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New WWE Champion Crowned Ahead Of Night Of Champions 2026

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Jun 25, 2026 11:06 EDT
wwe night of champions 2026 logo
Night of Champions 2026 will take place on June 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Source: WWE.com

The WWE women’s division has just crowned a new champion.

At Evolve: Succession III, Nikkita Lyons faced Wendy Choo for the EVOLVE Women’s Championship.

A video that has surfaced online shows the closing moments of the bout, wherein Lyons hits Choo with a roundhouse kick before securing a successful pinfall.

While Lyons had been a regular on EVOLVE, she also began making appearances on NXT recently. She even briefly aligned and teamed up with Zaria to face Lizzy Rain and Tatum Paxley, only for Zaria to walk out on her.

Her last NXT appearance was on June 23 in a backstage segment, where she and Karmen Petrovic mocked Jaida Parker, following the latter’s loss to Nattie last week.

Nikkita Lyons’ WWE EVOLVE Women’s Championship victory is the first time she has won a title in the Stamford promotion. She ended Wendy Choo’s 70-day reign in the process.

In the men’s EVOLVE Championship, Aaron Rourke retained his title after his victory over Max Abrams.

Lyons’ victory comes just days before WWE Night of Champions is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 27.

Will Brock Lesnar Make An Appearance At WWE Night Of Champions?

One of the hotly debated topics ahead of WWE Night of Champions is whether Brock Lesnar will be part of the show.

The Beast Incarnate is not officially advertised for the Riyadh PLE on June 27, but his rivalry with Oba Femi could force him to act out.

Femi is scheduled to compete in the final of the King of the Ring tournament, where he faces former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso.

It remains to be seen whether Brock interferes in the bout to cost The Ruler a chance at the world championship at SummerSlam.

According to former company employee Jonathan Coachman, one perk could be the deciding factor for Brock Lesnar’s appearance at NOC.

While speaking on The Coach & Bro podcast, Coachman claimed that only hefty pay could get Lesnar to travel across continents for a few minutes of television airtime.

What I’m shocked at is the thought of Brock, and again, if the check’s big enough, it doesn’t matter if it’s a second, but the thought of Brock going all the way to Saudi Arabia for 60 seconds of work. I just don’t see that happening.

But again, at 48 years old, if the check cashes, and we know how the Saudis love the stars, they love the big guys over there. They love to pay.

Elsewhere, in the Queen of the Ring tournament, Liv Morgan will face IYO SKY in the final. While Morgan, who is the Women’s World Champion, will challenge Rhea Ripley if she wins, SKY has yet to decide on her choice of champion.