[WWE theme music]
[narrator] Then.
Now.
Forever.
[music intensifies]
[narrator] Together.
[music slows downs and stops]
[epic music]
[Cole] This is the port city of Jeddah
in the Makkah province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
an exciting vibrant city on the Red Sea.
It is home to year-round sunny skies,
endless beauty, old and new,
and a nightlife to love
in the western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
But tonight we are inside
the three-year-old Jeddah Super Dome,
the largest non-openable dome on the planet,
located in the middle of the city of Jeddah.
We're in a desert.
We're outside, it's 92 degrees,
but it's a comfortable 75 inside.
And here earlier today,
at the Jeddah Super Dome,
the arrival of the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes,
prepared for a second major title defense
since winning at WrestleMania.
His opponent?
The United States Champion,
the social media megastar Logan Paul,
who vows no shenanigans tonight.
He claims he will win fair and square.
How about the 14-time World Champion?
They vibe for Randy Orton, who beat The Bloodline's Tama Tonga
before suffering a Bloodline attack.
However, he's still qualified
for the finals of the King of the Ring tournament
against this man.
-[crowd cheering] -[Cole] Will he become the King?
[Cole] General Gunther, who beat Jey Uso
Monday night to qualify.
There's also the irresistible force, Nia Jax,
who knocked off Bianca Belair last night
and vows to be the Queen of the Ring.
But this woman stands in her way,
an upstart underdog known as Lyra Valkyria
who shocked Iyo Sky Monday night
for the opportunity,
the prize for both the men and women,
an opportunity to change their lives and their careers
in battle for a championship at Summer Slam.
Who will be King and Queen of the Ring?
[crowd cheering]
[soft music]
[wind whistling]
-[crowd cheering] -[slow heartbeat]
[cheering intensifies]
[music intensifies and stops]
[narrator] The moment an idea…
[drums]
[heavy breathing]
-[narrator] …becomes an obsession… -[drums]
[narrator] …signifies the beginning of a champion's journey.
-[drums] -[epic music]
[narrator] An opportunity to take the throne,
defend what's already yours…
-[drums] -[epic music intensifies]
[narrator] …and deliver a massive spectacle…
[commentator] An absolutely incredible scene.
[epic music intensifies and stops]
-[fireworks] -[narrator] …in front of the world.
-[commentator] Showtime! -[epic music resumes]
[narrator] Tonight,
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
it's no longer about how far you've come,
but how high you will ascend.
[commentator] This is what it's all about.
The moments.
[epic music stops]
[commentator] The emotion.
[crowd cheering]
[narrator] Remember this.
-[crowd cheering] -[drums]
[narrator] Every journey starts with the spark of an idea.
[crowd cheering]
[drums]
[narrator] And what we make of our obsessions…
[screaming] Woo!
[narrator] …becomes our destiny.
[drums]
-[crowd cheering] -[epic music resumes]
-[epic music stops] -[narrator] This…
[narrator] is WWE King and Queen of the Ring.
[wind whistling]
[announcer] And now, live from the Jeddah Super Dome
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
WWE presents King and Queen of the Ring.
[fireworks]
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] You are looking live
at the Jeddah Super Dome in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
We are sold out tonight,
with three championship matches.
And we will also crown
a King and Queen of the Ring.
[crowd chanting]
-[Becky Lynch's theme music] -[crowd cheering]
-♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa ♪ -[crowd chanting] Whoa, whoa, whoa!
-[theme music intensifies] -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] She is the Women's World Champion,
Becky Lynch,
who told me at the kickoff event in Riyadh this past Thursday night
that the reason she continues to do this,
the reason she continues to show up and show out and defend championships
around the world
is because of passion.
Because she wants to be the best ever.
Because she wants to do this for her family.
And Becky Lynch with an opportunity yet again tonight.
[theme music continues]
[Corey] Some serious Tommy Shelby vibes from The Man tonight in the desert.
And Becky Lynch always looking for a fight.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Becky Lynch lost to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania.
She had strep throat, but she never made an excuse.
She would go on to win the title in a battle royal last month.
Hello again, everybody. At ringside, I'm Michael Cole.
He's the voice of Friday Night Smack Down, Corey Graves.
We are so excited to kick things off with a Women's World Championship tonight.
By the end of the evening,
Becky Lynch will know whether or not she could be a target come SummerSlam.
Also, it could be Liv Morgan.
Summer Slam is gonna begin to take shape
right here tonight in King and Queen of the Ring.
-This is not one to miss. -We got some friends with us here tonight.
Oh, no doubt about it, they were here last night on Smack Down,
Faisal Al-Mughaisib and Jude Aldajani.
[speaking Arabic]
-Let's get it! -[Corey] Let's get it!
[Corey] Let's get it! How's your Arabic coming, Cole?
-[Cole] I figured that one out. -[theme music continues]
-[Liv Morgan's theme music] -[crowd cheering]
♪ Watch me ♪
[theme music intensifies]
[Corey] And the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour makes a stop in Jeddah tonight.
[Cole] I mentioned that kickoff show in Riyadh this past Thursday.
I have never seen Liv as emotional as she was
that night.
She understands that tonight is a must-win situation.
She is sick and tired of being second-best.
At the Royal Rumble,
she finished second to Bayley.
In the Elimination Chamber,
she finished second to Becky Lynch.
In the battle royal last month for the Women's World Championship,
she finished second to Becky Lynch.
Can Liv Morgan finally win the big one here tonight?
[Corey] You know what they say, second sucks.
And Liv Morgan intends on leaving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
with the Women's World Championship.
But Becky Lynch absolutely has no plans
of allowing that to happen under her watch.
-[theme music continues] -[crowd cheering]
[Corey] You sure it's 75 in here, Cole? I'm sweating bullets. It is hot.
[theme music intensifies and stops]
[bell ringing]
The following contest, scheduled for one fall,
is for
the Women's World Championship!
[crowd cheering]
Introducing the Challenger,
[Mike] from Elmwood Park, New Jersey,
Liv Morgan!
[crowd cheering]
[Mike] And her opponent,
from Dublin, Ireland,
she is
the Women's World Champion…
-[Mike] Becky Lynch! -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Referee Daphanie LaShaunn will work this matchup
for the Women's World Title.
Becky is the champion today
because of what Liv Morgan did to The Eradicator Rhea Ripley,
attacking her backstage, putting Rhea on the injured list,
and forcing Rhea to give up the championship.
[Corey] Oh, Cole, you happened to see on social media
who Liv Morgan ran into backstage earlier today?
[Cole] Yeah, Dominik Mysterio.
Of course, Rhea's being squeezed, I guess.
[crowd chanting] Becky!
[Corey] As we prepare, here's what I want to point out.
I don't understand
this sense of entitlement that Liv Morgan has.
To your point, Liv is perpetually in second place, which is great.
You can make a lot of money, have a hell of a career.
But this whole whining and crying,
as though Liv deserves something 'cause she got injured,
it's nonsense.
Becky Lynch needs to shut Liv Morgan up.
[Cole] Becky Lynch is four up against Liv Morgan.
Liv has never defeated Becky in her career.
They did meet for a championship back at day one in 2022,
in which Becky won the matchup.
And Morgan now standing, switch by Becky Lynch.
Nice take down by the champ.
Liv Morgan has been champion before.
She cashed in the money in the bank on Ronda Rousey
a couple of years ago to win the championship.
But this is her first match tonight in two years
for a singles title.
[Corey] And the reason for that
is because of the strength of the Women's Division
on both Friday Night Smack Down and Monday Night RAW.
The game continues to change, the game continues to evolve.
If you miss time with injury, that's unfortunate.
But you can't expect to come back
and just be handed the opportunity to be where you were.
The game moves on whether you're in it or not.
[Cole] One-hundred-percent.
Becky, perfect example of that.
She's always found a way to stay in the mix.
She's a seven-time World Champion.
Of course, she represented NXT for a while
as its champion.
This is one a Rumble, then a tag champ as well.
And of course, Becky, a trailblazer making history.
Main event of the first women's main event in WrestleMania history.
C'mon.
[Lynch] C'mon.
[Cole] If you're Morgan, what do you need to do tonight, Corey,
to take the title away from Lynch?
[Corey] If you're Liv Morgan, you need to beat Lynch at her own game,
which is not easy to accomplish, I know.
But if Liv wants this credibility,
if Liv wants to be viewed by the world
the way that Liv sees herself in the mirror,
she needs to beat Becky Lynch decisively.
With a submission, with a pinfall,
without shenanigans or controversy,
-[Corey] Liv needs to win. -[Cole] It's an incredible point too.
[Cole] Remember Liv Morgan has to pin or submit Becky.
Becky has the champion's advantages.
Liv fights back, count-outs do no one any good.
Does Becky good, she'll keep the title.
But nonetheless, Liv driving Becky back into the ring.
And here's the thing about Liv.
You can have a great career,
as you mentioned earlier, finishing second.
But at some point, she's gotta win.
She's gotta prove to herself and the world she can win the big one.
[Corey] If you're not gonna do what you say, you have to learn… Oh!
[Cole] Great move by Morgan.
They turn this match around.
[Corey] …when to stop talking and making those claims.
Liv likes to complain
when she's not on the marquee of every arena we head to… Cover here!
[Cole] Hook of the leg on Becky and a kick out.
[Corey] Liv complains
she's not being featured in films
and around the globe at all times.
Well, guess what?
When you make it to the top of the mountain,
as Becky Lynch has done,
as Liv herself has done for a cup of coffee in the past,
then everything falls into play.
But you gotta do the work first.
[Cole] And this is a different Liv Morgan, however, than we've seen in the past.
-[Cole] Completely changed in attitude. -[Corey] It could be the missing piece.
[Corey] This could be what launches Liv
from solid second place to the pinnacle.
[Cole] Liv has to be aware of the count.
Remember, disqualification in play.
Becky Lynch, couple of…
Oh, caught that thigh by Morgan. But lands on her feet.
Liv with a nice clothesline.
[Corey] Becky went for her Springboard Kick
from the bottom rope,
and Liv sensed it coming, blocked it, and turned the tides.
[Cole] Becky said something to Liv on Monday Night RAW, where she said,
"You've been here a decade, you've been here ten years."
And to your point earlier,
"Stop complaining, it's time you took matters
into your own hands and made things work."
[Corey] It's a controversial decision.
She's got until the count of five to break the hold.
But if you're Liv Morgan, I appreciate utilizing
the count of five to inflict maximum damage
but don't play with fire in this situation.
[Cole] Cover again on Becky for the Women's World Championship.
Kick out by Lynch.
[Corey] What happens in that instance is Liv doesn't hear the official's count,
Liv gets herself disqualified,
and then Liv spends six months crying on social media
that she wants a match with the official.
-[Corey] It's nonsense. -[Cole] Ooh!
[Corey] It's everybody else's fault but Liv's.
[Cole] You made the mention earlier, AJ Styles knows about this,
if you lose the opportunity, you go to the back of the line.
General managers have made that very clear in WWE.
[Corey] Last night on Friday Night Smack Down,
AJ was told precisely that by Nick Aldis.
[Daphanie] …two, three.
[Corey] And again, it's all a testament to the strength of WWE as a whole.
After the draft, both rosters are stacked.
Oof! No shortcomings on either side.
[Cole] A kick by Becky.
-[Corey] Ooh! -[Cole] Now that back elbow.
[Cole] Lynch second…
Oh, again, Liv Morgan takes advantage.
Becky face-first off the turnbuckle.
Another cover by Morgan forces Becky to kick out.
Now, I like this strategy by Liv.
Constant covers forcing Becky to kick out.
[Corey] I agree with you wholeheartedly, because what that does is it forces Lynch
to spend additional energy just in kicking out of a lateral press.
It's gonna exhaust you on a long enough timeline.
[Cole] Now wearing Becky down.
Again, Liv not knowing for submissions,
trying to pull out a new trick.
Becky face-first off the turnbuckle.
[Corey] And listen, I'm saying a lot of controversial things about Liv,
but if Becky Lynch makes the mistake of thinking the same way I'm speaking,
that could pose a problem for the champion.
If Becky is looking past or through Liv Morgan,
Lynch could pay the price to that.
[Cole] Big fight field tonight at the Jeddah Super Dome.
We're sold out in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Three championship matches, including this one,
for the Women's World Title.
King and Queen of the Ring will be crowned as well.
They earn opportunities at Summer Slam.
So much at stake on this historic night.
[Corey] This arm drag escape by The Man.
[Cole] And Becky looking to fight back.
[crowd] Ooh!
[Cole] Morgan just a step ahead,
at least momentarily.
[crowd] Oh!
-[Cole] Liv… Becky didn't get that. -[Corey] Tried to put the brakes on.
[Cole] Yeah, rolls her up. Kick out by Lynch.
And this time, Morgan goes face-first off the turnbuckle.
[crowd chanting]
-[Cole] And both women dead. -[crowd] Oh!
[Cole] Both women down.
Critical moment of this matchup
for Becky Lynch's Women's World Championship.
[crowd clapping]
[Cole] Does jet lag come into play in a match like this?
[Corey] We've been in the country for a number of days.
For being here for practically a week, I would say, at this point, not likely.
The Superstars have had ample time to train,
to get their sleep acclimated to the best of their ability.
That said, you're not at home, on your own soil.
But Becky Lynch has lived her entire career,
in that case, traveling around the globe. You gotta suck it up and fight through.
-[Cole] It is tough to stay hydrated here. -[Liv groans]
[Corey] I've lost four pounds since we came on the air.
[Cole] And Liv and Becky exchanging blows.
-[Corey] And I found my pants. -[Cole] Thank goodness.
[Cole] Big right hand by Morgan,
rocks the champion, and here comes The Man again.
-[unintelligible chattering] -[crowd chanting]
[Cole laughing] Here we go, Becky and Liv.
And here comes Morgan now.
-[Cole] Becky with a clothesline. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] And another one by the Women's World Champ.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Becky starting to feel it and build momentum.
[Corey] This is what Liv wanted to avoid.
[Cole] Yeah, Liv had the momentum earlier, and Becky turning things around now.
[Corey] You can watch it, you can study it, but in doing it,
you experience the adrenaline of Becky Lynch in the ring.
[crowd clapping]
[Corey] There is no true way to prepare adequately.
[Cole] And Liv Morgan rolling out of the ring.
Becky Lynch, though,
went for a baseball slide and took Morgan out.
And the intensity in the eyes of the Women's World Champ.
Off the apron. Down goes Morgan.
Becky again taking the fight to the Challenger.
As feisty as they come, Becky Lynch.
[Corey] Above all else, Becky Lynch knows how to win.
[crowd cheering]
[Corey] Lynch making the climb to the top turnbuckle, but Morgan.
[Cole] Morgan met her there. Great move by the Number One Contender, Liv Morgan.
[Corey] Wild right hand, a haymaker thrown by Morgan.
[Cole] Yeah, Liv needs to slow things down,
grasp the momentum back from Becky.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] Liv chopped off the ropes. Becky now top rope.
[crowd] Oh!
[Cole] Becky with a missile dropkick. Morgan's down.
[Corey] Lynch scrambling for the cover, hooks the leg.
[Cole] Kick out by Liv at two.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] Becky thinking about
what she has to do now.
[Corey] As we look at the dropkick,
right on the money from Lynch.
Scrambling for the cover.
Not as deep of a hook of the leg
as Lynch would have liked.
That may be the only reason this one's still going on.
[Cole] And the wheels are turning though. Becky trying to figure out strategy,
what she needs to put Morgan away.
[Corey] Looking for the Disarm-Her.
[Cole] And Liv able to turn it around into a pinning combination.
[crowd chanting]
[Corey] Lynch trying for the Disarm-Her again.
And Morgan just uncorked a right hand.
[Cole] And Liv off the second… Oh, code breaker!
And Becky down and out.
Cover now to win the Women's World Championship.
Kick out at two.
[Corey] As we approach the deep waters, you asked the question earlier.
Could conditioning be a factor?
Liv Morgan, right now, looks like she's running low on fuel.
You saw the lackadaisical cover after the code breaker.
Could have taken Lynch down and out. But to me, from where I sit,
Liv Morgan is wasting a lot of valuable time right now.
[Cole] Now she's laughing about something.
Again, this weird attitude of Liv Morgan
recently.
Into the corner. Becky Lynch sidesteps out of harm's way.
Now a well-placed boot from the back. Down goes Morgan, cover by Lynch.
And a kick out at two by Liv Morgan.
[Corey] Drive back some of the old blond, spiky hair color.
-[Cole laughs] -[Corey] Nice combination in the corner.
[Corey] And Lynch now could potentially be making the climb again.
-[crowd booing] -[Corey] From the top!
[Cole] Liv able to roll out of harm's way. Liv second rope now.
And a missile dropkick of her own drives Becky across the ring.
Morgan comes to the cover, trying to win the Women's World Championship.
Will hook the leg this time, and a kick out by Becky again,
forcing Becky to kick out once again.
[crowd chanting]
[Corey] Look at the doubt creeping into the mind
of the Challenger, of Liv Morgan.
It's gotta be a hard pill to swallow when you spend weeks and months
telling everyone with ears or anyone who looks at their phone
where you deserve to be.
If Liv comes up… Oblivion!
[Cole] Was looking for Oblivion. Becky able to counter.
Cover to retain, shoulders down, and a kick out by Morgan.
[Corey] It's possible that this deep into the matchup,
reality is beginning to sink into Liv Morgan.
Liv Morgan may be feeling right now,
"My legs are heavy. My lungs are on fire.
I just tried Oblivion.
And The Man was a step ahead yet again."
[Cole] But if you're gonna be champ, you better dig down deep.
You better be able to fight through that, play through extra innings.
It's the only way you're gonna be the Women's World Champion.
[Corey] I only see one woman on her feet with fire in her eyes.
And it's the Women's World Champion.
[Cole] Becky Lynch went for the Manhandle Slam.
Liv rolled through, trying to steal the title.
Becky rolls through on her own.
Liv kicks out again.
Becky misses wildly with a kick.
Morgan counters with a running knee.
[Corey] Lynch is down. Can Morgan capitalize?
-[Corey] Looking for the cover. -[Cole] For the Championship.
[Cole] Inside leg hooked.
-[Cole] And Becky at two and a half. -[Corey] Wow.
[Cole] And you look at the face. Look at Morgan's face.
Is that doubt now creeping in?
Does Liv Morgan say to herself, "I cannot get the job done?"
[Corey] It's gotta be, Cole.
I've never been World Champion. I don't know what that feels like.
I don't know what it means to feel that doubt creep in
in the bottom of the night
when you're in the box with two strikes against you.
That's where Liv Morgan's at, and The Man keeps coming back.
[Cole] Liv to her feet. And now she's toying with Becky.
I'm not sure this is the wisest strategy.
Becky with a right hand.
[Corey] There's some smoke behind that one.
[crowd] Ooh!
[Cole] And again, haymaker's being thrown. Becky's legs look a bit wobbly.
Morgan now off the second rope. Looked like she was going for an arm drag.
Becky able to counter.
And Becky takes down Liv into an arm bar.
Arm bar in!
Is Liv gonna tap? Center of the ring, Liv may tap here.
Though she's able to roll into a cover.
[Corey] Smart strategy. Reversal by Morgan.
Rings of Saturn cinched in.
[Cole] Now it's Becky's turn.
Becky's in trouble. Becky's in the middle of the ring.
The champ has nowhere to go.
Now Becky's able to turn into a pinning combination.
Liv trying to hang on though.
[Corey] Right back into the submission. I've gotta give credit where it's due.
Liv Morgan has clearly been studying her ground game.
[Cole] Morgan delivering elbows to the midsection.
Becky rolls through again and able to break it.
And now Becky.
Looking for the Disarm-Her.
Now she's got it in!
Disarm-Her locked in! Submission. Move on, Morgan.
Becky trying to hang on.
[Corey] But how much does Lynch have left in the tank?
You can see Becky trying with everything she's got.
[Cole] And now with Liv in the Disarm-Her…
-[Corey] What the heck? -[Cole] What is this damn fool doing?
[crowd booing]
[Cole] Dominik Mysterio!
We knew he was here. He set up social media tweets earlier.
[Corey] Dominik said he came to Saudi Arabia
to make sure Liv doesn't get her hands anywhere near Mami's championship.
[Cole] Oh, because Liv, of course, injured Rhea Ripley.
Dominik's Mami made sure that Rhea wasn't champion today.
And now this fool is out here ringside.
[Corey] And Becky Lynch wants nothing to do with "Dirty" Dom,
understandably.
-[crowd chanting] You suck! -[Corey] He's spoken for.
[Cole] I don't think that's…
-[Corey laughing] -[Cole] Oh, wow, code breaker.
[Cole] Cover by Liv, hook of the leg.
Almost took advantage of a distraction.
[Corey] And notice how Liv is favoring her arm
that was stuck in the Disarm-Her.
Morgan unable to hook the legs as she wanted.
And that could keep this one alive.
[crowd chanting] You suck!
[Cole] Fans telling Dominik what they feel about him.
Nonetheless, the reason
that Rhea Ripley isn't champion today is because of Liv Morgan.
Liv attacked her in the backstage area,
forced her to relinquish the championship.
Becky would go on to win it in a battle royal.
Liv Morgan now top rope. Becky's gonna meet her there.
Becky Lynch now hooking Morgan.
-[Cole] Is it enough? Superplex! -[crowd cheering]
[Corey] Can Lynch capitalize? Can the champion finish the job?
[Cole] Remember Morgan had been working on the back of Becky early on.
-[Cole] And Dominik with a steel chair. -[crowd booing]
[Cole] And Dominik sending that chair to Becky.
He wants Becky
to use the steel chair to take out Morgan here.
[Corey] Becky made it clear she wants nothing to do with Dom.
[Cole] Dominik drawing the official, so the official doesn't see the chair.
Let Morgan… Morgan, DDT on the chair!
[Corey] Daftie, daftie!
-[Corey] Dom, get off the ring, you fool! -[Cole] Turn around!
[Cole] Dominik, turn around!
Oh, no, not like this.
Oblivion, cover.
[crowd] One, two, three!
[Cole] Morgan's the champion!
[Liv Morgan's theme music]
[Mike] Here's your winner
and the new
Women's World Champion…
Liv Morgan!
[Cole] Dominik, you're a freaking moron.
[Corey] That might be
the most spectacular,
disastrous backfire
in the history of WWE.
I like to take Dom's side from time to time.
But this guy's an idiot. He deserves to be locked up again.
He just pissed away Mami's title.
[Cole] Oh my God. He's an idiot in so many ways.
He gave the championship to the woman who took Rhea out.
-[theme music continues] -[Cole] Oh my God.
[Cole] You're gonna be in trouble with Mami, Dominik.
But again, the story here, Corey, is this, Liv's the champ.
[Corey] Becky Lynch had the Disarm-Her cinched in.
Dominik shows up at ringside
for reasons unbeknownst to anybody but Dom.
[Cole] There's Becky saying, "Get out. I don't need you. I don't want you."
[Corey] Manhandle Slam attempt. But Liv counters, scrambles for the cover.
-[Corey] And Lynch would survive. -[Cole] Then watch Dominik.
[Cole] He sends the chair to Becky,
hoping Becky's gonna use it against Liv.
[Corey] And even in agony on the canvas,
Lynch saying, "No, get the hell out. I don't want it."
[Cole] Then the damn fool has the referee distracted.
And it allows Liv to use the chair
to set up Oblivion
so Liv can win the Women's World Championship.
[Corey] An absolutely absurd turn of events.
All set in motion
by "Dirty" Dom Dom.
[Cole] And think about this, Corey.
The Liv Morgan Revenge Tour is now complete.
She took out Rhea Ripley.
[Liv] I told you, guys.
[Cole] She took the Women's World Championship
from Becky Lynch.
And she embarrassed--
[fireworks]
[Cole] She embarrassed Rhea's man
-[Cole] in the process. -[Liv laughing] Revenge is mine.
[Cole] Liv Morgan is indeed…
the Women's World Champion.
[Corey] I'm "Dirty" Dom, I'm thinking twice
about even getting on a plane to head back to the United States.
Because you know when Dom gets back,
Mami's not going to be happy.
[theme music continues]
[soft music]
["Built Different" playing]
[unintelligible]
♪ This kind of separates strong from the weak ♪
♪ I'm a beast, I'm a feast Every day of the week ♪
♪ And I do not know defeat, please ♪
♪ You know that I'm built like no other ♪
♪ You know that I'm built to go further ♪
[unintelligible]
♪ I'm built different ♪
[music stops]
["Survival" playing] ♪ This is my life, this is my love ♪
[unintelligible]
♪ I'll be fighting, I'll be grinding This is my legacy ♪
♪ It's my blood, it's my sweat Can't ever let it get to me ♪
♪ Hitting my time, hitting my money This is my legacy ♪
♪ My legacy, my legacy ♪
♪ Hitting my time, hitting my money This is my legacy ♪
♪ My legacy, my legacy ♪
♪ I'll be fighting, I'll be grinding This is my legacy… ♪
[Corey] The Intercontinental Championship in hand,
the persevering Sami Zayn will take to the ring
against Big Bronson Reed
and friend-turned-furious-foe Chad Gable right after this break.
Members of the WWE Universe subscribing to Peacock Premium Plus,
let's get a closer look at how these three outstanding forces
will stop at nothing in their darkening feud
for the Intercontinental Title.
[music stops]
[energetic music]
[commentator] Sami Zayn
defends the Intercontinental Title in his hometown.
And the man that many say is responsible for the fact
that Sami Zayn's champion today, Chad Gable.
[Sami] You deserve a chance at this more than anybody.
It'd be my honor to defend this Intercontinental Championship
against you.
[dramatic music]
I can't wait.
[dramatic music intensifies]
-[Sami groaning] -[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Something has to give tonight.
[music continues]
[commentator] Ankle lock now. Gable's got it locked in.
[music continues]
[commentator] Exploder!
Can Sami capitalize here?
Helluva Kick!
Shoulders down, Sami retains.
-[bell ringing] -[music turns somber]
[commentator] You can see the disappointment on Gable.
He came so close yet again.
And now the celebration with his family, his wife. And…
[somber music intensifies]
-[commentator] Gable from behind. -[crowd booing]
[commentator] Gable snapped. The pressure's gotten to him.
-[dramatic music] -[crowd booing]
[dramatic music stops]
[Gable] What I did to Sami was justified.
-[dramatic music continues] -He knew that was my moment.
[Gable] That should have been me at WrestleMania.
That should have been me with my daughter celebrating.
[Gable] But I was wasting my time
training Sami Zayn.
I've been wasting my time training a bunch of freaking losers.
[crowd booing]
[commentator] Gable obsessed with the fact
that he wants to win the Intercontinental Championship.
[dramatic music intensifies and stops]
[Reed] Never mind Chad Gable.
[commentator] Oh, Bronson Reed!
[Reed] You got bigger problems to deal with.
[wrestlers groaning and shouting]
[shouting] You're looking at the new Intercontinental Champion.
[Reed] While those two are focused on their rivalry,
I'm about my business.
[Reed] The Intercontinental Championship
belongs to Big Bronson Reed.
[commentator] Sami's got Gable and Bronson Reed
looking to take the championship from him.
-[tense music] -[Sami] So how does this end?
[Sami] To me there's only one way it can end.
Triple Threat Match
at King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia.
[music continues]
[Sami] When the pressure is on and this championship is on the line,
that is when I am at my best.
That soul, that heart, that passion,
that is why I am holding this right now.
[commentator] Sami Zayn goes right after Chad Gable.
And now he turns his attention to Bronson Reed.
-[commentator] From behind, Chad Gable. -[music intensifies]
[commentator] Once again, Reed is the last one standing.
All I care about is business.
[Reed] And violence is how I make my money.
I will use my body as a weapon,
and I will take that championship.
[Gable] I'm not just taking your title, Sami.
I'm taking your soul.
[Sami] At King and Queen of the Ring, mark my words,
I will walk out still
Intercontinental Champion.
-[crowd cheering] -[music intensifies and stops]
-[Alpha Academy's theme music] -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] For this man tonight,
it is all personal.
[theme music continues]
[crowd chanting] You suck!
[wrestlers shouting indistinctly]
[Cole] Chad wants Otis with him, but not Maxxine.
Remember Maxxine refused to help Chad Gable out last week.
[Corey] Maybe Gable doesn't wanna be distracted.
-Can you blame him? -[crowd continues chanting] You suck!
[bell ringing]
[Mike] The following contest
is a Triple Threat Match.
And it is for…
the Intercontinental Championship!
Introducing first,
accompanied to the ring by Otis,
representing Alpha Academy,
Chad Gable!
[Cole] So this is why it's personal for Gable.
Think about this for a minute, Corey.
Gable realized he couldn't beat Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.
He had tried it a number of occasions. What does he do?
He treats, teaches, coaches, and trains Sami--
Stick with the plan.
Remember what I told you when the time is right.
-You got it? -[Cole] No disqualifications.
[Cole] Otis can do whatever he wants.
Nonetheless, Gable helps Sami
beat Gunther at WrestleMania.
Because Gable believes it's easier to beat Sami than Gunther.
He gets his opportunity at Montreal.
What happens? He loses.
And it sets Gable off the deep end.
[Corey] And I think it could be the best thing
that has ever happened to the career of Chad Gable.
Because Gable needs to focus on number one.
He needs to not worry about Otis,
not worry about Maxxine,
certainly not the WWE Universe.
Once upon a time,
Gable was tasting the success that he so desired.
Lately, not the case.
It can all change
by cutting all the anchors weighing you down.
[crowd chanting loudly] You suck!
[Cole] That chant used to be reserved for another US Olympian,
who happened to go on and do some great things with it
here in WWE.
[Bronson Reed's theme music]
♪ I'm war ready ♪
♪ I'm battle-tested… ♪
[Mike] Next, from Black Forest,
weigh in at 330 pounds,
Big Bronson Reed!
[Cole] For this man, Big Bronson Reed, it's all about business.
At NXT, he was a North American Champion, but he's never held a singles championship
here on the main roster.
Bronson Reed hopes to accomplish that here tonight.
-[Corey] I love how much-- -[Cole] There's that craziness again.
[Cole] I don't know if you got a chance to check out
the latest QR code over the weekend. I can't figure out--
[Corey] The less you talk about that, the better.
We need to focus on the Intercontinental Championship
Triple Threat Match.
And if Bronson Reed wants to keep business healthy,
perhaps increase business,
tonight would go a long, long way.
I admire the way Reed objectively approaches
each and every match.
It's just business.
I'm a big, strong dude, and I'm going to do what I need to do.
I think tonight we might need to see a little more out of Reed.
A little emotion, perhaps.
I want to see Bronson Reed get angry.
[theme music continues]
♪ We're ready for war We're battle-tested ♪
-[music stops] -[wrestlers taunting each other]
[crowd chattering]
-[Arabic music] -[crowd cheering]
[Sami] And it's just… I don't know, very, very surreal for me to be here.
-[music continues] -[Sami] It's… I can't really understand
[Sami] I'm here.
-[crowd cheering] -[Sami speaking Arabic]
[crowd chanting] Sami!
-[music slows down and stops] -[crowd chanting] Welcome back!
[Sami Zayn's theme music]
-♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh! ♪ -[crowd chanting] Oh, oh, oh, oh!
-♪ Let's go! ♪ -[crowd chanting] Let's go!
-[crowd cheering] -[theme music continues]
[crowd cheering]
-♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh! ♪ -[crowd chanting] Oh, oh, oh, oh!
[Mike] And their opponent, weighing in at 212 pounds,
he is the Intercontinental Champion,
-[Mike] Sami Zayn! -[crowd] Sami Zayn!
[theme music continues]
[Corey] You know, my first instinct,
as someone who's known Sami Zayn for a lot of years,
is to make some sort of snarky comment
about how nobody panders like Sami Zayn.
But as a competitor who has spent many nights
in a ring against Sami Zayn in our NXT days,
I can tell you firsthand
nobody knows how to use this energy that we're seeing right now in Riyadh
at the WWE Experience.
Even from the other side of the country,
no one knows how to turn the energy of the fans into fuel
like Sami Zayn.
[Cole] The WWE Experience,
600 miles to our east in Riyadh,
first-of-its-kind, interactive, immersive area,
it's tremendous.
I was there on Thursday,
and Sami had them eating out of the palm of his hand
on Thursday night.
[crowd chanting] Oh, oh, oh, oh!
[Cole] Referee Shawn Bennett
will officiate this Triple Threat Match
where the champion has no advantage.
The first man to gain pinfall or submission
will be the Intercontinental Champion, no count-outs, no disqualifications.
You must win via pinfall or submission.
And you already heard Chad Gable
say to his buddy Otis from the Alpha Academy,
"Remember the plan when it's time."
[crowd chanting] Oh, oh, oh, oh!
[Corey] Oh, good luck executing any type of plan in this environment.
[Cole] So Sami Zayn, with his back against the wall--
-[bell ringing] -[Cole] …takes on Bronson and Gable.
[crowd chanting] Sami!
[Corey] It is raucous in here.
We're going to start calling the Jeddah Super Dome Sami's house,
my goodness.
[crowd chanting] Sami!
[Cole] Chad Gable has never won a singles championship
in his career in WWE.
Wants to change that fortune tonight.
Sami, of course, personal with Chad.
And that's the problem with your Sami Zayn.
You gotta put those personal emotions aside,
or Big Bronson Reed is gonna turn you into splat.
-[Corey] Well, Sami just found out… -[Reed groaning]
[Corey] And here comes Gable. The monster…
And just what a heavy chop from Reed.
[Cole] And again, Corey mentioned it,
it is thunderous inside the Jeddah Super Dome.
Big Bronson Reed showing off his power.
But Sami Zayn, obviously, the home crowd behind him.
[crowd chanting loudly]
[Corey] Like I said, it may sound cliche, but Sami can use it like no other.
-[Corey] These chants, the songs-- -[Cole] Gable from behind!
[Corey] …gonna fuel the Intercontinental Champion
until the wheels fall off.
[Cole] Well, his hometown, of course,
as you see Sami Zayn over the top rope,
of Montreal, Canada, almost shocked the world
and knocked off Roman Reigns a couple of years ago.
Then, in front of his home crowd,
would beat Gable
for the Intercontinental Title.
Sami Zayn knows how to play off
the proverbial sixth man.
-[crowd chanting] -[Cole] What an atmosphere
-[Cole] here tonight in Jeddah. -[crowd continues chanting]
[Cole] And now Otis contemplating what does he do.
You know, Chad Gable, in that whole Academy situation,
has been like the Little League dad.
-[Cole] Bronson Reed running through Sami. -[crowd] Ooh!
[crowd booing]
[Cole] If you're Otis, you gotta feel for him.
[Corey] If you're Otis, you gotta feel for Gable?
[Cole] No, if you're Otis, you gotta feel for what he's going through
-[Cole] at the hands of Gable. -[Corey] Are you kidding me?
[Corey] Otis barely knows what day it is. No one feels bad for Otis.
Otis needs to listen to Chad Gable.
-[Corey] That's what he needs to do. -[Cole] Sami caught by Reed.
-[Corey] Unique. -[Cole] And the big man…
-[Cole] And Sami may be hurt. -[Corey] And so might Gable.
[Corey] You noticed Chad Gable clutched at his right knee and shin.
[Cole] And so did Sami as well. Both men…
[crowd chanting]
[Corey] They could be on the precipice of a new championship reign,
courtesy of Big Bronson Reed.
[Cole] Watch again.
I want us to watch the collision
between Sami and Chad here.
Look at how they… Oh my goodness.
[Corey] That was potentially catastrophic
for both athletes.
[Cole] Gable back up on the apron in the fight.
But he caught an elbow to the eye socket.
[crowd chanting] Sami!
[Cole] Man, it is a… This place is vibrating.
And now Gable. Look at that Fit-Finlay-type maneuver.
Wrapping up Sami Zayn in the ring apron.
Again, no disqualifications, no count-outs.
Do whatever you want in this environment.
[Corey] Gable making the climb to the top turnbuckle.
Bronson Reed weary in the center of the ring.
-[Corey] Gable! -[Cole] Missile dropkick!
[Cole] Now he's down. Reed's down.
What does Chad Gable do? Who does he go for here?
Sami Zayn trying to struggle
to get out of the apron.
[Corey] Take another look.
Chad Gable with both boots
right to the chest of Reed,
finally taking the big man down.
[Cole] You know, Chad Gable with a real chip on his shoulder.
Talked to him earlier today. He said he feels so disrespected.
Do you realize this is his first match
on a Premium Live Event in 14 months?
[Corey] And you have to respect
what Gable is doing with the rage, with the fury.
He's trying to channel it into something.
As Gable is sent to the outside, and Bronson Reed gonna join him.
Sami thinking about taking flight.
[Cole] Intercontinental Champion in his wheelhouse.
Up over the top! And Sami Zayn taking out Gable and Reed.
And Sami fired up.
[crowd cheering]
[Corey] You can almost see the adrenaline
pulsing through the Intercontinental Champion.
[crowd continues cheering]
[Cole] And the sold-out crowd
of WWE fans in Jeddah
cheering Sami Zayn
on every step of the way.
[Corey] Zayn trying to muscle Big Bronson Reed back inside.
Questionable decision, but understandable for an honorable champion like Sami Zayn.
[Cole] Sami, a Muslim, talks a lot about coming to Jeddah,
making the sacred course to Mecca, which he did last year.
It was a life-changing experience for Sami.
He's so glad to be back here defending his Intercontinental Championship.
But Big Bronson Reed,
like King Kong climbing the Empire State Building,
with Sami Zayn up on his shoulders.
Sami looking forward. He got him!
Sunset flip power bomb! Cover!
-[Cole] Kick out by Reed. -[Corey] Wow.
[crowd chanting]
[Corey] Great situational awareness and wherewithal
by the Intercontinental Champion.
Sami seconds from disaster.
Able to shift his weight in such a manner
that it took Reed down
and nearly put Big Bronson out.
-[Corey] There's no way in hell, Sami. -[Cole] Looking for a Blue Thunder bomb
-[Cole] against Big Bronson Reed. -[Corey] No way.
[Corey] Forget it.
[Cole] Again trying to get the 330-pounder off his feet.
Not wise strategy for the champion.
[Corey] Now, for a smart guy, Sami, you're good at stupid.
[Cole] Got him up a little bit. Reed, though.
And now Sami, he might have just thrown his back out.
[Corey] Well, if Sami didn't, Bronson will happily help finish the job.
-[Corey] Well over 300 pounds. -[Cole] Gable to the knee!
[Cole] Great move by Chad Gable. And there are the brains of Gable.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] And now Chad hooking Sami Zayn.
Top rope now.
What's Gable planning to do? Reed back in the picture.
-[Corey] Oh, no. -[Cole] Big Bronson Reed…
[Cole] Massive superplex to Gable and Sami.
[Corey] Reed now surveying the damage.
Can Big Bronson finish the task at hand? Putting Sami into position.
Cole, we might be in for a Tsunami in the desert.
[Cole] Yeah, we need Wade Barrett here.
He was on the kickoff panel earlier.
-[Cole] Maybe not. -[Corey] Wrong way, Bronson.
[Cole] Bronson, what the hell? No! Went for a moonsault!
Sami moved out of the way.
And now Gable hits one of his own.
-[Corey] Picture-perfect! -[Cole] Big cover for the title!
[Cole] Sami saves the match just barely.
[Corey] I don't know that I've ever seen dueling moonsaults like that.
[crowd chanting and cheering]
[Corey] Look at this from Chad Gable,
right on point, center of the ring.
And Sami preserves his title reign
at the last second.
[Cole] What a match.
Triple Threat rules for the Intercontinental Title,
first man to gain pinfall or submission.
-[crowd cheering loudly] -[Cole] It's hometown favorite Sami Zayn.
[Corey] Sami going to try this again. Sami, don't.
[Cole] And Bronson Reed makes him pay yet again.
And now Reed gonna show off his power game.
Maybe not. Sami Zayn fighting back.
Chops to the chest.
Sami, that's classic Zayn right there
with a tornado DDT.
Cover for the win!
And it's Chad Gable. Barely! And now into an ankle lock.
[Corey] Directly into the submission hold. Sami Zayn in trouble.
Bronson Reed has been neutralized.
Chad Gable's got daylight.
[Cole] If Sami taps, it's over.
Gable's the champ.
Chad Gable with the ankle lock in.
We mentioned Kurt Angle, earlier tonight, made this famous.
Gable looking to use it to win the Intercontinental Title.
[Sami shouting indistinctly]
[Corey] Gable's not thinking about homage right now.
Gable's thinking about a W. Gable's thinking about gold.
[Cole] Sami, the ropes don't matter. The ropes won't force a break
because there are no disqualifications.
[Corey] Gable slips into the grapevine.
Sami's gotta feel the title slipping away.
-[Corey] But here comes Reed. -[Cole] And now the ankle lock on Reed.
[Cole] Chad Gable trying to take out the big man here.
Sami can't move.
He's still paralyzed from the ankle lock, or at least was.
And now Sami Zayn gonna pick the ankle at Gable.
-[Corey] Oh, dear. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Gable's got a break. Now Sami Zayn, can you imagine?
You think Chad Gable went off the deep end in Montreal?
-[Cole] What if he tapped-- -[Corey] Oh my God, Blue Thunder bomb!
-[Corey] Oh my God! -[Cole] Blue Thunder bomb for the cover!
-[Cole] Kick out by Reed! -[crowd] Oh!
[Corey] I just saw it with my very own eyes,
and I still don't believe it.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] Sami Zayn hit a Blue Thunder bomb
on a 330-pound man.
[crowd] One, two… Oh!
[Corey] Unbelievable.
[crowd chanting]
[Corey] Sami's still feeling the effects
of the time spent in Chad Gable's ankle lock.
-[crowd] Ooh! -[Cole] Time to dig down deep.
[Cole] It's anybody's ballgame for the Intercontinental Championship.
[crowd] Ooh!
-[Reed grunting] -[crowd] Ooh!
[Corey] Bronson Reed crushing both opponents simultaneously
before positioning Gable up top.
-[Cole] Now it's Sami on his shoulders. -[Corey] Oh, no.
-[Cole] Chad Gable as well.
[Corey] This is real Kaiju stuff.
[Cole] Oh, and that Samoan drop,
dropping both men on the back of their necks.
[Corey] Double-stacked.
[crowd clapping]
[Cole] Tremendous stamina for a big man.
[crowd chanting] This is awesome!
[Cole] What the hell is… Oh my God. Bronson, you got to be kidding me.
-[Cole] What are you doing? Suicide dive! -[crowd] Oh!
-[Cole] That's like a runaway Mack Truck. -[Reed cheering]
[Cole] No breakdown lanes there.
[Corey] Bronson Reed now has the opportunity of a lifetime.
[crowd chanting] Holy shit!
[Corey] Bronson Reed could be looking for insurance
in the form of that 330-plus-pound Tsunami.
[Cole] Reed top rope. Sami moved out of the way.
[Corey] Reed tried to get a foot underneath himself
to try to mitigate the impact.
-[crowd cheering loudly] -[unintelligible]
[Corey] …Sami's position now.
[Cole] Sami Zayn had Reed where he wants him.
Bronson Reed dragging himself up in the corner.
Sami Zayn looking for a Helluva Kick.
Picked out of there into a German suplex by Gable.
[Corey] Gable refusing to relinquish the grip.
A second German suplex to the champion.
[crowd chanting] You suck!
[Cole] Trying for a third German. Sami trying to break the grip here.
-[crowd cheering] -[Cole] Finally does.
[Cole] And now Sami with a German suplex of his own.
Still locked in.
Another German suplex to Gable.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Sami Zayn…
Oh, now Bronson Reed
-[Cole] with a waist lock on Zayn. -[Gable grunting]
[Corey] I don't think Gable realizes that he's locked in double.
[Cole] Now he does.
No way. There is absolutely no way.
-[Cole] You gotta be kidding me! -[crowd cheering and clapping]
[Cole] Chad Gable
suplexed Sami Zayn and Bronson Reed.
[Corey] That is 515 poundsish,
if not more,
at the same time.
A double-stacked German suplex.
Reed runs around at, what, 330.
Sami's about 212, 213.
And Gable just took them both down.
[Cole] Chad Gable, for his size, pound for pound,
may be the strongest man at WWE.
That was absolutely insane,
-[Cole] what Gable just did. -[Gable] Now's the time!
-[Reed groaning] -[Cole] The plan.
-[Cole] He called for the plan to go in. -That right there!
That's what I've been talking about.
That's the Otis I want to see.
[Cole] Obviously, the plan was to take the big man out of the equation.
Take out Bronson Reed.
And now Gable sends Sami outside the ring.
[Gable] Otis!
Good to hit too!
[crowd booing]
[Cole] Otis is torn here.
Remember he apologized to Sami
for getting involved Monday.
[Corey] Listen to your coach, Otis.
[wrestlers shouting indistinctly]
Hey, what's the matter with you?
Get up.
-Hit him. -[Cole] A conflicted Otis.
Shut up, Sami. Shut up.
Otis, hit him.
[Cole] There's no disqualification,
so it doesn't matter what Otis does here.
-[Gable] Hey! -[Cole] Otis won't pull the trigger.
[crowd cheering]
What's wrong with you?
What the hell's the matter with you?
I tell you every day, "Listen to your coach."
-[crowd chanting] Otis! -What's wrong with you?
[crowd] Ooh!
Hey, what are you gonna do? You gonna hit me?
What's he, your best friend, you idiot?
What's it gonna take for you to wake up?
[crowd] Ooh!
Wake up.
[Corey] At this point in the match, it's not right for Otis
to have an attack of morality.
Here we go.
[Cole] Otis gonna say, "The hell with it. Why not?"
-[Cole] Otis… Oh, no! -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Sami ducked!
Otis inadvertently ran over his coach, Chad Gable.
Otis can't believe it.
Gable's down.
[Corey] But in the ring, Sami Zayn has got daylight.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Watson was taken out by Otis.
There is the Helluva Kick!
-[Cole] Cover! -[crowd] One, two…
-[crowd] …three! -[Cole] Sami retains!
-[crowd cheering] -[Sami Zayn's theme music]
[Mike] Here's your winner
and still the Intercontinental Champion,
Sami Zayn!
-[crowd chanting] Oh, oh, oh, oh! -[Cole] A truly conflicted Otis
[Cole] finally seemed like he was going to do
what he needed to do for Chad Gable.
And man, did it backfire.
Well, let's show you what happened
toward the end of this matchup now.
[crowd chanting] Oh, oh, oh, oh!
[crowd cheering]
-[Cole] We've learned-- -…you're gonna hit me?
What's he, your best friend, you idiot?
What's it going to take for you to wake up?
[crowd] Ooh!
[Cole] Otis was conflicted about getting involved with Sami
on Monday night.
He had the same conflict tonight.
And because of the hesitation, Sami took advantage, Chad went down.
Sami hit the Helluva Kick, retains the championship tonight.
But if you're Otis,
it's going to be a long ride back to the States.
[Corey] Oh, they are partying in Riyadh tonight
as Sami Zayn retains
his coveted Intercontinental Championship
in a grueling Triple Threat Match.
It was not easy.
But tonight belongs to Sami Zayn.
[Cole] Hell of a victory for Sami Zayn.
A hell of a matchup.
Chad Gable is pissed off.
[theme music continues]
[Cole] Man, how can you not feel cursed?
-[Corey] I've never screwed up that bad. -[crowd chanting] Oh, oh, oh, oh!
[crowd continues chanting]
[crowd cheering]
[epic music]
[commentator] Welcome, everyone, to the biggest event of the summer.
For more than 35 years,
[Triple H] Summer Slam has delivered
some of the most amazing moments in WWE history.
[epic music continues]
[commentator] I am completely in shock right now.
[Triple H] And in 2026, it will once again make history.
[commentator] Fasten your seat belts. It is about to go down. Let's go!
Working with Minnesota Sports and Events,
we will expand Summer Slam to two nights.
[epic music intensifies]
[Triple H] Saturday, August 1st, and Sunday, August 2nd, 2026,
in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Live from the world-class U.S. Bank Stadium,
WWE will bring two epic nights of Summer Slam to the Twin Cities.
So there's only one question to ask.
Are you ready?
Huge news, Thursday is WWE, in partnership with Minnesota sports and events,
announced that Minneapolis will host WWE SummerSlam over two nights
on Saturday, August 1st and Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium.
[Corey] Cole, think about what our summers are going to look like.
We've got Cleveland this year, 2026, two nights in Minneapolis.
Who is going to be lucky enough to be the sandwich in between? 2025.
[Cole] Oh, that's the question. Where are we going for Summer Slam in 2025?
Cleveland. Tickets are flying out the window already.
Two nights are going to be epic in Minneapolis.
What's going to happen in 2025? We can only imagine.
Well, tonight, of course, we're in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
On in the Countdown show, we had a match for the Women's Tag Team Championship.
[Corey] There's a closing moment where Jade Cargill would
show everyone in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia just how powerful she truly is.
Nearly ended the matchup in this moment, but Candace LeRae wanted to prolong things
a little longer, which I'd say backfired pretty badly for Ms. LeRae.
Tremendous double team offense from the Champions.
What a win for Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.
Let's head back to our broadcast colleague Byron Saxton.
Michael, Corey.
Thank you first off, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, congratulations
on successfully defending your Women's Tag Team titles earlier on tonight
on the Countdown show. But I gotta ask.
Is there a secret to how well you two have gelled?
What secret? We have each other's back.
Candy, Candace and Indy stepped up and got stepped on.
Exactly, Candace is the reason why my knee has been slowing me down
for the past couple of months.
By the time she stepped to me last night, I was over it.
So I gave her a taste of her own medicine.
And tonight, Jade and I, we had something to prove. And we proved it.
So whoever who want to come and get it, we got it. We're giving out work. Come apply.
What they thought this was. They thought they were going to beat us?
We walked out as your Women's Tag Team Champions.
[Jade] And still. [Bianca] What she said.
And still indeed. Congratulations, ladies.
Michael, Corey, back to you guys.
[Corey] Byron, just so uncool in that environment.
Coming up next day, Dark Horse will stand the test against an unforgiving titan
in hopes to win the crown. Lyra Valkyria vs. Nia Jax
to The Queen of the Ring tournament finals right after this break.
For our subscribers of Peacock Premium plus, let's look at this rough journey
to become The Queen of the Ring.
The throne is ready for the taking.
A new King and Queen of WWE will be crowned.
You've heard of the NCAA Bracketology? Well, this is some Barrett-ology.
I'd say It's a sweet 16, but there's nothing saccharine about what
these women have put each other through.
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark made quick work of their opponents.
First round matchup. Queen of the Ring tournament
Iyo Sky advances.
However, the round's most shocking victory came from the newcomer, Lyra Valkyria.
Trying to add a feather to her wing. And she puts Dakota away.
Over on SmackDown, Cargill and Stratton into round two.
Nia Jax, an irresistible force squashing the glow out of Naomi.
Meanwhile, Bianca Belair collaboration continue to show why she is The EST.
Kicking off the quarterfinals, Baszler ran into the full court press that is Iyo Sky.
While Lyra Valkyria showed composure in the heat of combat.
securing her spot in the semis with a victory.
[Lyra] I only travel as the crow flies, straight to the top.
The anchor Belair was able to outlast Tiffy Time.
But victory came with a cost.
My knee is not 100%. Nothing is stopping me from becoming Queen of the Ring.
And in an absolute shocker,
the bout between Nia Jax and Jade Cargill was an all-out.
Nia Jax's taking a moment to insult Jade's daughter,
that's going to cause of disqualification.
After all the Bracket Busters took place, we finally made it to the final four.
Lyra Valkyria and Iyo Sky go one on one.
The opportunity to make it to the finals of The Queen of the Ring tournament.
Oh, and a power bomb. Valkyria back up.
Valkyria stacks her up. Lyra wins.
Lyra Valkyria is in the finals.
[Corey] Belair or Jackson meet Lyra Valkyria.
[Corey] Thinking about a KOD [Cole] That near Belair.
Hey, Lyra, I'm going to buzz right through you to become Queen of the Ring.
[Cole] Now we have a true David versus Goliath story.
Lyra Valkyria.
The underestimated rookie has scratched and clawed her way her entire career.
From overcoming the odds and beating Becky Lynch
for the NXT Championship to being drafted to RAW
and in just weeks reaching the finals of the tournament.
Standing across the ring from Lyra though, is the imposing Nia Jax,
who has advanced from round to round using brute force and pure dominance.
Will Jax's menacing presence
and sheer power be too much for Valkyria to overcome?
Or can Lyra write a happily ever after to her Cinderella story?
Tonight we find out who will become the next WWE Queen of the Ring.
[Cole] Well, with the coronations taking place tonight after
the first ever Smack Down from Jeddah last night
the superstars are here, including the WWE Tag Champs
Theory and Waller, A-Town Down Under, as our #DIY, Johnny Gargano on the left.
Tommaso Ciampa on the right, taking in tonight's activities and events.
And we got a lot more to go. There's The Street Profits and B-Fab,
who worked this Jeddah Superdome into a lather last night on Smack Down.
Teaming up with LA Knight.
[Nia Jax's music plays]
[bell rings]
The following is the final match
in The Queen of the Ring tournament.
[presenter] Introducing first from San Diego, California, Nia Jax.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, the first ever Queen of the Ring back in 2021,
our good friend Zelina Vega.
She tweeted out a bit earlier today that she waves goodbye to the crowd.
She's so excited to watch these girls kill it tonight.
She said she's got a royal bath ready and now she's going to enjoy the show.
I know you all will bring the heat. Let's go.
The words of the first Queen of the Ring, Zelina Vega.
[Corey] Sounds like somebody's upset that they're not The Queen this year.
Trying to keep themselves in the conversation.
[Cole] Why do you always have to throw water?
Because I've been in this business for 30 years. I'm as grizzled as they come.
More so than you. Believe it or not.
[Cole] I cannot wait to witness what unfolds here.
The irresistible force has been on a tear recently and Nia believes
the crown already belongs to her.
[Lyra Valkyria's music plays]
[presenter] And her opponent, from Dublin, Ireland,
Lyra Valkyria.
[Cole] Now I can explain the Raven getup.
As Lyra Valley Valkyria makes her way to the ring.
She fancies herself a Morrigan, which is an Irish Goddess of War.
As they were on the battlefield, they used to take the shape of ravens to fly around
and decide who would live and who would die.
That is what Lyra Valkyria is bringing to the ring here tonight.
[Corey] Well, you stepped all over my Full House, Uncle Jesse.
Vulture joke, Michael Cole. You've been saving that one.
[Cole] On her Instagram story earlier on, Lyra Valkyria said that she's everything
from nervous to excited to very hot here in Saudi Arabia.
Called it the biggest match of her career.
Feels like she's been saying that for a week now.
NXT a month ago to Jeddah for the finals of The Queen of the Ring tournament.
Absolutely surreal.
However, Corey, right now, she's got to put all that behind her.
[Corey] As much as Valkyria seems to fancy herself a bit of a fantasy land lover.
Or maybe she read too much Tolkien in her day. But now is reality. Now it's go time.
Lyra Valkyria is about to go toe to toe with a real life fire breathing dragon
in the form of Nia Jax.
Nia Jax, who is in the best physical condition of her career and has been
as highly motivated as I have ever seen. Tonight will make someone.
Will it be Lyra? Will it be Nia?
We'll find out in a matter of moments.
[Cole] Lyra Valkyria's first premium live event here on the WWE Roster.
She defeated Dakota Kai, Zoe Stark, and the former WWE Women's Champion, Iyo Sky.
To get to this moment, Nia Jax knocked off Naomi, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair.
One of these women will become Queen. And Corey, you win the crown.
Guess what waits for you in August.
[Corey] A date with the Champion of your respective brand at Summer Slam.
[Cole] So if you're Lyra Valkyria, what do you do to pull off an upset tonight?
[Corey] I don't know a ton about Lyra Valkyria.
I obviously followed her days in NXT, I know she is a technical wizard.
Lyra, from a technique perspective, may actually have Nia Jax outgunned.
However, what Nia brings to the dance is raw power, the likes of which you rarely
see from most men, let alone women.
[Cole] Ask Rhea Ripley about the power of Nia Jax.
[Corey] Ask Bianca Belair, who suffered at the hands of the irresistible force.
[Cole] Lyra Valkyria. Hoping to keep Nia Jax off balance,
uses her quickness and needs to try to play a game of cat and mouse
with the powerful Nia Jax.
[Corey] Look at the power. This is what I was talking about.
And sends. Oh, nice athleticism.
[Cole] Corner Valkyria, who beat Becky Lynch for the NXT Women's Championship.
[Corey] And beyond, relying on her technique.
If I'm Lyra, I'm going to try to frustrate Nia, I don't know if that's possible
as Nia ripped Lyra right off of the canvas effortlessly.
If you frustrate Nia, she may make a mistake that you can capitalize on.
Now Nia trying to drive Valkyria and does it successfully into the corner.
Lyra looked like she was going for a sleeper hold earlier on.
Here comes Jax. And Lyra sends Nia to the floor.
[Cole] Athletic as they come, resilient as well.
And Lyra now through the air. Just barely caught Nia on the shoulder.
It's gonna take a lot more than that to take down the irresistible force.
[Corey] Valkyria driven into the apron.
[Cole] Lyra says she feels alive every time she flies.
And that's what Nia has to to avoid tonight. Keep Valkyria grounded.
[Corey] Well, the woman thinks she's a bird, Cole. What do you expect?
[Cole] Big dropkick.
Symbolism.
[Corey] And here's Lyra now unloading on Nia in the corner,
who just shoves her away.
Today, I feel like a giraffe. Look at this.
Lyra Valkyria walking the ropes. Outrageous athleticism.
Nia Jax now powering Valkyria up.
Lyra now and again slipping the arm underneath the chin of Nia Jax.
And this has to be frustrating for Nia.
Each time she's attempted the same maneuver,
Lyra has countered the exact same way.
That's got to be frustrating.
Jax is going to have to show Lyra something different.
And look at this.
This is what, in my opinion, is what it's going to take for Nia Jax.
Just bulldoze Lyra. Be Nia Jax. You don't need to get fancy.
You don't need to get cute. Just be you.
[Cole] First time these two competitors have ever gone one on one in the ring.
Nia drops an elbow to the spine. Valkyria kicks out at 2.
It almost feels like Lyra's gonna have to just hit something from out of nowhere.
Stunned by him momentarily to pick up a win.
[Corey] Listen, we know Lyra possesses the skill set to do that,
but this game is about so much more than technique.
It's about experience and timing, it's about knowing when to tap into
certain parts of your psyche that you don't ordinarily bother with.
Nia knows this about herself, does Lyra?
[Cole] At this point, punishing and just destroying Lyra.
This is the pace Jax wants.
Now they're trying to fight back to the midsection. And another one.
And another one by Valkyria.
[Corey] I know she's watching right now, but Bailey, the WWE Women's Champion
on Friday Night Smack Down has to be rooting for Lyra Valkyria now.
Because there is no way Bayley wants to mix it up with this Nia Jax.
Oh yeah, but Summer Slam's a long way away. Still a number of months.
Bailey's got to worry about still being the Champion come August.
For sure, I mean the entire WWE universe could and most likely
will look drastically different. I am just trying to analyze.
Nia with a kick right to the midsection. And it has been all Nia Jax.
Really since the beginning of this match.
And you know, if you didn't think this match was going to go this way,
then you're a fool, I believe.
[Corey] This is exactly what I think most people expected.
Again, the thing is not over. You got to give Lyra the experience.
Having experienced this business enough, anything can happen.
It used to be a tagline, but it is the truth.
[Cole] She knocked off Becky Lynch, she knocked off Iyo Sky, but knowing
the size of Nia Jax, this is the first in her career.
Lyra trying to fight out of this and Nia just wrestling her down to the mat.
[Corey] This could be the most dangerous aspect of Nia's game.
The fact that Nia enjoys hurting her opponent.
Look at the grin that keeps washing over Nia's face every
couple of moments because she knows Lyra is in pain and Nia wants the crown.
[Cole] Lyra back to her feet, couple of nice placed elbows to the ear
and just tick Nia Jacks off and out.
Slinging Valkyria down to the mat. The other thing about Nia Jax, Corey,
we touched on this on the Countdown show earlier is the confidence.
Nia is much more confident now than she's ever been any point in her career.
[Corey] And I would argue that Nia becomes more confident as a match progresses.
That's tough to deal with if you're Lyra Valkyria or anybody.
Lyra trying to pick up the pace now.
Here's in her hand and feet as a weapon drop Nia Jax.
[Corey] Drop to one knee. [Cole] Nice strikes.
Maybe that's the strategy to roll with quickly though. Samoan drop. Maybe not.
Cover on Valkyria kicked at 2. Just barely got the shoulder off.
[Corey] I don't know that if Nia hadn't been so carefree in executing that cover
if Nia wouldn't be The Queen right now.
[Cole] And now dragging Lyra to the corner.
Nia says it's over. Looking for the annihilator.
[Corey] This is going to do it. Nia from the second rope.
[Cole] And Valkyria pulls herself underneath the rope.
[Corey] Curious strategy here by Nia calling an audible in the middle.
[Cole] Turnbuckle lands on the apron. And that may cost her. Oh, no.
[Corey] Lyra's got an opportunity.
[pain sounds]
[Corey] Lyra's got an opportunity.
Drop kick. Oh, no.
Nia almost ended up in our laps. And Valkyria looking to push the pace.
Keep up the pressure. Caught by Nia. You saw the expression on Lyra's face.
[Cole] Nia Jax about to torture Valkyria. Maybe not.
Nia's down. Here comes Lyra. Can she capitalize?
[Corey] Lyra needs a rally.
[Cole] Double count out does nothing.
I would have to assume the match would just continue at that point.
[Corey] Lyra trying to fight through the pain
now trying to muscle Jax back into the ring.
[Cole] And in Valkyria, she loves to fly. That's where she feels comfortable.
She's going up to the top rope. Lyra has Nia in trouble.
Nia trying to make it to her feet. There's a missile drop kick.
[Corey] I think Lyra may have lost her footing slightly coming off the DDT.
That didn't miss anything. Cover for the win on Jax. And a kick out.
An emphatic kick out.
And now that's doubt on the face of Lyra as we look again
at the breathtaking tornado DDT.
[Cole] That could have been her one chance and she understood that.
[Corey] But this is where you find out a lot about yourself in a matchup.
Lyra's going. I've never been here before.
I've never faced her before. I've never had that at stake.
This is all a learning experience that could serve Lyra well into her career.
[Cole] Lyra still lands on. She may have tweaked her knee.
She came off the top rope.
[Corey] By Nia Jax. And Jax showing a sense of urgency, wasting no time.
Dragging Lyra to the corner.
The problem with Lyra, if she hurt her knee, this could be well over.
Trying to make it back to her feet. Playing. Oh, no.
Lyra with an opportunity, Jax is trapped in the corner. Here comes Lyra.
Oh, double stomp. Down goes Jax.
Stacks her up for the win. And an upset, and a kick out at two.
Lyra now making the climb to the top.
Turnbuckle. Looking to continue her onslaught.
[Cole] Leg drop to the back of the neck.
Can Lyra capitalize? Does she have anything left?
Lyra trying to put Nia into position. Hook of the leg.
[Cole] Quite hooked the leg.
And it allowed Nia to get the shoulder up again.
[Corey] Almost a look of desperation on the face of Lyra Valkyria.
What can I do? I've delivered everything I can to Nia Jax.
[Cole] And the problem is with her finishing move, the Nightwing Corey.
She's got to get her opponent into position.
I don't know if she can do that with Nia Jax.
[Corey] Jax is just too strong.
Sternum first. Oh. And followed up by the irresistible force.
There's that smile I mentioned.
That million dollar smile on the wrecking ball. That is Nia Jax.
[Cole] Now Nia with Lyra on her shoulders. Climbing up now.
Trying to go to the second rope, which she does. Oh, baby. This could be it.
But Lyra trying to slip down. Maybe looking for a sunset power bomb.
Has Nia, can she quite get her up and over.
[Corey] Lyra was obviously paying attention to Sammy. Can't quite do it.
[Cole] Annihilator. [Corey] That is it.
That is it. Count to 20. [bell rings]
Nia's The Queen of the Ring.
Wow.
[Cole] That was incredible. Lyra Valkyria put up a hell of a fight
here tonight, Corey. No doubt about it.
There is no need to hang your head, Lyra. You made your country of Ireland proud.
You made the WWE Universe proud. The future is bright.
But tonight and the crown belong to the irresistible force.
Lyra really taking Nia Jax to the limit.
Nia would use her power throughout this matchup.
And Lyra just simply did not have an answer
for the power and experience of Nia Jax.
[Corey] We talked about was the desperation of Lyra.
And that caught her in the end.
She was so desperate to try to do anything she could to put Nia Jax away.
[Cole] What she would do is Nia Jax would stop her here, at least momentarily.
And Lyra now would try to turn things around.
[Corey] The point was that desperation may have caught her in the end.
[Cole] I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Again, Lyra Valkyria, extremely impressive tonight. This no exception.
Running Double Stomp in the corner nearly earned Valkyria the crown.
But Nia Jax would not be denied.
That was the gnarliest annihilator I've ever seen.
You could have counted to 15, 20.
[Corey] Hell, we can count the whole way home.
Lyra is not getting up. And Nia is The Queen.
[Cole] And our Chief Content Officer, Paul "Triple H" Levesque,
presenting Nia Jax with the crown,
as she is now your Queen of the Ring.
This is an emotional moment because we all know what Nia Jax
has gone through over the past few years.
[Corey] What a difference a year or perhaps longer make Nia Jax,
who was no longer even a part of WWE for some time,
had to do some deep, serious soul searching.
[Cole] Well, Nia found herself,
found her footing, and has found The Queen of the Ring crown.
[presenter] Here is her winner, the new Queen of the Ring.
Nia Jax.
[Cole] Very proud moment for Nia Jax.
[Corey] This.
This is going to be a fun reign for The Queen.
[Kayla] Nia Jax, you did it. You won the crown.
You are now the WWE Queen.
Save your congratulations, Kayla. I don't need it.
I know that none of you are happy for me,
but I am very happy for me.
And I'm gonna get a lot happier. And you are all going to get a lot angrier
because I will become the WWE Champion
and your Queen at Summer Slam.
[Corey] Well, there's the Nia Jax we know and love.
[Cole] Amen. [Corey] Cleveland, get ready.
The irresistible force is headed your way as Queen.
[firework noises]
[powerful music plays]
Now,
for the first time ever,
NXT comes to UFC's Apex Arena
with NXT Battleground.
[Cole] And it takes place two weeks from tomorrow night.
NXT Battleground, the UFC Apex arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
[Corey] Cannot wait to see what happens when you turn my man over loose.
But what a night it's been so far.
[Cole] Congratulations to Nia Jax winning Queen of the Ring.
That means she gets the WWE Women's Championship at Summer Slam.
Will it be Bayley? We'll find out in Cleveland in August.
We do know one thing, at least.
As of today, Becky Lynch will not be defending the Women's World Championship
at Summer Slam.
Let's show you what happened earlier. Becky and Liv Morgan for the title.
[Corey] As Becky seemed to be closing in on victory, Dirty Dom Mysterio
would arrive after vowing to come to Saudi Arabia to make sure Liv
did not get her hands on Mommy's Championship.
A code breaker later, it seemed as though Liv was going to going to leave
with the title, but Dom had other plans.
[Cole] This idiot can't do anything right.
He sends the chair to Becky. She, doesn't want to use it.
She doesn't want to win that way.
As Dom distracts the referee, Liv Morgan takes advantage.
And then she would hit oblivion and actually win the Women's World title.
[Corey] A shocking turn of events. Absolutely not with dirty Dom had in mind.
I assure you, wherever she is, Mommy is not happy with Dom Dom tonight.
But congrats to the new Women's World Champion, Liv Morgan.
[Byron] I'm in the backstage area, but the story is what's
going on behind Becky Lynch, who has been verbally obliterating Dominik Mysterio,
presumably over what happened earlier tonight.
Dominik playing a major role in costing Becky her Championship.
Becky, any comment on the controversial ending to your match?
[Becky] I don't know.
I don't know what happened. I don't. I don't know why Dom was out there.
I don't know what's going on with him, with Rhea, with Liv.
I don't know about Rhea's revenge tour, Liv's revenge tour.
All I know is that I have a rematch clause in my contract.
And so I'm going to talk to Pierce and on Monday at RAW, I am getting that rematch.
[Cole] Pierce, do the right thing.
[Corey] Now is your chance to meet Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Hulk Hogan,
and more WWE Superstars
at Fanatics Fest NYC this August 16th through the 18th at the Javits Center
in New York City.
Plus other sports legends including Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Kevin Durant,
Nathan and Eli Manning and many more.
Tickets for the ultimate event for all sports fans and collectors are available
now at fanaticsfest.com
[Cole] That's in New York City. We're like 6,000 miles away.
Tonight we're at the Jeddah Superdown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Of course, inside it's like 75. It's 90. Outside, sun is already set.
Gonna cool down a little bit.
But coming up next, two giants of unmitigated power have reached
the final contest for the King's crown.
The Ring General Gunther will take on The Viper, Randy Orton.
In a bid to hold the title of King of the Ring. After this break.
For our subscribers of Peacock Premium plus, let's get an inside look
at how the fierce tournament has led to tonight.
If the sports media thought
I was through giving the utmost expert analysis and their jobs were safe,
well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news.
The 2024 King of the Ring tournament is stronger than ever.
Featuring a field of rookies,
knights, princes, ring generals, former kings and almost The Almighty himself.
Injury forced out Bobby Lashley, but provided his liege
Angelo Dawkins an opportunity of his own against Tama Tonga.
I can tell you right now, it's gonna cost him.
Looks like there was little reason to bet against Tama.
Following his father Haku's footsteps.
La Knight learned that fact the hard way.
Tonga hit him like a Mack truck on his way to the semi.
We must continue counting bodies to the rhythm of Tama Tonga's war drum.
Used to hanging jerseys from the rafters.
Carmelo Hayes, retired former King, Baron Corbin in the first round.
Forget The King, all hail him.
That was before meeting a living dynasty in Randy Orton.
After dispatching AJ Styles in the first round,
Orton showed Carmelo that the three most dangerous letters
in WWE aren't H-I-N but R-K-O.
This led to a dangerous showdown between Orton and Tama Tonga.
Here comes Tama Tonga out of the gate. Game plan immediately out of the window.
And the Apex predator take takes one more giant step toward the throne.
The RAW side of the bracket brought its own madness in search
of that one shining moment.
A late play into the tournament.
Jey Uso ran through Finn Bálor, only to find himself in the cross hairs
of a mad dragon on a hot streak.
But after a jaw dropping victory against Ricochet, Ilya Dragunov came up with just
short in a frighteningly physical battle with the main event, Uso.
[Corey] Jey Uso heading to the semifinals of King of the Ring.
Meanwhile,
the odds on RAW favorite Gunther chopped his competition down to size.
And he has to tap. Gunther advances.
Kofi Kingston managed to make it by the legendary Rey Mysterio.
But like Sheamus before him, he was no match for The Ring General.
Marching towards the crown, Gunther took on everyone's favorite bracket
busting underdog, Jey Uso.
I am gonna catch a crown.
I'm in the business of taking hope away.
[Corey] Jey Uso's fainting. It's over. Gunther advances to the finals.
And now we have a first time ever dream match in the Finals.
The longest reigning former Intercontinental Champion of all time.
Gunther looking to go from Ring General to King General
Versus one of the most decorated superstars in WWE history, Randy Orton.
A match for the ages and for the crown.
[Corey] The eyes of the WWE Universe are on Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Including some WWE superstar Michael Cole.
Does your watch work overseas? Wade's doesn't.
[Cole] Oh, it does. It's Tiffy Time. [Corey] Thank you very much.
And there is him. I know that was not proper English.
I'm talking about him. As in Carmelo Hayes.
One of the newest arrivals to Friday night Smack Down.
A dude who has been making no shortage of waves.
In short order.
[Gunther's music plays]
[bell rings]
[presenter] The following is the final match
in The King of the Ring tournament.
Introducing first, the Austrian.
Weighing in at two 250 pounds, representing Imperium,
The Ring General.
Gunther.
[Corey] On a personal note, this matchup means a great deal to me.
The year was 1994.
My father took my younger brother and I to Baltimore, Maryland, which was the site
of The King of the Ring tournament. Your winner that night, Owen Hart.
I was in the last row of Baltimore Arena. Now I've got the best seat in the house.
Next to you. Getting ready to watch the two best professional
wrestlers on God's green earth lock horns for the right to become King.
[Cole] Gunther held the Intercontinental Championship for a record 666 days.
At one time he was the NXT UK Champion for 870 days.
Two title reigns, 1500 days as Champion.
Pretty incredible what this man has accomplished so far in his career.
But tonight he's in the ring
against one of the all time greats.
[Corey] I would never ever suggest
betting against The Ring General, so tonight I just didn't place bet.
[Randy Orton's music plays]
[presenter] And his opponent from St. Louis, Missouri
weighing in at 275 pounds.
Randy Orton.
[Cole] You know Corey, Randy Orton is a 14 time World Champion.
Only a couple of men have held the Championship more times than that.
[Corey] Sounds to me like Lyon, France, started a bit of a trend, Cole.
Randy has also held the Intercontinental titles, the United States Championships.
A four time Tag Team Champion, he's won the money in the bank contract.
He is a two time Royal Rumble winner.
But there is one prize that has evaded Randy Orton in his entire
soon to be Hall of Fame career.
And that is The King of the Ring. Randy has never held that crown.
[Cole] And I'm very curious about what is going on at this very moment
in the mind of Gunther.
Randy knows exactly what he's doing.
Randy's playing mind games. Are they effective?
Is Gunther feeling the WWE Universe here in Jeddah serenading Randy.
Is that getting in Gunther's head? Is it firing him up? We'll find out.
I have never once
seen Gunther intimidated.
[Corey] Less than 24 hours removed from a grueling semi-final battle that Randy
had to endure with Tama Tonga of The Bloodline on Smack Down.
To earn this opportunity.
Imagine, Gunther is going to be the treasure of the two competitors tonight.
[Cole] This is the 23rd King of the Ring tournament.
The first was held in 1985. The first King to be crowned
Don Muraco.
12 WWE Hall of Famers have been King of the Ring.
Nine have been World Champions.
And the winner of this match tonight earns a Championship opportunity
at Summer Slam.
We use the word methodical a lot in this game, but I don't know if I've ever seen
a better example of methodical movement than we are witnessing right now.
Out of The Viper, Randy is forcing Gunther to wait.
Randy is operating on his own time.
[Randy Orton's music plays]
[Cole] Only one time in the history of King of the Ring
was the winner awarded an opportunity at a World Championship.
And that took place at Summer Slam in 2002 where The King of the Ring, Brock Lesnar,
would go on to win The World title.
That opportunity is afforded again to one of these two men.
Will it be Orton, will it be Gunther?
Which man will be crowned The King of the Ring?
[crowd cheers]
[Corey] Gunther has never changed his expression.
He is stoically looked on at Randy Orton through this entire entrance.
He does not seem bothered, he does not seem concerned.
He does not seem thrown off by any of this.
[Cole] Gunther has competed against quite literally the best around the globe,
some Hall of Famers on many continents.
This may be Gunther's first time in this particular environment
dealing with The Viper Randy Orton.
But I assure you, Gunther is approaching tonight as just another day,
in The Ring General's office.
[Corey] Maybe Gunther truly is what we've said he is.
A machine.
[Cole] Dan Engler is the official in this matchup.
The reigning King of the Ring is Xavier Woods.
He could not compete because of injury in this tournament.
I'm sure he's looking on to see which man will now wear the crown.
Gunther on your left, Orton on your right.
Big fight feel big fight atmosphere here tonight in Jeddah.
One of the greatest of all time against a man who may
one day be the greatest of all time.
[crowd chants "Gunther"]
[Cole] Power and elbow tie up to start things off in this matchup tonight,
maybe a bit of a feeling of pressure early on.
You can see both men sizing one another up, surveying the scene,
trying to get a picture of what this matchup is going to look like.
How is it going to unfold?
We are at a stalemate on the collar and elbow tie up between Orton and Gunther.
[Corey] You know, the word dream match is thrown around a lot.
I don't think in this particular scenario,
because Orton and Gunther is a match that so many have wanted to see.
And for the first time ever they square off here tonight.
Randy has whipped this crowd into a frenzy.
Hostile territory for The Ring General.
[Cole] When we talk about history and the historic consequences of this match,
Corey, think about it. For Randy Orton, there are.
He's been here for many years. There may not be many more opportunities.
Just ask AJ Styles for a chance at a World Championship. Orton's at 14 world titles.
He still has an outside shot to tie Ric Flair and John Cena
for the most all time. That's what winning tonight meets for.
Get an opportunity for another title chance at Summer Slam.
[Corey] Absolutely correct.
The Viper understands the magnitude of his situation.
Look at the Orton mixing it up with Gunther in the corner.
[Cole] Not intimidated at all.
That's the thing about Gunther, he's not going to back down.
You're not going to scare this guy.
This crowd is electric.
And again, Gunther now working on the arm of Orton.
[Corey] It's a smart strategy by both of these Superstars.
No one taking on any unnecessary risks in the early goings of the match,
I assure you. Both men are waiting,
praying for the other to make that fatal first mistake.
[Cole] Well, it's respect, correct?
Knowing how each man is so dangerous, how they can quickly end the match,
working with the sudden, sudden impact packed offense.
Gunther can literally just beat you down.
Now Orton goes to work on the arm of Gunther.
Corey mentioned it earlier,
Randy Orton can play the mind games with the best of them.
[Corey] He possesses the technical know how. Perhaps not at the level of Gunther,
but it's a great strategy by Orton to target the arm, particularly the right arm
of The Ring General if for no other reason than to mitigate the damage inflicted
by Gunther's tops. Cuz they're coming.
You haven't seen one yet, but I promise you they're coming.
This is a special atmosphere, Cole.
Something feels different in the Superdome.
Just in the past few minutes, something has changed.
[Cole] Well, I think the WWE fans are obviously backing Orton and they obviously
understand they may be starting to get under the skin of Gunther as well.
[Corey] And still both men feeling each other out.
Side headlock.
Cole, I would be prepared for a marathon tonight.
Both of these women or both of these men, I'm sorry, have the stamina
in their gas tanks to take this match all night if that's what it means to be King.
[Cole] Randy putting the pressure on Gunther,
showing him who's boss early on.
[Corey] Gunther trying to rake the eyes.
[Cole] Orton sent across the ring.
Shoulder tackle. Gunther's down. Orton now nicely.
Side headlock take down. And again controls Gunther on the mat.
[Corey] No wasted motion from either man.
Orton very concisely taking Gunther down and now can spend time in
this side headlock.
It's going to wear The Ring General down but it also allows Randy the time,
the patience he needs to strategize, to plan to figure out his next move.
Maybe his next three or four.
[Cole] Sellout crowd in Jeddah loving it, loving this event.
Nia Jax won The Queen of the Ring moments ago.
One of these two men will become King.
[Corey] Gunther now trying to find a way out of Orton's side headlock.
Randy's got a vice light grip right now.
[Cole] Explain to those of us who don't understand what this is doing to Gunther.
[Corey] So above all it's frustrating, because Gunther
realizes that he can't do much of anything until he is escapes Randy's side headlock.
From Randy's perspective, you put that forearm bone along the cheekbone
of your opponent, along the ear, you can cauliflower an ear,
you can really do a lot of damage. That is painful.
You're not going to win a match with a side headlock but you can hurt
your opponent in a bad way.
[Cole] You also show who's boss, right?
[Corey] Correct. It's about establishing dominance in early moments.
[Cole] That plays into the frustration that Gunther. Gunther frustrated.
Cheap shot as the official was backing him off.
And there's the first chop of the matchup which woke Randy up a little bit.
[Corey] And that might not have been what Gunther wanted to do.
[Cole] And another chop by Gunther, that's smarted.
Just an angry, angry individual.
And Randy still at him. And now he blocks the chop.
Oh oh, enough of the games. How about a right hand?
And another one by Orton. And Randy backing Gunther into the corner.
And an uppercut and another one by The Viper.
And Gunther turns it around.
And that one right on the jaw stunned Orton and dropped him to a knee.
[Corey] I don't know if these uppercuts didn't have
the same effect as the chop did delivered by Gunther.
It woke the European up.
And that uppercut dropped Gunther to the mat.
[Cole] Bought Randy a little time to catch his breath to now unload again.
[Corey] Orton with another sharp right hand between the eyes of The Ring General.
Let's not kid ourselves. Michael Cole.
Randy Orton never afraid to bend a few rules if not break a clean in half.
[Cole] Oh Gunther though sending Randy back
to the middle of the ring and now sending Randy up,
maybe looking for a power bomb. Oh RKO. Gunther just got out of the way.
[Corey] Gunther knows he just narrowly avoided disaster. But look at Randy.
[Cole] I don't know if it's the hip,
or the lower back that was surgically repaired.
Maybe the knee that's been bothering him.
Gunther saw it, he targeted.
Now Gunther's on the attack and Randy could be in deep trouble.
Exactly what we have learned to expect from The Ring General.
Gunther played it safe until he saw the opening and jumped right through it.
He's a great white that smells the blood in the water.
And now he can punish and torture Randy Orton.
And this is where Gunther is so effective.
Slow the match down, little wasted motion.
Everything you do is done with malice. Just like that.
[Corey] Movement means something.
[Cole] Every punch has purpose.
Every kick is one closer to the finish line.
And you mentioned at the top of this match feeling out your opponent,
hoping that someone makes that one mistake, Randy may have made it.
It went early for the RKO and Gupta moved out of harm's way.
You can't blame Randy.
The RKO has been The Viper's bread and butter for most of his career.
Orton back in the fight, but Gunther turns it around.
Of course you want to take that best shot.
[Corey] Oh goodness, that just dropped Randy.
[Cole] That was like a frying pan to the heart out of nowhere.
Those lethal knife edge chops of The Ring General
have to be felt to be truly appreciated.
And I myself have never been that unlucky.
Orton in a bad way here.
[Corey] Again, listen. Oh no, no audio on that replay.
[Cole] Watch the reverberations of Gunther's hand across Randy's pec muscles.
And Gunther says it's only a matter of moments before I'm King
and place the crown on my head, and get a Championship opportunity at Summer Slam.
Randy Orton's hurting Corey. Randy Orton is hurting bad.
He can't even make it back to his feet.
Trying to drag himself away from Gunther to the corner.
[Corey] It all came down to Gunther playing it safe to waiting for his moment.
Waiting for the precise opportunity to present itself.
It did. And now The Ring General
is having his way with a future Hall of Famer.
[Cole] Randy Orton, who's all banged up, of course,
the neck issues, the back issues, the issues with the knee.
Randy Orton, is nowhere near 100% tonight.
After the bloodline situation last night on Friday Night Smack Down.
Gunther knows that, and now he's punishing Randy. He's torturing Randy.
What would it mean to The Ring General to get a veteran like Orton
to tap out in this environment?
[Corey] You already know the answer to that. It would mean the world.
It would mean exponentially more to be able to force Randy Orton
to submit, to become King. Gunther may reign forever.
[Cole] Wasn't long ago Randy was out of action for a year and a half with injury.
[Corey] And now look at Gunther just wearing Orton down.
[Cole] And look at this seamless transition from body part to body part.
Gunther has the standing abdominal stretch now focusing
on the shoulder of Randy Orton.
After spending a few seconds as we see the bruises already beginning
to form on the skin of Randy Orton.
[Corey] That was the point I was making for you.
The thing about Gunther is little wasted motion. He never wastes anything.
Everything he does is done with purpose.
[Cole] Orton back to his feet.
And the situation is starting to get a bit desperate now for Randy. Oh, backbreaker.
Knee to the spine. Cover by Gunther forces Orton to kick out.
That's a big cover.
It forced Randy to kick out with the bat.
[Corey] You're right and I bet my bottom dollar
that Gunther didn't believe that was going to end the match.
Gunther knows we're going to keep inflicting damage on the weakened areas
of Randy Orton.
We're going to force Randy to exert as much energy as physically possible.
We could be here wild.
[Cole] When you talk about energy, look at Gunther.
He's exerting no energy now.
He is in his space, in his zone. He's systematically picking Orton apart.
[Corey] Absolutely right. And a body slam. A classic.
Nothing fancy, but extremely effective.
[Cole] I love Sammy Zayn, and I'm not taking anything away from his win
at WrestleMania.
But I still believe to this day it was a fluke because Gunther is unbelievable.
He's unbeatable in many, many situations.
And I think we may see that again here tonight.
[Corey] I couldn't agree any more than I already do, Cole.
I was there ringside with you. I'm still in disbelief it happened.
It's against my instinct at this point to not refer to Gunther as The Champion,
as the Intercontinental Champion.
[Cole] But I think maybe losing the title made Gunther hungrier.
Hungrier than he's ever been before.
[Corey] I think you may be right.
[Cole] One of the greats Randy Orton is experiencing that first hand in the ring.
Already blocked, tried for his own suplex.
Gunther able to block as well. Orton bad back at all trying to get Gunther up
and that could be a reason for not being able to pull it off, but now he does.
[Corey] Seesaw battle with The Viper.
Finally getting the upper hand. But what can Randy do with it?
[Cole] It has been a true pleasure and joy
of my career to be able to call so many matches of Randy Orton.
He continues to get better. He continues to stay hungry.
He continues to still want to be Champion.
It's wildly that time Gunther with a… Oh my God.
Oh Randy though with a clothesline, shook off the chop.
And another clothesline.
[Corey] Randy ducks underneath. Gunther has done his homework.
And Randy clutching at his knee again. Yeah. Oh, that may have done it.
[Cole] Cover now by Gunther to try to win this match up. And a kick out.
I'm not sure unless you saw it, what happened to to Randy's knee?
[Corey] I imagine when Randy attempted to pivot
for the snap power slam, he probably tweaked the damaged knee.
[Cole] Well first off, let's show you the chop. Look at this. Oh my goodness.
[Corey] See the sweat fly, the flesh reverberate.
[Cole] There was the clothesline moment that almost put Randy away.
But I'm curious to what Randy did to the knee. And you may be right on the pivot.
I think Gunther knew full well that Randy was going to attempt the snap power slam.
To your point, vintage Randy Orton.
[Corey] Gunther knew what was coming, stopped Randy
and this is wear and tear on Randy's knee over the last few weeks.
[Cole] The knee is heavily taped, the left knee of Orton.
Randy now backing Gunther into the corner.
Now Randy's got to go into survival mode. There it is. There's the power slam.
But Gunther wisely rolls toward the ropes.
[Corey] It didn't seem like Randy had as much torque as he usually gets.
There's much snap as he usually gets on that power swing, right?
Because he didn't.
Randy does not have use of both legs now.
That's going to affect a lot of his offense, if not all of it.
[Cole] Randy dragging himself across the ring.
He's got Gunther draped though on the second rope. Orton Vintage Orton.
And Randy not able to go into the cover.
[Corey] Yeah, but Randy's not sweating it yet.
You can almost see the confidence building inside of the apex predator.
[Cole] Randy back to his feet, looking to feed off this sold out house of Jeddah.
And Corey, I think Randy Orton may be going to that place
where he hears the voices in his head
[crowd] Oh! Oh!
[Cole] Stalking Gunther. Randy's in position.
Orton looks for an RKO. Gunther able to counter.
Gunther now, with a slam of his own.
[Corey] The Ring General now thinking about making the climb
-to the top turnbuckle. -[Cole] Randy's halfway across the ring.
Gunther lost his [unintelligible], still hit the splash.
Here's the cover Randy kicked out. How the hell did Gunther survive?
-He slipped on the top rope. -[Corey] Let's be honest.
We gotta start giving Gunther the athletic credit he deserves.
The guy is a freak.
And he's climbing to the top rope yet again. Orton survived one.
-He won't survive this. Although Gunther-- -[Cole] Had to roll out of that-- oh, RKO!
Out of nowhere. Can Randy capitalize?
Randy's banged up, Randy's hurt.
Randy trying to drag himself toward the cover. Randy Orton.
Bad knee, bad back, bad neck,
crawls to the cover and Gunther rolls out of harm's way.
[Corey] Listen, it's not gonna make a lot of people happy.
It wasn't an exciting counter, but it was brilliant.
As we look again, watch Randy right there.
[Cole] You were right, bad pivot.
[Corey] And then Randy here after Gunther would miss this epic splash.
RKO.
And again, great situational awareness from the Ring General.
Gunther always knows where he is. Rolling under the bottom rope.
[Cole] You see Randy's face? Randy was upset, he hit the RKO.
[Corey] I'm watching Randy's eyes and he's looking our way.
-And that doesn't bode well. -[Cole] Randy's chest is a mess,
-following the chops. -[Corey] All yours, sir.
[Cole] Oh, Randy Orton. And Gunther, right on our announce table.
Our monitors have been destroyed. Randy Orton [unintelligible].
And again!
Gunther dropped right on our announce table,
writhing and screaming in pain.
[Corey] And he's slithering back inside of the ring
to force referee Dan Engler to break his count.
Great situational awareness by the veteran, Orton.
[Cole] Yeah, but-- Gunther driving Randy in the bad back into the apron.
-How smart was that by Gunther? -[Corey] It was beyond brilliant.
-But that's what-- -[Cole] Oh, my goodness!
-[Corey] …makes Gunther the Ring General.
-His in-ring IQ is absolutely unmatched. -[Cole] Gunther is never out of a fight.
Neither so. And, indeed, this is awesome.
[Corey] Orton will be out of it after this one.
-[Cole] Randy Orton. Gunther up top. -[Corey] Uh, oh.
[Cole] Sets Gunther down.
[Corey] Brutal back body drop, countering the power bomb.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] And now Gunther.
Randy Orton, again, drops Gunther on the table again!
A third time!
[Corey] Gunther understanding the wrath of the Viper.
-[Cole] Randy with Gunther. -[Corey] But Randy's hurt, Cole.
-[Cole] Gunther, too. -[Corey] Agreed.
But Randy, at this point, is struggling to even get back into the ring.
[Cole] Randy up to the apron trying to drag himself back into this match.
-[Cole] And Gunther meets him! -[Corey] The knee!
[Cole] Right to the bad knee. Gunther with a drop kick to the bad knee.
[Corey] Again, Gunther recognized the tiniest of openings
and made sure to exploit it. Did you hear…
Just the air come out of the crowd.
[Cole] As soon as Gunther went to the knee
and Randy went down, the air just came out of this place.
-They realized Randy… -[Corey] Oh!
-[Cole] …may be done for. -[Corey] It absolutely killed the energy
inside of the Jeddah Superdome. That's what Randy wanted,
was the energy behind him. This is what Gunther wants.
-Click the crowd out of it. -[Cole] Looking for the half crab,
which not only hurts the knee, but it's going to hurt the back.
-[Corey] Correct. -[Cole] Double whammy on Randy Orton here.
[Corey] Notice how Gunther has Randy's right leg trapped with his own.
So there we go. A little bit more weaving had to be done by Orton to escape.
Just the little fundamental things Gunther is so, so good at.
[Cole] You said it. The best professional wrestlers
on the planet, no doubt about that.
And Gunther again just forcing Randy Orton to suffer through this pain, this madness.
[Corey] Randy desperately grasping for the bottom rope.
There's a good three or four feet to cover before the Viper gets there.
-Able to kick Gunther off for the moment. -[Cole] Again, creating separation.
But how much does Randy have left? How can he stand?
He doesn't have a knee, a back.
[Corey] Gunther about to finish the job.
Oh, now he's back into the half crab submission.
Randy-- Let's enjoy the rest of Randy's Hall of Fame career.
[Cole] Referee Dan Engler is right there. Will Randy Orton give up
to what has been a display of power and punishment by the Ring General?
[Corey] But Randy unfortunately knows what it means and how bad it hurts
to be away from this game for a year and a half due to injury.
Randy touched the bottom turn-- bottom rope.
[Cole] And now trying to fight out of this situation here.
[Corey] Randy cannot afford another injury. Oh!
[Cole] RKO again, from out of nowhere!
Orton with a chance. Randy to the cover. Can he put him away?
-Hooks the leg of Gunther. Wait a minute! -[Corey] Gunther went to the knee!
[Cole] Gunther went to the back knee. And now he's got Orton, shoulders down.
[bell ringing]
[Cole] Gunther with the win. He's King of the Ring!
[crowd cheering]
[rock music]
[Cole] Oh, my goodness.
-[Corey] Wow. -[Cole] Randy Orton and the knee
cost him this match. Randy hit the RKO, Corey.
The problem was he couldn't use the knee for any leverage.
He couldn't plant the knee which would aid him in the cover
-and Gunther took advantage. -[Corey] It just shows you
how sudden the Ring General is. Randy paused for a fraction of a second
to wince from the pain in his knee after delivering the RKO.
And in the tiniest of windows, the Ring General snuck in
like a thief in the night and robbed the Viper of the crown.
[Cole] What an absolute battle between one of the greatest of all time
and a guy who's on his way.
Randy Orton and Gunther for the King of the Ring.
First chop after chop. This is absolutely incredible.
-Randy Orton's chest was beat to hell. -[Corey] Randy's chest looks
more like hamburger meat than his chest right now.
Here's where Orton looked for the power slam.
And this ultimately could have been the final straw. Tweaking his knee,
allowing Gunther to deliver a thunderous lariat
-and nearly ended there. -[Cole] Then,
this was the first RKO. The problem was Randy was so banged up, neck, back, knee,
he couldn't capitalize and get into the cover quickly enough.
[Corey] But as Orton fought
through the pain, he would turn the tides back in his favor and continue to punish
the Ring General inside and outside of the ring.
[Cole] Let's talk about this sequence. There's the RKO.
Now watch Randy's bad leg.
He can't plant it, he can't use it for leverage.
He can't even put it on the mat. And Gunther attacks it.
[Corey] Gunther, always aware of the situation, with a shot to the knee.
Randy… Wait a minute. I'd like to get-- I'd love to get another angle
of that pinfall attempt. But right now the moment belongs to Gunther.
[rock music]
Well, you can officially call him the King General!
[Mike] Here is your winner! The new King of the Ring,
the Ring General,
Gunther!
[Corey] You can't say that Gunther does not deserve the honor,
does not deserve the crown.
-A hard fought battle by the Ring General. -Gunther. Congratulations, sir.
You were confident you were going to become King of the Ring.
And you have now achieved that goal.
How does it feel to be King?
[crowd cheering]
Thank you, that's very nice,
but what I do or do not deserve is none of yours business.
[crowd booing]
Matter of fact, it feels great to be the King of the Ring.
Feels even better by defeating Randy Orton in the finals.
So, what happened today…
[crowd chanting]
What happened today
was the apex predator became the prey for Der Ringgeneral.
Der Ringgeneral
became the King of the Ring.
And at Summer Slam,
I'm gonna become the World Heavyweight Champion.
-[crowd cheering] -[rock music]
[Cole] Right now, Damien Priest is the World Heavyweight Champion
on Monday Night RAW.
Good luck. The Ring General's coming
to Cleveland.
[Corey] Best thing to ever happen to that town, Cole.
[Cole] What an incredible match between Randy Orton and Gunther.
[Corey] All hail, King Gunther.
[announcer] On November 2nd,
the world will witness
the greatest…
[soft pop music]
[announcer] The greatest event of the season.
[commentator] The world is talking about Crown Jewel.
[Cole] Ladies and gentlemen, we will be talking about Crown Jewel
once again because we are heading back to Riyadh.
Saturday, November 2nd, Crown Jewel returns to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
[cheerful pop rock music]
[Corey] Experience the very best WrestleMania 41 has to offer
with an official WWE Priority Pass from on location.
Again, congratulations to Gunther, the new King of the Ring.
Absolutely incredible night.
We still have Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
No doubt about it.
It has been a busy night for our Chief Content Officer as well.
Paul "Triple H" Levesque presenting the crown to the King
and Queen of the Ring. He's back with a Kayla Braxton.
Breaking news right now.
Thanks guys. Man, it has been an exciting night here in Jeddah.
It's only appropriate I'm standing by with WWE Chief Content Officer,
Paul "Triple H" Levesque who, I hear, has some breaking news for us.
I do have some breaking news and you're right,
it has been an incredible night so far. My congratulations
to our new Women's World Champion, Liv Morgan.
To our new Queen of the Ring, Nia Jax.
And to our new King of the Ring just now, the Ring General, Gunther.
But for big announcements,
earlier today, our medical staff cleared
Drew McIntyre to step back into the ring.
[crowd cheering]
And true to his word, Damian Priest agreed to defend
the World Heavyweight Championship against him.
So I am making that match official right now.
[crowd cheering]
Damian Priest versus Drew McIntyre
for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
June 15th. Live from Glasgow, Scotland.
Triple H, thank you so much.
You heard it first from Triple H himself: Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest,
World Heavyweight Champion. Clash at the Castle. Exciting stuff.
-Thanks again. Back to you, guys. -[Cole] So again, it's official.
Three weeks from tonight, we're gonna be in Glasgow, Scotland.
Drew McIntyre in his home country with an opportunity to win
the World Heavyweight Championship against the current title holder,
Damian Priest of Judgment Day.
Friday Night Smack Down
and Clash at the Castle at OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland
on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15.
[rap music]
[Corey] While we're at it, Summer Slam just happens
to be taking over Cleveland this summer.
[rap music continues]
[Cole] So Summer Slam this year is Cleveland. 2026, it's Minnesota.
-Where's 2025 gonna be? -[Corey] I don't know.
We got a great city, rivers and stuff. Just saying, I'm a little bit--
We're here tonight. This is Jeddah.
We're at the Jeddah Dome for King and Queen of the Ring.
-We're at the Jeddah Superdome. -[Corey] Got it.
[Cole] King and Queen of the Ring continues as wrestle team royalty of WWE
will battle each other in the quest for the crowning spot at the top.
The reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes
goes head to head against that man. He's the United States Champion,
the Maverick, Logan Paul.
Right after this break for our subscribers of Peacock Premium+, let's look
at how these two undeniable superstars came to face off tonight.
Cody, your next challenger has been determined.
[recorded singer screaming] Eh, yo!
[announcer] The United States Champion, Logan Paul!
So, Logan Paul.
I think I know what you want to talk about.
Main eventing the King and Queen of the Ring
in a Champion versus Champion match.
[Cody] I'm not going to call you a podcaster, an outsider.
I'm not going to pretend that this is a fad for you.
I've actually gotten a sense of who Logan Paul really is.
You are disrespectful, self centered, delusional.
You cannot go a single match without grabbing those brass knucks.
You're making viral memories.
And I think it is time to drop that United States Championship.
[Logan] Not what I agreed to.
[mouthing inaudibly]
I agreed to wrestle Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, only.
Cody Rhodes has not done anything to deserve a shot
at my United States Championship. I have proven every single time
that I'm in this ring that I am worthy of every title in this industry.
Here's the bottom line, Cody.
Your Championship is on the line. Mine isn't.
[announcer] Logan looked for a cheap shot.
And the United States Champion sent to the floor.
Uh-oh. Broccoli hair guys getting it.
That is mine.
[announcer] Cody Rhodes has a lot on the line.
Logan Paul has just opportunity.
For anyone out there who thinks I need to use cheap tactics to win, you're wrong.
You saw me give my brass knuckles to Michael Cole.
I will beat Cody fair and square. I will give these up.
I will not use them in the match tomorrow.
[Cody] My experience would lead me to believe
you've got another set of knuckles on you right now.
[Logan laughs]
Are you calling me a liar, Cody?
What are you, a TSA agent?
[crowd] Ooh…
Okay, hey, I don't know how those got there. These aren't even my pants, bro.
[Cody] These are the difference between you and I.
It's a crutch for everything that you've done in your career.
This title, on the other hand, it's my whole life.
It's all I ever wanted to be.
Until you stop treating this part time, until you dedicate your heart and soul,
until you respect the ring that we are standing in,
you will never, and I mean never, be on my level.
You will never be Undisputed WWE Champion.
I'm gonna beat you so bad, kid,
you'll regret having ever stepped foot in the ring with me.
[Corey] It is main event time in the Jeddah Superdome,
and all the stars are watching all of tonight's action.
There you see Piper Niven and Chelsea Green.
Piper took out Bailey last night on Smack Down.
And in case you weren't familiar with this guy,
he's one of the hottest stars on the planet: LA Knight.
-[Cole] Yeah! -[Corey] Thanks, Cole.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your special guest ring announcer,
Saudi Arabia's own, Ibrahim Al Hajjaj!
-[crowd cheering] -[unintelligible]
-[recorded singer screaming] Eh, yo! -[rock music]
[Cole] Did Logan have your pants?
[Corey] I didn't borrow his pants, but I can understand his issue.
I've had to wear somebody else's pants most of the day.
No brass knuckles in mine. I can't say the same about you, though.
You better get rid of those before we hit PSA later tonight.
[Cole] I'll explain in a little bit.
Logan Paul, the current United States Champion,
hoping to become the first person since Seth Rollins in 2015 to hold
the WWE title and the United States title at the same time.
[Corey] I remember that night vividly, and Logan Paul would love
to continue adding to and building his resume.
-Ready? -[Corey] The problem is, Logan Paul,
every time we've seen him in a WWE ring, delivers.
Logan is what we like to say undeniable from a skill perspective.
[Cole] When we were in Riyadh, in November,
Logan Paul beat Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship.
But I told Logan Thursday night at the WWE Experience in Riyadh
that there should be an asterisk next to that because Logan Paul
used brass knuckles to beat Rey Mysterio to win the title.
And he's used brass knuckles on a number of occasions since then.
I agree there is definitely something controversial
about utilizing brass knuckles. With that said,
we know-- We, as the Royal WWE Universe, know how Logan Paul rolls.
Cody knows how he rolls, too.
So Logan Paul said he'll win this fair and square.
So Thursday night he gave me this pair of brass knuckles
so I could keep them with me, promising not to use them tonight.
However, we found out something about Paul last night on Smack Down.
Last night, in an unfortunate turn of events,
Logan Paul was wearing his brother Jake's Prada pants.
Logan doesn't ordinarily wear-- Would you calm down?
This is serious business. Logan was wearing Jake's pants.
There was another set of brass knuckles in the side pocket.
Our referee, Ryan Tran, found them, disposed of them. All good.
Can you get rid of those? Cole, you're making me nervous.
[crowd chatter]
-[drumming] -[crowd cheering]
[recorded male voice] Wrestling has more than one royal family.
[rock music]
[explosion]
[crowd singing along]
[rock music & crowd] Wooh!
[crowd singing along]
[Cole] You know. Cody Rhodes started a new social series on TikTok today
where he's going to dedicate his title defense
to someone every time he does it. He dedicated tonight's title defense
to his wife Brandy, who is recovering from surgery.
Cody dedicating the match to her tonight.
[Corey] All of our best here at WWE to Brand--
-[crowd screaming] Wooh! -[Corey] Including the fans in Riyadh
screaming along, singing along, enjoying every single second
of the arrival of the Undisputed WWE Champion,
Cody Rhodes.
We saw it on the Countdown show.
I've had a chance to talk with Cody a lot over the last week.
And Rhodes has a healthy dose of respect for what Logan Paul is capable of.
With that said, Cody is just as excited and looking forward
to exposing Logan Paul tonight. Because Logan may be good at this,
but Logan doesn't love this like the WWE Champion.
[Cole] Cody Rhodes, extremely popular here tonight at Jeddah.
Logan Paul, very popular in Saudi Arabia as well.
Gonna be interesting to see how this plays out for the Championship tonight.
[rock music]
[bell ringing]
The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is
for the Undisputed WWE Championship, Jeddah!
Introducing the challenger from Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico
by way of Cleveland, Ohio.
Weighing in at 220 pounds,
he is the United States Champion, the Maverick, Logan Paul!
[crowd booing]
And his opponent from Atlanta, Georgia, weighing in at 222 pounds,
he is the Undisputed WWE Champion,
the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes.
-[crowd cheering] -[Cole] Good job, Ibrahim!
The official in this matchup, Ryan Tran.
This is for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Corey, this is what I don't understand about this whole brass knuckle business.
When it comes to Logan Paul, it is well documented
the man is a titanium plate in his right hand.
One lucky punch at any moment, he doesn't need to use brass knuckles.
[Corey] If it only costs an extra $10
for another million dollars a year worth of life insurance,
you're going to shell out the $10, right, Cole?
Logan Paul knows he's dangerous, but Logan Paul also knows there might be
unforeseen circumstances where he needs a little added assistance.
With that said, Logan right now looks extremely confident,
in phenomenal physical shape and ready to give Cody Rhodes a run for the money.
-[bell ringing] -[Cole] 2022 here in Saudi Arabia.
Logan Paul almost shocked the world and knocked off Roman Reigns.
Can he do it tonight against Cody Rhodes?
If you're Paul, what do you do to knock off Cody?
[Corey] Tricky question to answer.
I mean, there isn't much in this game Cody hasn't seen or experienced firsthand.
And I think that might be where Logan would be best served to live, to exist.
Try to show Cody something different. It may be hard to find, but it does exist.
[Cole] WWE fans have been electric tonight.
Clearly in the corner of Cody Rhodes
as we start things off to the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Cody won the title, he stopped Roman Reigns
in his 1316 day streak with the title at WrestleMania.
Then Cody would beat the veteran AJ Styles
in a classic match earlier this month at Backlash. And now
a completely different type of competitor in Logan Paul.
[Corey] We just saw Logan Paul trying to get under Cody's skin.
Maybe fire off a few smart comments in the turnbuckle and Cody wouldn't engage
because Cody knows what Logan is gonna try to do.
Cody knows he's gonna try to get under his skin.
[Cole] Clean break.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] This is where Cody varies from Champions past.
[Corey] Cody wants to definitively defend his Championship night after night.
Cody Rhodes does not want controversial endings.
Cody Rhodes does not want endless rematches.
Cody wants to prove that he's the Undisputed WWE Champion
because he beats everybody on the roster.
[Cole] There's a reason for that. The Champion before him
in many people's minds for three and a half years,
won every single night controversially. And Cody does not want
to allow that to happen. He wants to be a fighting Champion.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] Speaking of the Roman Reigns, it's his birthday today.
Happy birthday out to Reigns.
-Cody… -[Corey] Cartwheel out of it.
-Nice leg sweep by Logan Paul. -[Cole] Kick out by Rhodes.
Cody tries to sweep the leg of Logan. Logan though once again on top.
-[Corey] Oh! -[Cole] Picks the ankle, does Rhodes.
[Corey] As much as we make about Logan Paul's boxing ability
and his amazing footwork, Rhodes has a hell
of an amateur background. You notice that just by how quickly
Cody was able to pick Logan's leg and take him down.
Logan with an amateur background as well. Logan has accomplished so much in his…
-young time here in WWE. -[Corey] In life. Logan Paul just wins.
Whether it be amateur wrestling, boxing, YouTube, energy drinks, whatever it is.
[Cole] Cody's side headlock applied.
Top wrist lock reversal by Logan Paul.
Very sound strategy by both men in early moments of this matchup.
Not dissimilar to what we saw in the last match, Orton and Gunther,
two world-class technicians.
Logan has been hard to deal with as United States Champion.
Imagine if he wins the Undisputed WWE title!
But there's no doubt how good he is in the ring.
Well, listen, Logan Paul has been very open
-and honest about his aspirations-- -[Cole] Oh, duck down. Blocked.
[Corey laughs] And Logan, a step ahead of the WWE Champion.
[crowd cheering]
Watch who you push in this circle!
[Corey] That's gonna change the complexion of this whole matchup.
-[Cole] Big uppercut. -[Corey] I don't know
if Cody wants to make this decision. Cody's a tough guy, but I don't know
if you wanna stand and trade hands with Logan Paul.
[Cole] Logan embarrassed him moments ago. And now Cody Rhodes
vertical suplex Logan Paul. Look at Cody using the ropes
to his advantage. Smart move by the Champ. Down goes Logan.
[Corey] Board buster. Almost an homage
to Tully Blanchard with a slingshot suplex.
Now, Cody, now into the cravat pinning combination.
As we were talking before about the importance of what Logan Paul
as Undisputed WWE Champion could mean,
Logan's a guy who's been very open and honest about this.
He wants to take WWE to unforeseen heights.
And Logan referred to himself as the rocket fuel
-that powers the WWE spaceship. -[Cole] I even asked Cody
on Thursday night, Riyadh, what would Logan do to the Championship.
Even Cody admitted he would bring the title to unprecedented heights.
There'd be eyes on the Championship that have never been before.
Even Cody respects that.
But Cody is not going to allow that to happen in his mind.
And here comes Rhodes. Logan missed wildly. Nobody home.
And Cody hit hard as he rolled out of the ring.
[Corey] Cody went for the flying cross body but Logan avoided it by doing the splits.
-We're talking about a ridiculous athlete. -[Cole] Ooh!
And Logan launching himself over the rope. And the Champions in trouble.
Ouch! Driving Cody into the steel steps.
You see that, Michael?
No knuckles needed, son.
-Pay attention, Michael. -[Cole] I agree with Logan.
He's doing a great job at this point.
[Corey] I like that. Logan Paul's flowers, that's all he wants.
[Cole] He is. And he's outmaneuvering Cody Rhodes right now.
And he's beating the Champion.
So it's hard to argue with the success.
[crowd cheering]
-[Corey] Uh oh, look at this. -[Cole] And again,
this is what I was talking about earlier. You don't need the brass knuckles.
The boxing background of Logan Paul. The body shots to Cody Rhodes.
[Corey] Logan Paul was like Ivan Drago right now in the corner.
[Cole] The titanium plate in his hand.
And right now, Logan is dominating Rhodes.
-Up goes Cody. Down goes Cody! -[Corey] Oh!
[Cole] Logan with an opportunity to win the Championship. And Cody kicks it, too.
[Corey] Logan likes to call that the over bomb.
The continuation of a power bomb. Allow your opponent's momentum
to continue driving them face and chest first into the canvas,
-as Cody Rhodes just experienced. -[Cole] So wise
beyond his years of experience at WWE,
-knows when to slow things down. -[Corey] Gut wrench take down.
Right into the cover again for the title. Cody's got a kick.
[Cole] Logan now working the midsection.
He saw Cody fall hard out of the ring moments ago.
[Corey] I think literally the best way I've heard Logan Paul described, Cole,
was what you just said, wise beyond his years.
It takes years, if not decades,
for most superstars to really figure this game out,
to excel at it the way Logan Paul has in-- Abandoning moonsault!
-Fraction of the time. -[Cole] Cover. Kick out again.
[Corey] That frustrates people, superstars on the roster.
[Cole] It's the pace. Look at the pace.
Logan is under control. He's never out of control in the ring.
He knows what he's gonna do. He's ahead. Look at this.
[Corey] A breathtaking standing moonsault.
Every movement from Paul, so deliberate to this point.
[Cole] And Cody made it back to his feet quickly
before Logan could go for his patented frog splash.
And now Cody and Logan.
Cody now set back to the middle of the ring.
Tried to break his fall with his feet, but--
-[Corey] Running up the road! -[Cole] Top rope. Arm drag by Rhodes!
What an arm drag by Cody.
[Corey] I think Cody may have just narrowly avoided disaster
in his own right, but regardless, the result was desired.
-Logan Paul chucked across the ring. -[Cole] Cody pointing to his ribs again.
Midsection's been bothering him.
[Corey] A great strategy by Paul.
You attack somebody's body core, the ribs, the lower back.
-It affects every aspect of their offense. -[Cole] Especially when you can throw
-body shots like Logan Paul can. -[Corey] Correct.
-[Cole] Logan Paul-- Oh. -[Corey] Look at this.
-Octopus submission. -[both] Made famous by Antonio Inoki.
[Corey] Made more famous by Logan Paul.
[crowd clapping]
[Cole] That'd tick some people off. And now Cody trying to fight out of this.
[Corey] Look at it.
[Cole] And again, Cody Rhodes really hurting in the midsection.
Gotta wonder if it's a rib injury.
[Corey] What I'm noticing right now, looking up.
Rhodes, for the last moment, has been breathing through his mouth.
That's a bad sign for a combat athlete. You want to breathe through your nose
as frequently as possible. He's struggling due to the rib.
-[Cole] You got a broken rib. -[Corey] You can't breathe.
[Cole] Cody back to his feet. Paul sent up over the top rope,
-lands on the apron. Now Cody Rhodes-- -[Corey] Disaster kick!
[Cole] Disaster kick drops Logan to the apron.
It buys Cody a little bit of time to try to regroup here.
[Corey] Cody in absolute agony.
Logan taking advantage of this time on the outside to regain his composure
with the Nightmare trying to rally the WWE Universe.
[Cole] And here comes Cody now. And Logan Paul steps out of harm's way.
[Corey] Logan one step ahead of the Champion in that moment.
[Cole] Now, Cody after the fight. Bringing the fight to Logan.
Sends Logan into the barricade.
[Corey] Rhodes beating the hell out of Paul in front of his cronies.
Pretty sure Jeff's over there somewhere.
[Cole] And now Cody regaining control of the matchup.
Logan Paul with a body shot to Rhodes, drops into the steps and try to hydrate.
[Corey] We didn't have the hydration station tonight.
[Cole] Obviously you have to have them available pretty much all times.
[Corey] Cody, kick to the body.
[Cole] And now Cody with a Prime hydration bottle
off the face of Logan Paul.
-[unintelligible] -[Cole] That's smart.
-What is this fool thinking? -[Corey] He wasn't thinking.
[Cole] You don't put your hands on a superstar,
let alone the WWE Champion.
-Come on! -[Corey] Jeff, you SOB.
[Cole] Logan, what are you doing?
Logan, you signed a pre-knock!
[Corey] Here comes Rhodes.
[Cole] And using the brass knuckles to the bad ribs.
What the hell are you doing?
[Corey] You were all part of the ploy, Cole. You got played.
-[Paul] Let's go! -[Corey] Logan…
Logan's gonna steal this.
-[Cole] What are you doing? -What are you doing?
-[Cole] Impulsive, my ass. -Do your job.
You said you weren't gonna use them, what did you just do?
[unintelligible crosstalk]
You're nothing but a loser, that's what you are.
-Why did you just say to me? -You didn't need to use those.
You didn't need to use--
-[unintelligible] -[crowd chanting]
-I will take you right out! I will-- -You made a promise.
You promised everyone. Everybody, you promised.
-[screaming] -[Cole] Cody Rhodes!
Rhodes taking out Logan. And Cody's got a chance.
Now Logan bounced off the announce table. And Cody Rhodes is fired up.
[Corey] We're back. Cody Rhodes back inside the ring.
-[Cole] Thanks, by the way. -[Corey] You got it.
[Cole] Cody, now. Oh, down goes Logan.
Come on, he didn't need to do that. You know as well as I do.
[Corey] Now the American Nightmare trying to push the pace.
-Power slam connects. -[Cole] And Cody again.
The bad ribs, the midsection. Cody not able to capitalize.
Every time he delivers a move with impact, it hurts the insides.
[Corey] But do you feel that, Cole? The Superdome is starting to rumble.
[Cole] Cody trying to dig down deep. This is what being WWE Champion means.
You wanna get to the top of the mountain, you got to learn to survive.
Cody missed with a disaster kick. Logan Paul missed with the left hand.
Cody caught him. Cody now jabbing away at the boxer Paul.
And talk about paying homage.
-Bionic elbow covered by Rhodes! -[crowd] One! Two!
[Cole] Logan kicks out.
Logan Paul made a promise
he wasn't gonna use brass knuckles tonight.
There was no need to.
But then his stupid entourage handed him the brass knucks.
He used them to his advantage as he went to the injured midsection of Cody Rhodes.
[Corey] Rhodes has been able to recover somehow. And now continuing the onslaught.
Looking for the figure four leg lock.
[Cole] Let's see what Logan Paul's made up now, Corey,
let's see if he can get out of this.
Logan with nowhere to go.
Logan just trying to survive.
Let go, you're gonna break my leg.
[Cole] Trying to drag himself to the ropes.
He says Cody's gonna break his leg.
Serve him right. He makes it to the ropes. And it's going to force a break.
Come on. He's in the ropes. You got to break it.
[crowd chatter]
[Corey] What a stalemate at the moment.
Which of these two superstars can push through the pain?
Which superstar wants it more?
And Logan wisely again attacking the body.
[Cole] Oh, miss wildly that time. Cody now, second rope! Got him.
Cody cutter. Come on. Cody for the win, shoots the half.
Paul stays in it somehow.
[Corey] As we take another look at the tremendous athleticism
of Logan Paul.
And answered and raised by the American Nightmare.
Cody with a deep hook of the leg but Logan with a little too much left in the tank.
[Cole] It has been an incredible night, an incredible atmosphere
at the Superdome in Jeddah.
This is our main event for the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
Cody Rhodes fighting back, injured ribs and all,
against a very game Logan Paul tonight.
[Corey] What is Cody thinking about here?
-Could it be-- What? -[Cole] Cody with Logan up top.
Logan, though, lands on his feet.
-[Corey] Oh, whoa! -[Cole] Logan with a crossroads.
Cover! With a good move and a kick out.
[Corey] That would have been the ultimate disrespect.
I can only imagine.
Cody Rhodes was looking for a vertebreaker.
Logan Paul able to fight his way out of it and put Cody down with a crossroads.
[Cole] What I say about the knuckles, I mean it. But I cannot take anything away
from Logan Paul. He is a hell of an athlete.
He has taken the WWE Champion to the limit here tonight. He's got Cody in trouble.
He's got Cody on the ropes
and Logan Paul could be going for the ultimate.
Oh, up for the splash. And he has to leapfrog through.
Cody, though, able to duck underneath. And now Cody turns it around.
[Corey] Seen that twisting vertical suplex somewhere before.
Maybe it's something in the family tree.
The American Nightmare is firing up inside the Superdome.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Cody now back to his feet.
[Corey] Can Cody finish the job?
This will do it. Looking for crossroads on Logan Paul who turns it around.
Another great counter by Logan and, again,
back to the injured ribs in the midsection of the Champion.
Dumping the Champion yet again out to the floor.
[Cole] And Cody's hurting.
Cody is hurting. To your point earlier, he's right in front of us.
Breathing ou-- Breathing through his mouth.
[Corey] Cody's having a really tough time right now. And Logan needs
to continue this onslaught but get Rhodes back inside the ring
if Logan does want to become Undisputed Champion.
[Cole] Now bouncing Cody face first off the Arabic announce table,
sending Cody back into the ring.
Logan knows he's got to pin or submit Cody.
Count outs, disqualifications do nothing for Logan Paul.
-You need this? -[Corey] You got one, Cole,
I ain't saving you again.
Sorry, Michael. Sorry. Did you need that stuff?
My bad.
Focus on the task at hand, Logan.
[Cole] And now, Logan, after clearing our announce table,
clearly setting Cody Rhodes up.
Cody…
[Corey] Logan wisely breaking the officials count. I know, it's smart.
I'm trying to say nice things about Logan here.
Cole, I know it pains you.
[Cole] And Logan, now, with Cody on our announce table
…era!
[groaning]
[Cole] Logan may be going for a pedigree. And Cody, though, fighting back!
How much does Cody have left now?
Cody off the barricade…
Cody [unintelligible] out of the announce table!
[Corey] I don't know who got the worst of that,
Cody's back or Logan's face.
Either way, both men are down. There is carnage, there is chaos.
[Cole] Here's the problem.
The already injured midsection of Rhodes
and Cody's going to go in and break the count.
Now how wise is this? Cody could have won.
[Corey] He is going to win a count out. Referee is at eight, nine!
Don't count, let me have it. Let me get him here.
-He needs to learn. -[Cole] What are you doing?
Now listen, I admire this.
I admire Cody wanting to beat Logan in the middle of the ring, fair and square
like we talked about earlier. But, come on, Corey.
[Corey] Listen, far be it from me to tell the Undisputed WWE Champion
how to compete in his match. Cody Rhodes obviously has plans for Logan Paul.
But Cody has got to be careful.
[Cole] You know what happens when you let someone stick around. That happens!
And now right hand by Logan. One lucky punch!
-[Corey] He's out, Cole. -[Cole] Cody is out.
The titanium-plated hand of Logan Paul, connecting.
Oh no.
-Not this again. -[Corey] Logan's gonna break
-the count again. -[Cole] Not this again. Logan Paul,
of course, Prime bottle in hand. Cody Rhodes on the Arabic announce desk.
Logan Paul, going for the…
-The final blow, here. -[Corey] We're going viral, Jeddah.
[Cole] Logan from the top rope through Cody, through the table!
Damn it! Damn it! Cody is crushed!
[Corey] That is it. That is it. Rhodes is not getting up.
[Cole] Cody couldn't breathe. He may have had broken ribs before that.
He definitely has them now.
[Corey] And it didn't have to be this way, Cole. Cody stopped the official's count.
-Cody Rhodes put himself in this position -[Cole] One hundred percent.
[Corey] Do you know who else did this, Cole? Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Roman couldn't contain his anger. And it cost him everything.
[Cole] And now Logan Paul from the top rope for the win.
Frog splash, cover! We're gonna crowd a new Champion. No! Cody kicked.
Logan can't believe it.
Cody Rhodes survives,
for now.
[Corey] Logan trying to psych himself up enough to continue the action.
[Cole] The bottom line, that was on instinct alone.
Get up, Cody!
[Cole] It may be just a matter of time before Logan can put Cody away here.
I hate you.
[Cole] And again. Back to the the ribs in the midsection of Rhodes.
The assault continues.
[groaning]
[Corey] Turnbuckle, able to get the boot up in time.
But I don't know how much was behind the boot.
-Cody Rhodes looks borderline ineffective. -[Cole] He's trying…
Trying to dig down deep here.
Trying to will himself to continue on in this matchup.
[Corey] Reversal by Logan Paul. Reversal-- Oh, no! Ryan Tran caught
-between Rhodes and the buckle. -[Cole] Paul with a splash!
-The official as well. -[Corey] How can it get worse for Cody?
[Cole] The officials down. Cody Rhodes, now.
-[Corey] Could we see it? -[Cole] Now Cody's going for it.
Ooh! Vertebreaker!
But the official's down. There's nobody to make the count.
Rhodes may win the matchup. One, two, three!
[Corey] And again, Michael Cole. This is all Cody's own doing.
He didn't need to, but this is what happened.
[Cole] Cody could've ended this matchup a while ago.
He wanted to beat Logan in the center of the ring.
Very admirable for the Champion to want that.
I'm sorry.
Ryan, come on, man. You gotta finish this.
[Cole] But if you wanna survive long as Champion,
sometimes you gotta do what you don't want to do.
Oh! And a low blow by Logan Paul.
A blatant low blow drops the Champion.
-And he still got the damn knuckles. -[Corey] Again, again.
[Cole] And there's nothing the official could do about it.
Logan Paul said: "I'm sorry."
Brass knuckles in hand,
about to use them.
That's Ibrahim! He's the guest ring announcer!
Tried to drag Logan Paul out of the ring.
Who the hell are you?
-[Cole] Miss with the right hand! -…bitch!
[Cole] A little payback. Crossroads.
-[Corey] Look at the intensity. -[Cole] Crossroads.
[Corey] A fire in the the eyes of the Undisputed WWE Champion!
[Cole] Crossroads.
-[crowd] One! Two! Three! -[Cole] Cody! Rhodes! Champion!
-[crowd cheering] -[bell ringing]
[rock music]
[Ibrahim] Here is your winner! It's still
the Undisputed WWE Champion,
the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes!
[Cole] Corey, the bottom line is this. Logan Paul continues to impress.
Despite the fact he tried to use knuckles tonight.
In fact, used them on one occasion. He continues to impress.
But we learned a lot about the American Nightmare,
-Cody Rhodes, tonight. -[Corey] This is what Cody Rhodes wanted.
[crowd singing] Woah!
[Corey] Cody Rhodes knew that when the chips were down
at King and Queen of the Ring,
in the main event, this was an opportunity.
This was a chance for Cody to reach out to the WWE Universe,
to connect with the WWE Universe
and to solidify his reign as Undisputed WWE Champion.
[Cole] Our guest ring announcer tonight came into play.
But in the end, Cody Rhodes continues
his reign as the Undisputed WWE Champion.
-Hell of a match. -[Corey] No doubt about it.
Let's take a look at some
of the more spectacular moments. How about this? Cody cutter
off of the barricade onto the announce table.
And things would get even worse as the match progressed.
Logan Paul leaving it all on the line.
Frog splash through the Arabic announce table
and through our WWE Champion.
[Cole] Logan Paul continues to impress.
[Corey] And Logan would look to end things
with another frog splash, this time inside of the ring.
But much to the…
happiness of the challenger, Paul would receive another opportunity
and looked to finish the job.
But Ibrahim Al Hajjaj, Saudi comedian and megastar,
risked a lot by helping Cody. But boy, did it pay off.
Not one, not two, but three trips to the crossroads.
-[bell ringing] -[Corey] For Logan Paul, it was not easy.
But Cody Rhodes never wants it that way.
Cody Rhodes remains on the top of the mountain.
-[unintelligible conversation] -[rock music]
[Corey] What a moment
for the American Nightmare.
[Cole] As he celebrates with the WWE fans,
Logan Paul, of course, disappointed and upset with the loss.
When Cody Rhodes celebrates, the American Nightmare
is still your Undisputed WWE Champion. Good night, everybody.
From Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
[rock music]
[crowd singing along]
[announcer] Tonight in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It's no longer about how far you've come but how high you will ascend.
This is King and Queen of the Ring.
[Corey] Valkyria versus Jax for the Queen of the Ring.
♪ Now I question if I'm good enough ♪
♪ Every time that it gets tough ♪
♪ It’s so dumb ♪
[Cole] Nia is the Queen of the Ring!
Triple Threat match for the Intercontinental Championship.
Stick with the plan!
♪ You won’t see me ever again ♪
♪ Breaking from all the thoughts That are in your head ♪
♪ Replacing you with me instead I won’t see you ever again ♪
[Cole] Becky Lynch defends the Women's World Championship
against Liv Morgan.
What is this damn fool doing here?
DDT on the chair!
Liv Morgan's the Champion.
[Corey] Orton versus Gunther for King of the Ring.
-[rock music] -[crowd cheering]
-[Cole] Gunther is King of the ring! -[bell ringing]
[Corey] Cody Rhodes defends his Undisputed WWE Championship
against Logan Paul.
♪ Replacing you with me instead I won’t see you ever again ♪
♪ Breaking from all the thoughts That are in your head ♪
♪ Replacing you with me instead I won’t see you ever again ♪
-[rock music] -♪ Ooh ♪
Subtitles: Victoria Ruggieri Rocio Dikun & Rocio Sileo r again ♪