Sami Zayn had a mere nine-day reign with the Undisputed WWE Championship. He pinned Cody Rhodes at Night of Champions and was then pinned by CM Punk on the July 6 edition of RAW. A former WWE broadcaster has now criticized the company’s booking of Zayn, arguing that he was treated as a placeholder for the title until Punk returned to win it.
On X, Jonathan Coachman posted a video explaining that while he didn’t necessarily view Sami as a long-term champion, he felt the decision was cruel on a human level and stripped away a career-defining milestone for a SummerSlam storyline. Coachman believes that WWE secured their money match for SummerSlam, but Zayn paid the price.
Thanks for the submission!
“Sometimes we’ve got to think about these people as human beings. And I know, hey, Coach, business is business. Yeah, well, Sami got business taken right upside his head because CM Punk hasn’t been there in three months. And he walks back in, and because you need him at SummerSlam, you go, ‘Sami, thanks, but, no thanks.’ Man… you’ve got to feel bad for the guy. But now, hey, at least they got the two main events that they wanted, and you got them on the same show… which is not SmackDown,” Jonathan Coachman said.
This marks the eighth time Punk has won a world championship in WWE. Punk blew a kiss and walked through the Chicago crowd with the title, just as he did 15 years ago when he beat John Cena in the same arena.
Jonathan Coachman questioned the logic behind Sami Zayn’s title match on RAW
In the same video on X, Coachman said he’s disagreed with the concept of two world championships for years. Then, to even put both on RAW for one night to elevate them before SummerSlam is worse, with Zayn coming out as the biggest loser.
“This has nothing to do with CM Punk… or does it? Because you move the Undisputed Championship to a Monday night. It’s supposed to be a SmackDown title. There are two World Championships, which I have severely disagreed with for years. But you put them both on the same show, and you try to elevate them because in less than four weeks, you’re at SummerSlam. And the big loser in all of it? That was Sami Zayn,” he said.
No matter the result, the Undisputed WWE Championship is for SmackDown and should be dealt with there, with Punk most likely feuding with Rhodes in the lead-up to SummerSlam.
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Edited by Steffi
