struggling, shared how the behind the scenes of the pro wrestling business has changed in the last ten years, and how this time, there were built in protections in-place if she were to run into any mental health issues.

“My first run was maybe ten years, then I took ten years off,” explained Lee to Benard. “To be fair, I am very lucky. I never had to have a surgery for wrestling-related injuries. Most people don’t make it out unscathed like that. Knock on wood. I’ve had suggested surgeries, but I haven’t done that for my neck. I’ve like strained stuff and had minor tears, here and there, but a lot of the culture when I was younger was you just keep going because it’s going to keep going without you. So, if you’re injured, you just kind of fake it and say you’re fine and keep going.”

However, fast-forward to 2025 and during AJ’s comeback, she felt taken care of. “It’s very much not like that now, which I was really happy to see. It’s very much about, ‘let’s have a conversation about how you’re feeling and you can get time off, and you can spend more time with your family.’ I will say to their credit, my biggest concern coming back was my mental health. WWE President Nick Khan and WWE Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, were the bosses that kind of brought me (back) in. They were so open about saying, ‘We will protect your mental health and if we don’t, we’re not doing our job. That’s got to be our number one priority.’ It was never like that 10 years ago. I felt like I had to hide this that part of me 10 years ago. So, for my bosses to support me in that way (meant everything).”

Photo: WWE

AJ CALLS HER BIPOLAR DISORDER BY THE NAME “JEAN”

As it turns out, AJ has a very intriguing way to deal with manic episodes when she feels them coming on, as she explained to Maurice, “I made friends with my bipolar disorder and the darker stuff. I named it and I call her ‘Jean,’ and when she’s acting up, I’m like ‘Jean, you’re not being cool.” I think the hardest thing, especially this year has been trying to cope with the big feelings and how to high stay balanced, I had a big fear coming back to the spotlight and wrestling again. Ten years ago, I was at my lowest when it seemed like I was on the top of the world as a champion. So, taking 10 years and really taking care of myself and feeling the healthiest I’ve ever felt, then being like, ‘okay, now go back into wrestling.’ I was really scared about what that (type of) pressure was going to do. I felt so proud of myself for having the tools now. If I wake up anxious, or I am anxious behind the scenes and about to go out through the curtain in wrestling, now I know how to work with it.”

Photo: WWE

AJ HAS HIGH PRAISE FOR HUSBAND CM PUNK WHO’S IN THE BEST SHAPE OF HIS LIFE

Benard brought up the love of AJ’s life, WWE superstar CM Punk. She explained how continually impressed by him she is, and its important to be a supportive spouse. “He’s in the best shape of his life right now and was just champion for most of the year. I am his wife, so I am a little like biased, but objectively, he had one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time (against Roman Reigns).I’m so impressed with how he’s able to push himself and just be the best athlete he can be.  He reaches for the moon every time, but it’s amazing. He’s such a good wrestler and I know he can do anything he sets his mind too.”

MORE PROJECTS IN THE WORKS

Coming up, while you may not see her on weekly editions of Monday Night Raw, Lee clarified her immediate future, “I spent the last eight months on Monday Night Raw on Netflix. I am going to be doing WWE Unreal the documentary series also for Netflix,. I’m still writing and producing. I have a production company called Scrappy Heart Productions, and our goal is  make underdogs the stars of their own stories. Right now, we are producing our first feature film and the short film version of it. We have a bunch of other projects in the works that we love and we’re so passionate about including comic books. We’re working hard on that one. So, it’s all different parts of the same muscle (for me). It’s all about telling and creating stories.”

You can watch AJ’s chat with Maurice Benard on State of Mind below.

Now, let us know, do you miss AJ after her 8 month comeback in the WWE? What did you think about what she shared on how the WWE higher-ups protected her mental health as best as possible? Are you a fan of CM Punk and AJ as a duo? Does AJ’s journey and story compel you to also check and look after your own mental health? Weigh-in via the comment section below.