The Shock of Riyadh

Pull up a barstool, grab a cold pint of whatever cheap domestic light beer is on tap, and let’s talk about Sami Zayn. The man looks like he was designed by a committee that was told to build a guy who complains about the price of organic kale at a local food co-op. He looks less like a WWE Champion and more like the guy who shows up to your house to fix the WiFi and asks if he can pet your cat.

Yet, he just walked out of the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh as the Undisputed WWE Champion. He pinned Cody Rhodes on June 27, 2026, in a Triple Threat match that also featured the human wrecking ball known as Gunther.

The Saudi crowd went absolutely ballistic. They were screaming like they had just witnessed a miracle.

But the moment the referee’s hand hit the mat for the three-count, the internet did what the internet always does. It lost its collective mind. The split in the fanbase was immediate, fierce, and loud.

On one side, you have the fans who have been riding with Sami since his days wearing a mask in drafty high school gyms. On the other side, you have the old-school wrestling minds who think the business is officially dead.

They are led by the ultimate podcast contrarians, Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo. They have spent the last week throwing red-hot takes at the wall, and they are not backing down.

Bischoff’s Head-Scratcher and Russo’s Rage

Let's start with Eric Bischoff. The former WCW mastermind took to his 83 Weeks podcast to dissect the title change, and he did not hold back. According to a Ringside News report, Bischoff felt the entire creative execution was a complete mess.

Bischoff made sure to clarify that he isn't hating on Sami’s actual talent in the ring. He knows the guy can go.

But the build-up? The narrative path? Bischoff thinks WWE creative just threw their hands in the air and gave up. This title change felt like the final season of Game of Thrones — rushed, confusing, and leaving everyone looking at their screens like, 'Wait, that's it?'

Bischoff argues that a championship victory needs a solid foundation to mean anything. Without a clear origin story, the win feels like a random roll of the dice. He thinks WWE now has the impossible task of retroactively building a story to justify the reign.

He continued to hammer the point about the lack of logical storytelling in Bischoff's podcast comments:

"There has to be a somewhat plausible, believable—to the extent that I lean into what you're presenting me. I'm allowing myself to set my belief aside and I'm just going to get sucked into the story because that's how stories should work."

If Bischoff’s critique was a civilized dissecting of the booking, Vince Russo’s reaction was a full-blown pipe bomb. Speaking on The Coach & Bro Show, the former WWE head writer went absolutely nuclear. Russo labeled the championship change "an absolute joke" and a "terrible decision" from a business perspective.

Russo’s main beef is that the title was handed out as a "participation trophy" for Sami’s 13 years of hard work. He argued that longevity does not equal championship material.

He pointed out that absolute legends like Scott Hall and Mr. Perfect never held the WWE Championship, and the business was better off for keeping the belt exclusive. Russo is out here crying like he just watched WCW Nitro ratings drop below a 2.0 again.

Russo also questioned whether anyone in WWE management seriously believes Sami Zayn is the guy to move the needle. He wondered aloud if the executives think this move will increase ratings for television partners like Netflix or USA.

He even compared the win to WCW’s infamous decision to put the belt on actor David Arquette. That is the kind of comparison that makes you want to throw your drink at the screen.

Sami Fires Back at the Gatekeepers

Sami Zayn isn't the type to sit quietly while the old guard roasts him on the internet. He went on ESPN New York’s Don, La Greca & Rosenberg show to address the critics who say he does not look like a "typical" world champion. He did not hold back his sarcasm.

Zayn made it clear that he has no problem with people who simply do not enjoy his matches. That is just personal taste. But he had a lot to say about the people who think a champion has to fit a specific visual mold.

He argued that the belief that a champion must look a certain way is a sign of a "lack of free thought" and a "lack of intelligence." He compared these critics to people who never leave their hometown and assume the rest of the world looks exactly like their street corner.

He thinks they have been programmed by decades of Vince McMahon’s bodybuilding obsession to only accept one type of star.

Sami believes that the quality of the performance should be the only metric that matters. He summed up his view on the business:

"Nothing needs to be anything, right? If it's good, it's good. I've always kind of subscribed to that."

It is a point well made. Sami has spent his entire career proving that he can get the crowd invested in any story he tells.

His run with The Bloodline was the most compelling television WWE had produced in a decade. He has the kind of connection with the fans that money cannot buy.

The Ugly Truth About the Booking

But let's be honest here. Even if you love Sami, you have to admit that Bischoff has a point. The way WWE got to this title change was incredibly messy. The booking of the Undisputed WWE Championship over the last two years has looked like a toddler playing with action figures.

Look at the history of the title since WrestleMania XL in April 2024. Cody Rhodes won the championship by ending Roman Reigns' historic run, holding it for 378 days. That was a great, stable reign that established Cody as the top face of the company. But then WWE went into panic mode.

Since then, Cody’s title reigns have been shorter than a Hollywood marriage. Here is how the championship has bounced around over the last two years:

  • First reign: Won from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL, held for 378 days, lost to John Cena at WrestleMania 41 on April 20, 2025.
  • Second reign: Won from John Cena at SummerSlam 2025, held for 159 days, lost to Drew McIntyre on SmackDown on January 9, 2026.
  • Third reign: Won from Drew McIntyre on March 6, 2026, held for 113 days, lost to Sami Zayn at Night of Champions on June 27, 2026.

Cody has now held the championship on three separate occasions in a two-year span. This constant hot-potatoing of the belt is the exact opposite of the long-term storytelling WWE prides itself on. It is hard to care about a championship reign when it feels like a temp job.

The finish of the match in Riyadh did not help matters. Sami hit a Helluva Kick on Gunther at the 15-minute mark, but Gunther kicked out. Later, Sami hit another Helluva Kick on the Austrian and went for the pin, but Cody pulled the referee out of the ring.

It was a cheap, desperate move from Cody that felt completely out of character for a babyface champion.

The actual finish was even more disappointing. Cody hit a double Cross Rhodes on both Sami and Gunther. He looked ready to retain.

He went for a third Cross Rhodes on Sami, but Sami countered the move into a quick roll-up pin to steal the three-count. Pinned the champion with a roll-up!

If you are going to put the biggest title in the industry on the ultimate underdog, let him win clean. Let him hit his finisher and get the definitive three-count.

Winning with a roll-up makes Sami look like a fluke champion who got lucky, rather than a warrior who conquered two of the best in the world.

It protects Cody and Gunther, but it hurts Sami. It leaves him with a championship reign built on shifting sand. It gives guys like Russo all the ammunition they need to call him a paper champion.

The Verdict on the Underdog

WWE is in a tough spot now. They have to prove that Sami’s reign isn't just a brief feel-good moment before they put the belt back on Cody or Gunther.

They need to give him a hot feud with a strong heel to establish him as a fighting champion.

The rest of the Riyadh card showed that WWE has plenty of talent ready to step up. Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso to win the King of the Ring tournament, and Seth Rollins defeated Bron Breakker in a wild Steel Cage Match. The talent is there, but the writing needs to match the performance.

We also saw Trick Williams retain the United States Championship against Ricky Saints, and Tiffany Stratton retain the Women's United States Championship against Jade Cargill. The roster is loaded, but the creative direction is spinning its wheels.

Sami Zayn is one of the best wrestlers in the world. He deserves to hold the gold, but he deserves a story that supports it.

The old heads like Bischoff and Russo are going to keep talking, but Sami has the crowd in the palm of his hand. Now it is up to WWE to make sure this reign doesn't just fade away into the history books.