Latest news with #Seth Rollins


Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
WWE Night Of Champions 2025 Results As John Cena Plays Babyface, Beats CM Punk
CM Punk and John Cena face off on SmackDown in Saudi Arabia. John Cena faced CM Punk at WWE Night of Champions 2025, presumably for the last time, as WWE embarked in a bold storyline where CM Punk—like every human being who ever lived—had to confront his hypocrisy. In CM Punk's case, Punk faced the 'hypocrisy' of criticizing Saudi Arabia's human rights issues while still competing in a Saudi Arabian PLE. Is that hypocrisy? That doesn't seem any more hypocritical with an American criticizing the United States for the human rights violations that built this country, only to continue living in America. But I digress. CM Punk apologized to a Saudi fan for an old tweet after being booed during Friday's kickoff event, and it seemed to work as Punk was massively over with fans at Night of Champions. Cena seemed to join CM Punk in turning babyface for this crowd. First, Cena declined using the belt as a weapon after fans begged him not to with chants of 'No!' Then Cena stopped a Money in the Bank cash-in, only to be attacked by Seth Rollins' goons. Both Cena and Punk fought them off. The match ending, however, suggested otherwise. Everything That Happened With John Cena Vs. CM Punk Fans unanimously cheered CM Punk and sang his theme music. He received a mixed reaction during the ring introductions. Saudi chanted 'John Cena sucks!' as Cena marched toward the ring. Fans said Cena's intro, line for line, along with Mark Nash and he was cheered. There was a lot of posturing early on with Cena and Punk exchanging holds. Fans broke into 'Ole' chants, which seems to be a chant in appreciation for a main event-level match. This was the case during the opener between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes. Punk enveloped Cena in a Black Widow hold, shades of AJ Lee, who was mentioned on commentary. The pace quickened a bit as Cena hit his signature comeback, punctuated by a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Punk cut Cena off before he could hit an AA and hit a comeback of his own with a running knee and a flying elbow. Cena fought out of the GTS and locked in an STF. Punk fought out of the Attitude Adjustment but ate a GTS for his troubles. Punk kicked out, planted Cena with a DDT and slapped on an STF of his own. After a second running knee, Cena countered the bulldog with a side slam and a second AA for a nearfall. Cena countered a cross body from Punk and hit a third AA for another nearfall. A desperate John Cena grabbed the WWE Championship belt in a familiar scene. Cena prepared to strike CM Punk with the belt as fans chanted 'No!' Cena tossed the belt to the side and went for the AA. Punk countered with a GTS for the nearall. Heel Cena going babyface for Saudi Arabia and almost losing because of it was certainly a choice. Michael Cole suggested Cena allowed the fans to get to him. Cena and Punk went back and forth with strikes, and Riyadh cheered for both. Cena accidentally took out the referee Dan Engler, leading to a GTS and a visual pinfall by Punk. Punk called for another referee, but he got Seth Rollins and his unnamed faction. Rollins sicced Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman against CM Punk. The pair hit an ugly double-spinebuster on the Arabic announce table. Fans chanted 'OTC" as Rollins called for an official. As Robinson sprinted down the ramp, he was pounced by John Cena, who continued to act like a babyface and was cheered for it. Cena hit the AA on Rollins as Breakker and Reed attacked John. This brought out Penta and Sami Zayn to even the odds. Both Cena and Punk fought off Rollins' goons as they had no choice but to attack the heels to prevent Rollins from cashing in. Cena was basically a full babyface at this point. Cena and Punk embraced in the ring, but Cena reverted to his heel ways and kicked Punk in the groin. Rollins hit the ring with a Stomp and Cena stole the pin for the win.


Forbes
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Bronson Reed Returns, Attacks CM Punk At WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
CM Punk suffered a rare defeat at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event 2025, thanks to a shocking return from Bronson Reed inside the Yuengling Center in Tampa. At WWE's latest NBC special, Punk and Zayn fell to Monday Night Raw's top duo, Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker, when Reed returned after several months out of action and attacked Punk, allowing Breakker to hit Zayn with a massive spear and pin him for the victory. Punk's loss on Saturday was the latest step in the seemingly never-ending saga between Rollins and Punk, who have been at each other's throats since Punk returned to WWE in November 2023. Only, WWE has somehow managed to keep their rivalry fresh and exciting, with Rollins' heel turn and alignment with Paul Heyman at WrestleMania 41 completely flipping the script. Entering WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, it was important that Rollins and Breakker, both new heels, start off on the right foot as Raw's powerhouse duo. They are, after all, attempting to fill a gap as WWE's top staple, a spot that isn't easy to step into after the success their predecessors have had over the past couple of years. WWE has relied heavily on two stables on both Raw and SmackDown for nearly half a decade: The Bloodline and The Judgment Day. However, The Bloodline as WWE fans have come to know it all but gone while The Judgment Day isn't what it was at its peak with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley. Enter Reed, who appears to be the latest addition to a star-studded stable featuring Rollins and Breakker, who's long been in line to be a focal point of Raw on Netflix. Now, Breakker is getting the biggest spotlight of his career, and at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, he peaked up one of the most significant wins he's ever had, too. Breakker has become a human highlight reel since joining the main roster, and that was evident in Tampa. Now, he has a fellow human highlight reel in Reed by his side. In a way, Rollins is becoming the means to an end for Breakker, serving as a launching pad for Breakker in much the same way that The Shield elevated him to full-blown super stardom. Of course, there are no guarantees that Breakker will be as successful as WWE is positioning him to be, but up until this point? So far, so good. Up until WrestleMania 41, Breakker had spent his entire main roster career toward the upper midcard, but now, he's involved in WWE's most significant angle alongside its most important stars, like Punk, Zayn and Roman Reigns. Just a month after his alignment with Heyman and Rollins, Breakker is significantly better off because it and on the right trajectory to further success in the months ahead. Now, Reed, much like Breakker, figures to benefit greatly from his association with Rollins and Heyman. That's a win-win situation for the wildly talented Reed, who was a huge hit on Raw in late 2024 before a devastating ankle injury suffered at Survivor Series sidelined him for half a year. What's more, Raw's top storyline has intertwined many of the red brand's most important stars, and at Saturday Night's Main Event, we saw a perfect example of that when Reed joined the mix. With Raw's Netflix viewership consistently declining, WWE's next step is to find its next money-making storyline. For years, that was The Bloodline, and under Triple H's creative regime, it's factions that have carried its programming to so much success over the past few years. Thus, the pressure is on Breakker, Punk and company to make this storyline as captivating as possible at a time when Raw viewership is down and the post-WrestleMania lull often results in a downturn in quality. But with Reed's big return at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event adding yet another later to this already intriguing storyline, things are looking up for the red brand.