WWE Night of Champions 2025

WWE Night of Champions 2025

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - June 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, John Cena was the Undisputed WWE Champion, GUNTHER was the World Heavyweight Champion, Tiffany Stratton was the Women's World Champion (on SmackDown), and IYO SKY was the Women's WWE Champion (on Raw). Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were technically the Women's Tag Team Champions, but Morgan was injured. The World Tag Team Champions were The New Day, while The Street Profits held the WWE Tag Team Championships, but neither team was featured on the show. The Intercontinental Champion was Domnik Mysterio, the US Champion was Jacob Fatu, the Women's IC Title was held by Becky Lynch, while Guilia was the Women's US Champion. 

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton to decide who the new King of the Ring would be - with the winner also going on to SummerSlam to challenge John Cena for the Undisputed World Championship - was the opening contest. Orton fought for the crown the previous year, if I'm not mistaken. Both guys got huge ovations. Lots of history between these two, as was noted on commentary. Cody targeted Orton's back after he had an awkward landing from a superplex, even wrapping him around the post at one point. After a brief comeback from Orton, Cody hit a pair of Codycutters but only got 2 from them. Orton hit the Hanging DDT but his RKO attempt got turned into a Cross Rhodes for another nearfall. Orton came back with an immediate RKO for a nearfall of his own. Orton had a conflicted moment deciding whether or not he wanted to hit the Punt Kick on his former protege, wasting time and telegraphing the move to the point that Rhodes countered his attempt into a Figure Four. I'm not sure I understood that moment as, yes, it showed Orton's hesitance, but ultimately, he did attempt to kick Rhodes square in the head. After a strike exchange, Cody went for another cutter but Orton caught him with another RKO for 2. Orton exposed the turnbuckle behind the ref's back but it ended up costing him as he get sent into it ribs-first and then ate a Cross Rhodes. That would've been a terrific finish if they had done more work on Orton's ribs and not his lower back during the first third of the match. After the match, Rhodes thanked Orton for the contest and Orton's reaction seems like a set-up for a potential heel turn. Orton's performance in this match - and after - were the highlights here, but I'm not sure what a heel turn would really mean at this point as Cena's heel run seems like it still has months to go and Rollins is also in the midst of a strong heel push. Anyway, good-not-great match. (3/5)

Raquel Rodriguez, one half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions (with an injured Liv Morgan), took on Rhea Ripley in a Streetfight in the next match. Both were dressed a bit like Catwoman (as per the rules of working in Saudi Arabia). Some good stiff clotheslines and power moves on display early. Rodriguez tied Ripley up in the ropes and then grabbed a kendo stick, delivering a bunch of strikes to her stomach and ribs before picking up a chair that got kicked right back into her head. Ripley escaped and hit a low dropkick that sent Rodriguez to the outside, following it up by sending her into the steps. We got a really cool spot after Rodriguez placed the top "lid" of the announce table over the timekeepers area and got powerbombed through it. Not sure I've seen that before. Raquel slid a table into the ring but this allowed Rhea to recover. Rhea took off her belt and whipped Raquel around the ring before delivering a Razor's Edge out of the corner, a nod to former stablemate Damien Priest. Ripley applied her signature leglock but Rodriguez wouldn't quit and out came Roxanne Perez, dressed near identical to both the competitors, to break the hold. Ripley went after Perez, superplexing her on the floor. Ripley placed a garbage can over Perez and hit a running knee into it but then got sent into the post by Rodriguez. Back in control, Rodriguez set up the table in the corner, creating something of a platform out of it. Ripley climbed atop it and slammed Rodriguez' head into it before pulling her up as well. Ripley then delivered a massive Riptide to get the win. Not the most hardcore streetfight ever, but I'll give credit where its due and applaud Ripley (and Rodriguez) for delivering some new twists on a match type that doesn't always offer anything fresh or innovative. Solid outing. (3/5)

Karrion Kross got his first big spotlight in awhile, taking on Sami Zayn, who he had been essentially "stalking" on RAW over the past few weeks. Kross got some press around WrestleMania when he cut a "worked shoot" promo about not being featured on TV enough. Zayn got a huge response from the Saudi Arabia crowd, which was no surprise as he is seen as something of a "hometown hero" whenever the WWE is in the Middle East. Sami wowed the crowd with some his high-flying, but Kross cut him off with a nice high suplex. Kross' heat segment wasn't terrible - I liked his smirk as he worked Zayn over with big right hands on the mat - but Zayn was the clear star here and it was his energy and hope spots that kept the crowd alive. Kross hit another nasty high suplex (which he calls the Doomsday Saito) and called for the Kross Hammer (Bull Hammer) but Zayn countered it into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick a few minutes later but got caught in Kross' sleeper-like Kross Jacket hold. We got the classic arm-raising moment with Zayn doing a terrific sales jobs. Zayn crawled his way to the bottom rope to break the hold, but had to eat some big clotheslines in the corner and a bunch of slaps to the head. Zayn sprung back with a surprise Helluva Kick to the back of the head and got the win! A bit of an abrupt, out-of-nowhere ending that pleased the crowd after a match that maybe went a bit long but was also Kross' best WWE outing (that I've seen). (3/5)

Solo Sikoa challenged Jacob Fatu for the United States Championship in the next match. Fatu turned on Sikoa at Money in the Bank, which set this match up. A bit dull at times and Solo's incessant talking was more annoying than interesting to me. Things picked up after they traded suplexes, but for a guy whose nickname is "All Gas - No Breaks," there was a lot of time spent between moves. JC Mateo (Jeff Cobb) and Tonga Lao came out to help Sikoa but Fatu managed to rally and took out both Mateo and Lao on the floor with a huge splash that didn't quite connect with Loa. Back in the ring, Fatu hit the pop-up Samoan Drop and his trademark moonsault and seemed to have the match won until...Hikuleo (now going by Tala Tonga?) made his debut and chokeslammed Fatu onto the announce table before sending him back into the ring. How this was not a DQ, I'm not sure. Solo hit a Samoan Spike and got the pin victory to become the new US Champion. Uneven match with a finish that I feel like we've seen way too many times. I was not a fan. (2/5)

Asuka vs. Jade Cargill in the finals of the Queen of the Ring Tournament followed. A real clash of styles and experience levels here and, as expected, Cargill looked a little robotic, slow, and awkward at times, especially against Asuka, who is still one of the best workers in the company. Cargill's power-based offense was impressive, but Asuka's striking was even moreso. This match was probably the least-heated of any on the show, though that's not particularly surprising considering most predicted that Cargill, whose not exactly a fan favorite, was going to win. Not a great finish (even aside from whether or not the right person won). For a sub-10 minute match, they packed in a lot of stuff and most of it wasn't too bad. (2.5/5)

Main event time - CM Punk vs. John Cena for Cena's Undisputed WWE World Championship. CM Punk got a warm response from the Saudi crowd (despite some not-so-nice things he once said about their government and the sports-washing partnership they made with the WWE). Cena got welcomed to a chant of "John Cena Sucks." Lengthy introductions help set the stage, though no one could confuse this with Money in the Bank 2011 in terms of "big fight feel" as there was little doubt about what the outcome would be. Nothing remarkable in the early going as Punk and Cena kept the pace deliberate, stretching it out with some submissions and Cena taking a powder and whatnot. Cena hit some trademark moves and landed a 5 Knuckle Shuffle but couldn't get the AA. Punk rallied with a neckbreaker and a running knee in the corner. Punk went to the top and landed a flying elbow but Cena countered his GTS attempt into an STF. Punk countered it into an Anaconda Vice but Cena got out and hit an AA for 2. Punk hit a DDT and then applied an STF of his own but Cena got to the bottom rope. Punk hit a running knee but ate a sidewalk slam. Cena went for another Shuffle (inexplicably), but got kicked in the face. Punk looked to be back in control but Cena countered another neckbreaker into an AA for 2. Good sequence there even if it did feel like they were recycling stuff from not just their previous matches but earlier in the same match. Cena went for an AA off the second rope but couldn't get it. Punk crossbodied him from the top but Cena caught him, rolled through, and hit a third AA! Another 2.9 count! Cena grabbed the belt and brought it into the ring but dropped it in the corner, seemingly deciding against using it and getting himself disqualified. Punk took the opportunity to hit a GTS but Cena kicked out at 2. A dueling chant began as they went into a strike exchange. Cena accidentally shoulder-blocked the referee out of the ring! CM Punk hits a GTS and gets the visual pin but there's no referee! Punk called for a referee...but out came Seth Rollins instead, briefcase in hand. Rollins' arrival and the Briefcase tease stretched for several minutes as the crowd sang his theme song. Rollins sent Breakker and Reed into the ring to take Punk out, but he was able to send them out to the floor and hit them a crossbody (or at least attempt one). Reed and Breaker hoisted Punk up and put him through a table with an ugly double-choke slam. The ref was dead on the outside for all this, I guess. Rollins called out Charles Robinson but Cena cut him off before he could get in the ring! Cena hit Rollins with an AA but then got attacked by Reed and Bronson. Out came Penta for the save, but Breakker ended up suplexing him on the ramp before Sami Zayn came out to help out the babyfaces! Zayn and Breakker brawled around the stage but then got hit by a Penta splash! Back in the ring, Reed went to Tsunami Cena but Punk shoved him off the top rope. Cena hit the AA on Reed but then dropped in a heap. At this point there was still no ref and Rollins had disappeared at ringside. Punk extended his hand in friendship to Cena, who pulled him in for a hug, but, in a repeat moment from Cena's heel turn segment, was all a trick. Punk saw it coming, though, and blocked Cena's kick, hoisting him up for a GTS, but Rollins interfered and blasted Cena with the Briefcase! Curb Stomp on Punk! Cena was back up and so was the referee to make the cover. Not anywhere close to the better matches Cena and Punk put on back in the day, but not bad. Cena's Comeback Tour has not yielded any matches I'd consider "great" and they've also now become a bit formulaic with slow starts building towards signature move trading and false finishes and then a bunch of fuckery to end things. (2.5/5)

With an overall Kwang Rating of 2.67-out-of-5, Night of Champions 2025 was the third straight "just okay" PLE from the WWE. Once again, Cena's main event match was in the "acceptable" range and none of the fresher faces that the WWE pushed on this card - Kross, Cargill, Solo, or even Jacob Fatu - put on performances warranting their spotlights. Sami Zayn, Ripley, Rhodes, and Orton are all such capable performers and so over with the live audiences that their matches had plenty of heat. While Orton and Rhodes didn't offer anything new in terms of actual wrestling, I did like that it hinted to a more long-term program in the months to come (though I'm not sure what one is supposed to do with a heel Orton in this landscape). Ripley and Raquel arguably stole the show, though their match was far from a classic or even "must see" the same way some of Ripley's other matches have been over the past few years. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand