Quick WWE Night of Champions 2025 review and fallout from the event

Night of Champions is in the books. The event went off without any major incidents, and it seems like everyone made it back home safe and sound. So, I decided to do a quick review of the show, along with some thoughts on the fallout and other WWE news that broke over the weekend.

Match Recap

The show kicked off with the King of the Ring finals between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. Honestly, what a way to start the show. It was a great match full of twists and turns, and what made it even more fun was the subtle heel tendencies shown by both guys. In the end, as most predicted, Cody picked up the win and will challenge for the title at SummerSlam.

Next was Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez. You could tell these two knew each other well, as they built a brutal, hard-hitting fight that made Raquel look strong in defeat. Both women came out of this looking strong, setting things up nicely for Evolution.

The third match featured Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross. For many fans, this was the ultimate test for Kross—to see if he could truly hang in the ring. Honestly, I’m still not 100% sold on him as an in-ring performer. He’s got a great look and solid promo skills, but something always feels off when he wrestles. That said, he still looked strong in defeat, and I’m glad Sami got the win. I feel like we’re slowly building toward a Zayn world title win.

The fourth match was Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu, and it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I figured Solo would win thanks to interference from a new member of his faction—which happened. I’m getting a little tired of the “Temu Bloodline” storyline, but Solo deserved the win, and I’m curious to see where this feud goes.

The fifth match was the Queen of the Ring finals between Jade Cargill and Asuka, and it was a mess. This match really showed how much Jade still needs training. She was in there with one of WWE’s best and couldn’t keep up or sell properly. The finish was especially sloppy—Jade hit her finisher but struggled so much with the cover that the ref counted the pin even though Asuka’s shoulders weren’t fully on the mat.

Finally, the main event: John Cena vs. CM Punk. These two veterans delivered. It wasn’t quite on the level of their classics, but considering their age and slower pace, it was still impressive. They proved they’ve still got it as in-ring performers. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of the finish, but I understand why they did it—it advanced the story between Seth and Punk while protecting both men heading into SummerSlam.

All in all, it was a strong show with a hot crowd, and we now have a solid sense of where WWE is heading for SummerSlam.

News & Notes from the Weekend: 1. Dave Meltzer’s Report on Punk’s Saudi Apology

According to Dave Meltzer, WWE planted the fan who asked CM Punk about his old Saudi Arabia tweet because they wanted him to apologize publicly.

You probably know my opinion on Meltzer—I wrote a whole column about it back in the early days of my writing career. In my view, he’s a cancer on the wrestling industry. He constantly makes things up to get gullible fans to pay $15/month for his newsletter. Plus, it’s no secret he’s not a big fan of either WWE or Punk. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made this up to stir up hate toward both.

Personally, I believe people can grow and regret things they said in the past. Punk simply decided to own up to his old tweet and apologize. As for the fan—come on. Fans in Saudi Arabia have social media. It’s not wild to think someone genuinely asked him about it without being planted.

2. SmackDown Returning to Two Hours Next Friday

Honestly, I’m glad they’re going back to two hours. But I’m also concerned this move might lead to lower-card talent getting lost in the shuffle—or even released—by the end of summer. Still, shortening the show makes it less of a chore to watch weekly.

3. Giulia Wins the U.S. Women’s Title

No surprise here, especially with SmackDown going back to two hours. No offense to Zelina Vega, but her reign was forgettable—you’d barely remember she was champion. Now WWE has a star they can build the division around. I see this as a stepping stone for Giulia. She’ll likely be the Women’s Champion within the next year.

Looking Ahead to SummerSlam

We now know that Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill will both challenge for world titles at SummerSlam.

Cody’s path is clear: Rhodes vs. Cena 2. But for Jade, things are murkier, since both women’s champions are babyfaces.

While it would make sense for Jade to challenge Tiffany Stratton, I think WWE goes in a different direction. My prediction? Naomi cashes in on Tiffany at Evolution, either during or after her match, and becomes a transitional champion—only to drop the title to Jade at SummerSlam.
Other Predictions

As for Punk, Penta, and Zayn, I see them aligning to take on Reed and Breakker. One of those teams could even beat The New Day before SummerSlam to make it a tag title match.

Punk vs. Rollins is clearly heading toward a major showdown. I’d book a Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam to settle the score—and use it as a way to write Punk off TV for a while. This would give Rollins’ faction a major boost and make them look like a true unstoppable force on RAW.

In the end, the next few weeks should be fun—not just with the SummerSlam build, but also Evolution and Saturday Night’s Main Event. And while I don’t wish anything bad on AEW, I do think WWE’s momentum could hurt their July ratings and buyrates… which may have been WWE’s plan all along.