It looks like the next WWE wrestlers to be named King and Queen of the Ring may have to wait.
The May 27 premium live event set for the Jeddah Super Dome was originally announced under that name, but it will now carry a different one instead. WWE revealed on Twitter that the show will be called Night of Champions.
The May 27th Premium Live Event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will now be WWE Night of Champions! pic.twitter.com/Cxj40LzIza
— WWE (@WWE) April 13, 2023
No reason was given for the name change, but Impact Wrestling producer and Canadian wrestling legend Lance Storm had a thought.
Didn’t think Saudi would want to crown a Queen on their show.
— Lance Storm (@LanceStorm) April 13, 2023
The Night of Champions has been used by WWE for big cards before back in the pay-per-view era. Starting with Vengeance: Night of Champions in 2007, there was a Night of Champions event every year until 2015, The first three were in late June, but every show from 2010 to 2015 was held in mid to late September.
The original gimmick for Night of Champions was that every championship on the main WWE roster would be defended on the show. That seems unlikely to be the case now for several reasons; Sami Zayn, who is one half of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, doesn’t participate in WWE events held in Saudi Arabia, and Roman Reigns, who remains in possession of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, feels unlikely to defend it again so soon after WrestleMania.
There’s also now an open question about what will become of the King and Queen of the Ring concepts. WWE fans seemed to be legitimately excited about the return of the tournament to crown a King and the first real Queen of the Ring. It’s possible they could find their way onto the schedule later in the year, as WWE has yet to announce any 2023 premium live event names or venues further out than SummerSlam on August 5.