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Deadseriousness 2023 WWE Night of Champions Review: Asuka Becomes the GOAT

2023 wwe night of champions

WWE is once again having their blood money show in Saudi Arabia and we all have to pretend to be cool with it. Let’s talk about the 2023 WWE Night of Champions:

 

World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

There’s a debate on whether or not the world title match should be the main event of a PPV. Especially this new World Heavyweight Championship which already has an uphill battle as the title given out as a consultation price to all the guys who lost to the real champion, Roman Reigns.

Personally, I think the main event should go to the best storyline with the highest stakes. That goes to the tag team title match later on as the Bloodline still continues to be this company’s biggest focus.

Unless the entire show was built around it, it’s tough to make a tournament finals interesting when the two finalists haven’t had enough time to build a story together.

It’s also been obvious Seth Rollins was going to win the title. Rollins has been there every day with the crowd gleefully chanting his theme music throughout the show while AJ Styles has been sitting at home. This new title was essentially created to reward Seth Rollins.

As far as the match itself goes, it was fine. Exactly what I thought it’d be. I’m lowkey an AJ Styles stan (of the wrestler not the flat-earther covid-denier weirdo) so I thought the title would be better off in his hands but they clearly don’t see AJ the same way considering he came back with the same ring gear and haircut and nothing new or interesting to his character.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

I was totally prepared to hate this match. This whole Trish Stratus comeback feels super patronizing to her. She was a decent enough wrestler in an era where most of the women’s matches ended when one woman successfully undressed the other. North American women’s wrestling has advanced so much since Trish’s time. Imagine Trish Stratus trying to go 30 minutes with Jamie Hayter.

THAT BEING SAID, I was pleasantly surprised by her ability to hang with Becky Lynch. Interesting idea to get Zoey Starks involved in this feud. It appears to be going up to Summerslam and it was already getting stale. Good idea to use Trish Stratus to elevate a new crop of women coming up.

 

 

Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Mustafa Ali

If I was younger or perhaps more invested in WWE on a day-to-day level then I’d probably be spending this time championing Mustafa Ali and demanding a push. He’s a great worker who’s been in the business long enough to have some gold around his waist.

But unfortunately, I am astronomically more invested in Gunther and if the WWE is going to push a worker whose entire gimmick is his belief in the sacrality of the ring then I am not going to complain about Mustafa fucking Ali not winning more. Who cares?

I genuinely believe Gunther is one of the best wrestlers on the planet and I am so curious how this year ends for him, Cody and Roman Reigns because one of those 3 men will be Universal Champion when Wrestlemania 40 ends.

 

 

Raw Women’s Championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka

After Backlash I wrote that Bianca Belair either needs to face totally new women or start losing. Well, since they elected to run a lazy Wrestlemania rematch, the only choice left was for her to lose. But I still cannot believe they actually pulled the trigger at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia.

With a victory over Bianca, let’s quickly look at Asuka’s career accomplishments:

  • Longest reigning NXT Women’s Champion ever
  • 1-time Smackdown Women’s Champion
  • 3-time Raw Women’s Champion
  • 3-time Women’s Tag Team Champion
  • First ever winner of the Women’s Royal Rumble
  • 2020 Money in the Bank winner

Asuka probably should’ve won the belt at Wrestlemania but better late than never, I reckon. Asuka is the greatest women’s wrestler in WWE history and it’s about time she is treated as such.

Let’s just hope they aren’t setting up *another* lazy rematch to give the belt right back to Bianca at Summerslam (unless they tell an amazing story (which they seem incapable of with Belair).

 

SmackDown Women’s Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Natalya

This match lasted only 69 seconds. Nice.

 

Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes

This Brock Lesnar Cody Rhodes story makes sense in theory if we are all pretending to be meeting Cody Rhodes for the first time. It would be compelling to see him overcome a broken arm to defeat Brock if we hadn’t seen him overcome a torn pec in a Hell in a Cell against Seth Rollins already.

Like, we’ve seen Cody put himself through hell to make the audience love him. He’s a sicko. We know. We don’t necessarily need him getting destroyed by Brock Lesnar for us to feel sympathy for him.

Cody passed out from pain so these two guys can continue beating each other up until Summerslam. That’s fine. WWE has decided to keep Cody busy all year before he inevitably wins back-to-back Royal Rumbles. I guess I just think there are other guys in the company I’d rather see Cody spending months feuding with.

Undisputed Tag Team Championship — Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa

I am 1000% done with the bloodline storyline. There is no reason why Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are still being used to carry what is so obviously a beef between the Usos, Solo and Roman. Sure, it would’ve been cool as hell to see Roman Reigns carrying 4 championship belts but this match existed solely for the ending—an ending they do at the end of literally every PPV.

The ref takes a bump and disappears. The Bloodline interferes. Someone accidentally hits someone with their finisher. Someone overreacts. Hell breaks loose. Repeat at the next PPV.

I’m glad The Usos have finally made their move against Roman after teasing it for like, 6 months but yea, I’m ready for Sami and KO to start building new tag team stars while The Bloodline figures their shit out on their own.

Praying Seth Rollins and his first Heavyweight title defense gets the main event next time over whatever repetitive nonsense the Bloodline keeps doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Written by thelesterlee

Creator of Deadseriousness. Diehard Knicks, Yankees and Giants fan who wants to create a sports and pop culture space that isn't the same copy and pasted AI content you see everywhere else.

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