WWE's return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been a banger to watch. Their return for Night of Champions 2023 was none less than that. Promoted by WWE as a premium live event with a 'Triple Main Event', fans were already head over heels to witness the epic event. Accompanied by the 1000th day as the Universal Champion for Roman Reigns, the event marked the beginning of a new era.
With a classic one-on-one match to crown the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion, WWE engaged a lot of young fans to witness history. The premium live event also included the second stop of an epic saga between Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar. A tag team championship match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa was accompanied by a lot of questions on the status of The Bloodline.
The epic card was followed by three other singles matches for marquee titles. With a stacked card to enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, WWE had made Night of Champions a must-see. In a banger of a show after a fantastic WrestleMania Backlash, here are the matches of Night of Champions 2023 ranked from Worst to Best.
7 Rhea Ripley (c) vs Natalya (SmackDown Women's Championship match)
Right from the get-go, Dominik Mysterio created a distraction for Natalya which allowed Rhea Ripley to gain momentum early in the match. This was followed by the champion driving Natalya into the steel steps followed by the RipTide to get an easy and engaging victory to retain the SmackDown Women's Champion. While this result was expected by numerous fans, a longer match would've been a better decision for both women.
6 Bianca Belair (c) vs Asuka (Raw Women's Championship match)
While the Raw Women's Championship match was expected to be a banger, it didn't quite live up to the expectations. Being a WrestleMania 39 rematch, the WWE Universe believed that Belair and Asuka would put up another fantastic battle as a treat to the fans. However, in a match containing botches as well as some missed opportunities, the battle seemed to be dull for the Night of Champions premium live event. However, coming as a shock to the WWE Universe, Asuka stole a victory over Bianca Belair to become the new Raw Women's Champion.
5 Becky Lynch vs Trish Stratus
In a battle of two generations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Becky Lynch battled her idol Trish Stratus after her betrayal a few weeks ago on Raw. While the WWE Hall of Fame has spoken a lot about how she developed and enhanced the women's wrestling division and made it a major part of WWE, Becky Lynch focused on her match at Night of Champions and prepared well for their bout.
In a highly technical and skillful match, Becky Lynch took Trish Stratus to the distance. However, Lynch's luck would run out when Raw's latest acquisition, Zoey Stark, came out from under the ring and delivered a See-360 while the referee was dealing with the legend. This allowed Trish to deliver the Stratusfaction to get the win.
4 Cody Rhodes vs Brock Lesnar
After an underwhelming performance at Backlash 2023, Cody Rhodes battled Brock Lesnar once again at Night of Champions, this time with a broken arm. Accompanied by some high-flying action, Cody Rhodes pushed it to the limit and delivered the Cross Rhodes. However, Lesnar somehow locked in the Kimura lock, inflicting a huge amount of damage on The American Nightmare's injured arm. This made the referee ring the bell and end the match for Cody Rhodes' well-being as he had seemingly passed out.
3 Gunther (c) vs Mustafa Ali (Intercontinental Championship match)
Being a match with huge potential, the WWE Universe had high hopes for the champion and his challenger. Even though the expectations were high, Gunther and Ali lived up to the expectations and shocked the WWE Universe with their fabulous battle. Though it didn't get the 'Main Event' tag, the Intercontinental Championship match was delivered big and entertained the masses. In the end, The Ring General walked away with another win, continuing his run as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of the 21st century.
2 Seth Rollins vs AJ Styles (World Heavyweight Championship match)
A banger match kicked off the Night of Champions premium live event. With all eyes set on Seth Rollins and AJ Styles, the WWE Universe was eager to see who walks out as the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion. Both men being immensely talented, the WWE Universe expected them to tear each other apart to etch their names in the history books and their performance was none less than that.
The WWE Universe was on the edge of their seats throughout the match witnessing some high-flying action and the immense chemistry between both men. In an awesome match filled with action and some shocking kick outs, it was Seth Rollins who defeated AJ Styles to be crowned the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion. This was followed by Triple H coming out to hug Rollins and hand him the new World Heavyweight Championship.
1 Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (c) vs Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa (Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match)
In a possible history-making Undisputed Tag Team Championship match, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa were all heads over heels to win the title. However, a valiant effort from the champions pushed The Bloodline to its limits. This was when Reigns accidentally speared the referee when The Usos came out and attacked the champions.
This was followed by The Usos accidentally attacking Solo Sikoa, leading to Roman Reigns being infuriated. Jimmy Uso then snapped and delivered a couple of superkicks to Reigns. After the Usos went back, the champions delivered a stunner and the Helluva Kick to Solo Sikoa and retained their Undisputed Tag Team Championships.
The attack from The Usos not only led to Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa losing their opportunity, but it also confirmed their babyface turn and the beginning of a rivalry against their brothers. In a banger of match, the WWE Universe loved how the company executed its plans and left the fans shocked.