Sami Zayn took the Undisputed WWE Championship from CM Punk on Friday Night SmackDown in Mexico City, pinning him after a Helluva Kick in a main event that turned messy fast. The win gave Zayn the title for the second time this year and ended Punk’s run after a short reign.
That finish mattered because the title has already changed hands five times in 2026, and this one came with Zayn once again at the center of it. He had lost the championship to Punk on Monday Night Raw after beating Cody Rhodes for it at Night of Champions, then came back on Sept. 11 and won it back in the kind of match that left little doubt about how fragile the picture around the belt has become.
Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae were in Zayn’s corner, and Candice LeRae distracted the referee as the match broke down. Gargano tried to swing the belt at Punk and missed, Punk answered with a Go to Sleep, and Kevin Owens then appeared while the referee was trying to roll Gargano out of the ring. Owens went after Zayn with the belt but hit Punk instead, adding one more jolt to a finish that was already spinning out of control.
That confusion is now the story around the championship as much as the title change itself. Drew McIntyre started the year with the belt in January, Cody Rhodes won it back in March, Zayn took it in June, Punk claimed it in July, and Zayn has it again in September. Punk, Owens, Rhodes, Gargano and Randy Orton all sit near the title picture, and Randy Orton could challenge immediately while Drew McIntyre could also re-enter the fight when he returns to the ring.
Zayn’s second reign does not settle anything for long. It only resets the clock on a championship that has become impossible to hold for more than a moment, and the next challenger may be the one who proves whether this run lasts longer than the first one did.
