WWE Night of Champions: Biggest Takeaways From Saudi Arabia

Before we get to Saudi Arabia, there’s plenty of buzz in the pro wrestling bubble. Blake Monroe
has FINALLY debuted and attacked Guilia. That same venue for SmackDown sold only 6,000
tickets, but when England’s soccer team played in the World Cup the same day, what would
one expect? Another update is that Logan Paul will be out for at least six months, making the
Vision’s future blurry for the time being.

With all that out of the way, how did WWE fare in Saudi Arabia? With two crowns and three
titles on the line, what could happen? Here are the biggest headlines for Night of Champions.

Sami Zayn is WWE CHAMPION!

It took ten attempts, but Sami Zayn is on top of the mountain. The crowd from the moment he
entered the arena, even if many believed Cody Rhodes was going to retain. The former WWE
champ hit a double Cody Cutter, and the match had two instances where the pinfall got broken
up before a three-count.

Both Zayn and Rhodes went through each of the announce tables, and Gunther was lethal with
his sleeper holds/powerbombs. When it seemed the American Nightmare was going to fade,
Zayn prevented the hand from hitting the mat and giving Gunther the win. In the closing
moments, the Ring General interrupted Zayn’s Helluva kick with a sleeper hold. Then, Zayn
countered before Rhodes hit a double Cross Rhodes. Rather than pin him, Zayn countered the
champ's finisher and rolled him up for the win. Congratulations to Sami Zayn, but fans and
media outlets alike fear that he will lose to Brock Lesnar and be a transitional champion.

The Ruler is Now the King

Ladies and gentlemen, bow down to your new King. Oba Femi and Jey Uso had a decent match.
Femi used his size and no-sold Usos moves like he was the Terminator. Uso showcased his
athleticism and aerial attack, but the Nigerian Giant denied him any chance to get the upper
hand. However, Bronson Reed and many fans pointed out that Oba tapped out to a sleeper
hold, and it wasn’t called. Whether or not this was intentional, we’ll see what happens next.

With a ‘Fall from Grace’, Oba Femi now has a choice to make. Will it be Roman Reigns, Sami
Zayn, or, heaven forbid, Brock Lesnar? Either way, expect the King to make his presence known
inside the US Bank Stadium for SummerSlam.

The Genius of the Sky and Ring

Iyo Sky overcame the damage from her leg by Liv Morgan to become the Queen of the Ring.
She immediately chose Morgan as her opponent, which means Rhea Ripley may not be back in
time to wrestle or defend her title. Before the match began, Danhausen cursed Raw Women’s
Champion Liv Morgan, meaning she was destined to lose. Iyo attempted a suicide dive, but was
hit with an uppercut by Morgan. She should’ve learned from the previous match, where Uso

got caught doing the same thing to Femi. Now the question is, does WWE have Morgan lose
again, or Sky fall short? Perhaps the Judgement Day turns on Morgan at SummerSlam, and the
creative team hits the reset button.

Time for a Different Vision for the Architect

Speaking of reset buttons, Bron Breakker desperately needs one as well. He lost to Seth Rollins
again in probably the best Steel Cage match of the PG era, even if What Culture says otherwise.
The two hurled and gathered weapons into the structure as they entered. They sat on chairs to
heighten the intensity, and then physicality followed. Their bout featured steel chairs, tables,
kendo sticks, and bloodshed. At one point, Breakker attempted to escape the cage by climbing,
but traded blows with Rollins on top of the cage. This led to a superplex through a table,
causing the Breakker’s eye to bleed. Rollins hit a pedigree and curb stomp to his opponent, who
crashed into a table. The Badass kicked out, though, and egged his opponent on. Seth then hit a
Super Curb stomp off the ropes to pick up the victory. With the Vision in his rearview mirror,
Rollins is rumored to collide with CM Punk at US Bank Stadium. As for Scott Steiner’s nephew,
he’s had a rough year. We will have to see what his role going forward is, and hope he can
bounce back.

The Lil Trick

Ok, that was a horrible pun. Trick Williams retained the US title against Ricky Saints in what was
the obvious outcome on the Night of Champions card. There was a pre-match assault by Saints,
and he got Lil Yachty thrown out after a classic ‘Latino Heat’ move. Unfortunately for the
Revolution, Williams wasn’t playing around and got the win. Afterwards, Saints attempted to
attack the US champ. However, Lil Yachty appeared and hit him with the People’s Elbow. At
least it was better than Snoop Dogg’s was at WM 39. This felt like a burial to the former Ricky
Starks, while Williams sets his sights on Carmelo Hayes at SummerSlam in Minnesota.

History in the Books

For the first time in WWE history, the Women’s US title was defended at a Premium Live Event.
Congratulations to the women for their accomplishment, even if it might have happened
because of Ripley’s injury. Tiffany Stratton defended her belt against Jade Cargill in typical WWE
fashion. She went onto the ropes for a PME, but the Baddies showed up to spoil the party. B-
Fabs interference wasn’t effective enough when Stratton kicked out of a roll-up pin. Chelsea
Green appeared from under the ring to take out Michin and B-Fab. The icing on the cake was
when Cargill went for the belt in the ring, but Charlotte grabbed it and hit her in the head to
cost her the match. Folks, we are headed for the Storm vs The Queen at SummerSlam. As for
Stratton, she is from MN, so expect her to be featured. Perhaps against Blake Monroe? Either
way, at least this was a clean finish and not a DQ.

The Game has Changed… For Now

This may have been the best PLE all-around for WWE in the ESPN era. We didn’t need more
advertisements about SummerSlam, and every match got at least 8 minutes. All the fan
favorites won, and the usual formula wasn’t entirely present. Sure, there was a pre-match
assault in the US title match and interference in the Women’s US bout. The one title change
was unexpected and a feel-good moment. It also looks like we are headed toward Gunther vs
Nick Aldis down the line, which is certainly a choice. Let’s hope Triple H can continue this
momentum heading into WWE’s biggest show of the summer.

Just a heads up, Monday Night Raw is at a special start time of 5 pm/CT in Atlantic City. Roman
Reigns will appear, looking for answers from Oba Femi. SmackDown will be taped right after, so
there will likely be spoilers. Expect multiple returns in the next month, and maybe (just maybe)
the fall of the Vision and/or the Judgement Day.