JEDDAH: WWE fans in Jeddah were treated to a day of fun and excitement on Friday at the Champions Village ahead of the the Night of Champions main event on Saturday.
Saudi wrestling superfans got to enjoy an immersive WWE experience with games, activities, a ring entrance experience and a chance to see their favorite WWE superstars up close and personal, such as Cody Rhodes, Gunther, AJ Styles, Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch.
Mustafa Ali was one of the crowd favorites, with fans chanting his name during his segment with Gunther to hype up their upcoming Intercontinental Title match.
The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes, who will face Brock Lesnar, told Arab News the he feels lucky.
“I mean, it’s never exciting when you tell the whole world about a broken arm, and it’s going to be four to six weeks in a special cast, but I think luck plays a huge part of my career,” he said. “I don't want to say it's all luck because you work so hard to get the spots but every now and then you need a little lady luck,” he added.
The longest reigning women’s champion of the modern day era, Bianca Belair, told Arab News it was amazing to be back in the Kingdom.
“It feels amazing sometimes, you know, time flies by so fast here in WWE, and I've had a lot of amazing title reigns. I'm just appreciative of the people that I've gone up against and so it feels amazing to be standing here. I just feel blessed and fortunate,” she said.
And Belair, who faces Asuka on Saturday, feels confident about her match.
“I'm ready, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. It’s a different Asuka, it's a rematch from Wrestlemania, but this is a different Asuka, she's coming for more than just my title,” she said.
“I know that I have to approach her differently tomorrow to walk out as champion. So, I'm excited, I'm nervous, but more than anything, I'm ready for Asuka,” she added.
AJ Styles, who will face Seth Rollins in the tournament finals for the World Heavyweight Championship, told fans to expect a phenomenal showdown.
“Well, you’re going to see a fight, you’re going to see two guys who want to be the World Heavyweight Champion, you got two guys who’ve been all over the world competing,” he said. “It’s a lot of experience in the same ring together and so I expect nothing less than a incredible matchup.”
Saturday also sees Roman Reigns surpass 1,000 days as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, as he and Solo Sikoa compete in a monumental title defence against WWE Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
