Sami Zayn was met with a hostile reaction from his hometown crowd after the latest edition of WWE SmackDown went off the air. The Toronto fans made their feelings clear as Zayn left the arena following his shocking betrayal of Kevin Owens.
The August 21, 2026, episode of WWE SmackDown emanated live from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The night’s main event saw CM Punk defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens. The match became increasingly chaotic when the referee was taken out of the action, creating an opening for Zayn to get involved.
“The Underdog from the Underground” initially appeared to be helping Owens. He attacked Punk and sent him into the ring post before bringing the championship belt into the ring. Zayn handed the title to Owens and appeared to want his longtime friend to use it as a weapon. “The Prizefighter,” however, refused.
Rather than take the shortcut, Owens handed the championship back to Zayn. The gesture immediately changed Zayn’s attitude. He struck Owens with the title belt, allowing “The Best in the World” to recover and hit the GTS. Punk then pinned Owens to retain the championship.
Zayn continued his attack after the match, laying out both Punk and Owens with the title belt. His actions marked a major turn in his relationship with Owens and left the Toronto crowd with little sympathy for their hometown star.
WWE later posted footage of Zayn leaving the Scotiabank Arena and highlighted the reaction he received from the fans.
“EXCLUSIVE: After he single-handedly ruined the Undisputed WWE Championship Match between @CMPunk and @FightOwensFight, Canada’s @SamiZayn gets shouted out of the arena in Toronto,” WWE wrote on X.
You can check out the clip below:
The footage showed fans loudly chanting “Sami sucks” as Zayn walked past them. Zayn appeared visibly angry, pointing toward members of the crowd and shouting back at them rather than simply ignoring the abuse.
The reaction was a stark contrast to what Zayn might have expected in Toronto. Instead of receiving the usual hometown support, he left the arena as one of the most heavily booed stars on the show.
Zayn had entered the night frustrated about his own championship situation. He ended it by costing Kevin Owens the title and turning the Toronto crowd firmly against him.
