WWE SmackDown Results: Charlotte Flair and Jey Uso Advance in King & Queen of the Ring Tournaments; Sami Zayn Named Special Referee for Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther
WWE SmackDown on June 12, 2026 from Providence, R.I. featured King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring qualifying fatal four-way matches, with Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair advancing to the semifinals. Gunther announced that Sami Zayn will serve as the special guest referee for his upcoming Undisputed WWE Championship rematch against Cody Rhodes next week. The episode also featured a charged confrontation between Rhodes and Zayn that ended with both men slapping each other, setting up significant tension heading into Night of Champions.
The June 12 episode of WWE SmackDown, held at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. before approximately 6,769 distributed tickets, advanced both the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments. Charlotte Flair won an 18-minute fatal four-way over Jade Cargill, Sol Ruca, and Lyra Valkyria by submitting Valkyria with a Figure-Eight, while Jey Uso won the men's equivalent over LA Knight, Finn Balor, and Royce Keys with a top-rope splash aided by Solo Sikoa's interference on Knight. The most narratively significant development came when Gunther named Sami Zayn as the special guest referee for his Undisputed WWE Championship rematch against Cody Rhodes, scheduled for next week. This followed a tense in-ring segment in which Rhodes told Zayn he was 'whiny and desperate' and would never hold the WWE title, prompting Zayn to slap Rhodes before Rhodes slapped him back. Rey Fenix retained the AAA Cruiserweight Championship against Axiom in a well-received match, and the Bloodline storyline continued with Jacob Fatu delivering Roman Reigns' demand that Solo Sikoa return, which Sikoa flatly refused.
What's missing
The reports do not specify the exact date or venue for Night of Champions, which is the pay-per-view these storylines are building toward.
How coverage differed
F4W/WON's recap was largely enthusiastic and complimentary about match quality, calling the opening fatal four-way 'terrifically fun' and the Fenix-Axiom match 'tremendous.' PWTorch's Wade Keller was notably more critical, pointing out sloppy execution in the women's match — including Jade Cargill visibly struggling to keep her loosened weave in place during the closing minutes — and dismissing a 'This is awesome!' chant as unwarranted, while also criticizing the Danhausen lab segments as 'amateur sketch comedy' that makes WWE 'feel like a farce.'
What different sources said
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