Pull Up a Barstool
Pull up a barstool and pour yourself a double of whatever cheap whiskey is on the bottom shelf. We are sitting here on June 29, 2026, and the industry is running on pure, unadulterated chaos. This past Saturday, WWE flew half its roster to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Night of Champions.
The Kingdom Arena witnessed history, massive power shifts, and at least one match that felt longer than a trip to the DMV. Between a legendary championship change and a real-life anniversary, the news cycle is moving faster than a speed-walking Olympic team.
Sami Zayn Climbs the Mountain (Despite the Sound Guys)
Let's start with the big one. Sami Zayn is the Undisputed WWE Champion after hitting Cody Rhodes with a Blue Thunder Bomb for the pin. It was a beautiful, raw moment that should have happened years ago when the Bloodline story was peaking.
Of course, WWE's genius production crew almost ruined it by failing to mic the crowd properly. On television, fans were visibly losing their minds while the audio sounded like a polite golf gallery. If you are putting the biggest belt on the most beloved underdog of this generation, let us hear the roof blow off the arena.
Still, you cannot take away the history here. Sami Zayn is only the second Muslim WWE Champion in history, following in the footsteps of The Iron Sheik. Somewhere in a Mexican orphanage, El Generico is beaming with pride at what his closest friend accomplished.
Cody Rhodes had a decent run with the title, but his booking was starting to feel like a corporate board meeting. He had to drop the belt to someone who actually feels like a human being, and Sami Zayn is the perfect choice for that. Now we just have to hope WWE doesn't immediately panic and hot potato the belt back to Cody at the next PLE.
According to the Wrestling Inc. review, this was the absolute highlight of the night. Cody Rhodes can go ahead and chase the title back and forth with Drew McIntyre all summer. For now, the right guy has the winged-eagle belt, and we do not have to settle for some runner-up World Heavyweight Championship.
All Hail the Ruler, but Please Save Queen IYO
Then we have the King of the Ring tournament, which wrapped up with a monster making his claim to the throne. Oba Femi is the new king, and his tournament run was an absolute masterclass in dominance. The tournament kicked off in early June on RAW and SmackDown, where every first-round match was booked as a wild Fatal 4-Way.
Oba Femi paved his path by smashing Penta, Solo Sikoa, and Carmelo Hayes in his opener. He then ran through Dominik Mysterio in the semifinals to book his ticket to Riyadh. On the other side of the bracket, Jey Uso had to scratch and claw, defeating LA Knight, Finn Bálor, and Royce Keys before besting Je’Von Evans to reach the finals.
The Fatal 4-Way concept was chaos in the best way possible. Watching Solo Sikoa get put in his place while Carmelo Hayes tried to out-speed Oba Femi was like watching a Honda Civic try to drag race a freight train. Oba Femi just stood in the center of the ring, absorbing crossbodies and dropkicks like they were mild inconveniences.
The finals match was a brutal car crash. Jey Uso hit three Uso Splashes during the bout, but Oba Femi kicked out of the first one before the referee's hand even hit the mat. Femi simply absorbed the punishment, returned fire with a chokeslam, and finished Uce with the Fall From Grace.
Oba is now the 25th King of the Ring and gets a title match of his choosing at SummerSlam in Minneapolis. During Oba Femi's historic coronation, the crowd's reaction proved they are fully bought into his quasi-mythological aura. He is a WWE developmental project that actually worked, and his ceiling is somewhere in orbit.
As for the Queen of the Ring, IYO SKY took the crown, but I cannot bring myself to be excited. The women's division is currently trapped in the gravity well of the Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio relationship drama. IYO is a world-class athlete, but she is already being booked as a secondary character in the Liv and Dom show.
WWE had a chance to build a classic feud with Rhea Ripley. Instead, they are steering IYO directly into a rematch of the tournament finals that nobody asked for. It is the kind of creative decision that makes you cross your arms and furrow your brow in disappointment.
The Never-Ending Seth Rollins Ego Trip
Speaking of things that make me want to throw my remote, let's talk about the steel cage match. Seth Rollins defeated Bron Breakker in Saudi Arabia, and the entire thing was a slog. It was the kind of long, self-indulgent, community theater production that WWE loves to put on when they want to make Seth look like a genius.
Bron Breakker is supposed to be the future, but instead, he got fed to a guy who has been pushed to the moon for the last ten years. Rollins has spent months feuding with a faction known as The Vision. In his post-show comments, Seth claimed he was putting that behind him.
He claimed to be putting the rivalry in his rearview. Here is the direct quote from the man himself:
“When I came back, I said there were two things on my mind. One was ending The Vision. I do not know if I've ended The Vision, but I certainly made it more difficult for them moving forward.”
Rollins then made his intentions for the future clear. He stated his ultimate goal is regaining the belt he never lost in the ring.
“The second thing is getting back the World Heavyweight Championship. The title I had to vacate, the one I did not lose.”
Bron Breakker has the Steiner bloodline, the speed of a linebacker, and the bark that actually gets the crowd barking along. He hit Rollins with a spear that looked like it cracked Seth's ribs, yet Seth still managed to kick out. The finish felt flat, like a balloon losing air in the middle of a birthday party.
Right now, Roman Reigns holds that championship, and Oba Femi is a giant wedge in Rollins' plans. Seth Rollins talked about needing to prove he can hang with the next generation like Trick Williams. But if he wants to prove he can hang, maybe he should start putting them over instead of winning matches that do nothing for his career.
A Real-Life Power Couple Saving the Day
While I might be sick of Seth Rollins the character, I have nothing but respect for Seth Rollins the husband. Today, on June 29, 2026, Becky Lynch took to social media to celebrate their anniversary. The former Women’s World Champion posted a series of beachfront wedding photos, showing the couple kissing under a floral arch by the ocean.
The couple tied the knot exactly five years ago, on June 29, 2021. Their relationship has been one of the few genuine feel-good stories in the business. They went public in 2019, welcomed their daughter Roux in December 2020, and married a few months later.
One of the photos Becky shared showed Seth holding their daughter while wearing a traditional lei. It is a sweet reminder that these two are making it work in an industry that usually chews up marriages and spits them out. On X, Becky kept her message short and sweet, and you can see the beachfront pictures in Becky Lynch's post on X.
It is easy to forget how much pressure is on these couples when they are both touring 300 days a year. Becky was the top woman in the company, and Seth was the top guy on RAW, yet they still managed to raise a daughter on the road. Raising Roux on the road while maintaining main event status is a massive achievement in its own right.
Let's hope Seth spends his anniversary relaxing on a beach somewhere instead of planning another twenty-minute steel cage match that puts over his own ego. He has earned a break, and the rest of the roster could use the breathing room. Until next time, keep your glass full and your expectations low.
