GUNTHER Starts SmackDown Facing Title Challenges
That night, WWE SmackDown lit up the Unipol Arena in Bologna – live on June 5, 2026. Aftermath from Clash in Italy spilled into the ring, shaping what came next. Meanwhile, brackets shifted during ongoing King and Queen of the Ring matches.
Nightfall saw GUNTHER march straight into the arena. Anger pulsed through him, fresh off that disputed defeat to Cody Rhodes in Rome. He pointed at referees, saying they overlooked his foot touching the lower rope mid-fight. That detail mattered. It changed everything. Or so he claimed.
Beside the courtroom doors, he stood firm – justice was what he wanted, after all. The crown should have been his, that much he said without pause.
Cody Rhodes Addresses GUNTHER’s Statements
Right away, Cody Rhodes stepped up when GUNTHER called him out. He didn’t ignore what went wrong – instead, he owned it, saying how messy the ending had been. Without waiting, he tossed out a fresh match right there, ready to put the title on the line again without delay.
Out of nowhere, Sami Zayn stepped into the middle before things escalated. He made it clear neither man should forget he still had his own score to settle, even if others acted like he wasn’t part of the mix.
Inside the ring, voices rose when the trio started shouting. Not long after, Zayn challenged Rhodes’ trustworthiness, claiming he was always ignored. Yet again.
Rhodes Zayn and GUNTHER clash amid chaos
A clash quickly got violent. With fists flying, Rhodes found himself caught in a chokehold by GUNTHER. Out of nowhere, Zayn jumped into the fray, trading punches to pull them apart.
Outside the ring now, Rhodes aimed a dive at GUNTHER – only to crash into Zayn by mistake. That moment made things worse between them, trust already thin before this.
A gesture came from Rhodes, reaching out with an open hand. Yet Zayn turned his back instead, anger clear in each step he took.
Tournament Action Continues In Italy
Over on SmackDown, early clashes in the King and Queen of the Ring brackets moved forward. Not long after, key round-of-16 bouts took center stage. What followed brought rising stakes for several top names. Moments into the night, momentum shifted in surprising ways. By halftime, outcomes began reshaping paths ahead.
Beyond the spotlight, four women clashed at once – Bayley, Raquel Rodriguez, Jacy Jayne, then Kiana James – in a match where only one could rise. Meanwhile, another path unfolded through force: Bron Breakker stood across from Trick Williams, Damian Priest edged near victory, while Dominik Mysterio fought just as hard to move ahead.
Bursting into the spotlight, Rhea Ripley – Women’s Champion – took center stage alongside a handful of WWE’s biggest names, each appearance adding weight to the growing momentum toward the promotion’s upcoming marquee spectacle.
Fierce clashes lit up the ring as tensions climbed under Europe’s spotlight. A packed arena in Italy felt every moment when competition sharpened between longtime foes. High pressure shaped bold moves, each match adding weight to rising storylines. Emotions ran loud where pride met purpose on WWE’s blue brand stage.
