The Bloodline’s demise is officially underway. A long overdue and well-deserved betrayal closed out WWE Night of Champions as Jimmy Uso finally turned on Roman Reigns. The result: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens remain the undisputed WWE tag team champions.
The Usos continued to break rank as they had on recent episodes of SmackDown, appearing at Night of Champions despite being told to stay home by family leader Reigns. Miscommunication led to a full-blown breakdown. Reigns’ continued bullying of his cousins hit a boiling point. Jimmy Uso handed Reigns a receipt in the form of a superkick, plus a second one for interest. Zayn and Owens emerged victorious in an emotional visit to Saudi Arabia, but their success is secondary to The Bloodline’s failures.
Night of Champions also featured two other matches billed as main events: Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar 2 and Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles in the finals of the world heavyweight championship tournament. The remainder of Saturday’s card in Jeddah featured three title defenses and a women’s dream match.
CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event, providing updates and highlights as the action went down in the live blog below.
2023 WWE Night of Champions results, grades
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles: The finals of the world heavyweight championship tournament are serious business and Styles reminded Rollins of that. Styles blitzed Rollins while his foe was busy pandering to the crowd in the opening moment of their match. That kicked off an athletic, back-and-forth affair between two of WWE’s best in-ring performers. Styles was first to gain significant momentum. He landed a number of signature moves on Rollins, including a springboard reverse DDT for a near fall. A well-executed counter by Rollins set up a buckle bomb and frog splash for his own two-count. Rollins followed up by delivering a brutal top rope reverse DDT, which he rolled through for an immediate reverse DDT driver.
Rollins’ knee buckled off a suicide dive, a storyline device that had ramifications later in the match. Styles took advantage of the injury by snatching a calf crusher submission hold. Rollins has established himself as a master tactician in big matches. His scouting of Styles paid dividends. Styles searched for the Styles Clash finishing move repeatedly through the match, but could not land it. “The Phenomenal One” abandoned the move after three failed attempts, instead surprising Rollins with his very own Pedigree maneuver. Rollins countered a Phenomenal Forearm with a superkick, but his knee gave out before he could punctuate the match with a Curb Stomp. A subsequent Pedigree by Rollins gave him enough time to power through the injury and land a match-ending Curb Stomp.
A very strong opening match presented by two of WWE’s best in-ring performers. Rollins is long overdue for a world title run. The fans were into it and the psychology held up as well as the in-ring action. The outcome was never really in doubt and WWE has repeatedly made this new world title look like a secondary belt. Opening the show with this match doesn’t help matters. Rollins def. Styles to win the vacant world heavyweight title. Grade: B+
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus: The build to Lynch vs. Stratus has been personal with the Hall of Famer taking shots at Lynch’s young daughter. An irate Lynch raced towards Stratus. Lynch’s early onslaught lasted only until the pair hit ringside. The villainous Stratus used the environment to her advantage, tossing Lynch into steel steps and going to work. Stratus performed ably despite being four years removed from her last single’s match. A particularly commendable spot saw her hit a head scissors from the apron to the ringside. There were hiccups, but not as many as one might expect.
Stratus continued to rely on underhanded tactics, prying at Lynch’s face and exploring any path to victory. The legend nearly scored a count-out victory and cracked Lynch with a Chick Kick upon her return to the ring. Lynch latched on the Disarm-Her but Stratus grabbed a handful of hair to escape. The match came to an unexpected end when recent NXT call-up Zoey Starks attacked Lynch ringside, allowing Stratus to hit Stratusfaction for the three-count. It was a fine match considering Stratus’ relative inactivity, but the feud wasn’t very good to begin with and the idea of extending it isn’t tantalizing. If this serves as an elevation for Starks, that’s fantastic, but Lynch losing to Stratus without retribution is almost as bad as having Lynch vs. Stratus 2. Stratus def. Lynch via pinfall. Grade: C+
Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Mustafa Ali: This was a modern twist on the classic David vs. Goliath formula. Gunther tortured his challenger with reverberating chops and powerful slams. Ali countered with quickness and tried to compromise Gunther’s base. Gunther dominated most of the encounter, at one point nearly taking Ali’s head off by launching him into the corner ring post. Gunther is renowned for his powerful chops, but Ali held his own. The challenger turned Gunther’s chest a bright red with his own series of strikes. Ali brought the fans to their feet with a sit-out powerbomb and 450 splash for the bout’s first meaningful near fall. The blitz wouldn’t last.
Gunther began pummeling his smaller foe. “The Ring General” demanded that Ali stand up, deeming him unworthy. The champion’s bravado nearly proved his undoing as Ali exploded in one final attempt to defy the odds. A shotgun dropkick and signature powerbomb were all Gunther needed to score a three-count. A simple, short and effective match. The wrestling quality was high, both men played their roles superbly and Ali got in just the right amount of offense as the underdog. It may not rank high among Gunther’s intercontinental title defenses, but it’s a worthy inclusion on the list. Gunther def. Ali to retain the intercontinental championship. Grade: A-
Raw Women’s Championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka: Asuka repeatedly blinded and blindsided Belair in the weeks leading to their match. Saturday was no different. Asuka kicked off the match by yanking Belair’s long hair. The underhanded tactic only further infuriated the champion. Belair was unusually chatty, talking trash to Asuka in between her offensive volleys. The match was back-and-forth with each woman landing big moves. Belair dazzled with various springboard attacks and a standing moonsault. Asuka leveled the champion with a top rope shotgun dropkick. Asuka and Belair cranked up the speed by exchanging near falls. It all began after Belair rolled back to counter the challenger’s signature submission move, the Asuka Lock.
Asuka’s ace was a decoy. The challenger attempted to blind Belair with her chilli-blended poison mist — a tactic she used in recent weeks — but Belair dodged it. Asuka subsequently spat more mist into her hand. When Belair lifted Asuka for KOD, Asuka scrubbed the mist into Belair’s eyes. Two kicks to the back of the head cemented Asuka as the new Raw women’s champion.
This new version of Asuka was desperate for a big win. WWE managed to pull the trigger while protecting Belair’s reputation. Belair would have looked foolish if she absorbed a third blast of poison mist in as many weeks. Asuka’s clever application of an underhanded technique presents her as calculated, cold and chaotic. Belair’s reign was growing stale and WWE has another strong addition to their relatively lukewarm women’s division. The in-ring action didn’t quite live up to their WrestleMania encounter, but it was good nonetheless. Asuka def. Belair to win the Raw women’s championship. Grade: B+
SmackDown Women’s Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Natalya: Ripley lived up to her imposing presentation. The Judgement Day’s enforcer immediately pounced on Natalya following a distraction by Dominik Mysterio. Ripley tossed the veteran into various steel steps before rolling her back into the ring. One Riptide later and Ripley had defended her title in a matter of minutes. Rarely do fans witness a squash match when a title is on the line at a major event, but this was the right call. Ripley should be presented as a tyrant and Natalya’s fixture in WWE has been cemented for a long time. Ripley def. Natalya to retain the SmackDown women’s championship. Grade: B+
Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes: Rhodes entered his Backlash rematch against Lesnar sporting a cast, selling the storyline broken left arm given to him by Lesnar. Rhodes tried to lure Lesnar into compromising situations, but he simply could not bridge the gap in power. Lesnar launched Rhodes with a variety of suplexes. Rhodes landed on his injured arms in most cases. Momentum swung after Rhodes inadvertently cracked Lesnar with his cast, stunning “The Beast.” Rhodes continued to strike Lesnar with the cast, which commentator Michael Cole said was built from titanium. Rhodes barreled towards his larger foe with a suicide dive, Disaster Kick, springboard cutter and two Cross Rhodes. On the cusp of victory, Rhodes tried for a third consecutive Cross Rhodes. Lesnar countered into a kimura lock onto Rhodes’ broken arm. Rhodes attempted to roll through and snatch a quick pinfall – as he had at Backlash — but Lesnar was wise to it. Rhodes refused to submit, even once Lesnar transitioned to mount, and eventually reached the ropes.
A perplexed Lesnar hoisted Rhodes up for a lazy F-5, but Rhodes drilled Lesnar with a third Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Lesnar eventually executed the F-5 but Rhodes persevered, popping his shoulder up at two. Lesnar latched onto a second mounted kimura and Rhodes passed out from the pain. The match had plenty of drama and was actually more entertaining than their first encounter. As an MMA consumer, the execution made no sense. Lesnar easily broke Rhodes’ arm on Raw but was unable to inflict the same level of damage despite having a more dominant position for a longer period of time. If Rhodes is going to pass out from the pain, he’ll also be sporting a spiral fracture in his shoulder. It’s not MMA though and I doubt most wrestling fans care, so I’ll be accommodating. At least the right man won considering the circumstances. Hopefully, this leads to a decisive and impressive trilogy win for Rhodes at Money in the Bank. Lesnar def. Rhodes via technical submission. Grade: B+
Undisputed Tag Team Championship — Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa: Zayn received a warm reception from the Jeddah crowd upon his first visit to Saudi Arabia since 2014. Paul Heyman interrupted Mike Rome’s announcing duties to deliver his own introduction for Reigns and Sikoa. Zayn took a similar approach. Zayn introduced the tag team champions in the Arabic language, much to the crowd’s delight. The match kicked off with Reigns and Zayn. The fans were firmly behind Zayn, cheering his name and chanting “Ole!” Reigns proclaimed the fans wouldn’t know who Zayn was without him. Reigns tagged in Sikoa before shouting that he should have never let “Honorary Uce” Zayn into The Bloodline.
Sikoa overwhelmed Zayn with his strength, leading to the brawler Owens’ first taste of action. Owens went toe-to-toe with Sikoa. What he lacked in power, he made up for in ruggedness. Zayn tagged back in, launching an extended beatdown at the hands of Reigns and Sikoa. Owens finally got the hot tag and put fists, boots and his body to the undisputed WWE universal champ. A pop-up powerbomb and frog splash came within a hair of pinning Reigns. “The Tribal Chief” clocked Owens with a Superman punch following a distraction by Sikoa, but Owens kicked out of the subsequent pin. An exhilarating exchange saw Owens dizzy Reigns with a stunner, only for Reigns to bounce off the ropes and turn Owens inside out with a spear.
Zayn’s moment to shine came when he and Sikoa received hot tags. Zayn launched onto his larger opponent with a top rope dive to the outside before planting him with a blue thunder bomb. Zayn ducked a Samoan Spike, hit an exploder suplex and cracked Sikoa with a Helluva Kick. The tag champ appeared to have secured the win, but Reigns broke the pinning attempt. A brawl broke out between Zayn and Reigns that resulted in Reigns accidentally spearing the referee. Zayn utilized the distraction, dropping Reigns with his own Superman punch before eating one in return. That is when Owens entered the equation. He plundered the announcers’ tables ringside and laid Reigns across one.
The Usos suddenly emerged and attacked the tag team champions, rescuing Reigns from Owens’ assault. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso each delivered a superkick to Zayn, but whiffed on a double kick and inadvertently hit Sikoa. An enraged Reigns repeatedly shoved his cousins in the face. Jimmy Uso — who had long served as the family’s peacekeeper — finally snapped and dropped Reigns’ with a superkick. Jey Uso tried to talk his brother down, but Jimmy Uso said Jey Uso had it right all along and laid out Reigns with a second kick. The Usos retreated, allowing Owens and Zayn to deliver a stunner-Helluva kick combination for the win.
Just sublime. The rise and fall of The Bloodline is years in the making. Reigns vs. Jey Uso was a slice of magic that anchored the Thunderdome era but played out in front of an empty stage during the COVID pandemic. The Usos and Reigns, now with the addition of Sikoa, can tell their story on a platform in line with the significance of their story. The match was great and the finish was tremendous, plus Zayn and Owens got a huge victory on their rare trip to Saudi Arabia. Owens and Zayn def. Reigns and Sikoa via pinfall. Grade: A+
