WWE fans gobsmacked by 'one of the most shocking title changes in history'

As Saturday’s WWE Night of Champions show went off air, fans around the world were picking their jaws up off the floor.

After Trick Williams and Tiffany Stratton both successfully defended their respective United States Championships, there can’t have been many people expecting Cody Rhodes to drop the WWE Title in the main event.

That’s exactly what happened though, as he defended arguably the most prestigious prize in wrestling against GUNTHER and underdog Sami Zayn.

Over the last year or so, the latter has become fixated on finally winning a world championship in WWE, after 13 years with the company, and 24 in the business as a whole.

After a hard fought battle with GUNTHER and Cody where all three men came close, it was Sami who secured the monumental win.

The defending champ hit a Cross-Rhodes on both men at the same time, and held onto the underdog as he looked for a second.

However, Sami was able to slip out and into a roll-up pin, scoring the three count and jumping into the crowd in Saudi Arabia with real emotion on his face.

‘A lot of folks said I would never win the WWE Championship. But I stand here tonight in front of my people,’ he said on the postshow as fans started to chant ‘you deserve it’.

He added: ‘You’re damn right I deserve it. 20 plus years in the game at the highest level, never got the recognition.

’10-plus years chasing this Championship, never got the recognition. I don’t care what happens to me, forever I will be Sami Zayn, WWE Champion.’

On X, the win sent shockwaves through the fanbase with people gobsmacked by the win in Saudi Arabia.

‘One of the most shocking title changes in WWE history. WOW,’ wrote @WrestleFeatures, with plenty of people agreeing with the sentiment.

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‘That triple threat match is one of the greatest title matches I’ve ever seen. And the Underdog from the Underground finally got his due,’ raved fan @RichStapless.

‘Easily one of the most shocking WWE title wins ever, maybe more than Jinder Mahal. Well deserved and long overdue.’

Others compared it to Eddie Guerrero’s similarly monumental win over Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004, which saw him finally reach the top of the mountain.

‘Seeing Sami celebrate in the crowd reminded me of when Eddie did the same thing after he beat Brock for the title,’ pointed out @MarcusS484828.

Plenty of Sami’s fellow stars in WWE have also paid tribute to his big moment, including boss Triple H, who shared the now-traditional finger point photo with the beaming new world champ.

He wrote: ‘From underdog to undisputed. Congrats to the NEW @WWE Undisputed Champion @SamiZayn! Never say never.’

Metro’s WWE expert Alistair McGeorge discusses the emotional moment.

I’ve been a fan of wrestling, watching regularly, since I was around 12, way back in 2002.

I’ve been covering wresting regularly for Metro since 2019, attending the last five WrestleManias live in person, and travelling to the likes of Lyon, Berlin, Cardiff, and more.

The point is, at this point it can take a lot to surprise me.

I can still remember getting up at around midnight when I was 13 to go downstairs and watch No Way Out live to see if Eddie Guerrero would beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title.

I jumped off the sofa at the three-count, punching the air and hoping I didn’t wake anyone up.

Fast forward to last night, as it came up to 9pm on a Saturday evening, and this 35-year-old man was so engrossed in the main event that I jumped off the sofa and shouted out an expletive.

Going into the event, it felt like the right time for WWE to tell this story and give Sami the big win, but there was still a lingering doubt.

Thankfully, WWE made the big decision on a night full of them, with sensible results, none of them unnecessarily tainted.

WWE has had moments like this (Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30 comes to mind), but this felt different.

Fans had been worried Sami might never get this title, but he will now forever be mentioned among the all-time greats.

A future Hall of Famer, now a WWE and Grand Slam Champion, for one of the nicest men in wrestling.

Sami’s longtime real life best friend Kevin Owens made a heartfelt post, admitting he was gutted to not be in attendance, having been out of action with a neck injury since early in 2025.

He said: ‘I’ve missed a lot of things I wish I hadn’t in the last 15 months because of this injury but today is, by far, the one I wish I had been there for the most.

‘He has brought out the best in me as both an ally and a foe. That’s because he is THE best.

‘When you’re consistently that good for that long, you become undeniable.

‘Sami becoming WWE Champion was inevitable. He has deserved that moment for a very long time and I am so happy to see him finally get it.’

And Becky Lynch added: ‘I was crying tears of joy then and I’m crying tears of joy now! So well deserved! Congratulations @SamiZayn!!’

Rewatch Night of Champions, and catch all WWE’s weekly Raw, SmackDown and NXT shows and more, on Netflix.

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