Seth Rollins and Real Winners and Losers From WWE Night of Champions 2023 Match Card

WWE knows how to deliver big matches, and on a night when the company promised a triple main event, the show gave far more than that.

Night of Champions presented a series of great matches across the card at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia. The opener of Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles delivered on its promise of a workhorse showcase.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus, and Gunther vs. Mustafa Ali did more than anyone could have expected while including surprises such as the interference of Zoey Stark in the women's bout.

Bianca Belair vs. Asuka was not at the same level their WrestleMania 39 encounter, but it was a solid contest. Unfortunately, it did end the reign of The EST of WWE with a deflated crowd response.

Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar told a unique story as The American Nightmare used the cast on his broken arm as an advantage. But he could not overcome The Beast Incarnate, setting the stage for an intriguing rubber match.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens rode a wave of emotion from the crowd in the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia. They were never intimidated by Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa and pulled off a huge win, assisted by The Usos.

This show mostly delivered winners, but there were also those who walked out as unfortunate losers as well.

Winner: Seth Rollins

While Roman Reigns' 1,000 day reign as undisputed WWE universal champion is impressive, it has left the company lacking at times.

Certain Superstars have had to step up without enough recognition. Seth Rollins may have been the No. 1 in that time.

The Visionary has carried Raw over the past year with and without gold, but he has never quite got the recognition he deserved for that work.

That changed at Night of Champion as he became the red brand's new world champion. While the title may still be lesser to Reigns' title at this time, Rollins is someone who can raise its profile quickly.

This reign could even lead to him challenging and dethroning The Tribal Chief down the line.

What matters at the moment is that the right man stands at the top of Raw as its champion. Rollins has earned the title of true workhorse of the business.

Winner: Zoey Stark

No matter whether Becky Lynch or Trish Stratus won on Saturday, it would not change their direction for the future. They are set as top names forever in the women's division.

However, one woman did establish herself at Night of Champions.

Zoey Stark is a talented wrestler who recently got the call-up from NXT.

On her own, it would have taken her a while to rise up the ranks. However, pairing her with Stratus is a guaranteed set-up for success.

Stark can be the young enforcer for the WWE Hall of Famer, and she will learn from one of the all-time greats and rise in standing by association.

By the time Stratus decides to step away from the ring, Stark could be the natural successor as a pioneer in women's wrestling.

Winner: Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali has been lost on WWE television over the past few years. Bad luck and booking saw him miss out on the biggest opportunity of his career due to an unfortunate injury while working with Retribution after the group had already lost all of its steam.

In 2022, he could barely find a spot on the card. That has continued into this year, but Ali has started to pick up some momentum. He won matches all the way to Night of Champions.

He still walked into his contest with Gunther as a true underdog, though. No one gave him a chance. But with the crowd in Jeddah fully behind him, Ali proved himself in so many ways.

He delivered one of the best matches of his career, selling the crowd on every near-fall. When he connected on the 450 splash, he genuinely looked poised to win.

If Gunther was not poised to rewrite the record books with his Intercontinental Championship reign, Positiv-Ali may have done it.

It's still hard to trust WWE to keep pushing Ali, but he made the most of the biggest spotlight he has received in years. He looked like a star and can remain one in the long term.

Loser: Bianca Belair

The longest reign of the modern era for any women's champion ended at Night of Champions as Asuka stole the win in her second outing against Bianca Belair.

The Empress of Tomorrow has needed a fresh run as champion. but it's a shame that The EST of WWE's reign could not end on a higher note.

The crowd was disinterested in Belair as the presumed dominant babyface, following the trend from Backlash where Iyo Sky was cheered against her.

This result would have made sense at WrestleMania 39, but for the sake of statistics, WWE waited until Saturday. This deflated the moment and the work of Belair as champion.

It will take months, perhaps the rest of this year, for WWE to build back the aura and fans' investment in Belair. It may even take a heel turn from The EST to restore it.

Loser: Natalya

Natalya did not walk into her match with Rhea Ripley as a strong challenger, but few expected a one-minute squash at a PPV.

This may have been the right decision for The Eradicator, but it also solidified the status of The Queen of Harts as an enhancement veteran.

It is hard to imagine The Queen of Harts ever winning another women's championship after this disastrous loss.

The future is bright for Ripley, but Natalya may have seen her last PPV singles match. Eventually, everyone has to step back. Perhaps she is ready.

Winners: Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes

WWE chose a unique path to sell the rematch of Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar when The Beast Incarnate supposedly broke the arm of The American Nightmare on Raw.

This pushed Rhodes to fight from underneath in Saturday's match against the former UFC star. He used his own cast as a weapon to stay in the fight long enough to tell a complete story.

This was the rare Lesnar match in the modern era that truly worked. Both men were ready to tell this story, as silly as it got in moments.

By selling the contest this way, Rhodes was heavily protected while Lesnar got his win back. This sets up the final battle for SummerSlam where either man could emerge victorious.

In the meantime, Rhodes can begin a dramatic comeback from his injury and Lesnar can take his usual time off while looming large over The American Nightmare.

Winner: Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens did it. Finally, The Tribal Chief took a loss.

His Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was not on the line and Reigns may not have taken the pinfall, but it was an important milestone in the story.

While KO was heavily involved in this match, he was overshadowed by the overwhelming support of the Jeddah crowd for Zayn.

The main event was so focused on the undisputed WWE tag team champions that it was easy at times to forget Roman Reigns was involved. Of course, the crowd lit up even more when Zayn got his hands on The Tribal Chief.

This was a match built on the emotion of the crowd. Nothing was on the same level at Night of Champions. The Bloodline angle is again as hot as it has ever been.

On Saturday, the biggest babyface in WWE was at his absolute hottest. WWE could have hot-shot the world title to Zayn this night without any questions asked.

If WWE does run Reigns vs. Zayn again in 2023, the next show in the Jeddah Superdome may have to be the place for it.

First though, The Tribal Chief must deal with the dissension of The Usos as The Bloodline begins to crumble.