The June 19 episode of WWE SmackDown opened with the Undisputed WWE Championship rematch between Cody Rhodes and Gunther. What followed was a wild series of refereeing controversies and a chaotic ending that left the championship situation more complicated than ever.
Gunther was looking for payback after his controversial loss to Rhodes at Clash in Italy, where his foot was under the bottom rope during the deciding pinfall. He even requested Sami Zayn as the special guest referee, believing Zayn’s recent back-and-forth with Rhodes might work in his favor.
Controversial referee drama overshadows Cody Rhodes vs Gunther match
The match started, and from the start, the attention focused on whether Zayn could remain neutral. Despite a few questionable moments, he mostly called the match fairly during the early stages.
Rhodes landed an early Cody Cutter, while Gunther relied on his usual hard-hitting offense. At one point, Gunther tried to use the ropes for extra leverage during a Figure Four, but Zayn immediately stepped in and forced him to break the hold. Gunther was clearly unhappy with the decision.
As the match continued, tensions between all three men mounted. Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes and looked ready to win, but Zayn stopped the count after noticing Gunther’s foot under the bottom rope, just like what happened at Clash in Italy. Rhodes started confronting Zayn, but Zayn shoved him back straight into Gunther’s sleeper hold.
He nearly won the title, but Rhodes managed to reach the ropes. When he refused to release the hold right away, Zayn stepped in and physically pulled Gunther off the champion. The Ring General shoved Zayn multiple times. Zayn slapped him, and Gunther answered with a huge powerbomb on the special referee.
However, Gunther stayed in the match and kept pushing. Rhodes fought back with a top-rope Cody Cutter and another Cross Rhodes. A replacement referee rushed down to count the pin, but the Ring General kicked out.
The momentum shifted again when Gunther avoided a dive from Rhodes and connected with a shotgun dropkick and a powerbomb. It looked like he had the match won, but Zayn recovered. He pulled the replacement referee out of the ring before a count could start.
Still angry about being attacked earlier, Zayn then helped Rhodes roll Gunther up and counted an extremely fast three-count, giving Rhodes the victory. Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship, but Gunther was left with another reason to complain about the result.
The drama continued backstage, where Rhodes, Gunther, Zayn, and Nick Aldis argued over what had happened. Not satisfied with the way he retained the title, Rhodes returned to the ring and demanded the match be restarted with a new referee.
The Ring General quickly accepted after attacking Zayn, who was protesting the rematch once again. A second championship match got underway. However, as Rhodes and Gunther started fighting again, Zayn returned and hit Gunther with a Helluva Kick, causing a disqualification.
During the post-match brawl, Zayn accidentally hit Rhodes with the championship belt. Realizing he had made things even worse, a frustrated Zayn left the ringside.
After two controversial finishes in one night, the Undisputed WWE Championship picture is more uncertain than ever. Gunther had a strong argument after all that happened, and he demanded another title match at Night of Champions to Aldis.
