In the charged atmosphere of Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Cody Rhodes took the first step on the long road back — defeating Jey Uso in a No. 1 Contender's match to earn a rematch against the man who ended his championship reign. It is a story as old as competition itself: the fallen champion, stripped of what he built over 113 days, seeking restoration through the only currency that matters in his world — victory. Rhodes will face Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn on Monday Night RAW, where the question of who truly belongs at the summit will be tested once more.
Cody Rhodes Earns Title Shot, Set to Challenge Sami Zayn for WWE Gold
The former champion had his path back to the title.
Mark
So Rhodes lost his title just days ago, and now he's already fighting his way back into a championship match. That's a quick turnaround.
Mimi
It is, but that's the nature of this. When you lose something that significant, you don't wait around. You prove you still belong in that conversation.
Mark
What was different about this match with Uso compared to what happened at Night of Champions?
Mimi
Night of Champions was a three-way. You're dividing your focus, your energy. This was just two men who know each other, who've been through battles together. That history changes everything.
Mark
Zayn's first appearance as champion—did the crowd seem to accept him?
Mimi
Mixed is the right word. He's the new champion, but he just took the title from someone the crowd had invested in. That's complicated. It takes time to build that narrative.
Mark
What does Rhodes need to do differently in the rematch?
Mimi
He needs to remember that Zayn beat him once already. You can't approach it the same way. The Cross Rhodes worked tonight against Uso, but Zayn will have seen it coming. It's chess now, not just strength.
Le Pouls
- Sami Zayn arrived in Atlantic City as the new Undisputed WWE Champion, but the celebration was cut short before it could begin — both Rhodes and Uso stormed the ring demanding their shot at the gold.
- General Manager Adam Pearce moved swiftly, booking a high-stakes No. 1 Contender's match on the spot, turning the tension into a main event collision between two former allies.
- The match carried the weight of shared history — Rhodes and Uso, once united, now tearing into each other with the kind of ferocity only familiarity can produce.
- Uso came agonizingly close, landing the Uso Splash and threatening to redirect the entire narrative before Rhodes countered a spear and sealed the win with the Cross Rhodes.
- Rhodes is now locked in as the No. 1 Contender, with the championship rematch set for next week's Monday Night RAW as SummerSlam season accelerates.
In the charged atmosphere of Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Cody Rhodes took the first step on the long road back — defeating Jey Uso in a No. 1 Contender's match to earn a rematch against the man who ended his championship reign. It is a story as old as competition itself: the fallen champion, stripped of what he built over 113 days, seeking restoration through the only currency that matters in his world — victory. Rhodes will face Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn on Monday Night RAW, where the question of who truly belongs at the summit will be tested once more.
The Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City crackled with a specific kind of energy on the night of July 3rd — the energy of unfinished business. Cody Rhodes had lost his 113-day reign as Undisputed WWE Champion just days prior at Night of Champions, where Sami Zayn seized the moment in a Triple Threat match and walked away with the gold. Now, with SummerSlam season officially beginning, Rhodes needed one thing: a path back.
Zayn's first appearance as champion was brief. He barely addressed the crowd before Rhodes and Jey Uso — Zayn's former tag partner — interrupted to stake their claims. General Manager Adam Pearce resolved the standoff efficiently, booking Rhodes against Uso on the spot, with the title shot on the line.
What followed was a match shaped by history. These two men had fought alongside each other, and now they fought against each other with all the intensity that shared experience brings. Uso nearly closed the door on Rhodes, landing the Uso Splash and threatening to take the contendership for himself. But Rhodes found a counter when it mattered most — turning aside an incoming spear and driving Uso down with the Cross Rhodes for the pinfall.
With the victory, Rhodes earned his rematch. The two men who have defined each other's recent careers — Rhodes, the former champion, and Zayn, the one who dethroned him — will meet again on Monday Night RAW, with the Undisputed WWE Title at stake and the road to SummerSlam growing shorter by the day.
The Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City filled with the particular electricity that comes when a wrestler loses everything and gets a chance to take it back. Cody Rhodes stood in that arena on Friday night, July 3rd, having lost his 113-day reign as Undisputed WWE Champion just days earlier at Night of Champions—a Triple Threat match where Sami Zayn seized the moment and the gold. Now, with the road to SummerSlam officially underway, Rhodes had one job: win a No. 1 Contender's match and earn the right to face Zayn again.
The show began with Zayn's entrance as the new champion, the belt gleaming under the lights as he prepared to address the crowd. The reaction was mixed—Atlantic City wasn't sure yet what to make of their new titleholder. He barely got a word out before both Rhodes and Jey Uso, his former tag team partner, emerged to interrupt. The message was clear: they both wanted what Zayn now held. General Manager Adam Pearce didn't deliberate long. He booked the main event on the spot—Rhodes versus Uso, winner gets the title shot.
The match itself was the kind of encounter that happens when two men have been through wars together and now find themselves on opposite sides. Rhodes and Uso had been allies, had fought as a unit, and now they were fighting each other with the kind of intensity that only comes from that history. Back and forth they went, each man looking to reclaim what he'd lost at Night of Champions. Uso nearly had it. He connected with the Uso Splash, a move that has ended countless matches, and for a moment it seemed like he might be walking out as the new No. 1 Contender.
But Rhodes had something left. In the closing moments, as Uso charged forward, Rhodes countered the incoming spear, pivoted, and drove him down with the Cross Rhodes. The pinfall came quickly. Rhodes got to his feet as the crowd processed what they'd just seen—the former champion had his path back to the title.
With the victory secured, Rhodes officially became the No. 1 Contender. The championship match is set for next week's Monday Night RAW, a rematch between two men who have now defined each other's recent history. Zayn will defend the Undisputed WWE Title against the man whose reign he ended, and Rhodes will get his chance to reclaim what was taken from him. The landscape of the blue brand has shifted again, and the momentum toward SummerSlam is building.
Citations marquantes
General Manager Adam Pearce immediately booked a No. 1 Contender's match between Rhodes and Uso after both men interrupted Zayn's championship celebration— WWE SmackDown, July 3, 2026
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