This Saturday,WWEwill stream Night of Champions live from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and will be the first Night of Champions event in eight years. Only five of those who appeared at the event’s 2015 show will compete this year in Saudi Arabia, which includes Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Cody Rhodes, who previously competed under the name Stardust. At the streaming event, some superstars will compete in front of the Saudi crowd for the first time in several years.
At Night of Champions, the currentWWEUniversal Champion Roman Reigns will be in action, but he will not be defending his championship. In its place, WWE has introduced a new world heavyweight championship and will crown its inaugural champion at Night of Champions. In addition,both Women’s Championships will be defendedby their respective champions, but the Women’s Tag Team Championship will be absent from the card, after former champion Liv Morgan sustained an injury, forcing her and partner Raquel Rodriguez to relinquish the titles.
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WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Following her victory at WrestleMania against Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley began her first and current reign as the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Thereafter, Ripley successfully defended her title against Dana Brooke but continued her onslaught after the match. Natalya came to Brooke’s aid, later voicing her disdain for Ripley’s actions. Asa member of The Judgment Day, Ripley may have the help of Dominick Mysterio should she need to call on him during the match. However, as both a Grand Slam and Triple Crown Champion, Ripley has rightfully earned a reputation as a fierce competitor. As a veteran of the sport, Natalya hopes to conquer Ripley and become a two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Cody Rhodes v. Brock Lesnar
After Cody Rhodes' loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, he found himself locked intoa feud with Brock Lesnarwho turned on him prior to a tag team match. At Backlash, Rhodes defeated Lesnar, hoping to refocus his attention on capturing championship gold In his first-round match against Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura in the inaugural World Heavyweight Championship tournament, Rhodes lost the match due to interference from Lesnar. Lesnar’s physical onslaught has grown increasingly violent over recent weeks, appearing to injure Rhodes' arm. Rhodes may be walking into his second bout with Lesnar operating at less than his full capacity, but Rhodes has previously proven that an injury provides him with more motivation to come out on top.
Becky Lynch v. Trish Stratus
Unbeknownst to Becky Lynch,WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratusattacked Lynch’s tag team partner and fellow Hall of Famer Lita prior to her and Lynch’s championship defense. Stratus would step in to team with Lynch, lose the match, and therefore, Lynch and Lita’s championships. Following their match, Stratus would attack Lynch, kickstarting a feud between them. After weeks of taunting Lynch, Stratus has been forced to recognize what Lynch is capable of, and what she may have to fear heading into Saturday’s match.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Gunther’s first and current reign as the WWE Intercontinental Champion gradually approaches the one-year mark, and he has shown no signs of slowing down. Mustafa Ali looks to change thatafter outlasting several other superstarsin a battle royal to crown a number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship. At Night of Champions, Ali hopes to capture his first taste of WWE gold and stop Gunther from continuing his dominant reign as Intercontinental Champion.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will compete in Saudi Arabia for the first time in several years. At WrestleMania, Owens and Zayn defeated the Usos to capture the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, putting an end to the triumphant championship run by the Bloodline. Both Owens andZayn have been at odds with the Bloodlinefor a while, but Zayn’s troubles cut deeper. Zayn’s former affiliation with the Bloodline continues to cause tension within the Bloodline, and the cracks have begun to expose themselves at Zayn’s pestering.
On Saturday, the Usos will not attempt to reclaim their gold. Instead, Roman Reigns announced that he and Solo Sikoa would compete against Owens and Zayn at Night of Champions to ensure that the tag team goldwould be returned to the Bloodline. This decision has not sat well with the Usos, who have repeatedly tried to get to the good graces of Reigns, to no avail. Saturday’s outcome may be the deciding factor for the future state of the Bloodline.
WWE Raw Women’s Championship
At WrestleMania, Bianca Belair successfully defended the Raw Women’s Championship against Asuka. By doing so, Belair has become thelongest-reigning women’s champion of the modern era, and during a celebration of that accomplishment, Asuka interrupted, reigniting her feud with Belair. While Belair continues to shatter records in the WWE, Asuka has earned her place in this match. As a WWE Women’s Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion, Asuka may find herself to be the one to end Belair’s historic reign.
Inaugural World Heavyweight Championship
In Raw’s first round of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament, Seth Rollins defeated Damian Priest and Shinsuke Nakamura, and defeated Finn Bálor later in the night to advance to the final round at Night of Champions. On SmackDown,AJ Styles defeated WWE Hall of FamersEdge and Rey Mysterio in the first round before defeating Bobby Lashley later in the night to advance to the final round at Night of Champions. Both men are Grand Slam and Triple Crown Champions in the WWE and hope to add another championship to their long list of accolades. With the momentum Rollins has exhibited lately, he is the likely favorite to walk away with the new championship.
WWE Night of Champions 2023will stream live from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on June 27, 2025, on Peacock at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
