The Real Reason Sami Zayn Defeated CM Punk For The WWE Championship

Sami Zayn is once again the reigning and defending WWE Champion, defeating CM Punk on Friday Night SmackDown in Mexico to win his second WWE Title, following up on his 9-day reign earlier this year. WWE’s top prize has changed hands several times this year with the likes of Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre also holding the gold, but Zayn’s second win is a very interesting one given the long list of stars waiting for a shot, and with how strong Punk’s reign has been progressing. When looking at WWE’s upcoming events, the real reason for Zayn’s surprise title win may have revealed itself.

WWE’s Crown Jewel Championship Match Will Be Held Again In 2026

• WWE has booked Crown Jewel Title matches two years in a row.
• In 2026, the Crown Jewel PLE will feature big champion vs. champion matches.
• The likes of Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan & Stephanie Vaquer have won these titles.

For the last two years, WWE has used the Crown Jewel PLE to determien “Crown Jewel Champions”, contested for between the reigning men’s and women’s world champions on both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen Cody Rhodes beat Gunther, Seth Rollins defeat Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan outlast Nia Jax, and Stephanie Vaquer stand tall against Tiffany Stratton. When it comes to the 2026 edition of the Crown Jewel PLE, which will officially take place on November 7, 2026 in Riyadh, returning to Saudi Arabia after the show took place in Australia last year, it has directly impacted the WWE Championship scene.

Booking your two top champions against one another is hardly ever going to benefit WWE’s roster, as having a titleholder lose a major matchup serves little to make their title and reign feel legitimate. Sami Zayn’s WWE Championship win on the September 12 edition of Friday Night SmackDown in Mexico City might well be all down to the fact that Crown Jewel is approaching in the coming months.

WWE Doesn’t Want To Book Roman Reigns Vs. CM Punk

• Roman Reigns & CM Punk headlined WrestleMania 42.
• WWE will not want their rematch to be at Crown Jewel 2026.
• Reigns will not lose a match until he drops the World Heavyweight Title.

Prior to Sami Zayn’s WWE Title ascension, WWE’s top men’s champions were Roman Reigns and CM Punk. This would have led to a blockbuster rematch from the WrestleMania 42 Sunday main event, which is among WWE’s best matches of the entire year. WWE isn’t likely to want a waste a match like this on the Crown Jewel PLE, especially now that WWE’s Saudi Arabia shows aren’t as stacked up with main event names and part-timers as they were in the past.

Not only that, but WWE would have to contend with egos. Roman Reigns isn’t likely to want to lose any match in any capacity for as long as he is the World Heavyweight Champion, with him very rarely suffering any setbacks throughout his multi-year reign as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. However, Punk is unlikely to want to lose to Reigns for a second time, and it is easy to imagine him lobbying to level up their series with a win for himself. Avoiding having to book this match is far more in WWE’s better interests in order to avoid backstage conflict and saving a potential Reigns/Punk showdown for a bigger show.

Roman Reigns Vs. Sami Zayn Is An Easier Match To Book

• WWE isn’t afraid of having Sami Zayn lose.
• WWE can book Reigns as the clear babyface at Crown Jewel.
• Reigns & Zayn have plenty of history to explore.

From WWE’s perspective, having Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn is a much easier matchup to put forth. Not only can WWE build upon the history of Reigns & Zayn, with them both feuding and teaming in the past, but WWE can also safely head into the event with Reigns as the babyface and Zayn as the arrogant, misguided heel that he’s been portraying of Friday Night SmackDown for much of 2026.

One thing is for sure about Zayn; he is not afraid to lose. Zayn has suffered many losses and setbacks throughout his professional wrestling career, so losing to Reigns – even while holding the WWE Championship – will be absolutely no bother and will experience little to no pushback from a backstage standpoint. Sure, Zayn winning the WWE Title again was a brilliant shock to shake up the main event scene, and it will hopefully allow him to reign for longer than nine days this time around, but the real reason for this win is all about Crown Jewel.