Some Quick Night of Champions Reflections

It’s been a busy day.  So I only have time for some very quick hits reflecting on last night's Night of Champions PPV.  Oh yeah, I am also focussing on the results of my predictions.  That’s right I got ZERO right...nadda!  I like surprises but I mean a couple correct would have been nice.  Here we go...

Air Boom successfully defend the titles.  I was wrong.  I was ok with it.  The Miz and R-Truth had other plans for later in the evening and they are awesome anyway.  It also further legitimizes Air Boom as a solid tag team. 

Cody Rhodes retains Intercontinental Title over Ted Dibiase.  I was wrong again but not really surprised here at all.  I thought maybe if he lost Rhodes may go on to battle Randy Orton for the World Heavy Weight Title.  But Orton lost that later in the night too so the outcome of this match makes total sense.  Rhodes is awesome.

Dolf Ziggler successfully retains United States Championship in a fatal four way match.  Wrong again.  I was watching this wondering if they might be making the move to make Jack Swagger a face.  He did all the work at the end and Ziggler steals the pin and then leaves with Vicky Guerrero.  Who knows, but I can’t picture Swagger as a face. 

Christian still wants one more match but end up getting Sheamus’s boot to the head.  I can see him getting his match now against Mark Henry and being the World’s Strongest Man’s first successful title defence.

Kelly Kelly over Beth Phoenix two PPVs in a row.  Really?  REALLY?  Oh yeah I was wrong here too!

Mark Henry wins the World Heavy Weight Championship.  Just to make sure you are following, yeah, I was wrong here too.  But awesome, I was rooting for Henry and am looking forward to this.  I loved his speech after he won the title.

John Cena wins the WWE Championship.  W.R.O.N.G.  Of all my incorrect predictions I was most surprised with this one (except for Kelly Kelly winning again).  I really thought Alberto Del Rio would make it to at least one more PPV as champion.

HHH beats CM Punk.  And yes....just as well as at this point to round off the night with a big goose egg in the predictions department (wrong again).  Call me old school again by the way but I think the main event of every PPV should be a title match.  I don’t even know what to say about the end of this one.  The WWE fans have the best one word response for this as they do so often....”WHAT?”  Tune into Raw tonight where I am sure more questions will remained unanswered!

Hope you all enjoyed the show!  Enjoy Raw tonight...back soon!

Night of Champions Predictions

Here we go with some quick Night of Champion predictions.  Great card!!

Divas Championship, Kelly Kelly (c) vs Beth Phoenix

These two hooked up during the last PPV at Summerslam.  It seemed we were poised for a Beth Phoenix title reign but Kelly Kelly pulled out the surprise win.  Like Summerslam, my prediction here is the same.  New champ, Beth Phoenix wins (see if I am right this time). 

United States Championship Fatal Fourway Match, Dolf Ziggler (c) vs Jack Swagger vs John Morrison vs Alex Riley

I think they keep this feud with Ziggler and Swagger going with Vickie Guerrero right in the middle of it.  It really hasn’t even got going yet apart from some arguing and a bit of shoving.  Morrison and Riley I think are in here to get another couple of faces on the card.  Prediction: New United States champion, Jack Swagger.  (but more matches with him and Ziggler to follow)

Tag Team Championship Match, Air Boom Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne vs The Miz and R-Truth

The Miz and R-Truth have been doing some great bits as of late.  I am guessing the spotlight would be better served by falling on them who could even be more entertaining with the belts.  Kingston and Bourne both lost in singles competition recently to Miz and Truth respectively.  Makes you wonder if their leaning towards an Air Boom victory and keeping this going.  However I am going this way.  Prediction:  New champs, The Miz and R-Truth win.

Intercontinental Championship Match, Cody Rhodes (c) vs Ted Dibiase

I like both these guys!  Rhodes has great potential and I think is a great Intercontinental Champ.  A couple weeks ago I was wondering if Rhodes was going to be Orton’s next feud assuming he remains champ after this PPV.  However, Orton and Rhodes have already tangled twice on TV, but no titles on the line yet, so I don’t think this is done.  I don't say this with confidence but...Prediction:  New champ DiBiase wins (but expecting Rhodes to be elevated into more of a main event status with Orton).   

CM Punk vs HHH, no disqualification match

I am finding this one hard to predict although it has the potential to be an awesome match no matter what the outcome. If HHH loses he resigns as COO.  This could open new story line angles by adding a new person in place of The Game.  We also have to wonder if Kevin Nash shows up to have some influence in this one.  Prediction:  CM Punk wins. (but this whole story is far from over). 

WWE Championship Match, Alberto Del Rio (c) vs John Cena

A few weeks ago I thought the whole HHH, Kevin Nash, fake text messages, etc. was going to play a role here.  But all that has moved away from this match.  I haven’t ruled out that they could be fooling us.  I don’t see them putting the belt on Cena again right now.  Prediction:  Alberto Del Rio retains the title (with some controversy of course).    

World Heavyweight Championship, Match Randy Orton (c) vs Mark Henry

I am finding it hard to predict this one too.  I think there has to be some controversy to allow us to keep buying into the beast that is Mark Henry.  I am hoping for a return of Big Show or Kane.  Prediction:  Randy Orton retains. (with interference from Kane or Big Show) 

All in all I have predicted 4 title changes.  I don’t know.  I find nothing obvious here which makes for a great card.  Enjoy everyone, back next week. 

Thoughts on the Upcoming Randy Orton and Mark Henry Match

Well what are some possible scenarios that could play out here?  The WWE has done a splendid job building up Mark Henry and this match.  I feel there is more interest centred on these two than the John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio match.  In any event here are some possibilities that could happen at Night of Champions. 

Scenario One:  Orton wins cleanly

Mark Henry and Randy Orton could have a great match pushing each other to the limit with near pin falls on both accounts.  That will likely happen anyway.  In the end Orton hits the RKO and gets the 1..2..3.  Problem with this is it could put a spike through the heart of the monster that they have done an excellent job creating in Mark Henry.  He could move on to another feud or he could keep doing damage until he gets a rematch, but it wouldn’t be the same if he loses cleanly here.

Scenario Two:  Henry wins cleanly

Henry could defeat Orton cleanly proving to the entire WWE universe that he is indeed the man.  I don’t see that happening either.  Orton has been on a bit of a role himself.  I am not sure where they would go with that one.  Orton would likely not be done with Henry in this case.  The "voices in his head" would probably cause him to become a bit more of a monster himself and chase Henry until another match in sanctioned.

Scenario Three:  Sheamus and/or Christian play a factor.

Could Sheamus interfere here and cost Henry the match thus continuing their feud.  What about Christian?   He did say he wanted one more match with Orton.  It could happen but I am thinking these two will be focusing on each other in the next coming weeks leaving them out of this one.  Although, I wouldn’t rule it out completely.

Scenario Four:  A Return

Then there is the trail of destruction Henry left behind as he created the "Hall of Pain" which featured Big Show and Kane.  Could we see a return and some revenge delivered that would ultimately cost Henry the match?  This could be the most exciting finish and have the most future potential.  It could create more heat between Henry and one of the aforementioned superstars.  It could also leave unanswered questions between Henry and Orton for another match down the road.  Also, Orton’s title reign continues and so does the beast character that Mark Henry has become.   

I am going to go with option four.  I would love to see Mark Henry get a shot with the title, but if it happens I am thinking it is still a little further down the road.  Perhaps he has to go through Kane or Big Show again before he gets another shot and then the title. 

Props to the WWE on building this one up, excellent job with Mark Henry the last few months. 

Night of Champions Match Predictions

We are just a little under three weeks away from the Night of Champions PPV.  I thought I would close out the week with my predictions on how the card will shape up. 

WWE Undisputed Championship Match, John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio (c)

We already know this one is set, but we also know things can change without a moment’s notice in the WWE.  However, I predict this one will stand.  The only other person right now who would possibly be a part of this match is CM Punk who is busy that night anyway. 

World Heavy Weight Championship Match, Mark Henry vs Randy Orton (c)

At one point I speculated if there could be more participants added to this match but it has to go with just these two battling it out for the title.  The WWE has done a splendid job of building up this monster character in Mark Henry leading up to him finally getting the shot at this PPV.  I think this one may have more appeal right now to the masses than the Cena/Del Rio Match. 

United States Championship Match, Jack Swagger vs Dolf Ziggler (c)

The tension between the two has been building as a result of Vickie Guerrero thinking of adding Swagger to her list of clients in addition to Ziggler.  This can only be leading to a showdown between the two at Night of Champions.  The question remains who will Vickie be managing at the end of the match.  My guess is whoever holds the United States Championship.

Intercontinental Championship Match, Ted Dibiase vs Cody Rhodes (c)

Cody Rhodes has been getting in the face of Randy Orton a bit, although we didn’t see him on Smackdown or Raw this week.  I can only assume that Rhodes' interest in Orton is leading to a match or feud of some sorts between the two.  If they are going to move Rhodes in that direction now might be the time to have him mix it up with Dibiase.  Also, Rhodes beat down Dibiase recently after he lost a match to Orton.   A split between the two appears inevitable.

Divas Championship Match, Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly (c)

I have made reference a few times here on this blog about how I think the Diva’s division lost some serious steam lately with what could have been a golden opportunity with Beth.  I thought she was about to blossom into a Mark Henry type monster but since her loss at SummerSlam she has done nothing.  However, she has been lurking, albeit in far less memorable fashion, so I predict a rematch between the two here.

Tag Team Champtionship Match, Air Boom (c) (ha, still find that name a little funny) Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne vs. The Miz and R-Truth (The Conspiracy Theorists??)

I’m not sure how else The Miz and R-Truth get in here.  They haven’t really moved in this direction yet even though The Miz and R-Truth have become a bit of a faction.  I don’t see anyone else for the champs to battle with right now and it gets Miz and Truth on the card.  I must admit although these teams are being slapped together, it is heating up the tag team division.

HHH vs CM Punk

This one is also set.  Again this could change with Kevin Nash continuing to stir things up.  I speculated earlier about a Triple Threat match with Nash being added to the mix.  However, I will go with the match as it is already set, but you can be sure Nash plays a role here somehow. 

Other notes

On my predicted card above there is no Sheamus and no Christian.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Sheamus got involved in the World Heavy Weight Championship match creating havoc for Mark Henry.   This would continue their feud if Orton retains the title and moves on to another opponent.  I am not sure what is next for Christian.  He is one of my favourites so I hope there is a meaningful storyline/feud in his future.  I would still love (hope) to see Edge to return and manage him.  Could happen. 

In the next couple of weeks we will see how the card shapes up for real.  When the WWE finalizes the bouts I will make my predictions of match outcomes. 

Enjoy your Labour Day weekend everyone!!