Finn Balor To Face Sami Zayn In WWE Title No. 1 Contender's Match At SummerSlam 2026

Finn Balor will face Sami Zayn at SummerSlam for an opportunity at the WWE Championship, having won a four-way also involving Trick Williams, Damian Priest, and Royce Keys during "WWE SmackDown."

It was determined earlier in the night by General Manager Adam Pearce that the four namedropped by reigning WWE Champion, CM Punk, during last week's show would face one another in a four-way. 

But when Zayn pushed back on that decision and said it was unfair he wasn't being inserted into the Punk versus Cody Rhodes championship match at SummerSlam, Pearce added that the four-way would see its victor go on to face Zayn at the event for number one contendership. Zayn reluctantly accepted the compromise. 

The match itself saw typical four-way action with each competitor getting their shots off in the first half, with Williams and Balor forced to find their spots between the big men in Keys and Priest. Solo Sikoa came down to ringside to help Keys, putting his foot on the bottom rope as Williams made the cover. 

That then prompted the Usos to come down to ringside and meet him, followed by LA Knight to aid Sikoa. The Usos fought Sikoa and Knight back up the ramp as the action continued in the ring. Priest connected with South of Heaven on Williams, only then falling prey to The Ultimate Spinebuster from Keys. 

Keys made the cover, Jacob Fatu emerged to pull him from the ring, breaking the count and brawling with him out of the affair. That allowed Balor to deliver Coup de Grace to Priest in the ring, getting the winning pinfall and his number one contendership match.