David Stephens previews WWE Night of Champions 2013
September 15, 2013
By: David Stephens of Wrestleview.com
Night of Champions approaches. On the heels of Summerslam it is the time for resolution and new beginnings. There will be surprises and surely at least one Title will change hands. Can Bryan overcome the slithering of the corporate stooge? Will Sandow shock the Universe by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase? Can The Shield maintain all three of their Titles? Will Michael Cole be able to make it for a five minute stretch without mentioning the WWE App? Tune in tonight at 8pm ET for these answers and the birth of a thousand new questions.
As the only two-time Wrestleview PPV Predictions winner and the current reigning Champion I’ve been tasked with this preview. So take my hand and I will guide you through the treacherous waters of predicting the results of a completely fixed sporting event. The cave is dark so follow my lantern. Or some crap like that. Honestly how can anyone watch this PPV when there is such stiff competition? No not Sunday Night Football. I of course mean the mid-season finale of Total Divas. I mean duh dude, that’s so much more ratchet than watching compelling story-lines and brute physicality. Natalya is getting married, omg.
WWE Divas Championship
AJ Lee v Brie Bella v Naomi v Natalya
If I’m reading the tea leaves correctly then the Title most likely to change hands is the Divas Championship. Professor Trelawney is seeing the Grim for AJ and I’m forced to concur. Leonardo DiCaprio would be proud of my concurrence. The hell am I talking about – oh yea – Divas. I can’t even focus on the damn division when I’m writing about them. If there is one thing that I know about the WWE it is that they really love to screw with people. Whether it is putting dating Superstars on separate shows or mocking Jim Ross’ disability, they sure do love to turn the screws. Anyone who caught the Divas match on RAW this week witnessed the bizarre treatment AJ received on commentary. If that is to serve as any indication then tonight will not be a good night for the former Miss April. Toss in the fact that she recently had the date of her Title win tattooed on the back of her neck and it is a pretty safe bet that she is going to be knocked down a peg. Despite being one of the most riveting and entertaining Divas of the past two years she is not going to be able to ride those laurels to space. The winner is anyone’s guess. It just wont be AJ. Brie seems poised for a win. Her twin is rehabbing with Cena which opens the door for a singles run. Natalya may walk out with the belt as she will be heavily featured on Total Divas for her wedding. Which, hilariously enough, will be viewed by far more people in the USA than this PPV. The lowest rated episode of Total Divas still drew four to five times more viewers than this PPV will have buys.
Tag Team Turmoil
The Prime Time Players v The Usos v 3MB v Real Americans v Tons of Funk
The winner of this match will go on to face Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the Tag Team Championships. Given the recent ramblings of these groups there is one thing that I can say confidently – 3MB will not win this match. Anthony Weiner had a better shot at winning the New York City mayoral nomination than these guys do of winning this match. While it is an amusing thought to think that Tons of Funk could win, it doesn’t seem very likely. I would offer up the trippy thought of them winning this and the subsequent Tag Championship match. Package that with Naomi winning the Divas Championship and I’d applaud the whack booking. Just imagine them as the power group on RAW. A fantastically moronic proposition. More than likely the Primetime Players will advance. Darren Young has provided mainstream exposure for the company which he has parlayed into an appearance on Ellen. They have been on a roll as of late and are the favorites in this inevital clustermuck.
WWE Tag Team Championships
The Shield v Whoever the Hell Wins the Last Match
The Shield will not lose the Titles. They are contributing to the main event storyline and the gold will not be stripped from Triple H’s henchmen.
WWE United States Championship
Dean Ambrose v Dolph Ziggler
This was the last match added to the card. Rumored for weeks it was finally confirmed. On paper this looks to be a solid bout. It will be interesting to see if the other members of The Shield get involved. Ziggler may win this match but only by a Count Out or DQ. With the protection of Triple H and the help of his stable there is no feasible situation in which Ambrose does not at least slime-ball his way towards retention.
Handicap Elimination (Non-Title)
CM Punk v Curtis Axel & Paul Heyman
This is designed to be Punk’s redemption for his Summerslam loss to Brock Lesnar. The IC Title is not on the line. That makes sense even if it is a bit frustrating given the whole theme of the PPV. I’d offer that the Hell in a Cell PPV doesn’t have all Hell in a Cell matches so this one does not necessarily require all Titles to be included. But I think you and I both know that is a total cop out. I’m just trying to rationalize the whole gimmick. I’d be flabbergasted if Punk does not win this match. The fact that the Title is not on the line screams that the Champion will lose. There is no realistic expectation of Axel being able to conquer Punk. Not even Heyman can sell that possibility. Instead, Curtis is a side note to the real story. Punk wants to get his hands on Heyman. After having his head bashed in by a ladder and being beaten with a kendo stick it is time for Punk to exact his revenge. Their angle has been one of the most compelling things on RAW in recent weeks. With all of the politicking in the other storylines this comes off as a worthy aside. If you have never seen a walrus get slaughtered then you are in for a blubbery treat.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Alberto Del Rio v Rob Van Dam
There are a couple of possibilities in this match. One interesting revelation is that Ricardo Rodriguez will not be allowed in RVD’s corner for the match. Which is curious verbiage because it does not mean he is banned from ringside. Meaning that if skulduggery is afoot we just might see the popular announcer turn to the dark side. Join me Luke. It’s unlikely that he will continue with RVD after the culmination of this feud. He may either move on to Del Rio’s next foe or he might just come back home. It’s not an unthinkable possibility. As Ricardo’s popularity soars there is only so long that he can act as Del Rio’s foil. The heat of his turn would only compound with Del Rio’s. I don’t see the advantage of having Rob run with the Title. I’m also not convinced that the WWE has recovered from the sting of his last major Title win and subsequent collapse. The blend of styles should make for a good match. If RVD can put together a fluid moveset and not stagger between spots this could be a good one. At the end of the night RVD is going to get his face kicked in and Del Rio is going to wrench on the Cross Arm Breaker for the submission victory.
WWE Championship
Randy Orton v Daniel Bryan
Jenga time. Bryan can beat Orton. Bryan cannot win the Title. Not yet. There is still a hell of a story to be told in the corporate angle. When Bryan wins the Title the effectiveness of the angle will be knocked down several pegs. No matter what Triple H or Orton try and claim we all know that Bryan can beat Orton. It was only a few short months ago that he did exactly that on an episode of RAW. Good guy Randy even shook his hand after the fight. That chivalry is now gone. There will be inevitable shenanigans. Don’t be too disappointed when they occur. There is simply no way that Triple H is going to let Orton walk out without the Title. At this juncture it doesn’t make sense from a storytelling perspective. Bryan functions best at present as the underdog and a chaser. As a last resort, if Orton is losing, The Shield may make an appearance. I wouldn’t be surprised if a referee is knocked out and Triple H runs down in a referee shirt. It’s not even out of the realm of possibility that The Big Show looks to make the save only to turn heel. After all he seems to do it every other month anyway. I want this to be a good fight but whatever happens in the ring will be overlooked for the greater context of the angle. Bryan may one day get a lengthy reign, but Orton is only just settling into his role. As tempting and desirable as it may be to flip to the end of he book, there are still so many chapters and twists left to unfold.
David Stephens
Follow me on Twitter! @TheDaveStephens