Top 3 Moments of WWE Night Of Champions 2025
On Saturday, June 28th, WWE returned to Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its big event, “Night of Champions.” The main event of the show saw John Cena defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against long-time rival CM Punk. This was likely the final time these two legends would meet in their careers. It was a great callback to their rivalry from 2011, and the nostalgia was top-tier.
We also saw the conclusion of the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments to see who would head to Summerslam for their respective brands. We also saw Rhea Ripley meet Raquel Rodriguez in a Street Fight, Karrion Kross do battle with Sami Zayn, and so much more. So, on this very stacked card, what were the top three moments of the night?
3. Solo Sikoa Wins The United States Championship With Help From Tonga Loa & Hikuleo
In one of Night of Champions’ marquee matches, we saw Jacob Fatu put the United States Championship on the line against Solo Sikoa. Tensions first arose between Fatu and Sikoa back on RAW’s Netflix premiere. This happened when Sikoa dropped the Ula Fala to Roman Reigns. Over the next few months, we saw tensions only escalate. On June 6th, Fatu heard Sikoa talking badly about him to JC Mateo. This led to Fatu screwing Sikoa in the Money In The Bank ladder match. This all led up to today’s showdown for the United States Championship.
The match itself between the two men was fantastic. As Fatu went up top, Mateo came running out to distract the referee, which led to the shocking return of Tonga Loa, who hit Fatu with a swinging neckbreaker off the top rope. This led to Sikoa getting a two-count in a pin attempt. Fatu was able to turn the tide in his favor again and even hit his big moonsault from the top. Just as Fatu looked to have the match won, we finally got the debut of Hikuelo, who helped Sikoa and pulled Fatu off the pinfall.
Hikuelo hit a chokeslam on Fatu through an announce table before sending him back into the ring for Sikoa to finish him off. Sikoa hit the Samoan Spike on Fatu and pinned him to become the new United States Champion. Nonetheless, this was a fantastic match and a great ending, which saw two major players come into the fray. Now, it looks like Fatu will be heading into a four-on-one scenario. Is there be anyone else left to help the Samoan Werewolf, and could that help come in a debuting Zilla Fatu?
2. King & Queen Of The Rings Are Crowned
In the opening match of Night of Champions, we saw the King of the Ring finals take place. Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton did battle to see who would earn the right to challenge John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Summerslam. This match was fantastic and everything we hoped it would be and then some. Ultimately, after Randy Orton tried to go underhanded and remove the turnbuckle padding, Rhodes sends Orton into the exposed buckle and hits him with a Cross Rhodes to win the match. Rhodes officially wins the King of the Ring and gets John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
As for the Queen of the Ring finals, we saw Asuka and Jade Cargill do battle in the second-to-last match of the night. Cargill and Asuka had a great match and both left it all out in the ring to etch their name in history. However, as Asuka went for the “Empress Impact,” Cargill managed to counter and reverse the move into her finisher, “Jaded.” Cargill officially wins the Queen of the Ring and seemingly gets Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship in 35 days at SummerSlam.
So, the first two SummerSlam matches are now known. We will see a WrestleMania 41 main event rematch as Cody Rhodes gets his hands on John Cena once again. We will also see Jade Cargill get her first championship opportunity as she battles Tiffany Stratton. With Naomi holding the Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase, who will be the WWE Women’s Champion come SummerSlam? With Jade winning Queen of the Ring, it seems likely we could be heading down a path to see Cargill and Naomi once again do battle.
1. John Cena Retains the Undisputed WWE Championship in Final Meeting With CM Punk
The main event of Night of Champions saw John Cena put the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against long-time rival CM Punk. On June 9th, an episode of RAW, CM Punk confronted Cena, who challenged him for the title. Cena accepted, but only if the title would be defended in Saudi Arabia. This is the same place where Punk has gone on record as being against the WWE partnership with Saudi Arabia. Regardless of Punk’s views, Punk agreed to fly to Saudi Arabia to face Cena for the top prize in the sport.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we saw both of these men have great promo battles. This includes the moment which will forever live in infamy, “PunkLife” from the June 27th edition of Friday Night SmackDown. The match itself was an excellent callback to the rivalry that we all loved in 2011. This was the 15th match between the two men, and the eighth with a championship on the line. Each man has tied with six wins each and one draw, and one no-contest. This was truly going to be the rubber match of all rubber matches.
At the end of the match, Cena looked to use the belt and get himself disqualified. However, the fans chanted no, and Cena listened. When the referee got knocked out, Punk called for a new one, but instead got Seth Rollins and his new group. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed took Punk out by slamming him through the announce table. Cena hits an AA on Rollins before Breakker and Reed attack Cena. This draws out Penta and Sami Zayn, who take Breakker out. Cena and Punk inadvertently work together to get rid of Reed. Just as it looked like Cena was turning face, he attempted to low blow Punk. However, Punk caught him and went for the GTS.
Cena counters out of it, which leads to Rollins clocking Punk with the briefcase and hitting a stomp. Cena throws Rollins out of the ring and steals the victory. This was a great match in what was surely the final meeting between these two men. Nonetheless, Cena looks ahead to his big match with Rhodes at Summerslam. As for Punk, it seems he’s still got some more unfinished business with Rollins. Nonetheless, what we know for sure is Cena still sits atop the mountain in WWE.
