WWE returns to Saudi Arabia this Saturday for Night of Champions. There were some concerns the show might not proceed as planned, but the company is forging ahead with what's shaping up to be a PLE with major ramifications for SummerSlam.
According to @WrestleVotes, the current plan is for John Cena to retain his Undisputed WWE Championship after defeating CM Punk. Cody Rhodes, meanwhile, is expected to beat Randy Orton to become King of the Ring.
As a result, the stage will be set for Cena vs. Rhodes II at SummerSlam. It's a WrestleMania rematch, and we'd like to think the bout will make up for what proved to be a largely disappointing clash in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Inevitably, many fans will be disappointed that Punk won't win the world title for another "Summer of Punk." He'll likely go back to feuding with Seth Rollins after this match with Cena, potentially ahead of an eventual team-up with Roman Reigns.
Here's what the insider said about current plans for Night of Champions:
"According to those within the company, and in similar fashion to how we cautioned everyone prior to Money In The Bank in regards to potential match winners, again, things can change day off, but based on what we were hearing then, and based on what creative has lined out for post Night of Champions, we can tell you the leading candidates for the winners for the two headline matches this weekend are that of John Cena retaining and Cody Rhodes winning King of the Ring again."
"Guys, they have the right to change things on the fly, and have we, as we’ve seen, they certainly can do that. But TC, we had creative directions pointed towards us that it may look like Seth Rollins or Solo winning money in the bank, and it certainly was Seth Rollins, and on the women’s side, it was either Rhea Ripley or Naomi. Turned out to be Naomi. We are getting indications, again, that story lines post Night of Champions indicate that the winners of those two big matches will be John Cena and Cody Rhodes."
Here's the full, now-confirmed match card for Night of Champions:
Undisputed WWE Championship Match
John Cena vs. CM Punk
King of the Ring Tournament Finals
Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes
Queen of the Ring Tournament Finals
Asuka vs. Jade Cargill
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Dominik Mysterio vs. A.J. Styles
WWE United States Championship Match
Jacob Fatu vs. Solo Sikoa
Street Fight
Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross