The June 19 edition of WWE SmackDown kicked off with a blockbuster WWE Championship match as Cody Rhodes defended his title against Gunther, with Sami Zayn serving as the special guest referee. For complete WWE SmackDown results, click here.
What began as a championship showdown quickly descended into complete chaos.
Early in the contest, Zayn raised eyebrows when he pulled Rhodes away from the corner, creating an opening for Gunther to connect with a cheap-shot big boot. While the move appeared questionable, Zayn continued officiating as the match progressed.
Rhodes eventually mounted a comeback and connected with a Cutter, but Gunther regained momentum and locked in a Figure Four Leglock. After Rhodes escaped the hold, Gunther became frustrated with Zayn’s officiating and ordered him to “do your job.”
The tension continued to build when Rhodes countered a powerbomb attempt into Cross Rhodes. Although it appeared the champion had the match won, Gunther managed to get his foot under the bottom rope. Zayn spotted the rope break and refused to count the pinfall.
Rhodes immediately confronted Zayn, leading to a heated exchange between the longtime friends. During the confrontation, Zayn shoved Rhodes, sending him directly into a sleeper hold from Gunther.
Rhodes eventually reached the ropes, but more controversy followed when Gunther refused to release the hold. Zayn physically pulled Gunther away, prompting the challenger to shove the special referee.
Zayn fired back with a slap across Gunther’s face.
Gunther responded by planting Zayn with a powerbomb. Moments later, Rhodes capitalized by delivering a Super Cutter followed by a second one. A replacement referee sprinted to the ring to make the count, but Gunther kicked out before the three-count could be completed.
The controversy only intensified from there.
Gunther later delivered a powerbomb to Rhodes and appeared poised for victory, but Zayn prevented the decision by pulling the replacement referee out of the ring before a count could be made.
As the match continued, Rhodes eventually scored another near fall on Gunther. This time, Zayn suddenly slid back into position and delivered a noticeably fast three-count, awarding Rhodes the victory under highly questionable circumstances.
Following a commercial break, Rhodes attempted to set things right by demanding that the match be restarted with a new referee. However, the situation spiraled even further out of control.
Shortly after the match resumed, Zayn stormed back to the ring and blasted Gunther with a Helluva Kick. The former Intercontinental Champion then attacked the replacement referee, bringing the contest to another abrupt halt.
When Rhodes approached Zayn in an attempt to calm the situation, Zayn shocked the WWE Champion by striking him with the WWE Championship belt.
The show-opening segment ended with Zayn standing tall after laying out both Gunther and Rhodes, leaving fans with major questions about his motives and what comes next in the WWE Championship picture.
With Night of Champions and SummerSlam on the horizon, Zayn’s actions may have dramatically altered the landscape of the SmackDown main event scene.
