WWE Night of Champions - September 16, 2012
1. Pre-Show Battle Royal - This match took place as part of the free pre-show before the actual NOC ppv. Not really too much to say about this as there were a lot of guys in this match that are usually relegated to Superstars. At the same time, it’s nice to see some of them get some time. The match was ok for what it was, which was to pick a challenger for Antonio Cesaro later in the evening. At this time, the only logical choices were Brodus Clay, Tyson Kidd, Santino and Zack Ryder. There were some decent moments, such as seeing Santino get eliminated. I know the guy’s over and he works hard, I give him credit for that, but I’m just long since over his schtick. The end ultimately comes with Zack Ryder eliminating Tensai at the 6 minute mark to become #1 contender for the United States Championship. *1/2
2. The Miz vs. Rey Mysteiro vs. Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Intercontinental Championship - Good solid match to start the actual ppv with. There were a few clunky moments but there was a lot of energy and all four wrestlers worked hard. Rey & Sin Cara brought in a lot of high octane stuff into the match. The ending was pretty creative as Sin Cara manages to pull a mask down over Miz’s face, temporarily blinding him. Miz kind of lashes out on “instinct” and puts Cody in the Skull Crushing Finale for the clean win a little past the 12 minute mark. A good win for Miz and a win that he needed. I’m hoping we’ll see more of a feud between Miz & Rhodes somehow. I know they’re both heels but they’ve got good chemistry together. **3/4
Backstage Segment - Their was a brief backstage segment starting off with the PTPs complaining to Eve about not being the #1 contenders for the tag titles tonight. Eve is then summoned by a trainer and takes her to Kaitlyn, who was said to be attacked by someone wearing a mask and Kaitlyn is injured. Eve does a good job of showing concern and with Kaitlyn injured, we’re probably looking at Eve replacing her in the Divas title match, upon which we’ll probably have a threeway feud over the Divas title. Wow…the Divas have an actual storyline going on. That in and of itself is something worth noting. Thumbs Up
3. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Kane & Daniel Bryan for the WWE Tag Team Championship - As was expected, this was a pretty fun match that continues to showcase the unique chemistry of Kane & Daniel Bryan as a reluctant tag team. I’m sure that it along with all the hugging stuff will get old later on down the line, but we’re not anywhere near it yet. Bryan & Kane worked as a cohesive unit throughout much of the match and I continue to find the hugging stuff funny. The live crowds are eating it up, so it helps keep the story going. The end comes with Kofi having Kane set up on the top rope going for a hurricanrana. Bryan grabs hold of Kane’s feet to help hold him on top. Things fell apart, however, as Bryan winds up knocking Kane off the top, causing him to land on Kofi. The ref makes the count in a similar situation as to what happened in their match against the PTPs last Monday on Raw and Kane gets the win at the 8.5 minute mark. Kane & Bryan are the new WWE Tag Team Champions. Bryan & Kane are two of the most over wrestlers on the WWE roster right now so they can possibly add a real spark of star power to the tag team division. **3/4
4. Antonio Cesaro vs. Zack Ryder for the WWE United States Championship - Decent match that actually went longer than I expected, about 7 minutes. Cesaro and Aksana have good chemistry and I’m liking their little act right now. While the match wasn’t particularly memorable, there was some decent action that ultimately had the right result. Cesaro took control early with Ryder eventually making a comback. It was a pretty decent mix of styles with Cesaro being more of a heavy hitter and Ryder using his speed and agility to carry him through. Ryder sets Cesaro up for a move before Aksana pulls Cesaro out of the ring. Ryder comes out and gets caught with a big European uppercut. Ryder is rolled back inside the ring where Cesaro hits him with his Neutralizer finisher for the clean win. Cesaro gets a win and continues to slowly build his reign. **1/4
5. Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler - Great match that featured intense action from bell to bell. Both Ziggler & Orton looked strong throughout the match and delivered a contest that was easy to get caught up in. The match also worked at a fast pace and they were given plenty of time for everything to play out. Both guys hit most of their signature offense and Ziggler scores a damn good near fall after hitting the Fameasser about the 15 minute mark. Ziggler continues to get a strong response from the fans and looks as though he might have some issues with his neck, as he seemed to be favoring it at various times. The end comes with Ziggler going for the sleeper only for Orton to toss him off. Orton then launches Ziggler up into the air, similar to what we usually see Cesaro do, and comes out of nowhere with an RKO. Orton makes the cover and gets the win at the 18.5 minute mark. I’m wondering if Ziggler will try to cash in his MITB contract later on. Since Orton is due to take time off to go film a movie, I look for WWE to set up another match with him against Ziggler on Raw before he takes time off, thereby giving Ziggler a win in a similar fashion as we saw with Chris Jericho. ***1/2
6. Layla vs. Eve Torres for the WWE Divas Championship - Pretty damn good match for Diva standards really. They were given about 7 minutes and were able to put on an actual match. They told a pretty good story with Eve still portraying herself as being on the up & up while using some heel tactics at the same time, such as faking an injury. The end comes with Eve avoiding a splash attempt from Layla before hitting her with her neck breaker finish for the clean win. Eve is the new WWE Divas Championship. It’s refreshing to see the Divas have an actual storyline and getting some decent time for matches. **
7. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship - Good strong match from Sheamus and Del Rio, especially during the second half. Not as good as Orton vs. Ziggler, but a still a good match from these two that started out slowly but built up well throughout and delivered some dramatic moments. Prior to the match, Booker T announced that he’d finished his “investigation” and reinstated the Brogue Kick. Sheamus still went for the Cloverleaf a few times as well as several attempts at the Brogue Kick, all of which failed. Del Rio successfully put Sheamus in the Cross Arm Breaker twice. The first time, Sheamus was able to power out of it by slamming Del Rio to the mat. The second time had a lot of drama and it looked like Sheamus was considering tapping out. He manages to get to the ropes to break the hold. Del Rio, frustrated by this time, goes for a running kick in the corner that misses. Sheamus then catches Del Rio with the Brogue Kick for the clean win at the 14.5 minute mark. Sheamus retains the World Heavyweight Championship. I’m glad that they didn’t have Ziggler cash in MITB because I think it’ll work better at a later date, such as if they set up another match with Orton in which Ziggler gets the win. Having him cash it in tonight wouldn’t have had as much flare to it, what with Ziggler having lost. ***
8. CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship - Both guys came out to a mixed reaction with Punk really just kind of taking in and enjoying it. Paul Heyman was at ringside and spoke to the crowd briefly before both guys came out. Cena comes out wearing a pink shirt saying “Rise Above Cancer”. I wonder how much criticism WWE will get over using such a shirt to make money even though damn near everybody else is doing the exact same thing. As for the match itself, another gem from Punk & Cena with fantastic back and forth action, great near falls and plenty of dramatic moments. I was so very very glad that there was no interference from Heyman or Big Show or anything along those lines. The match was damn near as good as their match at MITB last year. The overall finish of the match might bum some people out but I thought it was a nice change. Cena lands a German suplex off the top and both guys are down with their arms over the other. The ref makes the count and both shoulders are down. The match ends in a draw at the 27 minute mark. Cena celebrates initially before the ref takes the title from him and gives it back to Punk. This sets up a match between them at HIAC and keeps both of them looking strong. Ultimately, Cena failed to beat Punk in his own hometown, so this ultimately could be seen as something of a win for Punk. ****1/2
Final Thoughts - This was a strong offering from WWE. The undercard was solid and featured good matches for the most part. There were no filler matches of Brodus Clay beating some jobber or Ryback killing Jinder Mahal for the 100th time. The weakest match on the card overall was the battle royal on the pre show. Six minutes just isn't enough time for a battle royal. The IC title match was a good strong opener, the tag title match was a lot of fun, Cesaro had a pretty good match against Ryder & continues to build his reign, even the Divas match was pretty decent all things considered. Ziggler & Orton delivered a great outing and I'm hoping that we see Ziggler get to settle the score perhaps tomorrow night. Sheamus & Del Rio put on a strong match and I'm hoping that this is the end for them. It's gone on long enough in my eyes. The main event was fantastic with Punk & Cena delivering another definitive match of the year candidate in my eyes. The draw finish was unexpected but logical in that WWE wants to keep both guys strong to set up a rematch at the HIAC ppv. There wasn't any intereference, just great back and forth stuff with a lot of drama.
Grade: A-
Therefore, my original prediction has been upgraded into:
