My, how things can change since Friday! One of the biggest matches on the card featured two members of the Shield going head to head as the Money in the Bank holder Seth Rollins was to face Roman Reigns. Reigns and Rollins already had a match on Monday Night Raw but Night of Champions was supposed to be a bigger spectacle… except Roman Reigns won’t be there. Reigns had to have emergency surgery and will be out of action for the unforeseeable future. It’s hard to say if they will be replacing the match itself (talk is that Big Show is replacing Reigns in live events) but that match and the predictions will be cut aside.
With us today is Aaron Wrotkowski, Shawn Wilken, Philippa Hopwood, Adam Contant and Jeff DeHaan to discuss the PPV, live on WWE Network tonight at 8PM EST. For the KickOff you can check out Chris Jericho on “The Peep Show” at 7PM EST.
Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton
WINNER:
Philippa, Jeff, Shawn and Adam: Randy Orton
Aaron: Chris Jericho
THOUGHTS by Shawn Wilken: Just when you thought the cage match against Bray Wyatt was Chris Jericho’s send-off to go on tour with Fozzy, Randy Orton threw a monkey wrench into mix by attacking Jericho backstage. Although the match seems rushed, Jericho and Orton should put on a good technical match, being the good workers they both are. What’s left viewers perplexed about this all is just how long Jericho will be battling the likes of Orton and The Authority. After defeating Kane in a spirited match, Jericho has the momentum going into Sunday night, or so we think. Orton is as vicious as ever and will stop at nothing to impress Triple H and The Authority, even if that means stepping over a certain line.
Rusev w/Lana vs. Mark Henry
WINNER:
Philippa: Mark Henry
Jeff, Shawn, Adam and Aaron: Rusev
THOUGHTS by Adam Contant: Rusev has destroyed all levels of competition since his arrival in the WWE. Having ended his feud with Jack Swagger, resulting in multiple victories over the Real American, a loss to Mark Henry would de-rail his momentum completely. Nothing against Henry, he’s still decent in the ring and fun to watch during promos, but it would hurt Rusev’s stock to lose Henry. With the way things have been booked regarding Rusev’s dominance, it appears that the writers love pissing off the American fans by having this Bulgarian guy pretending to be Russian, destroying all the American athletes and then posing in front of a giant Russian flag while celebrating. If Rusev beats Henry after he promised to win it for America, it would be the swift kick in the gonads the fans would take before Rusev finally meets his match in his next feud. A possible Kurt Angle return? Maybe Rusev sets his focus on the United States Championship… because honestly, what would drive American fans more crazy than to see an American-hating Russian (Bulgarian, I know) holding the US Championship and solidifying the fact that he is better than America. Perhaps he could take it a step further and call it the Russian Championship.
WWE United States Championship
Cesaro vs. Sheamus (c)
WINNER:
Philippa and Shawn: Cesaro
Jeff, Adam and Aaron: Sheamus
THOUGHTS by Jeff DeHaan: There’s very little emphasis put on the US title these days. It’s a shame. An even bigger shame is the lack of push that these two have been getting. Cesaro was on fire after WrestleMania XXX, now, I’m surprised he even made it onto a pay-per-view. That being said, this has the potential to be the sleeper hit of the show. Both men know each other well and it should be a great match. My only motivation for Sheamus to win is that I still think the best place for the US title is around Rusev’s waist, so maybe after a victory here, Sheamus will face the Brute.
WWE Tag Team Championship
Gold & Star Dust vs. The Usos (c)
WINNERS:
Philippa, Jeff, Shawn and Aaron: Gold & Star Dust
Adam: The Usos
THOUGHTS by Jeff DeHaan: I’ll admit, I have been betting against The Usos for months and every time come up short, but this time feels different. With the recent heel turn of the Dust Brothers and the focus on Jey’s knee injury, it smells like a title change. When the smoke clears The Usos will be seeing stars as they say goodbye to their gold.
WWE Divas Championship Triple Threat
Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee vs. Paige (c)
WINNER:
Philippa: Nikki Bella
Jeff and Adam: AJ Lee
Shawn and Aaron: Paige
WHO GETS PINNED:
Philippa and Adam: Paige
Jeff and Aaron: Nikki Bella
Shawn: AJ Lee
THOUGHTS by Philippa Hopwood: I think this entire feud has been built up to see Nikki walk out with the Divas Championship, I think Brie will get involved and help her sister win, only for Nikki to still hate her. I think this will also help Total Divas because they have never had a divas champion on the show and it will only help promote it further if Nikki becomes the face of the divas division. The Paige and AJ feud was going stale and adding Nikki to it seemed to help somewhat, but don’t expect Nikki to hold the title for long.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (c)
WINNER:
Philippa, Jeff, Shawn, Adam and Aaron: Dolph Ziggler
WILL DAMIEN SANDOW TURN ON THE MIZ:
Philippa, Jeff, Shawn and Adam: No
Aaron: Yes
THOUGHTS by Aaron Wrotkowski: I have no doubt in my mind that Dolph Ziggler is walking home with the gold, ensuring we won’t have to read 30 rants on Reddit about poor ol Dolphy getting held down. That said, I think the chemistry between Miz and Damien Sandow will actually be their downfall, as Sandow has been far too entertaining to actually stay a heel. I think the WWE is going to use this match as an opportunity to turn Sandow babyface and let him work with Miz in order to get over with the crowds. The Dress-Up gimmick is an oldie but I think Sandow can make it work as a babyface as much as he’s done it as a heel. Ziggler wins with a bit of help from Sandow.
Main Event
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman (c)
WINNER:
Philippa, Shawn, Adam and Aaron: Brock Lesnar
Jeff: John Cena
WILL THE FINISH BE CLEAN:
Philippa, Shawn: Yes
Jeff: Not Sure
Adam: Cena might get DQed
Aaron: No
THOUGHTS by Adam Contant: This is a fascinating match simply because it has some incredible repercussions attached to it. In my mind, we have to see a different John Cena at Night of Champions. To see him fail to evolve after such a huge main event at SummerSlam would be such a creative disappointment. With Brock’s absolute decimation of Cena last month, he can afford to show a little mortality in this match, especially if we see an attitude change in his opponent. In the end however, the big story here is Cena’s personal struggle, NOT the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and as such, there’s no reason for Brock to drop the title.
WWE Night of Champions is tonight with kickoff at 7PM EST. See you there.
Photo by WWE.com
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