WWE Night of Champions Review - June 28, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Cody Rhodes def. Randy Orton in the King of the Ring Finals

Even with it being extremely predictable that Rhodes was winning, I thought these two went out there and had the best bout of the entire show. Then again, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise given their history and chemistry. It started slow, but the crowd didn't seem to mind the methodical pace because both guys are so over. Rhodes felt like the heel by default, yet Orton was the one attempting to cheat toward the end and giving heel vibes on the ramp afterward. Either way, I can't wait for them to eventually have a full-fledged feud if this was any indication of how great it's going to be.

Rhea Ripley def. WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez in a Street Fight

I applaud WWE for putting a second women's match on a show in Saudi Arabia, but from a storyline standpoint, I'm not sure why this couldn't have been relegated to Raw, especially since Rodriguez was hardly a threat and these two had a Street Fight (technically, it was billed as an Anything Goes match, but same thing) late last year. Despite all of that, this was a fun brawl and Roxanne Perez's interference did make me think Rodriguez actually had a chance of winning.

Sami Zayn def. Karrion Kross

First and foremost, I'm happy Kross finally got his pay-per-view match. He hasn't wrestled a singles match on pay-per-view since Crown Jewel 2022 (also in Saudi Arabia, actually). This wasn't a barn burner by any means, but I thought he and Zayn had a good match and I appreciated they were given as much time as they were. Kross lost decisively, so I hope this doesn't mark the end of the little amount of television time he was getting coming into this event. He's over enough now where they need to put him more situations like this, not less.

Solo Sikoa def. Jacob Fatu to Win the United States Championship

As a match, this was perfectly solid stuff. Fatu has had better and Sikoa is serviceable, but I think they're capable of better. The focus was more so on the chaotic closing stretch with Tonga Loa returning and Hikuleo debuting, both to help Sikoa secure the title. Sure, Fatu didn't hold it for very long, but he can either get it back at some point or be elevated up the card, so I'm not complaining. The commentators didn't refer to Hikuleo by name, so it appears he'll be rechristened as soon as SmackDown next Friday.

Jade Cargill def. Asuka in the Queen of the Ring Finals

I was very curious how this match would go because Asuka is obviously excellent but Cargill still hasn't proven herself in a singles capacity at a meaningful level, at least consistently. Her Raw match last Monday with Roxanne Perez was below-average and, unfortunately, this was the weakest match on the card. It wasn't egregiously bad or anything, but it didn't deliver the way it needed to and the crowd was at their quietest. That makes me worried for whatever push WWE has lined up for Cargill. I want to see her do well, and I'm sure she will regardless because she has the presence of a star, but her higher-profile matches will need to improve in order for this to work.

Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena def. CM Punk

For old times' sake, this was an entertaining trip down memory lane. Needless to say, it wasn't on par with their past encounters, but Cena vs. Punk is one of my favorite feuds ever and I'm happy we got it for a final time during this last run for Cena. Honestly, I was thoroughly enjoying the match up until the interference started, and that's when it got out of control. I didn't mind most of the shenanigans we got during Cena's Backlash main event with Orton, but this turned into an overbooked mess when it didn't need to. Otherwise, this was a worthwhile main event.

Overall Show

Similar to Money in the Bank earlier this month, I thought this was very much a middle-of-the-road show. It had its highlights and it was newsworthy with Sikoa capturing the United States Championship and new number one contenders being crowned for SummerSlam, but the wrestling on the whole wasn't on the same level as other premium live events WWE has done this year. On the bright side, they went with a six-match card and the show still managed to end in roughly three hours, so that was a plus, along with the crowd being loud for almost everything (with the exception of Asuka vs. Cargill).

SEE MORE: WWE PLE Reviews