At WWE Night of Champions, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Gunther and Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat Match.
The intense rivalry between Rhodes and Gunther exploded at WWE Clash in Italy. The American Nightmare retained the gold in the hard-fought match, but the official did not see Gunther's foot under the bottom rope during the three-count.
The Ring General took issue with the controversial loss upon returning to SmackDown and was granted a rematch. He was also given the opportunity to choose a stipulation, which he used to make Sami Zayn the special guest referee.
The decision was by no means random. In recent month, Zayn has voiced contempt for his "friend" Rhodes while dealing with his own setbacks, including losing the United States Title to Trick Williams as WrestleMania 42, losing a non-title match against Rhodes and then turning his back as Gunther launched a post-match assault on Rhodes during the May 22 edition of SmackDown. Zayn did all of this while insisting that he was constantly falling short because he was the "last good guy."
When Zayn exchanged humiliating slaps with "QB1" during an intense verbal exchange on the June 12 edition of SmackDown, Gunther could see that Sami was the perfect selection to be referee in his rematch with Rhodes.
The following week, however, Zayn cost Gunther his title rematch. When the irate Ring General immediately protested the decision, Cody informed SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis that they should restart the matchup. That battle, though, ended with Zayn attacking both Superstars and setting the stage for the Night of Champions Triple Threat Match.
Don't miss WWE Night of Champions, streaming live Saturday, June 27, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
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At WWE Night of Champions, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Gunther and Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat Match.
The intense rivalry between Rhodes and Gunther exploded at WWE Clash in Italy. The American Nightmare retained the gold in the hard-fought match, but the official did not see Gunther's foot under the bottom rope during the three-count.
The Ring General took issue with the controversial loss upon returning to SmackDown and was granted a rematch. He was also given the opportunity to choose a stipulation, which he used to make Sami Zayn the special guest referee.
The decision was by no means random. In recent month, Zayn has voiced contempt for his "friend" Rhodes while dealing with his own setbacks, including losing the United States Title to Trick Williams as WrestleMania 42, losing a non-title match against Rhodes and then turning his back as Gunther launched a post-match assault on Rhodes during the May 22 edition of SmackDown. Zayn did all of this while insisting that he was constantly falling short because he was the "last good guy."
When Zayn exchanged humiliating slaps with "QB1" during an intense verbal exchange on the June 12 edition of SmackDown, Gunther could see that Sami was the perfect selection to be referee in his rematch with Rhodes.
The following week, however, Zayn cost Gunther his title rematch. When the irate Ring General immediately protested the decision, Cody informed SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis that they should restart the matchup. That battle, though, ended with Zayn attacking both Superstars and setting the stage for the Night of Champions Triple Threat Match.
Don't miss WWE Night of Champions, streaming live Saturday, June 27, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
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