5 Reasons WWE Night of Champions 2026 is Doomed to Fail

WWE has recently dished out multiple PLEs in quick succession following WrestleMania 42. Fans have gotten Backlash, Saturday Night’s Main Event, Clash in Italy, and now Night of Champions in a little over 2 months. Although this could be exciting, there is also the flipside that fatigue could set in for fans if the matches and storylines aren’t engaging enough.

This could be one of the major concerns for the upcoming Night of Champions PLE in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The match card doesn’t seem as stacked as expected, among other issues that could lead to the PLE missing instead of hitting.

That said, here are 5 major reasons why Night of Champions is doomed to fail.

#5. Jey Uso could defeat Oba Femi in the WWE King of the Ring final

Oba Femi’s rise as a dominant force in WWE cannot be understated since his debut on the main roster at the Royal Rumble in January. The Ruler has regularly squashed his opponents, except for one defeat against Brock Lesnar in a rematch at Clash in Italy after his WrestleMania victory against the Beast Incarnate. Now he is in the King of the Ring tournament final and will face Jey Uso.

The way Oba Femi has been booked recently, it would only make sense for him to lose with the help of predictable interferences from either the other Bloodline members or Brock Lesnar. WWE may not book Oba Femi into the title picture just yet, as they might have plans for a third go-around between Brock and Oba at SummerSlam, where Lesnar could potentially retire, which means Jey Uso could win the match, and that would be a very odd look for the company’s creative team, which seems to have written itself into a corner.

#4. The undercard matches might not excite the Saudi crowd

The last event WWE held in Saudi Arabia was the Royal Rumble in Riyadh in January. Since the eponymous gimmick matches in the PLE are usually exciting affairs, the few other matches, such as Gunther vs. AJ Styles, that led to the Phenomenal One’s retirement, stood out for their individuality.

At Night of Champions, however, in a card that has two mid-card titles being defended, which are the men’s and women’s United States Championships, it is doubtful whether the crowd would be invested. Trick Williams defends his US Title against Ricky Saints, who is only a recent entrant into the roster, and there’s been no storyline built between them. Jade Cargill has gone right back to the mid-card to challenge for Tiffany Stratton’s US Title in a match that could feel like repetitive booking and end up being a snoozefest for fans in attendance.

#3. Roman Reigns will not be featured

Roman Reigns not defending his World Heavyweight Title on the night could be one of the most crucial reasons Night of Champions fails to fare well. Reigns has spent the past weeks recruiting and reshaping the Bloodline, so since his last title defense against cousin Jacob Fatu, the OTC has not had a rivalry. He also didn’t show up on RAW this past week, and his only involvement could come during Jey Uso’s match against Oba Femi in the King of the Ring tournament final.

The flagship show’s top title not being defended at a PLE is one of the major reasons the event could be dead on arrival.

#2. Women’s Queen of the Ring (QOTR) final is predictable

Liv Morgan is in the QOTR final against IYO SKY, but she is already the Women’s World Champion. Is there more to be had for the Miracle Kid? Could she win Queen of the Ring and contest for the WWE Title at SummerSlam? Does her character warrant such a massive push? Is it even logical? The likely answers to all of these questions are “no.” This points to IYO SKY winning the tournament and becoming the “Queen of the Sky” as she has recently teased on her X account.

Unless WWE pulls a rabbit out of a hat and takes a different direction to subvert audiences’ expectations, this predictable result is the most likely one. And no matter what the reason is for Morgan losing, whether it be Roxanne Perez of the Judgment Day finally turning on her or a potential return of rival Stephanie Vaquer, it doesn’t change the fact that many eyes will roll at the predictable result.

#1. Cody Rhodes retains the WWE Title…again

In what looks like the most likely scenario going into SummerSlam, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes could yet again beat the odds and win his triple threat title match against Gunther and Sami Zayn. This booking for Rhodes’ character, who is the valiant hero who overcomes his obstacles and keeps his position, has worn thin over the past couple of years. Fans have been booing Rhodes’ predictable babyface championship run and are in desperate need of a change, and this change might not come until SummerSlam, which means Night of Champions could end up not firing on a single cylinder.