What was already a huge rematch between Cody Rhodes and Gunther just got a lot more complicated. On the June 12 episode of SmackDown, Gunther revealed that Sami Zayn will be the special guest referee for next week’s WWE Championship match against Rhodes.
Zayn has already been going through a complicated relationship with Rhodes, and now he is in the middle of one of WWE’s most heated current rivalries. With all these developments, the title match suddenly became much harder to predict.
Gunther uses Sami Zayn’s emotional confrontation with Cody Rhodes to his advantage
The special guest referee announcement came after an emotional confrontation between Rhodes and Zayn earlier in the night.
Zayn came to the ring to talk about the growing tension between them. Calling himself “the last real good guy,” he admitted that recent events had made him question his friendship with Rhodes.
Zayn then asked, Was everyone around Rhodes really the problem, or was Rhodes himself the issue?
Rhodes then came out and tried to explain that competition changes people. But the conversation quickly turned personal.
He called Zayn desperate for the WWE Championship. He then told Zayn that he was sorry he held the title because it meant Zayn never would.
The comment pushed Zayn over the edge. He slapped Rhodes but regretted it immediately. He apologized several times and tried to calm things down. Rhodes responded by slapping him back and asking if they were “good.”
Sami Zayn walked away, but a few moments later, he returned carrying a steel chair. He looked ready to unleash havoc after losing control. But at the last second, he stopped himself, threw the chair down, and walked away.
Watching all of this from backstage was Gunther.
Later in the show, Gunther met with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis to reveal his choice for special guest referee.
He initially said he wanted someone who understood the rules and had enough experience to handle such an important match. But after thinking about “the human factor,” he decided he needed someone with “a heart in the right place.”
“A good guy,” Gunther said. “Maybe the last real good guy.”
Then he named Sami Zayn.
The decision worried Rhodes. He later confronted Aldis backstage and questioned how Zayn could possibly remain fair after everything that had happened. But Zayn overheard the entire conversation.
Using Rhodes’ own words against him, Zayn brushed off the concerns before sarcastically wishing him luck in next week’s match.
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