By Nisar Khan
It's the one night in the WWE where it is all about the Champions. Complexion is just poised to change when WWE Night of Champions comes LIVE from Detroit this Sunday.
In this article, we preview each match, breaking them down with predictions.
It's the one night in the WWE where it is all about the Champions. Complexion is just poised to change when WWE Night of Champions comes LIVE from Detroit this Sunday.
In this article, we preview each match, breaking them down with predictions.
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| Randy Orton will defend his WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan in the main event (via WWE.com) |
TAG TEAM TURMOIL #1 CONTENDER'S MATCH (NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS KICK-OFF SHOW)
Indeed it will be a chaotic start to Night of Champions when The Prime Time Players, Tons of Funk, The Usos, Real Americnas and 3MB step into the squared circle to battle over #1 Contendership for the tag-team Gold.
Numerous tag-teams have garnered momentum as of late, and the booking of this bout seems a perfect solution for any team to catapult to the top. There is some excellent quality combined within the five tag teams, and it should prove for an exciting night.
Speaking of kick-off shows, read about a possible new initiative for Pre-Show broadcasting here >>
Going in with the biggest roll are The Prime Time Players. They have been on a great run over the past month, and their expectations could be fully exceeded if they find themselves the #1 contenders by the end of the night. Then, you have the charismatic albeit talented Usos, as they look to embark towards their wrestling lineage with another shot at the tag-team Gold. Maybe The Real Americans will secure their tag team back on track, as Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro look to enforce their power game in the bout. But if your talking about the mass of humanity that has a threshold on the contest, look no further than Tons of Funk, Sweet T and Brodus Clay will look to bid for the Gold. And then there's the wildcard - so to speak - 3MB. Maybe the 3MB will get Detroit rocking with a shot at the tag team gold - but on further thought, the likelihood of this is little to nothing.
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| The Prime Time Players and Real Americans squared off last month (Image Courtesy: WWE.com) |
What an exciting kick-off show! This is going to be great and I wonder how the 'Turmoil' will unfold. Some superb wrestling quality with the likes of Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro, The Prime Time Players and The Usos. Although the match will be a fun one to watch, it is almost imminent of the winners...
PREDICTION: The Prime Time Players will emphatically win the match, pinning a 3MB member to secure #1 Contendership.
Will The Real Americans take a patriotic stand to the Championships? Can the 3MB get rolling with a chaotic win? Are The Usos destined for another shot at the Gold? Will it be a Funky-domination by Tons of Funk? Or will The Prime Time Players keep on rolling? Catch the WWE Night of Champions Kick-Off show streaming LIVE on TheSportMatrix.com at 12:30am (UK) or 7:30/4:30pm ET/PT (US)!
AJ LEE VS. BRIE BELLA VS. NAOMI VS. NATALYA (FATAL-4-WAY DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH)
Divas' Champion AJ Lee faces her toughest challenge to date in a match where her words could come back to bite her as she defends her title in a Fatal-4-Way match.
AJ Lee would drop a 'pipebomb' so to speak when she bashed the Total Divas' cast and really garnered heat from the Divas. AJ Lee targeted the reality stars and now it has her up against the odds where she only has a 25% chance of retaining... on paper.
The Divas Champion had her own back-up of Divas, Alicia Fox, Aksana and Layla to take out the Total Divas' cast. But when she steps inside the ring, it is becoming a handicap situation. Naomi, Brie Bella and Natalya will want to make AJ Lee pay for her words.
With regards to the quality of the match itself, everyone has decent wrestling ability. Naomi gets the shot that everyone wants her to get, the Veteran Natalya has a partial shot at the Gold, and the Brie Bella looks to become Champion too, and that's where things could collide.
I think more people will tune into this match because it has more buzz surrounding it. The element of a Fatal-4-Way makes things more interesting instantly. Could be one of the best Divas' matches in quite a while.
PREDICTION: AJ Lee retains after Brie Bella, Natalya and Naomi battle about who should pin AJ Lee, allowing her to capitalize and retain.
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| Will AJ Lee manage to forward her PipeBombShell? (via DailyKnockoutBlog) |
The odds are stacked up against the Divas' Champion here. Will the Veteran Natalya get her hands back on the Gold? Will Naomi get her first taste of being a Champion? Will Brie Bella be the one leaving as Champion? Or will AJ Lee's quest for Real Divas take out the Total Divas cast? We find out in the Fatal-Four-Way match at Night of Champions!
DEAN AMBROSE VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER (UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH)
Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose are poised to put on a classic come Sunday, when they battle for the United States Championship.
This all came about and developed from The Shield's partnership with Randy Orton and Triple H. The Show-Off was decimated by The Shield in a handicap match and was victim to attacks over recent weeks. The point of further escalation was reached when Dolph Ziggler was attacked by Dean Ambrose prior to his match with Ryback. The United States Champion savagely beat down the former World Heavyweight Champion leaving him to be victimised by Ryback.
Dolph Ziggler has waited for the opportunity to show Triple H that he is a good talent. But the Show-Off has came short each time, will this happen again?
Just 24 hours before Night of Champions, Dolph Ziggler earned the opportunity after defeating Dean Ambrose... although not in the way he intended to. The Shield's interference gave him the win via Disqualification.
This is really going to be one terrific contest. Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler are two top quality talents, and every wrestling fan is going to enjoy it. Technicality meets athleticism, really looking forward to this match.
PREDICTION: Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler following a distraction
The United States Championship hangs in the balance come Sunday, but will Dean Ambrose reign continue? Or will The Show-Off recapture the Gold in Detroit?
CM PUNK VS. CURTIS AXEL & PAUL HEYMAN (HANDICAP ELIMINATION MATCH)
CM Punk vows to get his hands on Paul Heyman come Night of Champions. But standing in his way is the Intercontinental Champion, Curtis Axel. If Punk defeats Axel, it's all over for Heyman.
Things have drastically got personal between CM Punk and Paul Heyman. After a shocking betrayal at Money in the Bank, the Straight-Edge Savior has been hell-bent on revenge. Keeping him at bay however was Brock Lesnar - who defeated him at SummerSlam - and Curtis Axel.
The Best in the World defeated Curtis Axel previously on RAW, which should have guaranteed him a match with Heyman. But the tables quickly turned and Punk found himself in a vicious attack at the hands of Heyman and Axel. Revenge just heats up...
It is looking pretty much imminent that Punk will beat Axel... setting him up to face Heyman. On SmackDown, the 'Mad Scientist' seemed certain that it will be the end of him when he faces CM Punk - so does this mean Heyman has lost faith in his own guy?
Right, first things first - Night of Champions is supposed to be the night where all titles are on the line but this year is not the case. And that's all for a good reason that you may not complain about. I don't think that Punk will get his hands on Heyman this Sunday... it's all to early. Curtis Axel will lose, but Heyman will pull something out of his pocket, a new Heyman guy. Punk won't know what hit him. That's why this adds the excitement factor for this match.
PREDICTION: CM Punk eliminates Curtis Axel, then Paul Heyman unveils a new client to take out Punk, allowing Heyman to win.
Is CM Punk set to finally get his hands on Paul Heyman? Or will Punk once again face another roadblock on his quest for revenge? The Intercontinental Championship may not be at stake, but Paul Heyman's welfare is.
ALBERTO DEL RIO VS. ROB VAN DAM (WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH)
Rob Van Dam is just a Five-Star Frogsplash away from being crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion. But he'll have to defeat the Mexican Aristocrat Alberto Del Rio to get his hands on the Gold.
World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio has faced Rob Van Dam in the past months leading to this match, but these have seemed short and insignificant. The real impact was made with Ricardo Rodriguez as the catalyst.
After a vicious attack at the hands of Alberto Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez decided to reside with Rob Van Dam, allowing The Whole DAM Show to take a threshold towards #1 contendership for the title. Just forty-eight hours before the match, Alberto Del Rio would defeat Ricardo Rodriguez on SmackDown, but a post-match attack would be thwarted by Van Dam who came to the aid of his associate.
Van Dam got the last laugh going into this match, nailing Del Rio with a Five-Star Frogsplash... that is all it will take for him to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
The build up to this match has been generic. Repetitive at times and I'm not sure of what to think of the match itself. It depends on what you're willing to see, really. As much as I would love to have Van Dam as Champion, I think Del Rio's reign will continue. I was pondering on whether or not a cash-in by Sandow would occur, but I think it will happen later along the line.
PREDICTION: Alberto Del Rio retains the World Heavyweight Championship pinning Rob Van Dam.
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| Will Del Rio retain his title? (via WWE.com) |
Is Alberto Del Rio's World Heavyweight Championship reign poised to continue? Or will Rob Van Dam capture the Gold with a Five-Star Frogsplash?
RANDY ORTON VS. DANIEL BRYAN (WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH)
Daniel Bryan may not be able to beat the Corporation, but this Sunday, he goes one-on-one with Randy Orton in a quest to recapture the Gold that was so cruelly taken away from him.
After a triumphant win over John Cena at SummerSlam, Triple H would Pedigree Daniel Bryan allowing Randy Orton to cash-in and become the WWE Champion. The Flying Dragon was victim to numerous attacks in the following weeks, but also got some of his own revenge, making Randy Orton's escalade into a YES!calade, and getting the last laugh.
Bryan heads in with the momentum, knocking Randy Orton out with a knee on RAW, and making the WWE Champion tap out on SmackDown. But come Sunday, there won't be brawls, it will be a match. Not a match where Bryan is down, a match where it's simply one-on-one to determine the WWE Champion.
But you can't help but expect some involvement from the Corporation. They must be sticking around somewhere. Randy Orton must have a plan that involves something outside the ring come Sunday.
Daniel Bryan remains the underdog, but it is in that situation of which he thrives.
Bryan in the main-event of the pay-per-view is what fans want to see. The match itself will be far from a show-stopper, but the situation proves to make a great buzz. Daniel Bryan getting the upperhand consecutively on RAW and SmackDown is almost a sure-sign of Randy Orton retaining. Bryan will get screwed somehow.
PREDICTION: Randy Orton retains his WWE Championship after defeating Daniel Bryan with involvement from the Corporation.
Will Daniel Bryan recapture the Gold that means so much to him? Or will The Viper strike again to retain his title?
PREDICTIONS SUMMARY
- Prime Time Players win Tag Team Turmoil
- Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins def. The Shield (Retain Tag Team titles)
- AJ Lee def. Naomi, Natalya and Brie Bella (Retains Divas' Championship)
- Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler (Retains US Championship)
- Paul Heyman & Curtis Axel def. CM Punk (Axel eliminated, Heyman brings in new client)
- Alberto Del Rio def. Rob Van Dam (Retains World Heavyweight Championship)
- Randy Orton def. Daniel Bryan (Retains WWE Championship)
No title changes when the complexion can change, well. Maybe some shocking twists will more than compensate, how about a cash-in. Night of Champions is not one of the most hyped cards this year, but it could be...
It's all about the Champions. Who will leave Detroit with the Gold this Sunday?
By Nisar Khan
TheSportMatrix.com
- Sports for the Fans, by the Fans.
*Images and graphics from WWE.com
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