Sami Zayn’s First Title Defense Set, WWE vs. AAA Champion-Champion Bout, SmackDown 7/10 Updates

Several updates surfaced from the taped episode of WWE SmackDown that aired from Atlantic City, New Jersey on Friday, July 3, 2026.

Featured below are some of the notes coming out of the show:

– WWE continues to blur the lines between its own roster and AAA following the company’s acquisition of the promotion. After talent from each brand began challenging for, and even capturing, championships across both promotions, the next step appears to be champion vs. champion. During Friday’s SmackDown, AAA World Tag Team Champions The War Raiders confronted WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest & R-Truth and challenged them to a winner-take-all showdown with both sets of titles on the line. Priest and Truth accepted the challenge, but with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis absent from the show, the match could not be made official or given a date. Priest indicated, however, that the title-for-title bout is expected to take place on an upcoming edition of SmackDown.

– Trick Williams retained the WWE United States Championship against Ricky Saints at WWE Night of Champions, and it didn’t take long for his next challenger to emerge. On Friday’s SmackDown, Carmelo Hayes confronted Williams and pushed for a championship opportunity. Lil Yachty quickly shot the idea down, reminding Hayes that title matches are earned rather than handed out. Instead, Hayes will meet Williams in a non-title singles match on next week’s SmackDown. The show will also feature Tama Tonga taking on Finn Balor, while WWE is expected to officially confirm the full card for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden, including an additional women’s tag team match featuring Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. SNME at MSG will also feature Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh, as announced on SmackDown.

– Cody Rhodes is officially set to challenge Sami Zayn for the WWE Championship on next Monday’s Raw. During Friday’s SmackDown, Zayn addressed the WWE Universe for the first time since capturing the title, with Rhodes and Jey Uso also involved in the segment. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce later announced that Rhodes and Uso would square off later in the evening to determine Zayn’s first challenger. Rhodes secured the victory with Cross Rhodes, punching his ticket to a WWE Championship showdown against Zayn on the July 6 edition of Raw.

For those interested, you can check out our complete WWE SmackDown Results 7/3/26 here at WrestlingHeadlines.com.

The American Nightmare is No. 1 Contender! 🇺🇸@codyrhodes will battle @samizayn for the Undisputed WWE Title on Monday Night Raw! pic.twitter.com/md5gtiIMwi

— WWE (@WWE) July 4, 2026