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WWE has recently announced the return of Night of Champions, which will be held on May 27 in Saudi Arabia. The company has revived the pay-per-view format to bring it to an international market, as reported by PWInsider. Night of Champions will replace the previously announced King and Queen of the Ring event scheduled for the same date.
However, the event's announcement has sparked rumors that two of WWE's most popular wrestlers, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, may miss out on the show. Despite being titleholders in the company, Owens and Zayn are expected to skip the event because it is taking place in Saudi Arabia.
The two have not previously worked any of WWE's shows in the country, which presents a slight problem for Triple H, who has to ensure that all of WWE's titles are defended on the show.
Generational wrestlers expected to miss Night of Champions
Although nothing is confirmed yet, WrestleTalk has reported that the feeling is that Owens and Zayn, who were hailed as "generational" coming out of WrestleMania, will not be at Night of Champions.
It is worth noting that Zayn's Syrian heritage prevented him from competing at the first WWE show in Saudi Arabia back in 2018, as reported by the Wrestling Observer. In solidarity with his real-life best friend, Owens pulled out of all WWE shows in Saudi Arabia, which was also seen with Daniel Bryan and John Cena in later years.
Triple H will have to figure out a way to avoid having his Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions on the card for the big Night of Champions show. One option for the Chief Content Officer might be to take the titles off Owens and Zayn, possibly giving them back to The Usos so they can be defended in Saudi Arabia.
It will be interesting to see how Triple H handles the situation and ensures that Night of Champions succeeds, even without two of WWE's most beloved wrestlers.