Coming off of an exciting SummerSlam weekend in August that saw the WWE sell out the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn three nights in a row, the WWE found a way to grind things to a screeching halt with the events that transpired following the big event. In somewhat of an unfortunate turn of events, they brought back several relics from the past that are way past their prime, they bombarded us with the dreadful “Diva’s Revolution”, and they derailed a promising young talent’s progress by putting him in an emasculating love triangle.
Even with all of this nonsense, there is some potential for at least half of the card to be decent at this Sunday’s Night of Champions, which will be anchored by the top heel in the company, WWE Champion Seth Rollins. Let’s take a look at what to expect:
Neville and The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) vs. The Cosmic Wasteland (The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) and Stardust)
The first match advertised on the card isn’t all that interesting. There hasn’t been much of a build up for this six-man feud. The natural tag teams in this contest don’t have much momentum right now. The Ascension is one of the rare few NXT call-ups of late that failed to catch on. The Lucha Dragons are a one-dimensional act that have virtually no personality. The Neville and Stardust feud could be interesting, but they keep getting paired with other talents so their animosity towards each other gets lost in the shuffle.
I don’t expect this match to impress from either an emotional or stylistic standpoint. We may see a few high spots from the Neville lead high flyers, but those tend to get boring after you’ve seen them enough times.
Prediction: Winners, The Cosmic Wasteland
Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and TBA vs. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Braun Strowman)
A second six-man tag team match pits the old Shield against the newly re-formed Wyatt family. You get the impression that the WWE feels like they split these two factions up too quickly and never capitalized on what could have been a money-making extended feud during their original run so they are trying to re-capture that lightning in a bottle by staging this match.
The Wyatt Family now features a new member, NXT rookie Braun Strowman. Strowman has the look and attitude of a potentially successful character player in the WWE. Early impressions are that he is being packaged in a gimmick that works well naturally for him, that of an evil and brutal big man that can’t be pushed around by the babyfaces. I’ve been critical of Bray Wyatt getting stale of late, but at least a new member gives the Wyatt Family something different to work with.
The same can’t be said for Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Ambrose continues to show promise after having worked several main-event programs last year. Unfortunately, he is once again tasked with carrying the underperforming Roman Reigns in a match. If you don’t believe my repeated criticisms of Roman Reigns, take a listen to a recent Stone Cold Steve Austin Podcast at around the 1:25 mark. In the midst of reviewing SummerSlam, Austin ripped Roman’s performance to shreds in extreme detail. As only an insider of Austin’s stature can, he pointed out every single hole in Reign’s game and listed everything that he should be doing better. From the way he smiles too much, to his inability to work a credible offense set, to his inability to sell, and to his inability to buy time in his matches, Austin made a great case for why Reigns needs to go back to school and learn how to wrestle.
There are a lot of theories on line on who the unannounced third member of The Shield’s team will be. Could be a returning regular like Kane or Randy Orton, could be an NXT rookie making his surprise in-ring debut. Hopefully, whomever it is will be ready to make up for Reign’s lack of ability and has some chemistry with the Wyatt Family.
It feels like it is a safe bet that The Wyatt Family goes over this time. They will likely want to showcase the new big man in Braun Stroman and get him over as a crusher that can’t be stopped. Whomever is the TBA will likely not be involved in the finish.
Prediction: Winners, The Wyatt Family
Nikki Bella (c) vs. Charlotte in a singles match for the WWE Divas Championship; If Bella gets counted out or disqualified, she will lose the title.
You got all that? Eh, don’t bother. I’ll skip straight to the prediction, not even the daughter of one of the all-time-greats can save this train wreck of a match.
Prediction: This match is going to suck
Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
I am outright bewildered when I watch what the WWE has done to Rusev. After building him up for almost an entire year as a superior athlete that hates America and destroys anybody in his path, they have systematically reduced him to a henpecked wuss in a matter of months.
When Lana was Rusev’s spokesperson, her speeches gave Rusev depth that he wouldn’t have had on his own. She told his story and made the crowd hate him. Her presence only empowered Rusev and made him seem stronger and dominant.
His pairing with Summer Rae has rapidly destroyed the illusion that he is a force to be reckoned with. Not only do the two have no chemistry with each other, but she has done nothing but make him seem like a oppressed loser who doesn’t even realize that he is being dragged down by their relationship. Who would take him seriously these days as someone who is a legitimate threat to his opponents?
Dolph Ziggler peaked as a professional years ago. He doesn’t have the skill set to work as a babyface but he has been stuck in that role for quite some time. He moves from feud to feud with little stability or direction. His pairing with Lana doesn’t do much to enhance his character as the two also have no chemistry with each other.
At the heart of the animosity between Ziggler and Rusev is the rivalry between Summer Rae and Lana. This rivalry has given us some of the worst TV the WWE has produced in years. I’m not saying I’m happy that Lana was recently injured, but if I had to watch one more barefoot catfight between her and Summer Rae, I was going to kick a hole in my television. The dopey jealousy angle between the women and the men and the cringe-worthy locker room scene with Summer Rae and Ziggler are just an outright insult to the fans intelligence. All I can hope for is that this match ends this debacle and they all move along in separate directions when this is all over.
The match itself could be OK if Rusev and Ziggler were left alone to work with one another. Ziggler has a tendency to over-sell, but Rusev is already a ring general that can work with anybody. Sadly, there is no doubt that the women will play some sort of role in this match and it is not going to be for the better.
Prediction: Winner, Rusev
The New Day (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz in a Tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day were unable to get over as a babyface faction so they turned heel. They are so good as heels that the crowd now cheers them! It goes to show that in today’s wrestling product, kayfabe is dead and the fans will decide who the good and bad guys are and can no longer be dictated to. It also goes to show that the three members of this faction, Kingston, Woods, and Big E are all better off as a team than as solo competitors. None of them were ever as interesting as individuals as they are now as a team. I also love how they use the Freebird Rule to randomly choose two members each night to defend the titles. It keeps the fans guessing and gives us unexpected moments whenever they compete.
It speaks volumes for the state of the tag team division that the WWE had to resurrect the careers of The Dudley Boyz and put them into the tile mix against The New Day for lack of a better opponent. The Dudleys were given a hero’s reception by the crowd, but many people seem to have forgotten that the Dudleyz were most effective as heels during The Attitude Era, cheating and terrorizing their opponents by putting them through tables.
For personal reasons, it is difficult for me to me to be happy to see the Dudley Boyz again and it has all to do with an in-person encounter with one of them. I’ve had opportunities to meet three professional wrestlers in my lifetime:
- I was childhood friends with Crowbar and we remain in touch to this day. I went to watch him wrestle at Iron Mike Sharpe’s school while he was still in training. He was, and is to this day, the best kind of guy there is, he’d give you the shirt off his back.
- I met The Undertaker during Fan Axess the week before WrestleMania XXIX here in New Jersey. I paid for the VIP experience to meet Ric Flair, but unfortunately, his son died a few days before the event and he was replaced by The Undertaker. My disappointment in not getting to meet flair was tempered by getting a chance to meet one of my other all-time favorites. While our encounter was brief, I still thought it was cool to meet the man and he was very polite and friendly. I asked him about his motorcycle and we spent about 45 seconds talking about riding while he posed for a picture with me. It was a cool experience.
I took this picture while on line to meet The Undertaker at WWE Fan Axxess prior to WrestleMania XXIX
- A friend of mine and I spotted Bubba Ray Dudley at Bar Anticipation in New Jersey in the summer of 2011. My buddy suggested we go say hi and I agreed and we approached him. The guy couldn’t have been a bigger jerk, waiving us off as if we didn’t exist.
I’m a big boy and it really didn’t matter too much to me that Bubba Ray told us to get lost at a bar. Call me petty and immature if you will, but a jerk is a jerk and there is no way I’m rooting for The Dudleyz against one of my favorite current teams on the roster.
This match could be entertaining to watch especially if The New Day finds a creative way to use their numbers advantage to cheat. No matter what happens or who wins, expect someone to go through a table.
Prediction: Winners and still WWE Tag Team Champions, The New Day
Ryback (c) vs. Kevin Owens in a Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Kevin Owens has shown flashes of greatness in his short time on the WWE main roster. He made a splash with huge victory over John Cena in his first match, and although he went on to lose his next two to Cena, he made an indelible mark on the fan base as a rookie to watch. I particularly enjoy his promos, he can convey many characteristics at the same time, mainly cowardice, false bravado, and most importantly, disrespect. The way he needles his foes automatically makes you want to sympathize with them. He has all the makings of one of the biggest wrestling heels we’ve ever seen. That along with his innovative in-ring style gives him unlimited potential in the WWE if he continues to improve.
Ryback works his role as a mid-carder admirably, finally earning his first singles WWE title when he became the IC Champ earlier this year when Daniel Bryan had to vacate the championship. He works a kid-friendly superhero gimmick with a few over-used catch phrases. At the very least, his matches tend to always feature a feat of strength that is fun to watch.
This match should have some dramatic false-finishes, and I’d expect both men to take a serious beating throughout its duration. I’d give a slight edge to Owens as this could be a good time to continue his push by giving him a championship he can brag about and taunt his opponents with.
Prediction: Winner and new WWE Intercontinental Champion, Kevin Owens
Seth Rollins (c) vs. John Cena in a Singles match for the WWE United States Championship
You’d be hard pressed to find a guy who has had a better year than Seth Rollins in quite some time. He stole the WWE Championship in the main event at WrestleMania, a match he wasn’t even booked in. He spent the following months as the top heel in the company, all along barely hanging on to his championship, like any good wrestling bad guy should. He capped off a solid summer by defeating John Cena to win The United States Championship at SummerSlam and now is a dual-title holder. Go ahead, name someone who had a better year in recent memory than that!
John Cena is continuing on in his role as the mid-carder who helps younger talents look good. He hardly ever works main events anymore, but his persona is consistent to the point of constant frustration by the fans. He never gets the credit he deserves for being a solid in-ring worker that can put on an entertaining match with anybody.
This match should go on early in the card, most likely first. It will set up the main event that also features Rollins defending his WWE Championship. I would expect that he will take a beating so as to give him a perceived disadvantage when he faces Sting in the last match of the night. Cena and Rollins have already put on some entertaining matches against each other this year and they won’t disappoint when they meet again on Sunday.
Prediction: Winner and still WWE United States Champion, Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Sting in a Singles Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
In his second match of the night, Seth Rollins is going to be tasked with carrying the decrepit and haggard Sting. For the second time this year, the WCW retread has been given featured booking on a pay-per-view. Following his loss to Triple H at WrestleMania 31, Sting somehow managed to get himself into title contention with an 0-1 record. Granted, win and loss records don’t mean much in professional wrestling, but it is a stretch to think that he’s actually earned this title shot.
I still don’t get why people are fascinated with Sting as a special attraction. He wasn’t very good when he was young in the NWA, AWA, and WCW. The only difference between then and now is that he’s a heck of a lot older and hasn’t worked regularly in years. His match against Triple H at WrestleMania really only worked because of the outside interference by a slew of WWE Hall of Famers distracted us from what was going on inside the ring. Don’t expect much more out of him this time around.
I’m hoping for Rollins’ sake this match ends up halfway decent. It is likely that there will be some sort of interference from someone on the outside on Rollins behalf, continuing along his path as a cheating heel who pulls out all the stops to win his matches. There was a tease that Sheamus is going to cash in his Money-In-The-Bank championship shot but I don’t think that is in the cards this time around. It feels like it makes the most sense for Rollins to continue his championship run and for Sheamus to continue to bide his time to wait for the most opportune time to cash in and win the championship.
Prediction: Winner and still WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins
There could be some surprises built into this show, especially if Kane or Randy Orton somehow get involved. It will also be fun to watch how Rollins performs in two big matches on the same card and the measures he will resort to in order to try to retain both titles.
The North Jersey Nonconformist 
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