Top WWE Star Takes Mental Health Break After Devastating Title Loss
A top WWE star was written off television, at least for one episode of SmackDown, if not more.
At Night of Champions, Sami Zayn shocked the wrestling world by pinning Cody Rhodes to become the Undisputed Champion for the first time.
Zayn’s celebration on the following episode of the blue brand was cut short after it was announced that he would defend his title against the winner of the Rhodes versus Jey Uso match, which Rhodes ultimately won.
Their bout took place on Raw earlier this week in Chicago. However, in a backstage segment, The American Nightmare was viciously attacked by Gunther, thus rendering him unable to compete.
WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce said that the match would still take place with a new opponent. Later, Nick Aldis claimed that he had secured an opponent for Zayn, which turned out to be the returning CM Punk.
Both Zayn and Punk put on a brilliant show, with The Second City Saint emerging victorious in his hometown of Chicago. The loss ended Zayn’s 9-day title run, establishing him as a transitional champion in WWE.
Sami Zayn Misses WWE SmackDown Due To Mental Health Break
Following his loss to CM Punk on Raw, Sami Zayn cut a profanity-laden backstage promo directed at the newly crowned champion.
Fans could only feel sorry and speculate about the 41-year-old Canadian wrestler’s future direction in the company.
On July 10, fans expected him to share his thoughts about his loss to Punk, but he was nowhere to be seen. Zayn was, however, featured as an off-screen character during a one-sided call with Nick Aldis.
While speaking to Zayn, Aldis confirmed that the former champion was on a ‘mental health break.’
Sami Zayn is on a mental health break #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/qHVqP90cok
— Wrestlematch (@wrestlematch1) July 11, 2026
Zayn’s outburst on Raw and his subsequent absence from SmackDown showed him clearly dealing with frustrations regarding his title picture.
On Friday, CM Punk was met in the ring by the former Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, and by the end of their segment, a title match was announced between them for SummerSlam.
The frustration also extended to Gunther, who believes he has been unfairly treated by SmackDown GM Nick Aldis since he switched brands.
Later in the evening, The Ring General assaulted Aldis by putting him in a chokehold multiple times. While nothing was officially announced immediately, a SummerSlam match between the two could be in the works.
Cody Rhodes tried to break up the attack, only for the Netflix streaming to abruptly end. WWE later released a video on its social media page, showcasing what transpired between Rhodes and Gunther.