WWE Night of Champions predictions

All things considered, I think this may be one pay per view concept that the company could do without, since there are only five titles that exist on the main roster, and they are usually all defended on every pay per view, anyway.

Having said that, I think the WWE has done a decent job of building up this show, and they are certainly thinking towards the future.

Here are my thoughts and predictions from start to finish...

The pay per view starts in a bit of an unusual way, as the focus immediately goes to the announcers.

Michael Cole: Up first at Night of Champions, is a match that a lot of people have been looking forward to, since SummerSlam. It is a rematch for the United States title. But before the match gets underway, We want to show you some career highlights of one of the greatest U.S. champions of all time!

[Highlights of Eddie Guerrero are shown on the Titantron, before we go into the first match]


Seth Rollins vs. John Cena for the United States Championship

Their match at SummerSlam was quite possibly the best they've ever had, and if that match was any indication, I'm sure this one will be great as well, and probably be given a generous amount of time, since there are only seven matches on the card. Rollins tries for the Phoenix splash at one point, but misses, allowing Cena to hit the AA for a near fall. Cena then grabs Rollins' leg, attempting to pull him into the STF, but Rollins quickly squirms his way to the ropes. As the referee steps in between them, Rollins sneaks in a low blow. Rollins then gets cocky and goes for a pedigree, but Cena counters and locks in the STF. Rollins holds on for as long as he can, but eventually succumbs to the pain and taps out, so we have a new U.S. champion.

[Jojo is backstage, set to do an interview]

Jojo: Ladies and gentlemen, on a night like this, a night of champions, I want to welcome another champion to the show. He happens to be the NXT Heavyweight Champion, Finn Balor! Finn, your thoughts on the show, thus far?

Balor: Well, we've seen some great action already, with more expected to come. I just want to be the first to congratulate John Cena on winning back the United States title; a tremendous match, lad! But now, I also have NXT Takeover to look forward to, where I will...

[Kevin Owens steps in, eating his apple]

Owens: What's up, Finn? Long time, no see.

Balor: Not long enough. But if memory serves me correctly, the last time we saw each other, was when I defeated you at the last Takeover special.

Owens: Oh, what a funny guy you are. But you see, I've moved onto bigger and better things, such as winning the Intercontinental title tonight. But I haven't forgotten about you, Finn. And sooner or later, we're gonna meet again. And when that happens, I'm gonna be a double champion, like Seth Rollins used to be. (Owens eyes wander off-screen) What do you want?

[Ricky Steamboat steps in]

Steamboat: Well first of all Kevin, I want to be the second man to congratulate John Cena on winning back the U.S. title. Secondly, I wanted to meet the current NXT Champion, Finn Balor (Steamboat and Balor shake hands). But I also wanted to wish you luck in your Intercontinental title match, a title that I've won myself.

Owens: You know what, Steamer, I didn't come here to discuss Jurassic Park. But if you ever interrupt my interview again, I'll make sure you're extinct like the rest of the dinosaurs. And Finn, the next time we meet, the luck of the Irish is gonna run out. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a title to win.

Ryback vs. Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Championship

As Ryback is making his entrance, The Wyatt Family graphic appears and the lights go out. When the lights come back on, The Wyatt Family has Ryback surrounded. The big guy tries to fight them off, but the three-on-one disadvantage is too much for him, and Ryback is beaten down (earlier on the kick-off show, Ryback was shown talking to Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose). The referee is about to call off the match, but Ryback insists that he wants to continue, so the ref rings the bell. Owens pretty much has his way with Ryback in the early going. Later on, Ryback starts to build some momentum and just about knocks Owens out of his boots with a meathook clothesline. Ryback then goes for Shellshocked, but he is unable to support Owens' weight, due to his injuries, and Owens capitalizes by hitting the pop-up powerbomb to win the IC title.

[The announcers then show highlight footage of the ongoing saga between Rusev, Ziggler, Lana and Summer Rae in the last couple of months]

Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler

As much as I want this feud to finally end, I don't think it will, until Lana returns. This feud hasn't done any favours for either of these guys, and I really hope each of them are able to bounce back after this. The whole story of the match is that Rusev is arguing with Summer Rae throughout. There's a ref bump at one point, and Rusev instructs Summer to grab the ring bell for him to use, but Summer refuses. Rusev then gets upset and grabs Summer by the hair and pulls her into the ring. Rusev then attempts to put the Accolade on Summer, but Ziggler catches him with a superkick. As Ziggler tries to help Summer out of the ring, Rusev gets back up. Once Ziggler turns his attention back to Rusev, Summer gives Ziggler a low blow, so it was apparently a set up. Rusev then kicks Ziggler and locks on the Accolade, just as the ref comes to. Ziggler is knocked out from the kick, so the referee just signals for the bell and declares Rusev the winner. After the match, Rusev and Summer stand over Ziggler, and Rusev waves the Bulgarian flag.

[The Dudley Boys are in the back with Edge and Christian, catching up on old times]

Bubba: I still can't believe that spear off the ladder. You and Jeff are both lucky that didn't kill you. How you guys were able to continue is beyond me.

Edge: Well, I'm not gonna lie, it did shorten my career. But looking back, I probably would have done it over again. 

Devon: Man, we had some great times, boys!

Christian: Speaking of great times, I know you guys have held those tag titles a bunch of times. Actually, we've had some experience with them as well. But as much as it means to you, to win them again, it'd mean a lot to us if you just go out there and shut the mouths of those three idiots, and send them and their trombone back to the circus.

Edge: And, uh, don't forget the tables.

Devon: Oh testify!!!!

Bubba: I tell ya what, you go break out the champagne and the kazoos for the after party, cause the next time you see us, we'll be the tag team champions for the uh, you know, I lost count. 

Devon: Let's get this done, Bubba!

The New Day vs. The Dudley Boys for the Tag Team Championships
 

The New Day has got to be one of the hottest acts in the company right now, and I really hope they didn't just decide to put the titles on The New Day, so they could drop them to The Dudleys here. As much as The Dudleys are one of my all-time favourite teams, I really don't see the point in giving them the titles on a show like this. They should wait for the next NYC or Philadelphia show, or at least a couple more pay per views, as I think this feud is worthy of a few more matches. I can see The Prime Time Players joining the announcers on commentary for this match. Xavier keeps taunting the PTP's from the outside, so eventually Titus can't take it anymore, and he gets up to chase Woods. Bubba sees Woods and tries a clothesline, but Woods ducks, and Bubba hits Titus. Darren Young then gets up and starts arguing with Bubba, which distracts Devon, allowing the illegal New Day member to sneak in and schoolboy Devon for the win, so The New Day retain their titles.

[The announcers throw to what was supposed to be a highlight video of one of the greatest Women's champions of all time, Trish Stratus. But the video has clearly been tampered with, and it transitions into a montage for the current Divas champion, Nikki Bella]

Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte for the Divas Championship (If Nikki is disqualified or counted out, she automatically loses the title)
   

I thought Charlotte's emotional performance on Raw this week was great, and it was a decent way of booking the match also, since they needed to make both women look strong, and also create interest in a rematch. Nikki makes Charlotte wait, as she kisses the belt and hands it to Brie, before walking around, right into a mafia kick from Charlotte. Charlotte then immediately applies the figure eight for the quick tap out victory in under a minute. Charlotte's the new Divas champion. After the match, Ric Flair comes out, along with Becky and Paige for the celebration, but Paige looks a little jealous, just to plant the seeds for a future feud.

[Jojo is in the back with Seth Rollins]

Jojo: Well Seth, it hasn't been the greatest night to be a champion. And in your case specifically, you're already 0-and-1 tonight. How do you plan to keep your WWE World Heavyweight Title?

Rollins: Tell me something I don't know, Jojo. It'll probably be the shortest conversation you ever have. Sure, John Cena used every dirty trick in the book to win back the U.S. title, but he also didn't have two matches to prepare for in the same night like I did. Now that's a true champion for ya! What the hell are you doing here?

[Ric Flair steps in]

Flair: Wooooo! I'm here for the party, of course! My daughter just won the Divas Title in record time! You need to listen to this though, because I have a great deal of respect for that title, for Triple H and even for you. I'm a 16-time world champion. John Cena came close to tying that record, and would have, if not for Jon Stewart at SummerSlam. If you ever hope to achieve that level of greatness one day, you're gonna have to get by Sting first. Believe me, I've wrestled the man more times than I care to count, and I don't envy you one bit. 

Rollins: First of all, Ric, I don't need to ascend to any imaginary level of greatness that you or John Cena claim to have. I'm already there. In fact, I've surpassed that level. I'm probably never gonna be a 16-time champion, but the reason for that is because I don't ever plan on losing this title, especially to a washed-up has-been in goofy facepaint. I'm walking in with this (holds up title), I'm walking out with this, and I'm retiring with this, and there isn't a damn thing that any former champion, past or present, can do about it!

The Wyatt Family vs. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and a mystery partner
 

It's really anybody's guess who this mystery partner is going to be. I've speculation on Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin, The Rock, Erick Rowan and even Shinsuke Nakamura, who was apparently spotted at a Houston airport this weekend. I'm usually all for surprises, but to me, it really wouldn't make much sense to bring in someone like Samoa Joe or Corbin, when the main focus should be on keeping Braun Stroman looking strong. Having said that, I think we're getting Erick Rowan here, which actually makes the most sense of all the other options. This is going to be a hard-fought contest, but eventually Stroman destroys Reigns and Ambrose, allowing Wyatt to hit Sister Abigail on Rowan for the clean win. 

[The pay per view panel give their thoughts and predictions for the main event]

Seth Rollins vs. Sting for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Ultimately, I would not be shocked if this company decides to put the belt on Sting, here. At his age, I'm surprised that he can still go, even though I wasn't really impressed with his match on Raw this week. I see this match being heavily overbooked, much like the match between Sting and Triple H at WrestleMania, with plenty of interference. It's announced at the beginning of the match that this contest will now be no disqualification. There is a spot in the match where both competitors are down, which leads to Sheamus coming out. Sheamus attempts to cash in Money in the Bank and insert himself in this match, like Rollins did at 'Mania, but before the bell is rung, John Cena runs out and attacks Sheamus, and the two of them fight to the back. Triple H then gets in the ring and pedigrees Sting, which gets Rollins a near fall. Sting quickly gets up and drills Rollins with the Scorpion Death Drop. He then drags Triple H into the ring, and hits him with a Stinger splash. Stephanie tries to get involved, but she ends up taking a Stinger splash as well. Rollins then hits Sting with a low blow, and tries for his version of the pedigree, but Sting blocks it and trips up Rollins, before applying the Scorpion Deathlock. Just as it looks like Rollins is about to tap, The Wyatt Family graphic appears and the lights go out. When the lights come back on, Braun Stroman is in the ring, face to face with Sting. Sting tries to fight him off, but Luke Harper attacks Sting from behind, and Stroman lifts Sting off the ground with that arm triangle of his. Wyatt then comes in and finishes Sting off with Sister Abigail. As The Wyatt's exit, Rollins rolls over and pins Sting to retain the title.

So there you have it. 

Here are my match predictions for Hell in a Cell:

Seth Rollins vs. Kane in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Kane returns as the monster, mask and all. 

The Wyatt Family vs. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and John Cena in a six-man Hell in a Cell match - Reigns and Ambrose come out each week with a different partner, but each week, they're defeated, so eventually Cena offers his help for this match. 

Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro in 2/3 falls for the Intercontinental Championship

Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship - If Charlotte uses the figure-8, she automatically loses the belt. But if Nikki loses, she cannot have another championship match, as long as Charlotte's the champion.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev in a flag match

The New Day vs. The Dudley Boys vs. The Prime Time Players in a triple threat match for the Tag Team Championships

Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the Money in the Bank briefcase