The format change for the upcoming WWE Night of Champions Premium Live Event is something fans have been asking for a while.
The WWE Night of Champions PLE will emanate from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, June 27, 2026. The promotion has announced six high-profile matches on the card so far.
- Jey Uso vs. Oba Femi – King of the Ring Tournament final
- IYO SKY vs. Liv Morgan – Queen of the Ring Tournament final
- Trick Williams (c) vs. Ricky Saints – WWE United States Championship
- Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker – Steel Cage match
- Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther vs. Sami Zayn – Undisputed WWE Championship
- Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill – WWE Women’s United States Championship
The promotion originally planned to have WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley on the event, and featured her on the official poster. But things changed after she suffered an injury during the recent European tour.
WWE fans have wanted more matches (and less ads) on premium live events
The Night of Champions 2026 card, with six matches, addresses a long-standing fan complaint over shorter shows and the five-match format the promotion had for many of its recent PLEs.
The last time a single-night WWE PLE had more than five bouts on the card was at the 2025 Clash in Paris event, which featured six matches. It was also the last PLE on Peacock before WWE moved to ESPN. Before that, the 2025 all-women’s Evolution event featured seven matches.
The promotion does book more than five matches on most Saudi Arabian PLEs, but the 2026 Royal Rumble event featured only four matches on the main card. Last year’s Night of Champions event also featured six matches.
While WWE has addressed one of fans’ biggest complaints about premium live events, it remains to be seen whether the promotion will also cut back on the excessive number of commercials during broadcasts.
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