WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles is pushing back on the growing fan theory that Sami Zayn’s Undisputed WWE Championship reign is only a placeholder.
Zayn captured the Undisputed WWE Championship for the first time at Night of Champions 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, pinning Cody Rhodes in a Triple Threat Match that also included Gunther. The win, coming after roughly a decade in WWE, made him the only new World titleholder on the card.
Speaking on ‘The Phenomenally Retro’ podcast, Styles said he hopes WWE resists the temptation to treat Zayn as a transitional champion, calling a quick title flip bad for business and a missed shot at real “underdog magic.”
Styles addressed the speculation on his podcast, weighing the risk that Zayn’s run gets cut short before it can build to anything.
I don’t want to see a transitional champion. I think that Sami’s more than capable of pulling off being a world champion and totally being the underdog here. But I don’t know what the next part of the story is. You got people worried about that Sami’s just going to be a transitional champion. He’s gonna win it just to lose it to who knows,” Styles said.
He argued the uncertainty is actually what keeps him invested, even as he admitted he isn’t sure where the story goes next.
The SummerSlam Question
Styles framed Zayn’s next title defense as the real hook, singling out SummerSlam as the checkpoint that will define the reign. He ran through possible challengers without landing on an answer.
What is going to happen next with Sami Zayn because SummerSlam, one of the big four PLEs, he’s going to be defending it. Who is that against? That’s the story. Who’s it going to be? Is it going to be Gunther? Is it going to be Cody? Is there somebody else? Is it LeBron? I don’t know,” Styles said.
He stressed that WWE typically avoids “flip-flop” booking, saying it “is not good for business,” while acknowledging he doesn’t have the answer for how to build Zayn’s title picture the right way.
Styles has been candid about his views on WWE creative before, including why he tends to defend the promotion when fans criticize it.
