You probably went looking for the Night of Champions 2024 results and got a bit confused. That makes sense. Honestly, if you were scrolling through your Peacock feed or checking Cagematch for the specific May 2024 dates, you likely realized that the "Night of Champions" branding didn't actually appear on the 2024 WWE calendar.
WWE went with King and Queen of the Ring instead.
It was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 25, 2024. This matters because, for years, the Saudi shows have been a rotating door of branding—sometimes it's Crown Jewel, sometimes it's a legacy name like Night of Champions, and this time, they revived a tournament format that had been gathering dust for way too long. If you're a purist, you'd argue that the spirit of the event remained the same: massive stakes, international spectacle, and every major title looming in the background. But technically? Night of Champions stayed in 2023.
The Identity Crisis of Night of Champions 2024
WWE is in this weird, experimental era under Triple H where they're obsessed with "International PLEs." They’ve realized that fans in France, Scotland, Germany, and Saudi Arabia will lose their absolute minds for a show, regardless of what it’s called. In 2023, Night of Champions was the big May event in Saudi Arabia. It was iconic because that’s where the World Heavyweight Championship was officially crowned (Seth Rollins over AJ Styles).
Fast forward to 2024. Fans expected a sequel.
Instead, WWE leaned into the tournament lore. By pivoting to King and Queen of the Ring, they shifted the focus from "everyone defends a title" to "who is the next breakout star?" It’s a subtle shift in booking philosophy. While Night of Champions is a celebration of the present, the tournament format is a bet on the future.
Why the Branding Shift Matters
The 2024 event in Jeddah proved that the Saudi partnership is no longer just about "Greatest Royal Rumbles" or nostalgia acts like Goldberg. It's about canon. Gunther winning the King of the Ring tournament was arguably the most important thing to happen in his career outside of his historic Intercontinental Title run. It gave him a guaranteed shot at SummerSlam, where he eventually took the World Heavyweight Championship from Damian Priest.
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If they had just stuck with the Night of Champions 2024 name, we might have seen a standard set of title defenses. By changing the name, the match outcomes carried "SummerSlam Implications." That’s a term Triple H loves using. It’s basically code for "pay attention, because this isn't a filler show."
What Really Went Down in Jeddah
If we treat the May 2024 Saudi show as the spiritual successor to Night of Champions, the match quality was absurdly high. The main event featured Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Logan Paul.
Logan Paul is annoying. We get it. But the guy can flat-out work.
The match was a masterclass in modern sports entertainment. You had the classic babyface energy of Cody—who was still riding the high of "finishing the story" at WrestleMania XL—against the chaotic, YouTube-era athleticism of Logan. There was a spot involving a brass knuckle-wielding Logan and a prime-time commentary table that looked like something out of a stunt reel. Cody won, obviously, but it solidified that the "Night of Champions" slot on the calendar is now reserved for "Big Fight Feel" matches.
Then you had the King and Queen of the Ring finals.
- Gunther vs. Randy Orton: This was a technical clinic. It was stiff. It was slow in that deliberate, psychological way that makes you hold your breath. Gunther won, though it wasn't without controversy. Orton’s shoulder was clearly off the mat during the pinfall. This wasn't a botch; it was a storyline seed that WWE planted to circle back to later.
- Nia Jax vs. Lyra Valkyria: Nia Jax has had a career resurgence that nobody saw coming. In 2024, she became "The Annihilator." By winning the Queen of the Ring title in Jeddah, she earned a ticket to SummerSlam to dismantle Bayley.
Misconceptions About the 2024 Schedule
A lot of people think Night of Champions 2024 was cancelled or moved. That's not exactly right. WWE operates on a "placeholder" system. When they sign deals with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, they often leave the specific event name open until they see which way the creative wind is blowing.
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For 2024, the "King and Queen" gimmick was a better fit for the roster.
You also have to look at the surrounding shows. Backlash France happened just weeks before, and Money in the Bank was on the horizon. If you run Night of Champions, the "stipulation" is that every title must be defended. That creates a booking nightmare. What if a champion is injured? What if you want to save a specific defense for a bigger market? By ditching the Night of Champions 2024 branding, WWE gave themselves "creative wiggle room." They didn't have to force a United States Championship or Tag Team Championship match if the story wasn't there.
The Logan Paul Factor
One of the reasons people kept searching for Night of Champions 2024 was because of the "Champion vs. Champion" tease. Originally, there was talk of Logan Paul’s US Title and Cody’s Undisputed Title both being on the line. That is a quintessential Night of Champions trope. In the end, only Cody’s title was up for grabs. This annoyed some fans, but it protected Logan for a longer run.
The Logistics of the Saudi Shows
Watching these events is a weird experience for Western fans. Because of the time difference, the show starts at 1 PM ET on a Saturday. It’s "Brunch Wrestling."
The production value in Jeddah is always through the roof. We’re talking about drone shows that form the shape of championship belts in the desert sky. It’s flashy. It’s expensive. It’s also a massive revenue driver. WWE reportedly clears roughly $50 million per Saudi show. With that kind of money, they can call it whatever they want—Night of Champions, King of the Ring, or "The Big Desert Scrimmage"—and it would still be a financial win.
But for the fans, the name matters. Night of Champions carries a certain prestige. It feels like the old "Clash of the Champions" from the WCW days. When WWE skips a year of using that name, it feels like a break in tradition.
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What You Should Do Now
If you were looking for Night of Champions 2024 to catch up on the current storylines, you've got to pivot your viewing habits. The narrative threads from that May event are still dominating TV today.
Watch the Gunther vs. Randy Orton Final
Go back to the WWE Network or Peacock and find the King and Queen of the Ring 2024 replay. Watch the Gunther/Orton match specifically. It sets the stage for everything Gunther is doing as a world-class champion right now. Pay attention to the finish—the shoulder-off-the-mat moment is a vital piece of trivia for future feuds.
Track the Queen of the Ring Arc
Nia Jax’s victory in Jeddah wasn't a fluke. It was the start of the most dominant heel run in the women’s division since Rhea Ripley’s peak. If you want to understand why the SmackDown women’s division looks the way it does now, that Jeddah show is the "Patient Zero" for Nia’s rise.
Don't Wait for a "Night of Champions" Announcement
WWE's schedule is increasingly fluid. They are moving toward more international shows in 2025 and 2026. Keep an eye on the location rather than the name. If a show is happening in a major international stadium, that is your "A-tier" show, regardless of whether they call it Night of Champions or something entirely new.
The biggest takeaway? The "Night of Champions" concept isn't dead; it's just being used as a tool rather than a permanent fixture. In the TKO era of WWE, flexibility is the only rule. The 2024 event proved that a name change doesn't mean a drop in quality, even if it leaves us all scratching our heads at the search bar.