NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS 2014 - SIXTEENTH TIME IS A CHARM

After the events of SummerSlam and looking ahead to Hell in a Cell in October, Night of Champions seems like a necessary evil which didn’t really need to exist apart from to draw more viewers to the WWE Network and garner a little more cash. Whatever is due to go down here could just have easily have been carried out at Hell in a Cell because lately, we’ve been overfed pay-per view events and we could have done with a break. Whilst I could wax lyrical about how WWE could have scrapped Battleground and their overloaded pay-per view schedule, that is a different story for another day.

With John Cena vs Brock Lesnar the undeniable main attraction, WWE must now find a way to keep the new version of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship around the waist of Brock Lesnar whilst advancing the younger talent which are only going to help the sales for the WWE Network. Will Night of Champions be the night WWE backs its newest talent to shine over the old? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. One thing should be for certain though, with every Championship in the company on the line, we should see at least one Championship change before the curtain falls.

From the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on September 21st 2014 this is WWE Night of Champions 2014.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match

(c) Brock Lesnar vs John Cena

It was the right result, I think you’ll agree. Well, those of you who aren’t reading this in a John Cena shirts at least. Something had to be done and Brock Lesnar seemed to be the only answer WWE could come up with. As I wrote in the SummerSlam preview, every other available option had been exhausted with the likes of Daniel Bryan and The Undertaker nowhere to be seen and no one else on the roster ready to step up and run with the ball. The WWE Network was failing before SummerSlam; the company needed a hook to reel in more subscribers especially now the network has been rolled out worldwide which I will be a subscriber of once the Sky network in the UK decides to put on other programmes worth watching. I’m not just going to purchase it because of the WWE Network.

Those of you who read the WWE’s quarterly financial report will have read the tale of woe which was the WWE Network. In a nutshell, it was costing them millions per month to run and they didn’t have even half of the forecast subscribers to subsidise the numbers. As a result, WWE were forced to sack a percentage of its talents whilst hoping those left behind could work harder for the same or less money. No one ever said it was going to be an easy transition launching your own network and now WWE are feeling the pinch in a big way, but not big enough to stop paying John Cena ridiculous amounts of money to carry the company into 2015.

I have to give John Cena a massive amount of credit here. At SummerSlam, he excelled as he did one year previous and the manner in which he was beaten takes some real guts to agree to as it legitimately could affect his image in the company and with the fans. But when a talent takes such a huge risk, it usually has more beneficial consequences and as it was for John Cena at SummerSlam, I actually began to admire him for taking note of how much trouble the company were in and spotting when a change was needed. Don’t be fooled, John Cena as the company’s main star could have refused to lose to Brock Lesnar and insisted the company was in safe hands with him on top. But he didn’t and lost amicably to the man who ended The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania. It was the correct result which enhanced Brock Lesnar, atoned for Extreme Rules 2012 and couldn’t have failed to draw more people to the Network which was the idea of the title change in the first place.

When you look at Brock Lesnar’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign, you can see nothing but good fortune and gripping matches. I don’t think Brock Lesnar has had a bad match since returning to the company two years ago which is a credit to him and his ability. The one downside is the money WWE have had to shell out on Lesnar to change his contract from part-time to something a little more permanent. With the title over his shoulder, Brock Lesnar could not disappear again for months on end and come back in time for WrestleMania. The rules state the title has be defended at least every thirty days which means if Brock Lesnar doesn’t lose the gold at Night of Champions then he will combat John Cena inside the Hell in a Cell in October before the pair captain teams at Survivor Series to keep the feud rolling.

What I would question is what comes next? Obviously, the duo can’t battle forever and its vital Brock Lesnar holds onto the title and looks like a beast going into WrestleMania XXXI where he’s due to lose the gold to Roman Reigns who should be more than ready by the time April 2015 rolls around. If Brock Lesnar and John Cena were to swap the title then WWE risks making Brock Lesnar look like a push over. He needs to destroy John Cena here and at Hell in a Cell to really keep the pair ticking over. So what can WWE do to make the feud more gripping than it already is? Let me tell you.

Here, at Night of Champions, Brock Lesnar once again needs to defeat John Cena either by pinfall or submission which won’t happen so we’ll go with the former. John Cena can have a little more momentum this time around but must once again take a mauling from Lesnar in order to sell the belief that he’s inferior which will make his comeback even sweeter or his heel turn that much more stunning. We can dream right? At Hell in a Cell, Brock Lesnar must go over John Cena once again but this time by stoppage and this is where WWE must be very brave. In order for the referee to stop the bout, Vince McMahon must sanction the use of blood for one night only. At the end of Hell in a Cell, John Cena has to be a beaten and bloodied heap. It’s the only way fans will begin to believe he’s finally met his match.

At Survivor Series, the pair could captain teams which may see Brock Lesnar and The Wyatt Family vs John Cena, Chris Jericho and The Usos. Brock Lesnar and John Cena should be eliminated first by double count-out or double disqualification thus leaving the new blood and Chris Jericho to battle it out. This could make stars of all six men or even further the star of Bray Wyatt. And then at TLC, the pair have to have their feud ending bout in a TLC match where WWE could seamlessly integrate John Cena’s next feud with Alexander Rusev into the finale of the bout. Should Brock Lesnar receive help just once from Rusev, it wouldn’t diminish him one little bit.

For the pair to go their separate ways, WWE must follow this plan though the downside will obviously be Rusev being thwarted by John Cena who will need a victory on pay-per view either at Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber. He cannot be allowed back near the WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture again until at least 2016. Brock Lesnar will have to make do with inferior challengers until Roman Reigns takes up the mantle at the Royal Rumble and challenged Brock Lesnar, possibly in another triple threat match with Set Rollins on the grandest stage of them all.

If WWE play this right, they could have the number of subscribers they need to profit from the WWE Network by August 2015, but for that to happen, they need to take chances with new talent. Because what they’re doing to them now simply isn’t good enough. But alas, as much as I’d like Brock Lesnar to walk away with the gold still intact from Night of Champions, I don’t think he will. Brock Lesnar isn’t advertised again until Royal Rumble and WWE don’t have the money to keep paying him to appear outside his contract because of the Network. Which means John Cena will take the gold again and equal Ric Flair’s record even though he’s really done nothing in the ring to deserve that claim.

Winners Prediction: John Cena

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

(c) Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz

I was pleasantly surprised at SummerSlam when Dolph Ziggler pinned The Miz to lift the Intercontinental Championship. For those who read my SummerSlam preview, you’ll have heard me opine my belief that WWE weren’t ready to put Dolph Ziggler about The Miz especially so soon after The Miz winning the title at Battleground. The thought that the company could switch the title one month after what looked like The Miz’s big push was incomprehensible. After all, how can a talent thrive if he’s not given the platform to do so? Strong showings and regular victories are what are called for when a wrestler needs a massive push, preferable over big names.

I can’t say I’m not glad about the SummerSlam outcome. Dolph Ziggler has a greater chance of succeeding as champion than The Miz did. Over the past few years The Miz has been devalued, buried and still expected to resonate with audiences who have clearly lost interest in him. To be honest, The Miz is probably better seeking out an acting career because his performances in The Marine 3 and the upcoming The Marine 4 have and will be much more assured than anything WWE will be able to provide him with. There was a time when the company could have erased the memories of the way they treated The Miz and possibly pushed him back into the main event. Now it’s too late. No one will ever believe in The Miz as a serious threat to anything again.

And no one can blame us. I mean just look at the evidence. He wins a title then loses it immediately after. The Miz defeated Wade Barrett in the WrestleMania 29 Kick-Off show in a sterling effort to lift the title in question but lost it to Barrett again one night later. What was that meant to achieve? WWE tried turning him face but The Miz didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word when he smirked through his promos like a moron and wrestled as he always had. There was no discernible difference in his demeanour or appearance so for all intent and purposes; he was just the same man. Hell, WWE even tried giving him Ric Flair’s finishing move as a means to get him over with the fans. Needless to say, it didn’t work. The Miz hasn’t got any options left in WWE and the company would have been better served sacking him and keeping Alberto Del Rio. At least Alberto Del Rio had the skill and crowd support to make it once again with the right push.

Looking at all the available options, and there aren’t a lot of them, The Miz has just about run his course in the wrestling industry. Whilst WWE have to take the brunt of the blame for his fall from grace, the man himself has to own up to some of it for the reasons explained above. Over the course of the last few years, there has been no attempt from either party to make things better or advance further than his current position. The only opportunity The Miz may have is if he’s booked to go on a killer heel rampage and defeat John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and other top stars. Even then, it wouldn’t look like a natural progression, rather one which had been engineered out of desperation.

The best thing which could happen to The Miz now is if WWE released him from his contract and re-hired him in three years time. At least then fans would have had the opportunity to forget about the damage which had been done to his career and would maybe be ready to believe in him once again. Saying that, WWE tried this with Jack Swagger and it failed miserably. When Jack Swagger came back to the company, he was immediately put back into the same position he occupied before he left. What’s worse is that WWE are now clearly flogging a dead horse and The Miz is taking up a position which could have benefitted someone else on the card that needs the spotlight. I don’t know how much money The Miz gets paid per month by WWE, but it’s clearly a waste when the company need to fire even more talent in order to subsidise the WWE Network.

Whilst there’s a strong argument that says WWE should also can Main Event and Superstars, which would help save the company money, The Miz, Damien Sandow and Zach Ryder have to be at the top of WWE’s list of firings for the next go around in a months time. There comes a time when you have to put an old dog out of its misery.

Dolph Ziggler on the other hand is a different matter. With the Intercontinental Championship around his waist, the world is at Ziggler’s feet as long as the company have the time and effort to invest in him once again. It’s been clear for some time that fans love Dolph Ziggler, even through his less important bouts when he was filling out the main event position on Superstars fans were vocal in their support of him. It was a sign, much like the one we gave the company with Daniel Bryan, that no matter what they thought of Dolph Ziggler, we wanted to see the man rise to what he was finally capable of.

After losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Alberto Del Rio in 2013, everything seemed bleak for Dolph Ziggler. Fans loved him but management seemed to see nothing about him which could be designated as a main event player. Its part of the reason they took the belt off of him at Payback 2013 even though he portrayed the fallen hero to perfection on the night, refusing to quit against Del Rio even after his already concussed head had been given a pounding. Fans latched onto this and saw something special in Ziggler; it’s the same as when he won the gold in the first place. It had been a long time in the making.

I don’t know quite why WWE didn’t see anything in Dolph Ziggler as a legit headliner. The skill was there, the want and drive was there as was the audience reaction. All cogs were present to make a star, but WWE as stubborn as they ever were dug in their heels and refused to listen to their public once again. Yet again they thought they knew best and even though we chanted for him at every event, the company believed we wanted to see John Cena every week in the same position. That wasn’t the case. Now, though, it appears as if WWE have caught onto what we’ve been saying for the best part of two years. If we see Ziggler as a main event star then the company have no choice but to push him. In fact, Dolph Ziggler would have been the perfect candidate to replace Daniel Bryan when he went down with an injury.

The adulation Dolph Ziggler received at Money in the Bank didn’t seem lost on him either. Not content with cheering for him throughout the bout, fans were vocal in their support as other competitors made their way down the aisle. When Dolph Ziggler came out into the arena, he looked genuinely touched and his response was an audible “I heard you”. I don’t think WWE can turn Dolph Ziggler heel ever again as mad as that sounds. Fans cheered him when he was a heel they will do so again if the company turns him. In Dolph Ziggler, WWE have a legitimate babyface fans won’t tire of if and when he reaches the top of the mountain again and it should be something they harness and hold onto.

His Intercontinental Championship reign should be just the beginning of something better. Right now, with the support he’s getting from fans WWE have a chance to kill two birds with one stone. They can advance Dolph Ziggler and the title in one foul swoop as long as they don’t lose interest in him yet again. If Ziggler was to keep the title through a titanic struggle at the end of 2014 and throughout 2015, the company could easily book a title vs title match at SummerSlam 2015 where Dolph Ziggler did an Ultimate Warrior and took both titles. That gives the company enough time to build him right and get behind him. A strong showing at Survivor Series, Royal Rumble where he should be cheated out of a victory and WrestleMania would all but seal Dolph Ziggler’s headline ascent.

WWE have lightening in a bottle here and their next big money maker. They cannot piss this opportunity up the wall again.

Winners Prediction: Dolph Ziggler

WWE Divas Championship Match

(c) Paige vs A.J Lee vs Nikki Bella

When Nikki Bella turned on her sister Brie at SummerSlam, this match and the inclusion of Nikki in the Divas championship picture was always signposted. There had to be an incentive for Nikki to betray her bloodline, regardless of the explanation which followed on Raw after SummerSlam. Whilst it was believable Brie was, at one time in at least the eyes of Nikki, a manipulative sibling who dominated her sister’s life and career in the manner of Bret Hart and Owen Hart which the company are now trying to re-enact with divas no one cares about, there had to be something more to her union with The Authority and now we’re finally getting to the bottom of her recent push.

As far as your Wrestling God is concerned, though they have both held the title before, neither Brie nor Nikki Bella are true Divas championship material. Neither has the grace or ring presence to effectively convince in the ring and as we’re now in a different and somewhat better era for the division which is beginning to churn out females who can actually wrestle, no one can confidently state there is a place for either woman on the WWE roster. Both Paige and A.J Lee have brought the division on so much since the likes of Kelly Kelly and Eve that it would be seen as a step backwards should Nikki Bella leave Night of Champions with the title strapped around her waist.

Plus, let’s look at the reality here. If Nikki Bella was to take the crown as it were which I have a horrible feeling she will, what could she possibly do with the title which still needs a strong figurehead leading its division. Let’s not forget that the Divas division still isn’t strong enough to survive a reign by a female talent who cannot hold her own in the ring. Those days are gone but could soon return if the company is clever with the booking of the title. Should Nikki Bella leave Night of Champions with the title then it’s almost assured that at some point before the Royal Rumble Brie Bella would return to the ring to dethrone her sister and then where would we be? The answer is simple, back where we began three years ago and with a whole world of work still needed to restore it back to what it was.

Though Nikki Bella is clearly flavour of the month where management is concerned, the company would be much better served if her waist remained bare. Nikki is a much better challenger than she is champion and with the feud with Brie slated to continue the pair would only drag the title down as they attempted to do something worthy which will inevitably fail. A Nikki Bella vs Brie Bella feud is about appealing as the Stephanie McMahon vs Brie Bella match at SummerSlam, just imagine how much they will destroy the reputation of the title Paige and A.J have worked so hard to restore. It just wouldn’t be fair. Anyway, if the title was to go to The Authority and then onto a Bella feud, what the hell are Paige and A.J Lee going to do without it? There’s no way WWE can allow the pair to become just two more faces in the crowd.

And that brings us onto two of the best wrestlers in WWE in 2014. Those who have read my blog before and regularly will know how repugnant I find a certain UK wrestling magazine and now Power Slam is no more and this piece of tat is the only wrestling magazine to be produced in the UK, it’s only going to get even more smug with its huge amount of inaccuracies, spelling and grammatical errors. The point of this little rant is that I picked up said rag a few weeks ago to see what pathetic thoughts they had on the business only to find them berating the feud between Paige and A.J, stating they that didn’t know how the pair were going to survive the rest of their feud because their match at Battleground was so bad.

For those who haven’t seen it yet, you’ll be able to read about Battleground at the end of the month in Review Corner. If you can’t wait that long then let me tell you this. A.J Lee vs Paige at Battleground really wasn’t as bad as the magazine made it out to be. Sure, it could have been better but come on, it could have been a lot worse and anyway the pair were just finding their feet with each other in a long term association. I have found the entire storyline between Paige and A.J rewarding and not just because I have a massive yearning to jump into bed with both of them and not leave until my final name changes to Heffner.

Those with sharp enough eyes and a long enough memory will be able to find the similarities between Paige vs A.J Lee and Trish Stratus vs Mickie James in that Paige is playing the Mickie James role in the heel / stalker category but hell, hasn’t A.J held her own? The SummerSlam bout was very good indeed whilst the ending of Paige cradling A.J’s fallen body was both creepy and slightly a turn on. A.J then kissing Paige’s hand and the entire interaction between the pair has been one of the highlights of WWE’s programming in 2014 and certainly better than some of the trash they have put out this year. Yes Damien Sandow, we are looking at you.

I know A.J and Paige cannot feud forever though Lita and Trish Stratus managed to keep their friendship / feud rolling for six years before both females left the company for better horizons. But whilst it lasts the sultry duo have the talent to make the best of it. No hot blooded male is going to mind watching the pair duke it out for another three months until the company has something better for them to do and the rivalry has brought the best out of Paige’s heel character who is on fire right now. Triple H goes on and on about what’s best for business and he has it right in front of him.

Even if you don’t care for either woman or aren’t a Paige or A.J Lee fan, I think we can all agree that not only is making Nikki Bella the WWE Divas Champion a bad mistake but both Paige and A.J have given us some of the best divas material in many years. They’re as entertaining as anything happening around the WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture right and though I believe it will come to an end at Night of Champions, long may it reign.

Winners Prediction: Nikki Bella

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

(c) The Usos vs Goldust and Stardust

I have to admit, that with The Usos, I have been pleasantly surprised how the tag team division has flourished since March 2014. I won’t deny that when Jimmy and Jey captured the titles from the aged New Age Outlaws, I believed the company would lose interest in the Samoans before WrestleMania XXX and the titles would be placed on a team who held no interest with the fans and subsequently fail to garner any further elevation which they desperately needed back in March. Putting the titles on the Outlaws didn’t work out as well as the company believed it would and instead of reinventing the wheel, the duo did exactly what they used to without a thought for younger talent.

It had been a long time coming for The Usos who had long since been a leading light of the doubles division before they captured the titles. What happened next though was pure magic and the exact tonic needed to counteract what the company had been doing with the gold. No longer were we presented with a mediocre team who struggled to put two moves together and relied on challengers to make them shine. The Usos were lively, flawless in the ring and not afraid to put their bodies on the line when it mattered in the cause of entertainment. If anything, the roles had been reversed and challengers relied on the champions to make them look good. I can’t remember a time when that happened last.

The Usos vs Rybaxel vs Los Matadores vs The Real Americans on the WrestleMania XXX pre-show was a stunning outing which would have served the main body of the show well. The brothers interaction with Luke Harper and Eric Rowan during John Cena’s last man standing match with Bray Wyatt at Payback was almost as good as the match itself and their willingness to risk injury by being suplexed from the top rope all the way out to the floor and through a waiting table at ringside was impressive. Not to mention, it looked sensational. When they put the titles on the line against Harper and Rowan and Money in the Bank, it almost stole the show and at Battleground it actually did. That they were left off of the SummerSlam card was a complete travesty. The Usos had clearly been one of the best things about the company during the whole year.

Now after all of that good, WWE have given us a substandard outing at least on paper. No one would have complained had The Usos vs Eric Rowan and Luke Harper continued to the end of the year or even been booked as a best of seven series match so the pair could tangle continuously on pay-per view in different matches. Table matches, cage matches and ladder matches, not to mention a Hell in a Cell encounter next month would have produced some of the greatest matches of the year and restored the doubles division to what it used to be. So why stop the feud dead before you have anyone to replace the mesmerizing challengers? The answer is quite simple my people. Because they were showing up everyone else on the card and WWE couldn’t allow that to happen.

The truth is, WWE didn’t have that quality up the card and they didn’t want it taking place down the roster either. Which now begs the question, what are the company going to do with the two now? They certainly cannot allow the pair and all the hard work already done to slip out of memory which it will should the duo be chained and shackled and stopped from performing at the very highest level. One of WWE’s main priorities should be to get the division back to what it was and the simplest way to do this would have been to have a match involving The Usos headline Raw each week for six months. Had it been as good as The Usos vs Harper and Rowan on a weekly basis then the division would have been back to its former glory in no time.

Now though, it doesn’t appear they’re at all bothered about The Usos or their tag team picture because if they were, then this match wouldn’t have been booked and WWE would have done everything in their power to build at least some semblance of challengers who actually earned the spot instead of being thrown in at the last moment to make up the numbers. Looking down the card, who could possibly replace The Usos now? Rybaxel aren’t ready and unless they up their game they never will be. The best thing for Curtis Axel and Ryback, should they not up their game, would be to disband. Curtis Axel has to be high on the list of firings the next time WWE’s cull comes around whilst Ryback will be given one more shot at the big time in 2015 as unappealing as that sounds.

Los Matadores don’t have the appeal and would do more harm than good if they were to take the gold from The Usos, whilst had the company wanted Harper and Rowan to take the throne then it would have happened by now. There is a serious lack of challengers to the doubles gold in 2014 and it’s something which has to be righted as soon as possible. One solution could be to have some NXT talent come up and have a battle of the titles or just another thrilling feud. Either way, WWE cannot leave it like this otherwise in three months time; the titles will be as useless as they were before The Usos picked them up.

And that brings me onto their Night of Champions challengers, Goldust and Stardust. I don’t have much to say about the duo other than what a drain it’s become watching them. As Cody Rhodes and Goldust, the pair was fresh and mostly exciting to watch. But now they’re toting the same gimmick it’s become a chore. There’s nothing to help either man stick out and whilst Cody Rhodes has gained a little more flexibility, his wrestling skills seem to have taken a backseat to the gimmick which just isn’t working as if it every was going to.

The major problem with the character is that it isn’t believable. One week Cody Rhodes was himself and a few weeks later he decides that he can’t continue to wrestle under his name anymore and so paints his face and that’s meant to make us believe he’s a reformed star. It’s maddening. Could this have worked? It’s a possibility had WWE sent Cody Rhodes away for six months and then brought him back. That way there would have been ample time for the transformation and it wouldn’t have seemed so rushed. But the main problem is the one which faced Rhodes before he donned the suit and paint. WWE have nothing for him to do.

Cody Rhodes could have been propelled into the main event picture in 2013 after his family’s quarrel with Triple H. It would have been a logical step and one people were obviously behind. The reactions he got from the audience were out of this world and WWE could have built it around a Money in the Bank victory instead of wasting Damien Sandow and ruining his career. That way the result would have meant something more and Cody Rhodes could have been made a star. But WWE didn’t think of that at time and now look where Rhodes is. Up a very popular creek without a paddle.

I don’t know how to save Cody Rhodes’ career right now, but I do know that Stardust isn’t the answer. It could have been but like most things in WWE it wasn’t executed properly. Now Cody has to ride out the gimmick until something better comes forward for him, if it ever will. Nearly ten years into his wrestling career, Cody Rhodes still hasn’t cracked the big time and it’s beginning to become question of ‘if’ instead of ‘when’.

Winners Prediction: The Usos

WWE United States Championship Match

(c) Sheamus vs Cesaro

I appreciate WWE’s efforts to include Cesaro on the event, especially since fans seem so behind him even though the company have been utterly hell bent on destroying the man who could have easily taken the next step to the main event. Usually, when you’re building a talent then he has a struggle against higher opposition before defeating them on pay-per view and moving on. With Cesaro, WWE had him job to Jack Swagger in the build up to SummerSlam and are now only just pulling him back around to the winning team. It’s maddening the way the company are treating the future of their business. Can they not see how much damage is being done?

For the life of me, I cannot see how this is benefitting Cesaro. Sure, we expect this to a show stealer as it was at Payback but come on people, we’ve seen it all before. Over the last year, Cesaro has grown away from the useless United States Championship and towards better things. So why dump him back in a division he cannot grow in and will be contained until all of his appeal has been wiped away? The answer is simple, because WWE have nothing else to do with him and his split from Paul Heyman which had no build or pay off was rushed and not thought out properly.

Had WWE made a huge thing of Cesaro’s split from Paul Heyman then a face turn would have been welcomed by fans even if there was no chance of Cesaro and Brock Lesnar actually tangling on any big card. True, the avenues for Cesaro are becoming lesser by the week but surely there must be something WWE can do for him because after all, as we’ve seen with The Usos and The Wyatt Family, you don’t always have to be in the main event of a show to steal it. Cesaro can have a great match with absolutely anyone on the card and maybe his short term future lies in feuding with NXT stars who come up. Because let’s face it, as United States Champion once again, WWE may as well wish him well in his future endeavours.

Sheamus is lost in WWE. Since returning at the Royal Rumble, the Irishman has had nothing worthy to do and only his feud with Cesaro has been anything approaching notable. His United States reign was originally conceived to give him something to do rather than just have come out and compete in faceless matches. WWE hoped that with his aura Sheamus could elevate the title to something meaningful within the company and then when he lost the gold, it’d be in a place ready to help make stars again. But that has failed. Clearly. Sheamus has, to his credit, tried his very best to make the belt something worth watching again but the interest was lost years ago and he’s been fighting a losing battle ever since.

There was never going to be any chance of Sheamus lifting the title back to an important piece of wrestling royalty so why give it to him in the first place? Sheamus has the skill and the drive to get himself back to the main event picture where, let’s be honest, he’s needed. After John Cena has done away with Brock Lesnar and Rusev, what then? Roman Reigns can’t turn heel fans love him too much which means WWE are going to need a hated heel to carry John Cena through to WrestleMania and possibly beyond. Sheamus has the potential to fulfil this role and a heel turn is long overdue. Anyone who has heard the jeers towards his face character can attest to that.

There is a lot more WWE can do with Sheamus if they turn him heel after Night of Champions. In fact they could use the event to do it on the night. We all know Sheamus’ reign is coming to an end so why not allow something positive to come out of a negative? When Cesaro beats him for the gold at Night of Champions, use it as a catalyst to tip Sheamus over the edge. Have him attack Cesaro after the bout and turn both men. It’s what fans want and WWE wouldn’t have to keep coming up with excuses to cover the jeers. We all know there’s a lot more to Sheamus than we’ve been seeing in the last nine months, I think it’s about time WWE allowed him to show it.

Whilst we’re here, I would like to broach the subject of the United States title itself. The once talked about title which was bigger than the Intercontinental strap when Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit held it has worn out its welcome. If no one is interested in it anymore than let it go and be at piece. Allow it to stand as former important part of wrestling and maybe bring it back in ten years time once you’ve sorted out the tag team and Intercontinental championships and given them back their importance. Instead of concentrating on two singles titles just have the one; it would make it seem the important piece of gold which it used to be and enhance everyone who held it as it used to.

As I’ve said before, a unification bout could and would be the way to go. Dolph Ziggler would benefit as would every other wrestler on the roster. With just one undercard singles title to fight for, every feud and every match would mean something because there would be only one prize at the end. No longer would wrestlers seem devalued by competing for a title no one cares about. It’s the only way for WWE to go now and the sooner they bin the title, the better.

Winners Prediction: Cesaro

Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins

So, it’s clear that the feud with Randy Orton wasn’t the answer in getting Roman Reigns ready for a Royal Rumble victory and WrestleMania XXXI main event spot with either Seth Rollins or Brock Lesnar. It’s a shame because it could have and should have been. Randy Orton had the skill and talent to ably pass off Reigns as a major threat to everything Triple H holds dear so the question is why didn’t he? It’s one I asked in our SummerSlam preview yet one which is still to be answered. We pondered on answers last months so I won’t go into them again here but all I will say, is this isn’t the answer.

SummerSlam was good for Roman Reigns. Randy Orton stepped up and helped the former Shield member climb another vital step on that ladder to his credit. But then WWE stopped the feud dead in its tracks and switched Orton with Rollins who desperately needs something to make him shine instead of making Roman Reigns a star. I read a letter to the Power Slam site the other day which detailed how WWE should have had Randy Orton defeat Roman Reigns at SummerSlam but in an underhanded way. The person detailed how the company could then have kept the feud going and had Reigns defeat Orton at Night of Champions as well as Hell in a Cell and possibly Survivor Series also.

At first, I didn’t agree. I was thinking of the bigger picture of Roman Reigns losing to a big name at SummerSlam and how that would make him look. Whilst I can now see the sense of the mentioned journey, it’s not what WWE have done and now they once again face diminishing the star of one of their future main event talents. Like Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins before, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have to be found an escape route which makes both men shine otherwise we’re going to see one man take a plunge and that won’t be positive of anyone, let alone us, who have to buy into these stars for any type of future stardom to work.

I would have much rather seen Roman Reigns vs Randy Orton in a rematch here, where Reigns finally overcame Randy Orton and The Authority and leave with a decisive victory. The pair could have even squared off in a Hell in a Cell Match and captained separate teams at Survivor Series before ending their feud in a ladder match at TLC before Reigns went on to win the Royal Rumble match in January. How great that would have been, not to mention the strength and power it would have given Reigns heading in WrestleMania. To defeat Randy Orton at Night of Champion, Hell in a Cell, fought to a double elimination count-out or disqualification with him at Survivor Series before defeating him at TLC would have set up his WrestleMania role to perfection, especially if Seth Rollins was to enter the event as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

At Elimination Chamber, after Roman Reigns had won the Royal Rumble match, he could have battled Triple H in a Daniel Bryan type story where The Authority tried to stop him facing Seth Rollins at WrestleMania XXXI. Anything to hold off presenting the first pay-per view match between the pair on the grandest stage of them all, which surely would have drawn millions of viewers to the event in April with the tag line, ‘The Future Is Now’. That is the course of action WWE should have taken, it would have presented an image that the company are no longer relying on John Cena or relics to sell their shows or carry their product but are taking the new talent seriously.

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose was a fun feud whilst it lasted but now Ambrose is in front of the cameras filming WWE’s latest movie, the company panicked and realized they had to find something to do with Rollins until he returned. Now, is it just me or would have leaving Seth Rollins off of the Night of the Champions card completely and having him cash in the briefcase on John Cena at the end of the night been a much better way of beginning his rise to immortality? John Cena vs Brock Lesnar will end after Night of Champions because of Brock Lesnar’s part time contract which means John Cena will be champion again. And for that he needs a new feud. Seth Rollins is literally waiting in the wings.

Fans are going to be on a downer when John Cena pins Brock Lesnar to recapture the title and they need something to not only lift them up but also make them believe that John Cena isn’t the be all and end all of WWE’s storylines. A Seth Rollins WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign would put people on alert that there are people entrusted with taking over John Cena’s role and give Cena something to do for the rest of the year. Seth Rollins doesn’t have to lose the belt to Cena and could hold it until WrestleMania XXXI when he loses it, as discussed to Roman Reigns. But of course that can’t and won’t happen because WWE desperately want Rusev to oppose John Cena for the gold so they can once again ruin another promising career and make Cena look like an indomitable monster by breaking the Accolade and defeating the Bulgarian.

There’s no sense in making these two former Shield members clash so early in both their careers. It should have been held off until 2015 when it really mattered. Now, if the plan is to have them clash at WrestleMania that match will be diminished severely thanks to this one. All it would have taken is a little thought. So where does Seth Rollins go from here? Your guess is as good as mine. If he loses to Roman Reigns it’s going to make him look weak as the theoretical number one contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Should Roman Reigns lose, the same happens so what’s the solution? Dean Ambrose will be back soon to resume his feud with Rollins which is a plus. Let’s just hope he interjects here and costs Roman Reigns the match by disqualification so neither man is devalued.

Could a Shield feud work if all three men are opposed against each other? It’s certainly intriguing, but I get the horrible feeling that if that is what WWE are planning then Dean Ambrose will be the one to lose out in the end.

Winners Prediction: Seth Rollins

Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton

Is it me, or does this smell like a desperate attempt to give Randy Orton something to do? I mean, I get why WWE want him on pay-per view because his talents, on the right day, are better than a lot of wrestlers on the roster and though I may have been highly critical of him in the last few months, I’m still a huge Randy Orton fan. But rather than just have him doing anything, wouldn’t it have been better to leave him off of the card and then have him run in on the Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins bout with Dean Ambrose, causing a double disqualification? That way, WWE could have reset the clock on these feuds and carried on as mentioned.

Randy Orton is so much better than a feud against an aging Chris Jericho who has nothing else to offer the company in either 2014 or after. Randy Orton is still someone who can make young stars when he puts his mind to it and belong near the main event if there is no place for him in it. So what the hell is WWE thinking? There are twenty other stars I could mention whom Randy Orton could feud with who actually need the spot Chris Jericho is currently hogging. Randy Orton vs Rusev would have been killer and added to the ‘future is now’ theme WWE seem to be going for. Remember what Randy Orton did for Mark Henry three years ago at this event? Well he could have done the same for Rusev but tenfold.

Then there’s Dolph Ziggler. Had Randy Orton targeted Dolph Ziggler and the Intercontinental Championship, not only would it have made Ziggler a star but also the title. The image of a star like Orton wanting the title because ‘it’s a stepping stone to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship’ would have done wonders for the gold and helped it be seen as the second biggest title in the company it once was. That would have been a great idea but WWE obviously can’t see that and would rather give a valuable spot to an aging star that really doesn’t possess the goods anymore. Just imagine what someone like Sami Zayne could have done with this twenty minute spot.

So what can Randy Orton and Chris Jericho offer to people at Night of Champions? I’m sure the bout will be respectable if not thrilling but apart from that, there’s nothing else of value either man can pull out of the bag. Neither needs help getting over and this just seems like a convenient excuse to get both men on the card. Randy Orton has been reportedly tardy of late when it comes to opponents so it’s possible they thought this would spark the life back into him. If Randy Orton is bored of putting over smaller stars then WWE could be hoping that not having to put in the effort here will appease him so he’ll continue to cooperate down the line. But should they really have to be bribing a star like Randy Orton to go along with their plans?

To me, it seems as if Randy Orton is bored with wrestling. After doing everything he possibly can do in the company there is nothing left for Randy Orton inside the ring. No new challenges have presented themselves and no new horizons seem present. So what is Randy Orton’s inspiration to carry on? It’s certainly not the main title because he’s getting nowhere near it in 2014 or 2015. WWE have bigger plans for it which doesn’t involve him. Should he be fed up of putting younger stars over then he’s certainly not going to star around for that so why don’t the company let him take an extended break? He’s beaten up, bruised and injured. Randy Orton could do with six months away from the ring to rest and recuperate. When he returns, he’ll be much more enthusiastic about building new stars.

If WWE continue to push him into things he’s not comfortable with then we’re not going to see the best of Randy Orton which could benefit the company further. It’s an option which needs to be looked at seriously and executed as soon as possible. Or maybe the lure of a major WrestleMania payoff is something Randy Orton prefers rather than actually giving his best.

Winners Prediction: Randy Orton

Mark Henry vs Rusev

Quite how this qualifies to take place at Night of Champions is anyone’s guess but it’s best that WWE gets it out of their system now to allow Rusev to move on to better things. I say better things, but he should enjoy it whilst it lasts because in his future in John Cena and by Christmas Day 2014, his undefeated streak could come to a premature end. But that is an issue for another day and after Big E. and Jack Swagger, I would have thought that WWE could have found more exciting talent for Rusev to run through because he was doing so well against opponents he didn’t have to carry through a match.

When you look down WWE’s comprehensive but every decreasing roster which is about to get shorter as WWE cull even more talent to subsidise the WWE Network, there are many wrestlers who could have filled the spot Mark Henry is currently plugging. It’s proven that Rusev has his best matches against smaller men who can move with lightening speed. It compliments his ring style and makes him look like an invincible monster when he finally beats them. Even though I’ve been racking my brains to see how this programme with Mark Henry will benefit Rusev in the long term, it’s obvious WWE are counting on him demolishing and making Mark Henry submit to the Accolade to make him look indomitable and the finishing move unbreakable.

Should Rusev come out of this smelling of roses and resembling even more of a monster than he does now, then it all helps John Cena’s image when the soon to be sixteen time WWE World Heavyweight Champion defeats him on the way to WrestleMania 31. I shudder at the thought that WWE are just building Rusev up for John Cena to knock him down but that is how it appears at the moment. What a waste it would be should Rusev be ruined by John Cena after all this effort to make him a star. On top of that, he can wrestle. There aren’t many men of his size you can say that about.

That though could all be hearsay and maybe Rusev is the man who will bring John Cena down. After all, Vince knows the value of planning ahead and that John Cena can’t stay on top of the mountain forever. Perhaps he’s finally seen the light and is preparing Cena’s replacement. However, that is what we thought about Ryback and look how he was treated when John Cena got his hands on the man who has fallen so far in such a short space of time. Had WWE persevered with a face Ryback and forced him to hone his skills in the ring, he could a superstar by now. Still, anything is possible in WWE that’s why we love and are so annoyed by it in equal measures.

There isn’t much I can say about Mark Henry except speculate about why he’s still employed in the company. I wouldn’t be complaining had the lump done anything of note throughout his career but still, eighteen years after his debut, I’m still waiting to be impressed by Mark Henry. With the current crop of talent culls happening, surely WWE has to literally cut the fat. Just imagine what they could do with the money they pay Mark Henry and the likes of Big Show. Put it into the Network, make new stars, do something productive just don’t keep him on the books.

In 2014, Mark Henry has grown so tired, so inured and so heavy that he can’t ably compete in a wrestling ring without being a danger to himself and his opponents. He’s had a good run but at some point WWE will have to do what they did with the late Big Daddy V and save him from himself. They’ll never be a more convenient excuse to get rid of Mark Henry than there is now and I hope WWE act fast to save us all from this bore on future occasions.

Winners Prediction: Rusev

Night of Champions 2014 boasts one of the most solid cards of any Night of Champions events and certainly the most anticipated rematch in several years, in John Cena vs Brock Lesnar. Even though the company put the title on Brock Lesnar for the short term in a bid to boost their WWE Network subscriptions one has to question the logic not only behind having Lesnar win and lose the title within a month which will make him look weak but also believing one small change can help them hit the projected number of subscribers needed to turn a profit.

At the moment, WWE have no chance of getting the required number of viewers needed to began making money on the project. They’ve spent so much out on the endeavour that they’d have to fire John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Kane and Vince McMahon would have to step down and stop taking money from the company for his input. It’s just not going to happen and the best thing WWE could do now is pull the plug as soon as possible and rekindle their relationships with the pay-per view providers around the world. One month, two months, hell even ten months worth of change isn’t going to make a difference because everything will go back to the way it was should WWE get what they want.

What WWE are effectively asking people to do is shell out 9.99 per month for the odd television show and pay-per view event because the majority of wrestling fans have no inclination to sit through old events or countless hours of wrestling per day. Even your Wrestling God would find it difficult to digest it. So as Night of Champions approaches and the company have a great chance to showcase new stars instead of bury them, the real champion may be the decision to axe one your biggest ventures and admit that on this occasion you were wrong.

Onwards and upwards...