Sami Zayn Retains WWE Title vs Cody Rhodes on Raw

Sami Zayn retained the WWE title in a match against Cody Rhodes on Monday's episode of Raw. The bout carried potential implications for the upcoming Crown Jewel premium live event scheduled for November 7.

WWE had already set a champion versus champion match between Zayn and Roman Reigns for Crown Jewel. Rhodes had an opportunity during the Raw contest to alter those plans.

Zayn and Rhodes entered the match with a notable history between them. Zayn first captured the WWE championship from Rhodes in a Triple Threat match at Night of Champions in June that also featured Gunther.

Their prior friendship had deteriorated in the lead-up to that June encounter, with Zayn demonstrating a willingness to take any measures necessary to win the world title. Zayn later regained the WWE title from CM Punk on the September 11 episode of SmackDown in Mexico.

Zayn followed that victory by successfully defending the championship against Kevin Owens the following week. Rhodes, who had been denied a WWE Championship rematch roughly four months earlier, received the opportunity on Monday night against the same opponent who had originally taken the title from him.