WWE Night Of Champions 2025

The WWE events that have been run in Saudi Arabia so far have been varied and kind of strange at best, and have always had a tinge of discomfort attached to them due to human rights controversies in the region. Even with that aside, the shows often feel a little surreal - almost like glorified house shows. Regardless, there were some pretty major matches on this year's card, so I was intrigued to see what would play out, albeit I was fairly sure who would win each bout.

The night started off with the 'King Of The Ring' tournament final, which saw Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes square-off for the right to face the Undisputed WWE Champion at 'Summerslam'. The result of this match was hardly in doubt, but I knew the two men would give everyone a good show either way. The match was solid - I thought they told an interesting story, surrounding Randy's lower back, and how Cody chose to handle it. The match did feel a little like the two men hitting their greatest hits, so-to-speak, but the live crowd loved it, so I suppose it served its purpose. The match ended how I expected, although, I did really like some of the subtle post-match storytelling, which looked to sow the seeds of a future rivalry between the two men.

This was promptly followed by a 'street fight' between Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley. Again, this seemed like it would only really end one way, but these two were sure to be physical and entertaining regardless. And physical is certainly what this was - I really enjoyed the weapon-filled chaos that these two women put forth. I thought there were a couple of really cool spots, which showcased both Rhea and Raquel's abilities, topped off by a creative and impactful finish that I loved.

The third match of the evening saw Sami Zayn take on Karrion Kross, who was in his first PLE match in what felt like years. I was, once again, almost certain of who was going to win the match, but hoped it would at least be a close contest. I was really pleased to see the competitiveness of the match, and the story told really worked with the way the rivalry has played out. I was also pleased by how much time the two men were given - it really made the match feel important, which is what Kross deserves. The match finish was really easily forecast, but it still worked.

Next up was the United States Championship match between the reigning champion Jacob Fatu and his former Bloodline compatriot and real life cousin Solo Sikoa. This was the only match where I had a little doubt about who would end up winning, but I was still fairly confident about who I thought would win. The match was okay, but nothing to get too excited about. It felt fairly to-form in how it played out, until some legitimately surprising twists came towards the end of the match, that admittedly I really liked. I will be very interested to see what happens next with these two, as well as the United States Championship in general.

At last, it time for the 'Queen Of The Ring' tournament final, which featured Jade Cargill against the recently returning Asuka. This one was very predictable, due to the storylines surrounding the match, but I was still looking forward to it, albeit mainly because I'm a big fan of Asuka. As I expected, Asuka's striking was crisp and smooth. She used her experience to make Cargill look pretty strong and well-rounded, although credit should go to Jade for the work she's been putting in. With that said, this match did not get the time I expected, nor did it ever really feel in doubt.

Finally, it was time for the main event; the last-ever one-on-one meeting between iconic rivals CM Punk and John Cena, with Cena's Undisputed WWE Championship on the line. Everything about this match, from the reignition of a legendary feud, to the bizarre backtracking of Punk, to the slightly odd build, was surreal. I knew that, considering the age of the two men, as well as how much Cena has slowed down in the ring, this was not going to be a classic on the level of their brilliant match at 'Money In The Bank' 2011, but I knew there would be buckets of drama and shenanigans to go around. The crowd was electric, which was good to see, as much as it was to be expected. The match was definitely slower, but the bursts of energy were certainly entertaining. The chemistry was absolutely still there, and some of the counters were as smooth as butter. The inevitable shenanigans were perhaps a little too chaotic, but the actual finish was good. This was classic retirement tour Cena, and I'm really enjoying what's happening with his character.

Overall, I thought this was an extremely mixed event. The US Championship match and the 'Queen Of The Ring' final both disappointed me, but the rest of the matches were at least solid, with the street fight being my personal favourite match of the night. This event was, realistically speaking, a means to an end, in that, it was there to set-up 'Summerslam'. As it happens, I believe that 'Summerslam' will be an excellent event, but there's still a 'Saturday Night's Main Event' and an 'Evolution' premium live event to come before that.