WWE Night of Champions 2023 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage and recap of WWE Night of Champions 2023. This year's show is taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, hence the early start time of 1 p.m. ET.

The main attraction at the pay-per-view was the finals of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament to crown an inaugural holder of the newest title in the company.

We also saw Brock Lesnar taking on Cody Rhodes, while Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa challenged Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the undisputed tag team titles, and Bianca Belair defended the Raw Women's Championship against Asuka, and much more.

Let's take a look at what went down Saturday at Night of Champions.

Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles: World Heavyweight Championship

The first match of the night was one many people thought should have been the main event. Rollins and Styles battled in the final round of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament to crown its first titleholder.

Both men came out to great reactions from the crowd. Rollins arrived second, so the fans in the Jeddah Superdome were able to keep singing his music for a while.

They took their time making contact, but once they did, Styles nailed Rollins with a dropkick and sent him out of the ring. The Visionary avoided a slingshot forearm and smiled at his opponent. He taunted The Phenomenal One before taking him down with a sling blade.

For the first several minutes, this was a competitive back-and-forth contest. Once Rollins ran Styles' face into the middle turnbuckle, he started to gain some momentum.

Styles hit a backflip DDT, but it only kept Rollins down momentarily. The Visionary recovered and hit a buckle bomb followed by a frog splash for a two-count. It was at this point when both men started breaking out their big moves in an attempt to put each other away.

Rollins appeared to land hard on his knee during a suicide dive, so Styles immediately locked him in a Calf Crusher when they got back into the ring.

As expected, these two pulled out all the stops to deliver a match worthy of being in the main event, which makes the fact that it opened the show so much more surprising. Regardless of where it was placed, this is going to be remembered as one of the best matches of the weekend.

Rollins countered the Phenomenal Forearm with a superkick, but his knee buckled when he went for the Stomp. He was able to hit a Pedigree before finally hitting the Stomp for the pin and the win. Triple H presented him with the belt at the end.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Grade: A

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Notable Moments and Observations

• WWE's production team is second to none. It can make a mid-level storyline feel like the most important feud of the year sometimes. The package that opened the show was great. 
• The stage was huge. The walk to the ring was a little on the long side because the stadium was so big. 
• Rollins' jacket was appropriately ridiculous. 
• It's always great when early near-falls only get a one-count. It allows them to keep getting closer and closer to the pin over time. When they start with close two-counts, there is nowhere else to go. 
• The suplex Styles used to send The Visionary into the corner was nasty. Rollins looked like he landed right on his head, but that is just because he is good at selling the spot. 
• No matter who does it, a reverse superplex always looks so precarious. 
• The way Rollins landed on the apron after Styles suplexed him was scary. 
• Styles didn't get his head up when Rollins went for the Stomp, so The Visionary was forced to adjust in midair. 

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

The second bout on the card was the grudge match between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus. The two former champions did not waste any time going right after each other.

They quickly took the fight out of the ring where the veteran threw Lynch into the steel steps. For the next few minutes, this match was all Stratus.

She spiked The Man with a tornado DDT but failed to keep her down for a three-count. She started to get vicious by pulling her rival's hair and scraping her face across the mat.

Lynch found her second wind and started to take control. She hit an exploder suplex and a leg drop from the middle rope for a near-fall.

These two kept a good pace throughout the match, but it was a little sloppy at times. They didn't botch anything big, but small moments stood out that held this back from being as good as it could have been.

Lynch managed to beat a count-out and kick out after a Chick Kick as they built toward the finish. Stratus was able to get out of the DisArmHer and got her foot on the rope to break the count after a Manhandle Slam.

Zoey Stark then appeared out of nowhere and hit her finisher on Lynch while the ref had his back turned. This allowed Stratus to hit Stratusfaction for the win.

Winner: Trish Stratus

Grade: C+

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Lynch busted out the Bruce Lee/Kill Bill-inspired gear for this match. 
• Stratus looked like she was more prepared for this match than she had been for her tag match with The Man. 
• The veteran dropped way too early on a neckbreaker, and it made the move look very awkward. 
• Stratus' spinebuster looked good. 
• Corey Graves said: "I paid $11 for a blue checkmark. That makes me a journalist." 

Mustafa Ali vs. Gunther

Mustafa Ali received a very warm reception when he came out to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.

They locked up and the champion immediately asserted his dominance by throwing Ali to the mat like it was nothing to him.

Ali avoided a chop and hit one of his own. He tried to use his speed to stick and move, and it worked for a while, but The Ring General stopped him in his tracks with a bodyslam.

Ali began to rally after taking a lot of punishment. He hit a tornado DDT but was unable to hit the 450. Gunther dropkicked him into the corner before powerbombing him to get the win.

This wasn't a long match, but they packed enough into the minutes they had to make it feel longer. They did a good job telling the underdog story of Ali, but we all knew Gunther was going to retain. That was never in question.

Winner: Gunther

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Ali had special gear made for this match. It looked good. 
• The first chop Gunther connected with was brutal. Each one after was just as bad, but the first one was almost surprising. Ali sold it like a champ. 
• Some guys are so good at selling and making people look good that they almost only get booked to put other people over more than they are booked to win. Dolph Ziggler is one of those guys and so is Ali. 

Bianca Belair vs. Asuka

The Raw Women's Championship was on the line in a rematch from WrestleMania 39 when Bianca Belair took on Asuka.

This immediately turned into a physical fight. They rolled around the ring trying to get the upper hand for a moment before Belair scored the first major takedown.

They each spent a minute or two in control before the other would take over. The match kept that kind of pace for several minutes, but once Asuka began to focus on hurting Belair's arm, she seemed to get comfortable in the driver's seat.

The EST of WWE hit a backbreaker to stop The Empress of Tomorrow's momentum and begin her comeback. You could hear the crowd beginning to cheer more for Asuka as the match progressed.

The longer the match went, the easier it was to see how the ending was going to play out. Asuka missed when she tried to spray Belair with mist, but she used her hand to wipe some of it in the titleholder's eyes before kicking her in the head for the pin to become the new champion.

Belair and Asuka have built up great chemistry as opponents. They put on a fun show in this bout, but it may have fallen short of their 'Mania encounter.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what made it different. It just was.

Winner: Asuka

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

• This might be the coolest face paint Asuka has had yet. 
  
• Belair only ever hits a dropkick with one leg. It's weird because you know she is capable of hitting it with both legs if she wants to. The one-leg technique seems safer but doesn't look as good. 
• Belair's braid started coming apart about halfway through the match. This happened at Backlash too. It seems like whenever they have an international show, they may have to rely on different hair and makeup people who don't know how to properly put it together.  
• There was a weird moment outside the ring with some shoving, which seemed out of place. 

Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya

Natalya and Rhea Ripley took center stage to fight over the SmackDown Women's Championship, but as usual, where Ripley went, Dominik Mysterio was not far behind.

The Eradicator attacked Nattie right after the bell and absolutely destroyed her. She won in just a couple of minutes in what might be the closest thing we have seen to a squash match on a PPV in a long time.

There wasn't much to this, so it's hard to grade. It made Ripley look dominant, but she always looks that way, so having The Queen of Harts job to her seemed a little pointless.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

Grade: Incomplete

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Notable Moments and Observations

• It was Natalya's birthday. 
• Ripley's attire looked like it would squeak every time she moved. 

Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes

The penultimate match of the night was the showdown between Lesnar and Rhodes.

The Beast Incarnate made his way out first. When Rhodes came out, he received his usual massive reception from the crowd.

Rhodes had his arm wrapped with a brace, and Lesnar looked like a predator zeroing in on his already injured prey. The American Nightmare tried to use his quickness to avoid him, but his rival was able to corner him before hitting a belly-to-belly suplex.

Rhodes started using his cast as a weapon and drove Lesnar out of the ring with a huge forearm strike. He nailed him with a suicide dive and climbed to the top rope for a double ax handle.

The Beast grabbed him in a Kimura Lock and rolled over so Rhodes couldn't escape as he did at Backlash. The American Nightmare made it to the rope to force a break and countered an F5 into a Cross Rhodes for a close two-count.

Lesnar put him back in the Kimura, and the ref called for the bell once it was clear Rhodes was unable to fight back.

Considering the story they were trying to tell, this was the best way this fight could have played out. It wasn't a Match of the Year candidate by any means, but it accomplished what it needed to and that's what matters. Both Superstars did good work.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

• During the pre-show, Rhodes gave a quick backstage interview while wearing a sling. He seemed confident but realistic about what could happen to him in the match. 
• Rhodes had very convincing facial expressions when selling the pain he was feeling. 
• If that cast had titanium in it, it was only small strips for support. Commentary made it seem like he was hitting Lesnar with a metal gauntlet. 

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa (Tag Titles)

The main event of the night saw Reigns and Sikoa team up to challenge Zayn and Owens for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.

Zayn wore special entrance attire and gave himself and KO a special introduction in Arabic, much to the delight of the crowd. Owens and Reigns started for their teams, but KO tagged out to Zayn so he could face off with The Tribal Chief.

After listening to the crowd chant for Zayn, Reigns tagged Sikoa to a chorus of boos.

It took a few minutes after the bell for anyone to make contact. Sikoa backed Zayn to the corner and brushed off a chop like it had no impact. He responded by beating down The Master Strategist in the corner.

The Tribal Chief allowed Sikoa to do most of the heavy lifting while he occasionally provided a distraction or attacked someone while the ref was distracted. When it was his turn to get in the ring, he took it to his former ally with no remorse.

This match had a slow pace because they were focused more on storytelling than packing as many moves into each minute as they could. It worked well for what they were trying to accomplish, especially because Zayn, Owens and Reigns are such great storytellers in the ring.

WWE gave them a long time and made sure to pack in a lot of dramatic moments, including a ref bump when Reigns speared him by mistake.

The Usos appeared and attacked Owens at ringside. They tried to hit Zayn with a double superkick, but they hit their younger brother by accident. The Tribal Chief was pissed and started pushing the twins around.

Jimmy drilled Reigns with a superkick and Jey yelled at him. Jimmy said he is doing what Jey should have done a long time ago and then kicked Reigns again.

Jimmy got a conflicted Jey to leave with him as Sikoa started getting to his feet. KO took him out with a Stunner, and Zayn followed up with a Helluva Kick. A new ref showed up and counted the pin.

Winners: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

Grade: A

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Reigns' entrance has officially become as long as The Undertaker's. At least he was walking a little quicker this time since the aisle was so long. 
• It's still surreal to see Zayn at a Saudi Arabia show. He had tears in his eyes during his entrance. 
  
• The way Reigns had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand was great. Everything he did got the desired reaction. 
• Reigns is the best at the 2.99-count kick-out. 
• Reigns spearing Owens a split second after taking a Stunner was a nice spot. 

The Final Word

As a whole, Night of Champions was an up-and-down show. It had some great matches and a few that won't be remembered by the end of the weekend.

The two best bouts of the night were the opener and the closer. Rollins and Styles kicked the show off with a fantastic display of physical action, and the tag title bout closed the PPV with some fantastic storytelling.

Asuka winning the Raw women's title was a great match with a creative ending, but now WWE has to worry about how to get the SmackDown title back on the blue brand.

This was a fun afternoon of wrestling, but most people are going to focus on a few key moments that stood out the most.

Grade: B+