Sami Zayn is a two-time Undisputed WWE Champion.
Zayn defeated CM Punk on the September 11 SmackDown in Mexico City to reclaim the title, but the decision reportedly faced pushback backstage.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, some people within WWE were against putting the championship back on Zayn. The creative team went ahead with the change anyway because it’s part of a larger storyline.
“With the Sami Zayn thing, the basic gist was they have a storyline that will make sense when you look back on it, is what I was told. When it’s all said and done this will all make sense. There was certainly people who were against it but they did it.”
There were reportedly some people backstage who were against the idea of Sami Zayn winning the WWE Title again.
— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) September 14, 2026
(WOR) pic.twitter.com/fiAvFLB4ZR
That backstage divide stands out even more given how WWE handled Zayn’s first reign. He won his first world title on June 27 at Night of Champions, pinning Cody Rhodes in a Triple Threat Match that also included Gunther. Just nine days later, he dropped the title to Punk on the July 6 RAW.
At the time, Meltzer said WWE didn’t see Zayn as one of its top “money players” and that a long reign was never part of the plan.
His first title win, though, had been widely celebrated by other WWE stars.
Now, just over two months later, WWE has put its top championship back on Zayn. This time, the move appears to be entirely tied to where the storyline goes next.