After missile strikes in the region and literal nuclear war as the point of contention, the WWE brought its Night of Champions event to Saudi Arabia, headlined by CM Punk, who previously criticized the government. Thankfully, this event and the Smackdown broadcast the previous day went through without incident. These Saudi shows are much more integrated into the WWE structure now than they were when the original deal was inked in 2018. The Saudi events were largely glorified house shows, as the government paid tens of millions of dollars for the sizzle of the brand, not necessarily the quality of the show itself. It was the oil money that brought Shawn Micheals out of retirement for a disastrous tag match that saw Triple H tear his pec and Kane’s mask fell off. That same oil money led to the absolutely train wreck of The Undertaker vs. Bill Goldberg that same year. Infamously, when the contract was initially signed, the Saudis requested Yokozuna and The Ultimate Warrior for the show, despite the fact that they had both passed away years earlier. Instead, the current Saudi shows have an impact on the direction of the organization and thus give the domestic audience a reason to watch the pay-per-view.
Speaking of which, the PPV opened with the King of the Ring finals of Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton to determine who would go on to challenge for the WWE championship at Summer Slam in early August. The match itself was quality in terms of performance, everything they did was smooth and solid. They are two polished pros and this segment was a reflection of that notion. That being said, the circumstances around the bout in terms of the storyline created an unavoidable hurdle that prevented them from building any major drama as the contest went toward the finish. Given that it was John Cena that beat Rhodes at Wrestlemania, the fans knows that there’s still unfinished business there. When you add that to the fact that Randy Orton just had a match with Cena for the belt last month, it was clear that he wasn’t going to win to advance to Summer Slam. It didn’t matter how many times he hit an RKO, there just wasn’t a point in the match where it seemed like Cody was actually going to lose so most of the attempts at a false finish were flat. Cody got the victory to win the tournament, which doesn’t have the same cache as it did years ago, but the segment still accomplished the goal of setting up the Cody/Cena rematch.
Rhea Ripley defeated Raquel Rodriguez, and the dynamics of this match might’ve been a response to the shoulder injury that will sideline Liv Morgan for at least six months, according to reports. This was probably the best that Raquel Rodriguez has looked in terms of performance and perception. She took most of the match, presenting her as a contender rather than just the muscle for a bigger star. Ripley sold well and made her opponent look strong in the process. As trivial as it might sound, since they were both wearing very similar bodysuits, it led to a confusing visual during the counters and reverses throughout the contest. I’ve said for most of these Saudi cards and I will continue to say it, the scenarios where the female athletes have to wear Power Ranger outfits while the male talent get to wear the exact same gear that they usually wear is even more proof that this entire production is still a propaganda campaign. The Rip Tide off of the top rope on top of a table seemed like an unnecessary way to try to add something to the finish that made it more risky than it had to be. Ripley got the victory, but this segment was very well done as it showcased Raquel Rodriguez, too.
Sami Zayn beat Karrion Kross in just under 15 minutes for what was a very solid match. It seems like this was booked on the card in response to the organic support that Kross has received since he cut a promo on one of the panel shows about how he wasn’t slated for the Wrestlemania line-up, despite the event being held in his hometown. Based on the reaction, his merchandise sells have done well, as they were added to the live event stands as opposed to just being available to order on the WWE Shop website. That being said, I’m not sure this match, his first pay-per-view match in an extended period of time, did anything to change his standing in the organization. He did really good character work here, adding to his current unstable persona, but the fans already know that the guy is a capable in-ring worker. He did the job and there was nothing done afterwards to suggest that there’s more to the storyline. That’s the issue, Kross hasn’t done anything truly meaningful among the WWE landscape, despite the glimpses of compelling character work. The Wrestling Observer reports that Kross’ contract expires this summer so this might be a scenario where if the office is going to get behind him with a significant push, they simply might be waiting to see if he’s going to sign a new deal. It might sound simplistic, but it makes sense that the office isn’t going to spotlight him just enough for him to get momentum that he could theoretically take elsewhere. All things considered, I think Kross’ skills justify a bigger spot in the company, but the overall landscape is very crowded right now so it remains to be seen in there’s truly a place for him to excel in the WWE.
As much as the perception of Kross is usually secondary, the same thing can be said for Solo Sikoa, and that’s not a knock on him. Solo’s role in the original bloodline was to be the enforcer and he did well with that role. After the Roman Reigns face turn, Solo was shifted into being the leader of his own faction in a relatively short time so it’s a tough sell to get the fans to invest in that, especially when there’s already the Rollins/Heyman group on Raw. That might be why it was a little too early for the office to turn Jacob Fatu baby face at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view last month, because he’s essentially a more experienced and more spectacular version of what Solo was originally brought in to be. Again, that’s not a jab against Solo, he’s done well with what he was asked to do, this is just to point out that the circumstances of the storylines haven’t done him any favors in terms of his position on Smackdown. Of course, the addition of Jeff Cobb and now Hikuleo to the stable adds some cache.
Still, and this is the biggest point to be made in this scenario, Solo was often cast as the guy that did the job to the bigger stars, not someone that was slotted to get his own push. For example, Solo worked the main event of Summer Slam against Cody Rhodes last year, but he lost. When he had a featured match against Roman Reigns on the historic Raw debut on Netflix, he was pinned. That’s not to say that he should’ve won either on those matches, but rather that he hasn’t been seen as someone that is on the level of the major stars in the company. The reaction to his match with Fatu at Night of Championship reflected that notion. The bout went about 12 minutes and the crowd was mostly quiet for it until the series of run-ins at the conclusion that saw Tonga Loa return from injury and the previously mentioned Hikuleo make his debut to allow for Solo to win the US championship. While I think it was way too soon for Fatu to drop the US belt, if this angle ultimately makes him a bigger star with a bigger role on Smackdown then it will be mission accomplished, as I honestly believe that he’s a guy with the potential to eventually be one of the top stars in the entire company. Aside from that, it will be interesting to see how the new faction is handled and if it puts Solo in a bigger spot as US champion.
Jade Cargill defeated Asuka in about eight wins to advance to the title match at Summer Slam. I think all the things that were said about Jade upon her arrival in the WWE a few years ago are still true today. She looks like a star, she presents herself like a star, and she has the potential to be a major star. Unfortunately, it can also still be said today that despite being under contract since early 2024, she’s still lacking the same skills as when she debuted. Granted, there aren’t nearly the same amount of house shows for newer talent to work, but she’s still within the WWE system with access to some of the best trainers in the industry. Asuka, who was on the injury list for a year with a knee injury that required surgery, is a true MVP of the business. In my opinion, she’s already had a Hall of Fame career. This match was fine, it wasn’t given enough time to get into second gear, but maybe that was by design. Asuka made Jade look good here, and that’s enough for now, but when you take into account that this victory theoretically moves up her the card for a title match, she didn’t seem like someone that was ready for a bigger spot in the division. The bottom line is, Jade is going to have to polish her in-ring skills to a measurable degree if she’s going to evolve into the star that the company projects her to be in the future.
The main event was probably the best match of the current John Cena run, and if that was because of working with CM Punk is a matter of perspective. They didn’t do anything flashy, and they didn’t need to, as they stuck to the greatest hits and it worked. That said, this didn’t pick up until the ending sequence with the Seth Rollins group involved, as it created some drama about where the championship would actually end up by the time the show went off the air. I’m not sure why CM Punk would shake Cena’s hand, particularly because the entire premise of the heel run is that he couldn’t be trusted, but maybe they are trying to speed up the narrative with his retirement looming in six months. The finish was very entertaining because as mentioned, the orchestrated chaos allowed for a lot of drama. After the Rollins group was discarded, Cena pinned Punk to retain the title.
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
