It was a novel idea for WWE, when it began devising its wealth of pay per views that had a common connection to come up with Night of Champions. The event on which every WWE title is defended. It means that no Championship gets left out or slung onto the pre-show and every champion gets their fair share of exposure.
Night of Champions was the first pay per view to get a real gimmick. That is the era of pay per views that had more than one match type on them. Pay per Views like Hell in a Cell (where every main event match is fought inside the cell), the now defunct Fatal Four Way (where every major championship match was defended in a Fatal Four Way Match), Money in the Bank (where there are two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches) and so on. Night of Champions though was a real trailblazer for what was to come in WWE.
Looking at WWE’s offerings in the recent years, Night of Champions has been more of a novelty attraction, that has been used an excuse to get the lower card Championships into the spotlight. Night of Champions only used to house Championship matches, per the title of the pay per view. Yet in recent years WWE have added to that already loaded card with matches are not for any championship and are just slung on the card because they feature main event talent that aren’t fighting for Championship titles and WWE feel obliged to find them a spot or because they feature feuds that would be better placed in Championship matches to prolong the life line.
WWE Night of Champions 2012 looks to remedy the wrongs of SummerSlam and the bookings decisions that followed. What can we expect from a card that is usually a very entertaining affair?
WWE Championship Match
C.M Punk (Champion) vs John Cena
Before we get into the gritty side of this match, which I have to say, I did predict in my SummerSlam review if you read that. I would like to avert your eyes to the picture WWE posted for this match, above. Anyone notice anything remotely wrong with it? Yes? No? Well in case your answer is the latter, then allow me to point it out to you. If you gander at all of the other match preview pictures for Night of Champions, then you’ll notice that WWE have quite rightly put the champion first. Yet here, in the main event match, WWE have placed Cena first and Punk, as defending and reigning WWE Champion, second.
For me, this says more than words ever could about how much more important WWE see Cena in the company than their own Championship belt. The Championship belt that has carried WWE for decades before Cena’s name was known and will do decades after he has gone. By putting Cena first and Punk second, this devalues everything about the WWE Championship. Yet can you can bet your life savings that if Cena was carrying the gold, then he’d still be first in the picture. For the less educated among us, on wrestling anyway, the women and children who have no idea of the history of the company and who quite frankly don’t care, this is telling them that they should see Cena as more important that the main Championship. If that’s what WWE are trying to convey to people, then why the hell have the Championship on the line and in the company in the first place?
This comes after Triple H has numerous times said, on pay per views, Raw, Smackdown, biographies of DVD’s and in books that in WWE, no one person is more important than the WWE Championship. Maybe WWE could actually have some communication between its staff backstage. That way everyone would be moving in the same direction and stop contradicting each other.
And we can finally move onto the match itself. It’s nothing spectacular. It’s not a main event that’s going to bring down the house or sell major numbers, but then again WWE know this. They knew it when they booked the feud over Summer 2011. They knew it when they put the two together at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam 2011. They also knew it when they were thinking about booking this feud. It appears that making money and pay per view numbers no longer matter to WWE. They’ve substituted what keeps their company running for another unnecessary feud. Although not everyone thinks so.
When I was sourcing the pictures for this Night of Champions preview, my internet helped itself to jump down the page without me touching it. Where I found the comment box at the bottom of the match preview. In it, amongst the usual comments from people who think they know everything there is to know whilst in reality they know nothing, there was this comment. “Cena is going to kick Punk’s skinny ass!” Now, this comment, this person and people like him are everything that is wrong with wrestling. I’m not telling you who to choose, I’m simply here to give you what you deserve, the truth. We all know that Punk is ten times better than Cena, yet those who support him and his dire wrestling skills, are advocating the death of real wrestling. They’re the reason why this business isn’t as popular anymore. Yet they can’t see it. These people dress up in their little John Cena t-shirts and hats and wave their hands in front of their face thinking their cool. When I fact they’re part of the problem! If they stood up and actually saw how bad Cena is and demanded better, then maybe WWE would see it too. After all Cena is only where he is because he puts millions a year in Vince’s pocket.
You think that’s me being horrible? Think again. Vince has said it as well. In his own words Vince McMahon said that Cena would have been fired years ago. That he wanted to fire him. It just goes to prove that Vince will allow Cena to get away with what he like, just as long as he’s brining in the money. It turns out that Cena injured the Rock at Wrestlemania 28, yet received no punishment for that. He fucked up and entire match and angle at Extreme Rules and received no punishment for that. This has been the normal in WWE now for years. Everyone else receives the blame except Cena. This is simply not acceptable. By saying nothing these morons are giving their nod of approval to Cena and WWE’s handling of him. It’s a vicious circle that won’t stop until people see Cena for what he really is.
Even though the Cena train seems it will never be derailed, I believe that what happens at Night of Champions will state where WWE want to go in 2013. If Cena defeats Punk then WWE will have once again wimped out in fear of a Cena reprisal and handed him the Championship, thus ending an epic if slightly stalled reign and we can expect Cena vs Rock at Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania next year. I just can’t see that happening though. WWE did the whole once in a lifetime thing last year so to book two more matches between the two would overkill and also take that special feeling off of watching the Wrestlemania 28 match contested between The Rock and John Cena, later down the line. If WWE have any common sense, then they’ll keep that match as a one off and not do it to death. WWE need to find a long term feud for Cena after Night of Champions, something that will last at least until Wrestlemania.
The problem with finding Cena a long term feud is that there isn’t only a lack of WWE headliners, there’s a lack of wrestlers who can carry someone like Cena. For a feud to flourish then the opposing wrestler needs to be able to make Cena and himself look good, whilst hiding Cena’s floors. Looking down the WWE roster, I don’t see anyone capable of doing that at the moment. Which means WWE have booked themselves into a corner. They know we don’t want to see this feud again and we know that we won’t pay to see another John Cena WWE Championship feud in 2012 or 2013.
What is the answer? At the risk of losing money, WWE would be well advised to have C.M Punk injure Cena in the storyline and have Cena take a sabbatical from WWE until the beginning of 2013. That way Cena can heal some of the wounds he’s acquired lately and maybe brush up on his wrestling skills. And WWE would have time to prepare a wrestler to step up to the main event and ready him for a headline run with Cena. This is the most logical option open to WWE at the moment. With Cena out of the picture, WWE would have the time and space on the roster to devote to a new headliner. As long as they pick one that can carry Cena when he returns. While Cena was on the shelf, WWE could think of a new gimmick for him in the event they once again refused to turn him heel. I’m pretty sure a new look and image for the Cena character would change a few people’s minds about him.
C.M Punk, fingers crosses, seems to be on a collision course with the Rock at Royal Rumble. That’s assuming the Rock is fit by January and his injury has healed. It would disastrous for WWE to have advertised the Rock to fight for the WWE Championship so far in advance just to get to the event and it turns out the Rock isn’t fit. That’s the problem WWE have, they’re premature in their approach to the future. Instead of sitting back and letting it boil slowly, they’re in too much of a rush to sell their product down the line. Risking the fact that some wrestlers might not be available due to injury.
Now that Punk is hell, he is much easier on the eye to watch. No longer do we have sit through a supposed face promo from Punk and have him smirk like a hell through it. As much as WWE are hard headed and don’t listen to their fans, they got it right on this occasion. It’s frustrating because when they apply their minds then they can get it spot on with wrestlers. Both Batista’s face and heel turn were done to perfection because WWE took the time to build it up over a number of months. Punk’s was done to similar effect although it could have been done a few weeks earlier.
For me there’s only one outcome in this match. Punk has to prevail. And he also has to prevail in every pay per view match until Wrestlemania 28. It doesn’t mean he has to do it the same way with the same move each month and yes it may get predictable and boring, but to pitch him as equal to the Rock then he can’t have any weaknesses going into the Royal Rumble. I know Punk has a mountain to climb with Cena at Night of Champions and its one he may not get to the top of. Assuming this feud is going to end on September 16th, and let’s hope it does, then Punk may be best served forgetting for once about making the match as good as it can be and just getting through the encounter in one piece, making sure Cena doesn’t injure him in the process. After all, we know Punk can hang with the best and we know how bad Cena is. If the match sucks the blame won’t fall on Punk, by us at least it will all fall on Cena.
Watching a John Cena main event in 2012 is like watching an Episode of Doctor Who. The story has great plot holes in it, which the writers are not bothered about explaining or patching up. The acting leaves you wholly empty (although Karen Gillan is exceptional) and the whole point seems to be keeping those in power happy so they’ll give you other things later down the line (if WWE say anything negative to John Cena they’re scared he’ll have a hissy fit and if BBC say anything to Steven Mofatt they’re scared he’ll take Sherlock elsewhere). It’s a frustrating experience in which WWE and BBC have shown how much alike they are. At least in not willing to give brand new people a chance and just relying on the tired, stale talent they already have, even though it’s apparent to everyone watching, that talent doesn’t have the goods to deliver anymore. And are both happy just rehashing things that have been done before in place great original material (WWE have re-done so many old storylines we know how they’re going to pan out before they end and BBC are only bothered about remaking or adapting things that have either been done before or stories that come from a novel. People, Sherlock isn’t original British drama. It’s adapted from books. Something that has been adapted from books and T.V episodes done years ago isn’t original. Original defines ideas that have yet to be thought of or done. Not taken from something else. Idiots!). Neither company care, yet both wonder why their ratings are so low.
For me, the only interesting thing to come out of this match is the re-emergence of Paul Heyman in WWE, after SummerSlam. I was convinced that Heyman was done with WWE after SummerSlam had finished. So it was a huge surprise to see him get out of the car on Raw after Punk had drilled Cena into it. The question now is whether Heyman is working with Punk or not. As long as WWE actually stick to giving us an answer this time around, and not go the same was as the bungled A.J and ‘who will she choose’ storyline.
Paul Heyman has the power and the talent to add an extra factor to whoever he’s put with. With Heyman Lesnar wouldn’t have been as big as he is now. In 2002 Brock Lesnar was just another jacked up meat head who could throw a wrestler around a ring. With the addition of Heyman, Lesnar shone. When Lesnar fell short on some things Heyman was there to make it up. Lesnar’s face turn at Survivor Series 2002 wouldn’t have meant half as much or had the impact it did, if it wasn’t Heyman who turned on Brock in favour of Big Show.
If WWE have decided to put Heyman with Punk then it could be huge. Obviously should such a thing happen, and let’s hope it is, it would add all sorts of dimensions to a Punk heel character that could become stale by December. With the mastermind that is Paul Heyman by his side, Punk could be bigger than Stone Cold or the Rock. Of course it could all be a red herring and WWE could be playing us for fools. Maybe, after all this time, WWE are turning Cena heel and they’ll align Heyman with Cena at Night of Champions in what would be one of the biggest shocks since the NWO forming. Can you imagine, John Cena and Paul Heyman turning on Punk like Austin and McMahon did to the Rock at Wrestlemania 17? That would be a booking decision that would not only shock the world, but I’m willing to put my reputation on the line and say that partnership and the Cena heel turn would see pay per view numbers sky rocket.
If this feud is to run and run until Royal Rumble, let’s hope it doesn’t, then WWE, if not turning Cena heel right away could look at the option later down the line. By the time we get to May and the Rock and won and probably lost or forfeited the WWE Championship. How huge would it be for Heyman to turn on Punk after a lengthily partnership and cost him the WWE Championship, aligning himself with Cena. If WWE are committed to running with Heyman then I’m willing to sit through another Punk vs Cena feud, just to see how it turns out. Let’s hope that WWE give us the answer at Night of Champions.
Night of Champions will undoubtedly see title changes, it always does. WWE won’t put every Championship on the line and make us sit through a retention every time. They know that would be overkill. Even though they’ll be new champions crowned, I have faith that the WWE Championship is staying exactly where it is.
Winners Prediction: C.M Punk
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus (Champion) vs Alberto Del Rio
Again? I mean, come on WWE. We all know the main event scene lacks player and genuine headline stars, but surely, somewhere, you could have come up with something different for us. We find ourselves now in September and on my count we’ve sat through this match on the last two occasions not to mention countless angles and build ups on television. Not once has Alberto Del Rio defeated Sheamus and not once have any of us expected him to. Which makes this match at Night of Champions, redundant.
Then again that’s been Sheamus’ title reign since he captured the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 28. Redundant. The best thing that’s come out of Sheamus’ victory on the grandest stage of them all is the rise of Dolph Ziggler. Seeing how the fans have warmed to Ziggler over the reigning champion has been the one highlight in an otherwise dull five months. A little tip of WWE officials. When the audience favours the heel of your chosen face, then you’re doing something wrong.
I get the feeling as we stroll and amble into Night of Champions that Sheamus was given the World Heavyweight Championship for one of two reasons. The first, being that WWE had no one else to put their second most important championship on and they just couldn’t bare to see a former independent circuit wrestler carry the strap to the ring any longer. Or, the second, which, between you and I is the most likely, Triple H, against his better judgment suddenly has a rush of nepotism and knew it would look good on him if his protégé was carrying a career enhancing championship.
The problem with that is it only makes Triple H look good, if the champion of his choosing flourishes under the hallowed spotlight. It’s now safe to say, nearly half a year later that Sheamus hasn’t. I can’t imagine how much of a kick in the bollocks it is for Triple H and everyone in Titan Towers to see Sheamus bomb so spectacularly. At the end of the end they only have themselves to blame.
The warning signs were there right from the beginning. It’s not like this is a spur of the moment occurrence. We didn’t suddenly tune into SummerSlam and think I’m going to hate Sheamus tonight. It’s been there for WWE to see if they bothered to open their tired eyes and open their tragically closed minds. The first sign of the apathy towards Sheamus from the WWE Universe came at the Royal Rumble. If we’d have found ourselves in 2003 or 2002 or even 2004 just before everything began to go tits up, then I’m willing to back my reputation that Sheamus’ Royal Rumble victory would have brought the house down.
You see, it’s a simple formula that has worked for centuries now, before you or I even heard the first ring bell chime. You build up a wrestler from nothing by the reaction he gets in the mid card for a year or two. If he’s disliked by the fans you turn your attention to making him the next super heel. If he’s loved by the fans then you try your hardest to make him the next Hulk Hogan. Granted, the odds of that happening are slim, but if your don’t try you don’t get. After you’ve garnered the fans reaction and made your move, the next step is to put some mid card gold around his waist. WWE between 2007 and 2012 have treated their mid card championships so badly that neither the Intercontinental Championship or the United States Championship could elevate anyone who WWE have earmarked for immediate headline status. Around the waist of the Miz the Intercontinental Championship can now be concentrated on rebuilding both itself and the Miz. But for someone like Sheamus it would have done no good at all.
In the 90’s WWE kept their Intercontinental Champions on average a year before kicking them up a gear to the main event. It worked. The fans had time to make a judgment on whether they like or disliked mid card talent and WWE had so much more time to think what came next. It’s not like that now. WWE are in such a hurry to push anyone who looks like Hercules’ offspring, because of dwindling pay per view numbers that the art of building a wrestler from scratch has disappeared.
After the mid card championship reign had ended, the next logical step would be to have the chosen one defeat a few headliners and then win the Royal Rumble match. A victory for which the chosen one would receive a massive ovation if he were face or the loudest jeers you’ve ever heard (unless you’ve been in arena with John Cena). Be they face or heel, no one would be able to dispute that said wrestler had paid their dues and earned their spot on the card.
WWE neglected to do this with Sheamus. He languished on ECW for a while. Had a decent feud with Goldust. Got bumped to Raw and was almost immediately put into a feud with John Cena. The last man you want to give anyone, who you’re planning on being your next main event star, to. No one is clear or not if WWE meant Sheamus to defeat Cena at TLC 2009 which diminished his star for a start, especially when WWE began to plug the title win on Raw as a fluke. After his disastrous feud with Cena, Sheamus suffered WWE’s start stop push during which he won the WWE Championship for a second time and endured a United States Championship reign that we’ve all forgotten about. Then suddenly WWE expect us to believe that Sheamus is a contender for a Wrestlemania main event calibre match.
Is it any wonder Sheamus received a lukewarm reception at the Royal Rumble? Or was booed in his blink and you missed it match with Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 28 or has heard nothing but either silence or jeers in his matches with Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio. WWE have wasted another great opportunity to make a genuine headline star in their own company. A little more patience and lot more effort could have yielded results that would have sustained a dry main event scene for many a year to come. At least until WWE had created a new star to replace Sheamus. Yet now, just five months after what should have been a enduring victory, WWE are already looking for Sheamus’ replacement. This is all of WWE’s doing and the saddest thing about it, is that neither Vince or anyone else involved can see it.
I really don’t know what else to say about Alberto Del Rio. I’ve said all that I can. I’ve voiced opinions on what would be best for WWE taking Del Rio forward, I’ve even handed them a get out of jail free card. Yet all my suggestions have been ignored and overlooked and here we find ourselves again, facing yet another Alberto Del Rio championship match which we all know, deep down, that he has absolutely no chance of winning.
Sadly I believe that this was WWE’s plan all along. Since there’s no sign of Wade Barrett yet and Dolph Ziggler’s push has been put back at least four months of not more, Alberto Del Rio stands alone, as the only man in the frame who is ready to challenge Sheamus. Even though we’ve seen him crash and burn at both Money in the Bank and SummerSlam. Undoubtedly, he will again at Night of Champions. Am I the only one that thinks a heel Randy Orton would have been better for this role at Night of Champions? Or even a heel Sheamus against a face Orton. Just something different.
If we look at this match in a different way, then it’s a great exhibit of WWE’s lack of foresight. Because had this feud been thought through properly from the beginning then Alberto Del Rio would have walked away with the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam even if it was just to prolong the feud. WWE must know that having him lose to Sheamus at the last two pay per view events is going to cloud our judgment of the third instalment. And it’s not just at the last two Del Rio has faltered in his quest for gold. He was one of the participants in the fatal four way match at Over the Limit and came away empty handed. Do you really believe Del Rio will leave Night of Champions as World Heavyweight Champion? Didn’t think so.
Just for arguments sake, let’s say Del Rio does defeat Sheamus at Night of Champions. Could WWE really make him succeed this late on? After everything they’ve done to him? Maybe! It’ll be an uphill battle but not an impossible one. Should WWE switch their attention to Del Rio then a modest amount of the famous WWE method of, stuffing him down our throats so hard it’s impossible to ignore him could yield enough interest to cover the last few months of 2012. We already know that the WWE Universe are mostly sheep and will follow wherever WWE decide to lead them. WWE have it in their power to make it happen. Just don’t get your hopes up.
So, Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions, again. I have no doubt it’ll be a good match, even if it’s a re-run of both pay per view matches so far. I don’t expect to see anything fantastic or surprising. It’s just a shame we’ll be waiting for a Sheamus victory. For the sake of rewarding us for our patience, come on WWE surprise us, make Del Rio the champion, I dare you!
Winners Prediction: Sheamus
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Fatal Four Way Match
The Miz (Champion) vs Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes vs Sin Cara
I find it hard to believe that after WWE have invested so much time and money in the Miz, giving him his own movie and a high profile storyline against Rey Mysterio, fighting over what used to be the second most important Championship in WWE history, that they’ll throw it all away by having the Miz drop the Intercontinental Championship this far into what has been a successful and entertaining run. Even though he has three other hungry sharks after his blood.
The belief around the wrestling world is that WWE have finally realized the damage they’ve done to the once ‘Awesome’ superstar and are solidly behind pushing him back to the top. By doing this WWE are doing two things right. They’re restoring the greatness of a future star in WWE and also reinstating the importance of the Intercontinental Championship in the company. Both elements compliment each other perfectly.
By giving Miz the Intercontinental Championship, it allows Miz to shine a bright light on the Championship with his infectious attitude and drive to be the best. By having a wrestler like the Miz mould his immediate future around a Championship that has been come just another fixture and fitting around the place, casts an element of importance over the gold. Which is just what the Intercontinental Championship needs. WWE managed this to a certain point with Cody Rhodes and now they can enforce it with the Miz. Flipping the coin, the Miz’s image has been automatically enhanced by holding the Championship, even though some see it as a just another Championship.
Should WWE carry on booking Miz in strong, good matches, that highlight the skill of the Miz and the Intercontinental Championship division, which does and will include the like of Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Christian, Cody Rhodes among others, then both Miz and the gold he straps around his waist will begin to seem more and more important. With the Miz’s new attitude and designer stubble look, he is finally beginning to show signs of a very young Steve Austin and Randy Savage. Whilst he hasn’t got Savage’s natural ability, he does have the knack of riling up the crowd. Be it for or against him. If Miz could drop the grin and take a more serious stance, he could start to win fans over as Austin and Orton have.
This has all been said before though. What WWE need to do at Night of Champions, if it’s serious about getting Miz and the gold back on track, is to put this match in the final quarter of the pay per view and have the last three matches run in this order. WWE Intercontinental Championship Match, WWE Divas Championship Match and then the main event, the WWE Championship Match. By booking the Miz and the Intercontinental Championship to go on third from last it ensures that what comes after won’t be able to top it and allow the match to shine in its own right. It’s a formula that’s worked for years in wrestling. Getting the crowd interested in the Miz and the Championship, allowing them ample time to have an outstanding match and then give the audience rest bite for the main event.
The problem isn’t the Miz and the Championship itself, it’s with WWE management. They’ve spent so much time pushing John Cena, they’ve taken their eyes off of the ball at the top of the mid card. Which is exactly what the Intercontinental Championship is. It’s the main event of the mid card. And by putting the good-as-defunct Divas Championship on after the Intercontinental Championship Match, it hammers home that the main event of the under card has just been on.
All of this is pointless though, unless WWE break their formula and allow Miz to go over Mysterio clean. WWE seem to have gotten stuck in a rut with their heel characters lately. They either win by other means or lose by count out or are humiliated on T.V and pay per view. This is where WWE falls down. We want heels we can believe in. Heels that look like they can carry their chosen Championship and finally take the next step up to the main event. We can’t believe in our heels if they win by other means each week or keep losing or are humiliated by the likes of Cena. If they keep winning by a hook of the trunks of a foot on the rope or even a steel chair shot to the head, when they finally take the big step up to the main event, people don’t see them as serious challengers or champions and therefore expect Cena to defeat them.
WWE did this with the Miz in 2010. And then wondered why no one believed in him. At Wrestlemania 27, Miz was only allowed to defeat John Cena after The Rock had delivered a ‘Rock Bottom’. It would have looked much better for the Miz if he had beaten Cena clean in the ring with ‘the Skull Crushing Finale’ and then the Rock hit Cena with ‘the Rock Bottom’. WWE made it look like Miz had won by fluke yet again. When Miz lost the WWE Championship at Over the Limit 2011 to Cena and the WWE Universe lost interest in Miz, WWE had no idea what to do with him or how to rebuild him after Cena had single handedly ruined his career, they gave up on Miz and make him a jobber to anyone who needed a quick win.
The Miz needs to start winning cleanly. I don’t care how badly this sits with the hierarchy in WWE. If they ever want us to take Miz seriously again then he needs to pin his opponents cleanly after a hard fought battle. If WWE want proof to how effective this method is then they need to dig into the archives and pull out SummerSlam 2004. When a heel Randy Orton fought World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit in a sterling match, which Orton fought fairly and pinned Benoit clean in the middle of the ring without cheating or outside interference. That being said, this is a fatal four way match, so it will almost definitely end with Miz picking someone else’s scraps and looking like a fluke Champion in the process.
Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara both have this friendship thing going on, where Mysterio has befriended Cara and has began translating for him. Now this whole thing has been set up for one of the two to turn heel on the other. Yes I know, shock right? It’s so blatantly obvious that WWE might as well advertise ‘One of these men will turn heel’ in the build up. However I don’t think it will happen at Night of Champions. To have one turn so early in the friendship, would be a waste of story. WWE can get at least another three months out of the two before they initiate a feud.
I would be genuinely interested to see a heel Mysterio in WWE. He’s been such and arse licker since he first stepped onto WWE shores in 2002 that it’s sickening. Unfortunately I doubt that WWE will turn Mysterio heel as he suffers from the same albatross around his neck that Cena does. And that is Mysterio is a high merchandise seller. Rey is the second highest merchandise seller behind Cena. And Vince knows that if they turn Rey heel the numbers would take a huge decline. We all know WWE care more about money than content. Though they do make so much that you would have thought taking a chance on a heel Mysterio might have paid off more in the long run. The jeers he receives from the adult section of the audience would at least be justified.
It looks like then, that Sin Cara is earmarked for a heel turn before the end of the year. Expect the seeds of that turn to be sown at Night of Champions. I have no doubt that in some shape or form, Mysterio will cost Sin Cara the Intercontinental Championship, of course, by accident. Saying that, it’s no big deal. Sin Cara has blown so many moves in WWE over the last year and a half it’s a miracle he hasn’t killed someone or himself. WWE should really be reigning him on or insisting that he performs moves he can do with ease.
The Cara turn, if it does happen, could have been necessitated by his slack nature in the ring. I know the moves he does, look spectacular but if you count the number of moves he’s actually hit correctly, then I bet you it outnumbers the moves he has landed without a problem. Of course the feud between Mysterio and Cara, when it does get the green light and regardless of who turns and who doesn’t, will end in a mask vs mask match. And sadly ladies and gentle-beans, that’s the whole reason WWE want the feud to happen. So they can get Sin Cara out of his mask. Which sort of dictates that Cara will be the one to turn. Very rarely does the heel come out victorious in a feud ending match with such high stakes. And when you take into account how precious the mask is to Mysterio then the ending to this writes itself.
Cody Rhodes is the odd one out in this match. Rhodes seems to have been slung into the fray because, let’s face it, WWE aren’t doing anything else with him at the moment, except a dull little feud with Sin Cara which is going nowhere. It’s almost as if WWE have looked at the Rhodes / Cara feud and decided to end it as soon as possible and along the way realized that Ziggler and Orton have been allocated the only non Championship Match on the card, so they’ve decided to throw the two into the Intercontinental Championship Match.
Cody Rhodes at this point in 2012 doesn’t belong in the Intercontinental Championship picture. It’s too soon after he lost the Championship to Christian and there’s been no build up for a challenge from Rhodes whatsoever. Right now Rhodes is better placed back in the Tag Team Division whilst WWE clears a spot for him somewhere else on the card. Still, WWE has seen fit to place Rhodes in a match which he cannot possibly win and no doubt Rhodes will do everything in his power to try and convince the WWE officials that he belongs in the mix with Mysterio, Miz and to a lesser extent Cara.
This match needs to do three things in order to be classed a success. Number one. The feud between Sin Cara and Cody Rhodes needs to be closed completely to allow Rhodes to move on to better things and free Cara up for the inevitable. Number two. The upcoming heel turn and subsequent feud between Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara needs to be prepared. WWE have the perfect opportunity in a hectic surrounding to lay the foundations for a heel turn by either Sin Cara or Rey Mysterio and possibly an interesting, if predictable story. And number three. Make the Miz look a million dollars. This, above all has to be priority.
The Miz must be protected at all costs. However WWE has to deal with it. Whatever WWE needs to do or whoever WWE needs to sacrifice in order for this to happen then they have to swallow their pride and do it. The best possible outcome would be for Miz to pin Cara with the ‘Skull Crushing Finale’ after Mysterio has cost his friend the Intercontinental Championship by accident. That way the expendable Cara is the fall guy and Mysterio and Rhodes save face.
After Night of Champions WWE can then begin the rebuild on Sin Cara and give us a slow burning heel turn by one of the two masked men. For now, the match must belong to the reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion, the Miz. At Night of Champions, the Miz must stand tall as the current Intercontinental Champion and future challenger to the WWE Championship.
Winners Prediction: The Miz
Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler
This match is one that illustrates my point about WWE booking matches on a themed pay per view that have nothing to do with the theme. Every match on this card is meant to be fought for a Championship, yet this stands as the annual match that is fought just because WWE can’t think of another way to get this over.
Personally WWE should have booked Ziggler and Orton in the Intercontinental Championship Match and made it a Fatal Four Way. This would have gotten people more interested in the Intercontinental Championship Match and made the Miz look even better when he retained on the night. A loss wouldn’t have hurt Ziggler or Orton because they wouldn’t have had to be involved in the decision. WWE could have booked Ziggler and Orton to either fight to the back and out of the building or take each other out whilst Miz pinned Mysterio clean in the ring. This would have heightened the feud with both men costing the other the Intercontinental Championship and made the Intercontinental Championship look a million dollars with two men the stature of Orton and Ziggler making it number one in their estimations.
WWE saw fit to once again break tradition as it did last year with C.M Punk vs Triple H and make this match just a normal one on one. This all started when Ziggler cost Orton the World Heavyweight Championship on Smackdown. A wise move WWE had to make after Ziggler dispatched Jericho. Something which should have been done at SummerSlam to give it maximum impact.
A feud with Orton is just what Dolph Ziggler needs right now. In his quest to replace Sheamus on the top of the mountain, WWE had no one else on the roster that could have stepped into Orton’s role. Randy Orton is a great wrestler, a great technician and can tell a story better than most with his body. If you don’t believe me, look at his feud in 2011 with Christian. It was hotter than the devil’s libido.
If WWE want to get Ziggler over with the fans as a true contender to Sheamus’ crown, then Ziggler must have a solid showing against Orton. He has to look like he could end ‘The Viper’. Dolph Ziggler has to take the victory at Night of Champions and he has to do it convincingly. It’s no good have Ziggler snatch a victory by chance, that won’t do him any good at all. We can’t believe in a challenger that barely defeats his opponent. And a strong victory over Orton will do Ziggler’s stock the world of good.
I’m not saying the match has be all Ziggler, because it would all go in his favour if he kicked out of maybe two RKO’s. The importance of the match and the victory would be put front and centre and Ziggler could finally be seen as the challenger he should have been portrayed as from Money in the Bank.
You could be forgiven for thinking WWE has lost their way with Ziggler and Orton. In reality, WWE don’t know what to do with either man. Orton is still being punished for his suspension for violating the WWE wellness policy test and Ziggler has been so badly handled that WWE need to tread these waters very carefully, otherwise it could all come crashing down around their ears. WWE don’t want to have Orton in a prominent match on a pay per view because to them it sends out the wrong message (that a wrestler can do what they like no matter how dangerous and not receive a punishment – although John Cena is the lone exception to this). Yet they also know that if Ziggler goes on an unwarranted winning spree people may see it as hokey.
As this is Orton’s first pay per view in four months and it falls slap bang in the middle of his punishment, I don’t expect Randy to walk away with the victory. For a challenger to the World Heavyweight Championship to lose on two pay per views in a row would be disastrous. WWE need Dolph Ziggler to step up now more than ever, what with the World Heavyweight Championship picture looking bleak. And they know that even though they have Orton on punishment detail, they have no choice but to bump him rapidly up the card to allow him to aid Ziggler in his bid. If WWE had have kept Orton jerking the curtain, then Ziggler would have had to come down to that level also. And that would have given this match much less importance.
I don’t for one moment think a loss at Night of Champions will hurt or even hinder Orton. When WWE finally decide to stop his punishment and begin allowing him to help their product once more, I fully expect Orton to be back in the main event picture. It’s been so long since he’s been there that he’ll almost be a fresh face, which is what the WWE main event picture needs right now.
As for Dolph Ziggler, we can only hope WWE saw the error of their ways at SummerSlam and look to rectify it here. If Ziggler does end up leaving Night of Champions without a victory over Orton to his name, then WWE may as well scrap the plans to make him World Heavyweight Champion before 2012 steps aside for 2013. Ziggler needs to do here, what WWE should have allowed him to do at SummerSlam and down a huge name on his road to the gold. Undoubtedly, this feud will carry on until Survivor Series and possibly into December when Team Orton take on Team Ziggler. Orton has to go over somewhere down the line otherwise the feud ends before it gets started. Not here though. The prefect time for Orton to go over on pay per view will be Survivor Series.
That way Orton and Ziggler can both eliminate each other by count out and allow their teams, which will hopefully be made up of wrestlers who need a major boost to kick start their careers. Until then Dolph Ziggler has to shine bright on a Night of Champions and prove that he indeed does belong up there with the best of the best.
Winners Prediction: Dolph Ziggler
WWE United States Championship Match
Antonio Cesaro (Champion) vs Mystery Opponent
When Antonio Cesaro defeated Santino Marella on the SummerSlam pre-show, I really thought that they were taking a turn with the United States Championship. Cesaro has all the ability in the world and this was a chance for him to prove he can be a main eventer in another few years.
Yet, since SummerSlam, WWE have done little to nothing with Cesaro or the United States Championship. He’s been demoted to short, boring matches on Raw, Smackdown and Superstars mostly with the same challengers. This isn’t how WWE needed to kick start his reign. As of yet, I have seen nothing that would make anyone in WWE stand up and take note of the United States Championship Division.
I believe that the fact WWE couldn’t be bothered to name one challenger to the United States Championship means that they really don’t care at all. I just wish someone would think about what it’s doing to their Championship. If WWE fail to name one man who is next in line to the gold, then they’re basically saying to the WWE Universe that the Championship isn’t important enough to put time or effort into. And if that’s the message, no one is going to buy into it.
The perfect match would have been a gauntlet match for Cesaro. That way WWE could have had the Champion run the gauntlet against some of the best under card wrestlers WWE have, and had him look strong against all of them. If WWE had have pitted Cesaro in a gauntlet match against Tensai, Ryback, Marella, Damien Sandow and possibly Tyson Kidd then Cesaro would have looked a power house when he defeated them all. Thus putting the emphasis on the Cesaro and what a worthy Champion he can be.
Of course that would have proved a problem since WWE is hooked on Ryback and want him to do well. More on this later.
Now though we have to believe that one man will win a battle royal to face Cesaro on the main card. And for those of you with good enough memories, you’ll remember that is how WWE determined the Number One Contender to the Intercontinental Championship at No Way Out.
I’m putting my money on one of three people to face Cesaro at Night of Champions. Santino Marella, Ryback or Damien Sandow. If Ryback does prevail which I believe he will, then expect a Championship change already. WWE likes Cesaro, but not enough to hand Ryback a defeat on pay per view.
In the end, I doubt that it matter who Cesaro gets lumbered with at Night of Champions. With a jam packed card, the top two Championships being defended and much more interesting storylines happening in and around the other Championship matches, the WWE United States Championship Match will more than likely go on first and be allocated a mere five minutes to do something that WWE should have done in the last month.
If this is the best WWE have for Cesaro and the United States Championship, then I can’t see it being a success. Maybe WWE would be better having an annual clear out of Championship belts as well as talent. I’m pretty sure the United States Championship would be top of the ‘Future Endeavour’ list. Unless of course it has a twitter account. Isn’t that right JTG?
Winners Prediction: Antonio Cesaro
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (Champions) vs Kane and Daniel Bryan
I think that this match has to be one of the cleverest booking ideas WWE has had in the last six months. However, I don’t wish to claim plaudits for this happening, but for those long time readers who remember back to previous blogs, you will remember me saying that WWE need to introduce a monster such as Kane to the tag team division. And look what’s happened.
Now Kingston and Truth have some bona-fide challengers to their throne WWE should have no trouble kicking the tag team division back to its former glory. Kane, whilst not suited to the main event spot in 2012 could do a Yokozuna and bring that aura of importance to the tag team division. When a superstar who has previously fought for the WWE or World Heavyweight Championships takes a step down the ladder and sets their sights on the Tag Team Championships, then it gives those Championships a lot of kudos.
The same can be said for Daniel Bryan. When their match at SummerSlam was announced I couldn’t see where it would lead to. Yet WWE have surprised me, marginally, in the direction they decided to take with the duo. The oddball friendship between Kane and Bryan has been a joy to watch in parts. The hugging can get sickly in a heartbeat but with Bryan by his side, maybe Kane is capable of looking something more than a crime against wrestling in the ring.
This match won’t just do some good for the entire tag team division it will also reflect well on the Champions. Kingston and Truth have been bereft of decent challengers who look like they could actually take the titles from around the waist. Now though it looks like Kingston and Truth have a real battle on their hands with the challenge of two former World Heavyweight Champions.
Sadly though, with so many Championship matches on the card I suspect that WWE will be eager for a title change. I doubt even WWE bigwigs will have the guts to make us sit through seven Championship Matches without a changing of the guard somewhere. And I suspect that the WWE Tag Team Championships are earmarked for a switch. The WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship are as good as safe, seeing as WWE has plans for both Championships going into the back end of 2012. The Intercontinental Championship will stay around the Miz’s waist, because to lost it now WWE know would do more harm than good. The United States Championship has only just changed hands and Antonio Cesaro needs the exposure. Which leaves the WWE Tag Team Championship and of course the Divas Championship.
If WWE have chosen to swap the WWE Tag Team Championships at Night of Champions, then it will be a shame. Because Kingston and Truth were beginning to make head way as Champions. However on the other hand it may prove to be the catalyst for a cracking feud which has the legs to go beyond Night of Champions. Watching Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston go at it should be a real treat. If anyone can elevate Kingston into a future main event spot then it’s the master Daniel Bryan.
WWE have an unlimited amount of scope with a feud like this. To make it go further WWE can employ the best tag team they have at the moment Primo and Epico to play a third wheel in the match with a view to making Prime and Epico the new number one contenders to whoever leave this series as Champions. If this feud is just kept to raw which it would be wise to do, then one week WWE could book Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston and Kane vs R-Truth. The next week they could book Kane vs Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs Daniel Bryan. Keeping the series fresh would be simple, adding other tag teams into the mix and if WWE can sustain it until Survivor Series, I can’t think of a better spotlight to showcase potential new tag teams and contenders than in a twelve man tag team Survivor Series Match.
This is academic of course if WWE are just planning to use this stage to further the feud between Bryan and Kane. If Kane turn on Bryan or Bryan turns on Kane at Night of Champions, WWE will have shot themselves in the foot and wasted yet another great opportunity to truly allow the tag team division and two wrestlers in Bryan and Kane, who WWE have no more booking ideas for, to still prove they’re relevant. We know Bryan is and he should be in the main event, but right now he’s been tasked with getting the Tag Team Division back on track. Daniel Bryan may see this as a step down in his career, where as I see it as a great confidence vote.
WWE cannot allow themselves to take the easy route of this feud. The easy route is the route to scrapping the Tag Team Championship. They’ve made themselves an opportunity to do something good. And let’s be honest now, when it comes to opportunities, WWE don’t have that many left.
Winners Prediction: Kane and Daniel Bryan
WWE Divas Championship Match
Layla (Champion) vs Kaitlyn
This match for the WWE Divas Championship seems forced and added to the card simply because the nature of the pay per view states that every Championship must be defended. If we’re honest people then no one has any desire to see this match up. The only good thing that will come out of this, is that it will be mercifully short.
Kaitlyn won the opportunity to come to Night of Champions by winning a dull number one contenders match which received as much noise from the watching audience as this encounter will. It has become common knowledge that every WWE Divas Championship Match plays out to near silence. WWE know this is happening yet they’re taking no steps to rectify their mistakes or make their product more acceptable to those who find it dull.
WWE had the answer to this problem in Kharma. Yet events conspired that meant WWE lost its patience with her and after she had a miscarriage in the embers on 2011, WWE expected her to return to competition before she was ready. WWE really expected a woman who had just lost her baby to forget all about it, leave her partner, her family and return to the ring like nothing had happened. It is believed that Kharma asked for her release from WWE when she got tired of WWE pushing her to return. If this is true, then WWE have only themselves to blame. If they had been patient enough to wait until Kharma was ready, then they would have stood a chance in resurrecting their Divas Division. Now though, it’s as good as dead.
I do think it ironic that a company which has been trawling out the same shit in the Women’s Division for months now without care, have killed off the Division because they couldn’t wait for someone until that person was ready. Surely if they had been bothered they’d have given Kharma the time she needed. After all, what’s a few more months of repetitive rubbish when they’ve been doing it for so long now?
This match is WWE’s feeble attempt to get people interested again. Unfortunately they’re flogging a dead horse. The feud is obviously another re-do of the old, friend challenging friend just for it to turn sour when one loses and breaks up the friendship for a title that no longer matters. Kaitlyn will have turned on Layla or the other way around before November and then we’ll be forced to sit and watch match after match of these two, just like we were Beth Phoenix vs Layla.
I’m out of ideas now, on how to save this division and it’s very rarely I’ll give up on something so steeped in tradition, but WWE would be better served ditching the Championship and half of the tramps that make up the division. This is a lost cause and time that could be allocated to the United States Championship.
Winners Prediction: Layla
Pre-Show Match
Battle Royal
WWE United States Championship Number One Contender’s Match
If you do tune into WWE’s You Tube channel then I doubt you’ll be surprised by the winner of this one. There are only three possible winners in my mind. And as explained above they are Ryback, Santino Marella or Damien Sandow.
Santino Marella would be the easy money. Considering he hasn’t yet had a proper re-match for the Championship he made a mockery of for half a year, it’s natural that even a clown like Marella would want his Championship back. If Marella does win this match and wins it with the Cobra, then we’ll know how serious WWE are about the United States Championship in 2012. The answer being, not very.
Damien Sandow can officially go down in WWE’s long list of failed chances. He has the skills and the look to go far in WWE, yet after his embarrassment at the hands of DX on Raw’s thousandth episode, he’s never really recovered. Sandown has been given the worst opponents and been expected to do miracles with them. At one point there were plans to have Sandow face Brodus Clay at SummerSlam. Until WWE realize they owe this guy for the Mohammed Hassan mistake, then he’s going to remain at the bottom of the WWE pile.
If WWE choose Ryback to prevail on the pre-show then I fear that a Championship change is afoot, just one month after the last. Ryback’s dull winning streak and matches have become so bad that it’s advisable to change channels when he comes on. Luckily you only have to stay that way for about two minutes because that’s all the oaf is capable of wrestling for. It’s a shame in many ways because when Ryback wrestled as Skip Sheffield in WWE he was actually quite good. Then WWE wanted a Goldberg wannabe and they ruined him completely.
It makes me wonder though, that with Goldberg just days away from signing a new WWE deal (yes, WWE are turning a blind eye to building new stars and re-hiring old ones), then it’s impossible to see where Ryback will fit into the company. There’s no point having a clone when you have the real thing. Will WWE dump Ryback into the bargain bin like it’s done with so many others? I think so.
Whoever wins this match you can bet they won’t get enough time with Cesaro to make an impact. Which is why this match remains pointless and why WWE should have just named a challenger from the start.
Winners Prediction: Santino Marella
From top to bottom Night of Champions is once again a mixed bag. The WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship Matches are nothing we haven’t seen before, yet at the same time keep some of that main event quality. The undercard which will consist of the WWE Intercontinental Championship Match, Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler and the WWE Tag Team Championship Match will be the highlight of the card without a doubt. And the lower card which will consist of the WWE United States Championship Match and the WWE Divas Championship Match will just be card fillers. No matter what order the matches go in, we all know this is the order they rank in.
The most interesting thing is that Night of Champions may be catered towards the Championship Matches, but I doubt it’s going to be the Champions, old or new that shine on September 16th. At Night of Champions, the glory and the spotlight could and should fall on the only match not fought for any gold. Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler both have different things to prove. By the end of the night, even though neither will leave with Championship Gold, both men should leave as rightful Champions.
I ask you though, as you watch, don’t forget the man that should be sitting at ringside, who in fact is trying to get his life back on track. Jerry the King Lawler is in a stable condition now and we all hope he can make a full recovery. On a Night of Champions, it’s a sombre fact that WWE is missing one of the greatest fighting Champions there ever was. Long live the King.
Onwards and upwards...
