Night Of Champions Recap
Last night’s WWE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia was a show that was equal parts spectacle and problematic. For a card that had the word Champions in it, only two titles were up for grabs at the PLE. Here was the card for the PLE:
- John Cena def. CM Punk to retain Undisputed WWE Championship
- Cody Rhodes def. Randy to win King of the Ring
- Jade Cargill def. Asuka to win Queen of the Ring
- Solo Sikoa def. Jacob Fatu to win the US Championship
- Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Rodriguez
- Sami Zayn def. Karrion Kross
Highlights & Lowlights
- Highlight – Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton. A decade in the making, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton collided in a match layered with history, mentorship, betrayal, and redemption. Rhodes winning wasn’t a surprise— but the manner in which he won raised my eyebrows. It wasn’t the typical babyface win for Cody but more of a darker, nuanced win. Both Cody & Randy Orton embraced the darker nature of their characters to attempt to win. It was a good bit of storytelling that captivated the audience.
- Highlight – Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez. This match really had no business being as good as it was. The two powerhouses used physicality, brutality and weapons to tell a vicious story of violence. The one drawback was Roxanne Perez’s interference easily being thwarted by Rhea but you gotta admit that Riptide off the top rope on the table was a pretty cool spot.
- Hightlight – John Cena vs. CM Punk. Cena and Punk hadn’t stood across from each other in a WWE ring in over a decade, and yet the chemistry was still electric. After spending weeks ripping each other apart on the mic, both men left it all in the ring. Just when it looked like CM Punk was going to vanguish Cena, Seth Rollins’ cash in attempt and interference once again screwed Punk over.
- Lowlight – Jade Cargill vs. Asuka. This match felt disjointed as these two just didn’t have good chemistry with one another. The effort was there but it didn’t flow in the ring. You could clearly see Asuka having to slow down for Jade. And then there was the crowd – more on that in a minute.
- Lowlight – Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross. Kudos to Kross for using social media to get him into his first PLE match in over 2 years but the match just didn’t click for me. WWE has this ugly habit of keeping talent on the sidelines only to throw them in a match on a PLE. Sure, Kross’ backstage work along with social media has kept his name out there but no one’s seen him in a ring for so long it was hard to get invested.
- Highlight – Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu. The Samoan Werewolf is truly a lone wolf after Solo Sikoa enlisted help from the returning Tonga Loa and a debuting Tala Tonga(fka Hikuleo) to steal the US championship. Whatever you think about Solo his ability to stick to his character work has won people over. The match itself was fine for what it was but the true story was the furthering of the Bloodline saga.
WWE Has A Saudi Problem
Let’s not sugarcoat it—WWE has a serious Saudi problem. It’s one that’s been there since WWE announced they would start doing shows in Riyadh back in 2018.
The deal between WWE and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority is scheduled to expire at the end of 2027 and it’s a deal that nets WWE over $100 million a year to host 1-2 PLEs a year. With WWE’s parent company TKO in debt to the tune of $3 billion it should come as no surprise that both WWE and the SGEA want to renew the deal. The Saudi’s are paying a ton of money to bring in big sporting events and when a company is willing to pay through the nose WWE will listen. It’s becoming more and more apparent the SGEA is involved in the creative product for WWE… and that’s not a good thing. It’s also not a good thing when a good percentage of your talent refuse to go to Saudi Arabia over the country’s continued human rights policies. WWE is so deep into Saudi Arabia that even CM Punk ‘apologized’ for comments he made in 2019 about WWE, Saudi Arabia and The Miz.
And then there’s the crowd’s reaction to the women competitors. The Saudi kingdom has long been critized for its treatment of women in the country and the fans’ attitude toward the women competitors has shown that these PLEs have not helped to change people’s minds about equal treatment for women. The crowd fell silent during the women’s matches over the weekend and in the case of Naomi and Jade Cargill downright disrespectful. During SmackDown, Naomi interrupted a tense face to face between Asuka & Jade Cargill when fans shouted for Naomi to “shut the f*** up”. This initially startled Naomi but she was able to recover and cut her promo. On Saturday night, the crowd booed Cargill throughout the match and the boos only got louder as Cargill cut a promo after she defeated Asuka. Zelina Vega came out to complete silence despite defending her US championship against Giulia. The outright disrespect the crowd showed Naomi and Cargill was uncalled for and indicative of how black women are treated in the Saudi kingdom. If WWE is going to continue this partnership with Saudi Arabia then they need to do a much better job in protecting their women talent of color. I’m going to hold my breath on that one though.
The 2026 Royal Rumble being in Saudi Arabia feels more like a cash grab than an opportunity for WWE to further its reach across the globe. These PLEs in Riyadh, once looked at as a joke and nothing more than a glorified house show, are now taking on more importance. WWE is in danger of alienating fans who are staunchly against the country’s political policies… but the truth is the check will speak louder than the atrocities.
The Week’s Best Moment
Despite the controversy of what occurred in Saudi Arabia this weekend it did produce on of the wildest segments in recent WWE history.
John Cena appeared on SmackDown to hype up his match with CM Punk but before he could really get started the unthinkable happened:
A week after John Cena treated CM Punk’s life by doing a pipebomb promo, Punk returned the favor by parodying Cena’s own Dr. of Thuganomics character.
The mic work and chemistry between Cena and Punk has been legendary and these past two weeks have only added to their rivalry. Hopefully this weekend won’t be the last time we see these two go bar for bar.
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