WWE Night of Champions 2026 Winners, Grades and Reaction

In many ways, WWE Night of Champions 2026 served as the official kickoff to SummerSlam, a mere five weeks out.

That meant it was imperative for the event emanating from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to set the stage for SummerSlam and give fans a better idea of what to expect in the buildup.

The show was largely a success in that respect, with new King and Queen of the Ring winners being crowned and the Undisputed WWE Championship also being defended in the main event.

Ahead of the results and analysis, here's what the match card consisted of:

• Oba Femi vs. Jey Uso (King of the Ring finals)
• Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan (Queen of the Ring finals)
• Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker (Steel Cage match)
• Trick Williams vs. Ricky Saints (United States Championship)
• Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill (Women's United States Championship)
• Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (Undisputed WWE Championship)

King of the Ring Finals: Oba Femi vs. Jey Uso

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Last Time in Action: Oba Femi defeated Dominik Mysterio (Raw, June 15); Jey Uso defeated Je'Von Evans (SmackDown, June 19)

It was egregious to think this would be much more than what it was: a short and sweet squash for Femi.

That isn't to say Uso scored zero offense whatsoever, however. The contest was as competitive as it needed to be, but in the end, Femi dominated a majority of it as he should have and went over in decisive fashion.

Despite being a former World Heavyweight champion and incredibly accomplished overall, Uso is simply no match for Femi, so giving him an ounce of optimism only for him to ultimately fall short was the correct call. Keeping it on the shorter side and not watering it down with any interference was the way to go.

Result

Oba Femi won to become the 2026 King of the Ring.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• To say Femi is wildly over at the moment is an understatement. He's not just a domestic sensation, either. He's been getting mega star reactions all around the world since WrestleMania 42. Saudi Arabia was no exception. WWE is wisely pushing him aggressively
• Jey Uso continues to come across as obnoxious, yet it hasn't waned his popularity with the audience in the slightest based on the crowd reaction he got here. It's worth noting that he didn't show any heelish tendencies during this bout, but that doesn't mean he won't still be leaning in that direction going forward.
• Most importantly, no Brock Lesnar! What a pleasant surprise. No word on what this means for the Femi vs. Lesnar rivalry and when WWE intends to resolve it if Femi is now scheduled for a world title shot at SummerSlam, but perhaps this means he'll be pulling double duty and facing Lesnar on the other night of the event?

Queen of the Ring Finals: Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan

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Last Time in Action: Iyo Sky defeated Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, June 15); Liv Morgan defeated Charlotte Flair (SmackDown, June 19)

Danhausen was out on the stage beforehand to greet the Riyadh crowd, only to be interrupted by Morgan. She wasn't happy about Danhausen stealing $100,000 from The Judgment Day, which led to Danhausen predictably casting a curse on her before her big match.

There was a bit of uncertainty surrounding the outcome, but definitely not after the curse, which is a shame because the two ladies went on to deliver a quality contest. Needless to say, this went almost double the time as Femi vs. Uso and thankfully so.

Some of Morgan's best bouts in recent years have been with Sky, and she put forth another commendable performance here. The crowd was into the action and responded favorably to Sky's victory.

Result

Iyo Sky won by pinfall to become the 2026 Queen of the Ring.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Danhausen has been involved with Judgment Day recently on Raw, so his cursing of Morgan here wasn't random, but WWE does need to be careful not to get too cute with the "curses." It foreshadowed the finish for anyone over the age of 10.
• Much like with Femi vs. Uso, the lack of outside interference was appreciated. Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez might have to hear about that from Morgan on Monday's Raw. That should tease more tension within the ranks of Judgment Day.
• Following her win, Sky announced that she chooses to challenge Morgan for the Women's World Championship at SummerSlam. That confirms the rematch in five weeks and Morgan probably won't defend her title until then (something she hasn't done since winning it at WrestleMania). Ridiculous.

Steel Cage Match: Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

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Last Time in Action: Seth Rollins lost to Je'Von Evans in a Fatal 4-Way match (Raw, June 8); Bron Breakker lost the World Tag Team Championship with Austin Theory to The Street Profits (Raw, June 22)

It was weapons galore as both Rollins and Breakker brought tables, chairs and anything else they could find into the ring with them. The cage itself is the selling point of this stipulation, so although they made the most of the extreme environment, it was unnecessary.

Despite that, they had quite the entertaining, hard-hitting affair. Rollins endured several Spears and Breakker didn't go down easily. It was a war, plain and simple.

Rollins putting Breakker through the table with a superplex was arguably the highlight, along with the Curb Stomp off the top rope that earned him the victory. They took the approach of showing Breakker still had fight left in him before Rollins delivered the final blow.

Result

Seth Rollins beat Bron Breakker by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Michael Cole mentioned multiple times that both men were undefeated inside the steel cage prior to this premium live event, which made Rollins' win that much more meaningful.
• Adding to Breakker's stellar showing was the fact that he bled toward the end, presumably unintentionally. The outcome wasn't ideal, but he did everything he could to look like a star short of winning.
• WWE's cooling off of Breakker needs to be studied. Sure, he'll bounce back eventually, but there was no reason to have Rollins go over in the feud unless the idea is for him to face Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. All signs point to that being where WWE is headed.

United States Championship: Trick Williams vs. Ricky Saints

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Last Time in Action: Trick Williams lost to Dominik Mysterio in a Fatal 4-Way match (Raw, June 5); Ricky Saints defeated Carmelo Hayes in a number one contender's match (SmackDown, June 19)

What a year it's been for Trick Williams, who arrived on SmackDown at the onset of 2026 and quickly captured the love of the fans. He went on to win the United States Championship at WrestleMania 42 and has been a recurring highlight since.

Ricky Saints doesn't have the same momentum, but he does have promise, and this match showcased it. It was a well-worked bout, with Saints proving that he excels as both a wrestler and a character, leading to the biggest reaction he's received yet on the main roster.

The crowd was quiet for almost the entire matchup, but it was an admirable effort from both. Williams needs to continue defending the star-spangled prize consistently to maintain the prestige that Sami Zayn, Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes gave it during their respective reigns.

Result

Trick Williams won by pinfall to retain the United States Championship.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• It's easy to forget these two have history from NXT, specifically that Williams had never beaten Saints before. Their matches haven't been bangers, but they're enjoyable enough.
• Good for Saints for getting on a WWE premium live event this early into his main roster run. This may not have been his night to walk away a champion, but that day should be coming sooner rather than later. This was an impressive outing from the SmackDown newcomer.
• Lil Yatchy laying out Saints with an elbow afterward felt like it was solely designed to give Saints his comeuppance for punching Yatchy on Friday's SmackDown. That doesn't necessarily mean the rivalry will resume, but we shall see.

Women's United States Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill

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Last Time in Action: Tiffany Stratton and Alexa Bloss lost to B-Fab and Michin in tag team action (SmackDown, June 26); Jade Cargill defeated Chelsea Green (SmackDown, June 26)

Although Cargill pinned Stratton in tag team action not too long ago on SmackDown, this was always more about Cargill's ongoing rivalry with Charlotte Flair. Cargill attacked Flair shortly before her Queen of the Ring matchup with Liv Morgan and was prevented from advancing.

Stratton and Cargill's matches have been hit or miss since SummerSlam last year, so while there was nothing out of the ordinary about this encounter, at least they worked a frantic pace, and there was never a dull moment.

It became clear that there was no interference in any of the other matches on this show because WWE was saving it for this one. B-Fab and Michin attempted to assist Cargill to victory, only for Chelsea Green and Charlotte Flair to counteract them.

Result

Tiffany Stratton won by pinfall to retain the Women's United States Championship.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments and Observations

• While it was encouraging to see the Women's United States title defended on a PLE for a change, this very well could have happened on any episode of SmackDown. It was not worthy of being saved for Night of Champions, given what we got.
• Cargill getting pinned on a third straight PLE is certainly surprising. She'll be fine provided the plan is for her to knock off Flair when they inevitably collide, seemingly at SummerSlam. Plus, this loss wasn't clean like her losses to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 42 and Clash in Italy.
• WWE has done a decent job of keeping SmackDown's women's scene interesting in the absence of the injured Ripley. Flair vs. Cargill is a marquee match that doesn't need anything at stake, though it remains to be seen how well they'll click when the bell rings.

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther

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Last Time in Action: Cody Rhodes lost to Gunther by disqualification (SmackDown, June 19); Sami Zayn lost to Rhodes (SmackDown, May 29)

This storyline has salvaged SmackDown in recent months, largely thanks to Rhodes and Zayn. Gunther has played his role well, but it's really Rhodes and Zayn doing the heavy lifting on the promo side to make this match feel must-see.

These three had fantastic chemistry and kept the crowd engaged throughout. There was no shortage of suspenseful nearfalls and finishers exchanged. It helped that the outcome was genuinely unpredictable, so it could have ended at any moment.

It came down to Zayn and Rhodes in the middle of the squared circle going back and forth, culminating with Zayn stealing the pin to clinch the prestigious prize for the first time in his career. This had an electric environment and the crowd treated him like a total hero when he won despite his character being portrayed as a tweener lately.

Result

Sami Zayn pinned Cody Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

• It's about time! Zayn has been such a compelling character this year that it would have been booking malpractice for him to lose yet again when it mattered most, especially in Saudi Arabia, where he's beloved. He doesn't need to have a long reign, but to have won it at all is exciting and well deserved.
• It speaks volumes (in a good way) that Rhodes was the one Zayn pinned. Granted, it was by a roll-up and nothing too decisive, but it was better than him not factoring into the finish. It'd be disappointing for him to win the belt back in short order from Zayn, but again, this is way more preferable than Rhodes holding the title nonstop through SummerSlam.
• Where does Gunther go from here? It's nice that he wasn't the one who ate the loss, but he has no clear path forward now that he's failed to become champ on multiple occasions in the last month. It's safe to say a retirement match with Brock Lesnar is off the table as well, so it's understandable that fans of The Ring General would be skeptical.

Overall Grade

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As noted, the primary purpose of this premium live event was to build toward SummerSlam in five weeks. Although only Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan has been made official for the card, several other matches now look more likely with Night of Champions in the books.

This show had significance, but if you were looking for an AEW-esque event with a handful of exceptional matches, Night of Champions was not for you. The main event was the sole bout that stood out in that sense, and the WWE title change saved the show from being one that you could skip entirely.

We've seen hotter episodes of Raw in recent months, and the finals of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments were hardly mat classics.

The Saudi crowd was inconsistent at various points and it didn't make for the most electric atmosphere, but all the right people went over. Six-match cards are the way to go, but WWE needs to make these PLEs feel like bigger deals in execution.

Night of Champions was perfectly fine in a vacuum, even from an in-ring standpoint, but it was more crucial as far as what it means for the future.

SummerSlam has the potential to be an above-average event if the right pieces are in place and if the booking improves (specifically on the SmackDown side) in the weeks ahead.

Final Grade

B-

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.