WWE used SmackDown on June 26, 2026 to drive Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, GUNTHER and Oba Femi toward Night of Champions. The show ended with a confrontation that put the WWE title picture, and a future SummerSlam path for GUNTHER, at the center of the night.
Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn
Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn opened the night by arguing over the referee fallout from the WWE championship situation. Zayn told Rhodes he may have been a little out of line as special guest referee and that he regrets how it went down. He added, "At the end of the day, Sami Zayn is a good guy."
Rhodes pushed back while naming Kevin Owens, saying "at least he would stab you in the front." Zayn answered that Rhodes should be thanking him for still being champion but he will not be champion by Night of Champions. That exchange did the work of a title segment without pretending the match was settled; it left the championship dispute raw and public on the go-home show.
GUNTHER and Jey Uso
GUNTHER then cut into the picture by dismissing Zayn as "a non-factor as a wrestler" and saying he will be the one facing the King of the Ring winner at SummerSlam. That line links the current tournament run to a bigger payoff later in the summer, which is exactly the kind of booking that keeps both events tied together instead of treating them as separate stops.
Jey Uso sharpened the segment further when he warned Rhodes and Zayn that he will do them if and when he needs to. He also said he almost hopes GUNTHER wins because he will tap him out just like a little bitch. A brawl followed, and that shift from talk to chaos made the title scene feel crowded rather than orderly. For readers tracking the card, the important detail is simple: Rhodes, Zayn, GUNTHER and Jey Uso all left the same segment with overlapping stakes, not clean lanes.
Earlier in the night, Cody Rhodes retains in 12:00 as Wwe Smackdown results turned wild, and GUNTHER challenges Cody Rhodes in WWE Smackdown results on June 19. The June 26 segment extended that thread instead of resetting it.
Oba Femi and Solo Sikoa
Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes were left standing after the fight, then Oba Femi made his presence felt. Rhodes held the title up over his head in front of Femi, a final image that suggested the championship conversation is not narrowing yet. It ended the in-ring chaos with a stare-down rather than a decision, which is the right call when the show is being used as a bridge to Night of Champions.
Earlier on June 26, Tama and Talla told Solo Sikoa they are done and walking out on him, and Sikoa said, "I have nothing to lose." He also told LA Knight, "The enemy of my enemy can be my friend," while pitching an alliance built on shared hatred of The Bloodline. Knight refused because he does not trust him, and that refusal keeps the faction split from resolving into a quick fix.
Rumors around Zilla Fatu aside, the cleaner read on this episode is that WWE packed one SmackDown with two stories that both hinge on fractured alliances: the title path around Rhodes, Zayn, Jey Uso and GUNTHER, and the faction breakup around Solo Sikoa. Will Oba Femi challenge Cody Rhodes or become involved in the Night of Champions title picture? That is the next question the show deliberately left hanging.
