AEW's Tony Schiavone On Sami Zayn WWE Title Win: 'Why Not?'

Sami Zayn's Undisputed WWE Championship win at Night of Champions came as a widespread surprise as many people, including Zayn himself, had felt that the window for such a victory had likely already closed. Given Zayn's impressive in-ring work, though, AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone is glad that WWE kept it open for him.

"I saw a picture of him holding the belt high above his head and I went, 'Wow.'" Schiavone said on "What Happened When." "He beats Cody? Is that right? I'm surprised, but Sami's been a good performer for them, so yeah, give him a shot, right? Why not?"

As WWE's commentary team mentioned on air, Night of Champions 2026 marked Zayn's 10th try at capturing a world championship in WWE. For this occasion, he battled GUNTHER and Cody Rhodes, the title-defender, in a triple threat match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Rhodes seemed on the verge of victory when he dropped both challengers with a Cross Rhodes. When he attempted a second one exclusively on Zayn, however, Zayn reversed it into a match-winning roll-up on "The American Nightmare."

Looking ahead, Zayn will defend his newly-won world title against Rhodes on the July 6 edition of "WWE Raw" in Chicago. Rhodes earned this opportunity by besting Jey Uso, his former tag team partner, in a number one contender's match in the main event of Friday's "WWE SmackDown." According to Zayn, he will approach this first title defense with great focus, but for right now, he wants to continue riding the wave of celebration and joy that came out of Night of Champions.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Happened When" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.