WWE Night of Champions preview & predictions: Is John Cena’s heel run nearing its end?

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The days leading up to Saturday’s WWE Night of Champions have been eventful, though not for any reason related to wrestling.

Rather than unpack complex global conflicts in a wrestling preview, I’ll just note that “world events” have created “obstacles” for Night of Champions (1 PM Eastern Saturday on Peacock/Netflix). But there was never much chance WWE would pull out unless they were told, in no uncertain terms, not to go. Saudi Arabia is WWE’s second-largest revenue source, and unless non-negotiable trade or travel restrictions are in place, the show was always happening.

Regarding the venue, this is the first time WWE will be running an event from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh which officially opened last year. Similar to Natalya, the stadium holds multiple Guinness Book of World Records including for being the largest covered football stadium in the world and having the largest seating capacity for an indoor covered stadium.

In terms of the actual show itself, there are several matches at Night of Champions worth paying attention to.

Below are previews, predictions and betting odds for each.

WWE Night of Champions 2025 predictions

WWE Champion John Cena defends against CM Punk

Cena is currently a -3000 favorite to retain the title and there is little reason to go against those odds.

While the title retention is likely, there are signs his heel turn and title reign may not last much longer. He got cheered heavily when delivering his version of Punk’s “pipe bomb promo” on SmackDown last week, and those cheers were coming from a crowd which seemed ready to play along with the story and boo him when the segment started. However, as it continued, it seems the fans couldn’t help but cheer him on.

Even the fans who used to boo Cena have come around. Perhaps they’ve grown up, maybe had kids, and are better able to see the positive impact he’s had on this industry, even if his in-ring skills don’t measure up to everyone’s expectations.

But in a business that has been embarrassed by several less-than-savory characters who have become rich and famous through it, Cena stands out for all the right reasons. He’s never going to embarrass wrestling the way others in his position have. The fans who cheered for Cena as kids won’t grow up to be disappointed when they find out who the real Cena is as has happened with other top babyfaces.

There are enough fans out there who want to give Cena his flowers before he retires that WWE may pivot and end things early. However, it won’t happen at Night of Champions and he’ll eventually drop the belt back to Cody Rhodes, not Punk. But Cena vs. Punk for the last time ever is a big match to make on a show WWE will be paid a lot of money for.

As for the possibility of R-Truth getting involved here and furthering his storyline with Cena, I don’t know. It probably comes down to if Ron Killings wants to be there or not, but regardless, he and Cena aren’t through yet.

Prediction: John Cena wins & retains

King of the Ring finals: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

Rhodes is listed as a -700 favorite to beat his former Legacy stablemate.

Rhodes winning the King of the Ring and going on to take the title back from Cena at SummerSlam seems like a nice way to wrap up Cena’s heel turn and get the belt back on your number one babyface. It also could be a good place to start planting the seeds of an Orton heel turn and feud with Rhodes.

Last year, Orton’s match with Gunther in the King of the Ring finals ended in controversy when Orton’s shoulder appeared to be off the mat during the pin. Ultimately, this led to Orton challenging Gunther for the title at Bash in Berlin. I wonder if a similar controversial ending here could send Orton’s character down a path that ultimately leads to him targeting Rhodes later as well.

Prediction: Rhodes becomes 2025 King of the Ring

Queen of the Ring finals: Jade Cargill vs. Asuka

Cargill is currently listed as a -500 favorite to win Queen of the Ring, but I’d honestly give her much higher odds than that.

With Cargill, WWE sees a star in the making and likely was hoping she would be in a main event role months ago. This is a chance to finally move her into a bigger spotlight. She will only ever be paired with great wrestlers on her rise (like Roxanne Perez and Asuka) so that will probably work out okay.

A Cargill win would set her up for a match against Tiffany Stratton at SummerSlam with Naomi and the Money in the Bank briefcase looming in the background. Bianca Belair will also likely have a role to play here too.

But nothing to do with the title will take place at Night of Champions. Cargill will get a clean victory over Asuka that commentary will put over as the biggest test for her yet.

Prediction: Jade Cargill becomes 2025 Queen of the Ring

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

Zayn is currently a -250 favorite to beat Kross, but I’d give him higher odds than that.

I think Kross probably will get, at least, one victory over Zayn as the story plays out but I don’t believe that will take place here. WWE will want to give the Saudi fans a chance to cheer Zayn on to victory.

Ignoring any political discussion regarding the nature of the events in Saudi, one thing I have grown to really appreciate about them is the fans. When WWE first began running these shows, it seemed like the audience didn’t know much about wrestling, but that’s definitely not the case anymore. These are fun crowds who are knowledgeable on the product and Zayn is their guy. They LOVE him and you can see on Sami’s face how much he loves performing there and being their favorite. Sami’s connection with this audience is really heartwarming, inspiring, and a bunch of other words that basically mean the same thing.

On the other hand though, Kross has been gaining momentum since WrestleMania and has turned it into a singles match on a PLE. I can see people thinking that Kross will win here because he needs to be established a bit more, but I just don’t think they are going to beat Sami in Saudi just yet.

Prediction: Sami Zayn

Women’s Street Fight: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Ripley is currently listed as a -700 favorite to defeat Rodriguez which sounds about right.

With Liv Morgan getting shoulder surgery, plans for several performers have changed. Morgan’s planned match with Nikki Bella at Evolution 2 is off the table now and reports have Morgan replaced by Roxanne Perez in her team with Rodriguez. The growing partnership between Perez and Rodriguez could be on display here, especially since it’s a street fight.

Even though WWE will want to establish Perez and Rodriguez as a dominant force, I still don’t think they will beat Ripley here. It doesn’t feel like a big enough match for someone with Ripley’s star power to lose.

Prediction: Rhea Ripley

United States Champion Jacob Fatu defends against Solo Sikoa

Fatu is currently a -220 favorite to retain the United States title, but I’m going against the grain and picking Sikoa to win the title.

Granted, WWE realizes Fatu is the bigger star and the one the fans have latched onto, but don’t discredit Sikoa’s performances as this angle has played out. He looks more comfortable playing his current character opposite Fatu than he has since he got called up to the main roster.

The other thing working for Sikoa here is the pending debut of Hikuleo. This seems like a perfect opportunity for a new member of his Bloodline to debut and help Sikoa to a title win.

Prediction: Solo Sikoa wins the United States Championship

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