Randy Orton, Asuka and Most Likely Heel, Face Turns at WWE Night of Champions 2025

WWE Night of Champions 2025 will be a huge night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, delivering massive surprises and moments with SummerSlam on the horizon.

While John Cena and CM Punk deliver one more chapter to their story, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes will fight in the King of the Ring finals to earn the next shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Asuka and Jade Cargill will collide in the Queen of the Ring finals to earn their own tilt at one of the top women's championships at SummerSlam.

Solo Sikoa will look to capture the United States title at the expense of Jacob Fatu.

Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez will collide in a Street Fight while Karrion Kross hopes to make a statement at the expense of Sami Zayn.

This card will chart an important course for WWE and is likely to include multiple surprises, including important moments in the direction of top names.

The following are the most likely heel and face turns to come at Night of Champions, reshaping the summer of WWE.

Face: Tama Tonga and/or Tonga Loa

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Both Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa have been out of action due to injuries for a while. It is unclear when the two will return, but it will be an unannounced surprise.

When they return, they will have a choice to make: Do they back Jacob Fatu or Solo Sikoa?

Sikoa has lost much of his power since Roman Reigns took the ula fala from him on the Raw on Netflix debut in January.

However, he still carries a degree of credibility that could hold sway with the Tonga brothers, who were brought in by the former Tribal Chief.

However, if they choose to work with United States champion Fatu instead, they would turn face for the first time in WWE.

It would make sense to create a clear opposition to Sikoa and JC Mateo, so this is possible as long as one or both men are healthy and ready to return.

Heel: Asuka

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Asuka is standing in an unclear spot on the WWE card in 2025. She earned her spot in the Queen of the Ring finals following her return to action on June 16.

With Damage CTRL quietly disbanded while The Empress of Tomorrow was out, she could still be working with Kairi Sane and/or Iyo Sky, but it's just as likely she could turn against The Genius of the Sky.

With everything on the line against Jade Cargill, Asuka's actions at Night of Champions could serve as a major indication of her intentions going forward.

If she cheats to win or does not take a loss to The Storm well, it would serve as the first step in a full heel turn and collision with Sky around SummerSlam time.

If she is going to work with and help Sky remain on top, though, she should fight Cargill fair and is far more likely to lose Saturday's tournament final.

Heel: Randy Orton

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Randy Orton has found his place in WWE as a babyface veteran, fighting the good fight particularly going after John Cena in his crusade against wrestling.

This does not mean The Viper could not deliver a dramatic heel turn at any time, though, especially against Cody Rhodes.

Orton and Rhodes have so much history dating back to the earliest days of The American Nightmare in WWE.

A feud between them is one of the company's biggest stories left to be told, especially once Cena retires at the end of the year.

All signs point to Rhodes winning King of the Ring to earn a second shot to stop The Last Real Champ at SummerSlam.

This would put Orton in an awkward position as he has made clear he needs to make Cena pay for all that he said about The Viper's family legacy.

If Rhodes takes Orton's revenge away from him, it could well push The Apex Predator to turn against his former protege.

Similarly, WWE could use similar reasoning to turn CM Punk heel against Rhodes at some point, but Orton is in the better position to go bad sooner.

Face: Karrion Kross

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Karrion Kross has finally begun to find his place in WWE, and it may just come after a dramatic face turn for the first time in his career.

The 39-year-old has built up an underground popularity with his "bad guys" in the audience. Part of his story is bringing out the darkness in others.

In his story with Sami Zayn, he continues to tell The Ultimate Underdog that the only way to succeed is going bad.

However, Zayn has shown a propensity to turn those around him into better people.

This could be a chance for his focus on doing the right thing to infect Kross and push him down a better path.

At this point, Kross has run out of faces to feud with and can corrupt. Turning his gift of the gab on the heels of WWE is a far more intriguing option for the future.