We have a new World Heavyweight Champion on Monday Night Raw, and his name is Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
To the surprise of many, WWE kicked off Night of Champions with the title bout between Rollins and Styles. It felt like the wrong move before the bell but proved to be the correct move after the bell.
The match started hot and never let up. Styles and Rollins wrestled a 50/50 match where neither man held the lead for an extended period of time. Just as Rollins appeared to be on the verge of sustained offense, Styles would flip the script.
Back-and-forth action was the story of the afternoon until Rollins hurt his left knee performing a tope suicida. The narrative shifted from who’s going to win to how can Rollins win.
Despite Styles targeting the injured knee, Rollins barely missed a beat. After several failed attempts from Rollins to deliver a Pedigree, it was Styles who drilled Rollins with the famed Triple H signature move for a close nearfall.
After escaping two calf crushers, Rollins’ knee gave out following a curb stomp attempt. Styles immediately went for a third round with the calf crusher, but Rollins finally got his pedigree and limped his way to a curb stomp for the win.
After the match, Triple H presented Rollins with the belt and put it around his waist as the celebration ensued.
The new champ was interviewed by Byron Saxton later on in the show. Rollins said it’s been nearly four years since he’s held a world title. He also put the internet movie rumors to rest, stating he will be on Raw this Monday and every Monday from now on.
Babyface vs. Babyface matches is challenging under normal circumstances. However, the crowd in Saudia Arabia was overwhelming behind Seth Rollins. AJ Styles was booed, but it wasn’t because they didn’t like him. Everyone wanted Rollins to win more.
What started as a question became the best possible outcome. A great match where the right guy in Rollins won, delightfully ushering in a new era for the World Heavyweight Championship.
The second part of the Night of Champions’ Triple Main event saw Brock Lesnar beat Cody Rhodes by making him pass out with a Kimura on his broken arm.
It was a good piece of business where the drama amplified the story of whether Cody could find a way to slay the beast with a broken arm. Cody’s titanium cast came into play as he repeatedly walloped Lesnar with it.
Cody looked like he might pull it off until the pain from two Kimura locks put the “American Nightmare” to sleep. Now they are 1-1 against each other, meaning a third match is inevitable.
Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa took an L in their bid to capture the undisputed tag team championship from Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Zayn spoke Arabic during his introduction, which the crowd absolutely loved.
The heat, storytelling, and wrestling were all in sync and made for an exciting match. The moment that will keep everyone talking was when Jimmy Uso drilled Roman Reigns with two super kicks, allowing Zayn and Owens to pin Solo.
On the 1000th day of Roman Reigns’ legendary title run, Jimmy, not Jey, but Jimmy Uso, is responsible for Reigns’ first loss of any type since the 2022 Royal Rumble. A dark cloud is now hovering over the upcoming 1000th-day celebration on SmackDown.
Other action saw Gunther topple Ali to retain the IC Title. Rhea Ripley made short work of Natalya, beating her with the riptide to retain the SmackDown Women’s Title. In the show’s most clever finish, Asuka rubbed her mist-covered fingers in Bianca Belair’s eyes to escape the KOD and landed a head kick to win the Raw Women’s Title.
Night of Champions was another great show coming off the heels of a tremendous Backlash event. Between Puerto Rico last month, Saudi Arabia, and England next month, international markets are excited to finally be getting Premium Live Events. Wrestlers perform better when the crowd is hot, which makes for a better viewing experience as exhibited this afternoon.
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