Triple H may have subtly leaked the winner of the 2025 Queen of the Ring Final ahead of Night of Champions

At Night of Champions tonight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jade Cargill is set to go one-on-one with Asuka in the finals of the WWE Queen of the Ring Tournament. However, the odds of The Empress of Tomorrow becoming the Queen of Today took a drastic downturn last night on SmackDown.

On last night's show, Ms. Money in the Bank, Naomi, interfered in the face-off between the two finalists of QOTR. As Naomi walked to the ring, Cargill shoved aside Asuka to confront her friend-turned-enemy. While Naomi quickly retreated upon seeing Jade advance toward her, Asuka did not take too kindly to the disrespect, taking out Cargill to stand tall. Plus, Naomi did not turn down the chance to pose over a fallen Cargill either.

So, why is Jade Cargill the favorite when Asuka stood tall and has the momentum heading into tonight's final? Isn't her beef with Naomi also something that could prove to be detrimental at Night of Champions?

A common wrestling trope sees the person likely to lose a key match on a PLE gain the upper hand and stand tall on the go-home shows. This could very well be the case over this weekend as well. However, there is another reason why Triple H is likely to have Jade Cargill go over tonight in Riyadh.

Naomi remains a key threat in the WWE women's division, and the primary person she has a personal target on is Jade Cargill. In fact, Naomi even tried to cash in the MITB contract on Tiffany Stratton during her title defense against Nia Jax last night on SmackDown. While Stratton spoiled the effort and utilised the briefcase to beat Jax, much like how she originally won the title from Nia (with Naomi involved then too), Naomi and Stratton also have deeply personal issues.

If Cargill wins against Asuka tonight at Night of Champions, Naomi might cash in on Tiffany Stratton's WWE Women's Championship leading up to SummerSlam, setting up a clash against Cargill. Alternatively, she could cash-in the MITB contract on Jade Cargill immediately after she wins the title, or screw both women out of the title by stealing it during their SummerSlam match.

In a certain sense, Naomi being Ms. MITB is precisely what makes the possibility of Jade Cargill winning QOTR and challenging for the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam all the more interesting, because it opens up the potential to unravel some fascinating narrative arcs.

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The case for Asuka becoming Queen of the Ring tonight at Night of Champions: why and why not?

Asuka was the firm favorite to win the Queen of the Ring Tournament during its initial stages. From a logical booking perspective, the need to reestablish her as a dominant threat and a potential SummerSlam encounter with IYO SKY were key factors. However, this prospect seems to have been put on hold because the latest storyline developments on SmackDown establish Cargill as perhaps the more interesting pick to take the win at Night of Champions tonight.

It must also be noted that IYO SKY has plenty of top-tier superstars waiting to challenge her for the Women's World Championship at SummerSlam, with Rhea Ripley being the most likely pick, given the history between the two women. Asuka is by no means a bad choice to win Queen of the Ring, and a clash with SKY seems an increasingly alluring prospect. It's just that Cargill is a better fit right now.

The former AEW TBS Champion also needs that one breakout win to establish herself as a major player in WWE. Night of Champions could be the time she does so. Meanwhile, Asuka did that a long time ago. She is as bulletproof as it gets and can be pushed into a main event role at any time, given her presentation, past accomplishments, brand value, reliability, experience, and connection with the fans.

For what it's worth, though, while The Empress of Tomorrow may not be the logical favorite to become the Queen of the Ring tonight at WWE Night of Champions, she firmly remains the fan-favorite in Saudi Arabia.