Roman Reigns' grip over WWE and The Bloodline may have come to a halt, as 'The Tribal Chief' was betrayed by his own family at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. He will never forget that May 27, 2023 may have marked the end of one of the most dominant factions in WWE history.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles against Reigns and Solo Sikoa. Reigns, celebrating 1,000 days as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, wanted to make even more history. Instead, Jimmy Uso kicked him in the mouth, which may have resulted in severe consequences heading The Usos' way.
Reigns and Sikoa were close to winning tag team gold. With the referee down, The Usos, who lost the titles against Owens and Zayn, got involved. They accidentally took down Sikoa with superkicks, which marked the beginning of the end of the match and The Bloodline.
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Reigns confronted The Usos, and yelled, "There ain't no Day One no more” to Jey, who has always been the defiant one of the group. However, Jimmy kicked Reigns down to the floor, ruining his chances at gold and solidifying The Bloodline’s demise.
What’s next for The Bloodline? The next few months should be interesting for the group, and WWE, thanks to what should be an upset Reigns.
That match was just one of many big moments that happened inside the Jeddah Super Dome.
To start the night, Seth 'Freakin' Rollins and AJ Styles fought on a classic to determine the new World Heavyweight Champion. Considered the secondary title to Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Universal Title, this match was anything but an afterthought.
They fought like this was the “Working Man’s Title,” with throwbacks to their days in Ring of Honor. Following several reversals, Rollins beat Styles to become the champion. Rollins, a true workhorse for the company for the past year+, is finally crowned for his efforts. He is now one of the most decorated champions in WWE history.
In a throwback match, Cody Rhodes, with a broken arm, faced Brock Lesnar. Rhodes used the cast to his advantage like Bob Orton. However, Lesnar did not falter. “The Beast Incarnate” beat down on Rhodes, locking in a kimura on the injured arm. While Rhodes had a warrior's heart, it wasn’t enough, as he passed out in the middle of the ring. It is expected they'll continue their feud, either at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam.
A shocking title change happened at Night of Champions as Asuka beat Bianca Belair to become the WWE RAW Women’s Champion. Asuka, who lost against Belair at SummerSlam, took advantage of Belair’s aggressive side to tire her out. Asuka rubbed mist into her hand, and as Belair went for the KOD, Asuka rubbed it into her face, landed a kick, and won the title.
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Belair’s reign ended at 416 days.
Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley squashed Natalya to retain the SmackDown Women’s Title, only needing about 1:09 to win. Gunther retained the Intercontinental title against Mustafa Ali, and Trish Stratus beat Becky Lynch in her first singles match in four years.
The Sporting News provided results from Night of Champions. Check it out!
WWE Night of Champions 2023 full card results
- Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (c) def. The Bloodline (Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa) for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles
- Brock Lesnar def. Cody Rhodes
- Rhea Ripley (c) def. Natalya for the WWE SmackDown Women's Title
- Asuka def. Bianca Belair (c) for the WWE RAW Women's Title
- Gunther (c) def. Mustafa Ali for the WWE Intercontinental Title
- Trish Stratus def. Becky Lynch
- Seth 'Freakin' Rollins def. AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight Title