In a chaotic main event defined by a series of run-ins, John Cena defeated CM Punk to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The match, the first singles encounter between the two rivals in over a decade, was a cornerstone of Cena’s ongoing farewell tour.
The finish of the 26-minute contest saw multiple parties interfere. An attempted Money in the Bank cash-in by Seth Rollins, who was flanked by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, was neutralized when Penta and Sami Zayn emerged to brawl with them. The pivotal moment came after Cena and Punk shared a handshake of respect. When Cena’s attempt at a low blow was blocked, Punk hoisted him for the Go To Sleep. At that moment, Rollins slid back into the ring, striking Punk with the briefcase and a Stomp. Cena then capitalized, throwing Rollins from the ring and pinning the unconscious Punk.
Because Rollins never officially started the cash-in, he remains Mr. Money in the Bank. The outcome allows Cena’s controversial heel tour to continue, with a defense against Cody Rhodes expected at SummerSlam, while protecting Punk from a clean loss.
Following the event, WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque commented on Punk’s evolution as a person during the post-show panel, expressing admiration for his conduct during the trip to Saudi Arabia.
“If you’d have told me 10 years ago that CM Punk would be here in Saudi for the WWE, I would have thought you’re out of your mind,” Levesque admitted. “But people grow, people change, people evolve, and they learn, and they learn a lot in life.”
Levesque praised Punk for what he described as a public apology to the people of Saudi Arabia and his overall gratitude for his current position.
“I was privileged to watch him grow as a human being, to step out here and apologize to the people of Saudi, to just cherish where he is at in life and his career and the things he gets to do and the opportunities that he has,” Levesque stated. “And I was incredibly proud of him.”