Countdown to Night of Champions: What to Expect When WWE Touches Down in Riyadh
The WWE will once again head to Saudi Arabia for their Night of Champions Premium Live Event on Saturday, June 28th. This event will be headlined by the final clash between John Cena and CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The finals of both the King and Queen of the Ring Tournament will be held in Riyadh, with the winners receiving world title matches at SummerSlam. Personal rivalries will be on display when Jacob Fatu defends the United States Championship against the man who brought him to WWE, Solo Sikoa. Rhea Ripley will face a woman she has a history with, Raquel Rodriguez, in a Street Fight. Sami Zayn will also finally face Karrion Kross after weeks of Kross’s manipulation. WWE shows in Saudi tend to be very big, and with this card, the World Wide Leader in Sports Entertainment will look to deliver once again for fans across the globe.
John Cena vs CM Punk-Undisputed WWE Championship Match
When Cena announced his retirement tour last year at the Money in the Bank PLE, one of the most anticipated matchups was against the Second City Saint. The long history of the two rivals dates back to the summer of 2011 when the Voice of the Voiceless shocked the world by defeating Cena in his hometown of Chicago for the WWE Championship. These two have met a total of 13 times, with both wrestlers scoring six wins apiece and one match ending in a double pin. Now, these two will square off one more time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but this time the roles are reversed. Cena, the traditional baby face, is now a heel and has embraced turning on the fans, and has claimed that he will ruin wrestling by retiring as the champion and forcing the WWE to start over. Punk, on the other hand, is beloved by the fans and claims that Cena is poisoned by the championship. Punk will now seize the opportunity to take the championship from his long-time rival and win it back for the WWE Universe.
King of the Ring Final- Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton
For the first time since he made his comeback to the WWE in 2022, Cody Rhodes will face off against Randy Orton. This is the occasional mentor vs mentee matchup as Orton, the mentor, will take on Rhodes, the mentee, with an opportunity to face the WWE Champion at SummerSlam. Rhodes has said on occasion that this is a dream matchup for him, and with both men looking for another chance to call themselves champion again, the stakes are high for this one. The two former members of Legacy know each other so well that if one of them makes a mistake, the other one will capitalize on it quickly. Orton will look for an opportunity at redemption after losing in the finals last year, while Rhodes will look to add another accolade to his growing Hall of Fame career.
Queen of the Ring Final- Jade Cargill vs Asuka
In a first-time matchup, Jade Cargill will take on the recently returning Asuka. Cargill is riding some serious momentum as WWE heads towards Evolution. The former Women’s Tag Team Champion will look to add her first career major milestone as a single star by winning this tournament over a former NXT Women’s Champion. The former TBS Champion has impressed since her debut last year, and it may be time to put the rocket on Cargill and take her to the moon. Asuka, who recently returned from a knee injury, will look to get back in the championship picture by winning this tournament. The Empress of Tomorrow has the aura and fanbase behind her, but Cargill’s power and momentum may halt the former Women's Champion's attempt at getting another shot at championship glory.
United States Championship Match- Jacob Fatu vs Solo Sikoa
Former members of the Bloodline will battle it out for the top mid-card championship on the blue brand. Ever since debuting in the WWE last year, Fatu has been one of the most popular stars on the roster. Sikoa brought Fatu into the fold so that he could hold onto his power as the leader of the new Bloodline after Roman Reigns lost the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40. After Sikoa lost his power and control in the Bloodline, Fatu soared to new heights on his own. He captured the U.S. title at WrestleMania 41, and since then, Sikoa has tried to keep his grip on the Samoan Werewolf. The former NXT North American Champion has been masquerading as someone who loves Fatu; however, Fatu saw through this and turned on Sikoa before he could do the same to him. Now, these two will take their rivalry into the ring where they will square off for the first time.
Street Fight- Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Rodriguez
Another personal rivalry will take center stage when the Eradicator will take on one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions in a Street Fight. These two competitors know each other well and have great chemistry with each other. Both of these women cost one another opportunities in the Queen of the Ring Tournament, and now have turned their focus on exacting revenge on the other. Rodriguez is navigating without her partner, Liv Morgan, so this will be another opportunity to showcase herself as a single star before returning to the tag team scene with presumably Roxanne Perez as her partner. This will be another fun match between two competitors who know each other well and will be able to use any weapon to take down the other.
Sami Zayn vs Karrion Kross
This match could turn out to be the fans’ match of the night. Zayn, who is on a quest to become a world champion, is the crowd favorite due to having ties to the Saudi Arabian culture. The former Intercontinental Champion always receives big ovations when he wrestles in the Middle Eastern country. Kross is the fan’s favorite as he has gained momentum among the fanbase on social media and during Main Event taping. The former NXT Champion over the past few weeks has been trying to get inside Zayn’s head and tell him that he is going to have to do some things he does not usually do to become world champion. Zayn, being the stand-up guy he is, refuses each time and goes as far as to punch Kross in the mouth on the June 23rd episode of Raw. Kross simply smiled as Zayn walked away. So, has Kross gotten into Zayn’s head, or is Zayn ready to prove Kross wrong? It all goes down in Riyadh, and fans cannot wait to find out.
