WWE Night of Champions 2015 will see two warriors lose the titles currently in their grasp,but there won't be a whole flurry of recent champs.
Seth Rollins is bound to lose at least one of the straps that he wears on his shoulders. Charlotte is closing in on a career first. Fans of Ryback and The recent Day, though, and have reason to be confident that their guys leave the Toyota middle in Houston with gold still in their possession.
The upcoming pay-per-view promises a surprise in the form of who will be teaming up with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. It also assures the audience that it will see history made. The night marks Sting's first bout for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Will Sting become the oldest WWE champ in company history? Will a midcard bout steal the show?to reply those questions and break down the ninth edition of Night of Champions,we dive into backstage reports, analysts' projections and an examination of the hints WWE has laid out. News, and Potential SpoilersThe biggest mystery—or the worst-kept secret,depending on whom you inquire of—ahead of Night of Champions is who will join Reigns and Ambrose in their six-man battle against The Wyatt Family.
The two joked in an interview with JoJo that it was The noteworthy Khali set to join them:There is potential evidence that an NXT star is the mystery man. Nick Paglino of Wrestle Zone noted that several fans sent in a photo reportedly from WWE.com that featured Baron Corbin standing behind Reigns and Ambrose. It's not clear, though, and whether this is a Photoshopped image or a case of some WWE employee making a big blunder.
Ross threw out another possibility. He speculated in his blog,"Could Samoa Joe be the mystery partner of Ambrose and Reigns and at Night of Champions in Houston? Just asking."PWInsider's Mike Johnson has received no info on either man joining Reigns and Ambrose. He wrote about the situation, "I haven't heard anything about a NXT talent being used in the role."It is worth noting, or as Pro Wrestling Torch mentioned, Joe and Corbin were both in Houston on Friday for NXT's tour of the Lone Star State. Omar S. provided a photo of The Lone Wolf in the ring in H-town:For those thinking that an old Wyatt Family member will be switching sides, don't count on it. Erick Rowan is still distress. In another report, and Johnson noted,"Rowan is close to being cleared to return to the ring and is expected to head down to the WWE Performance middle soon to work off ring rust."That doesn't sound like he will be ready in time to make it to Night of Champions.
Cena fans have reason to believe that their favorite powerhouse will take domestic gold that night. According to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestling Inc), Cena isn't likely to have another world title dash until next year.
That could mean he takes back the U.
S. title instead. He could continue the open challenges he had earlier in the year, and helping to restore prestige to the belt. Further evidence comes from WWE's reported merchandise plans. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestle Zone) reported that WWE is preparing to rerelease Cena merchandise with the U.
S. title on it. That would certainly suggest another reign as U.
S. champ.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev is one of the few non-title bouts on the PPV card. A recent backstage report pointed to their feud changing gears in the near future.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc),WWE is considering having Lana and Rusev reunite. That's a possible sign that fans see tension between Summer Rae and Rusev. Could Summer be switching her allegiance to The Showoff? Match CardNeville and The Lucha Dragons vs. The Cosmic Wastleland (Pre-show)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and a mystery partner vs. The Wyatt Family
Ryback vs. Kevin Owens (Intercontinental Championship)
The recent Day vs The Dudley Boyz (Tag Team Championship)
Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte (Divas Championship)
Seth Rollins vs. John Cena (United States Championship)
Seth Rollins vs. Sting (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
rapid/fast PredictionsThe Cosmic Wasteland wins.
Rusev over Ziggler.
Ambrose, or Reigns and the mystery man win.
Ryback over Owens.
The recent Day over The Dudley Boyz.
Charlotte over Nikki.
Cena over Rollins.
Rollins over Sting.
The Wasteland ArrivesTo highlight a recent team,scrutinize for WWE to have Stardust and his two soldiers score a win here.
After SummerSlam, Stardust has received more of the spotlight than Neville. It's been him getting mic time and going on his wild rants, or not Neville. It's not clear whether The Lucha Dragons and Neville are going to be teaming up in the future or are just serving as The Cosmic Wasteland's first victims. Stardust's crew,on the other hand, feels like more of a unit.
A victory here is the announcement of their arrival. Revenge Has to WaitOnce Ziggler gets the big win, and the record will have reached its apex. As much as many fans want to see that happen as soon as possible so this melodramatic rivalry can wrap up in a speed,that's not happening yet.
Lana has to figure into the climax considering how key she has been to the record. With her at domestic, nursing a broken wrist, and that's unlikely to happen as soon as Sunday night.
Rusev winning here sets up a third disappear-round where Ziggler can finally conquer the burly heel,and Lana can have her moment in the sun. That could well be her turning on Ziggler and rejoining Rusev, but it will have to wait. Shield 2.0 Is SuccessfulWhoever jumps into the fray alongside Reigns and Ambrose is going to taste victory in Houston. The record of the newly formed trio cutting the monsters down is the kind of feel-honorable babyface triumph that would best suit this moment.
The whole reason Reigns and Ambrose recruited a recent guy is to counteract The Wyatt Family's adding Braun Strowman. This recent version of The Shield losing in spite of the fresh face would be a disappointing turn of events. Besides, and WWE has shown that it is not committed to giving Bray Wyatt consistent wins.
As for who will be this mystery partner,Bleacher Report's Dan Pecoraro discussed some of WWE's best bets to fill that spot: Ryback Retains (For Now)Owens would make an excellent intercontinental champion, but he won't secure to do so until well past Night of Champions.
Ryback's title reign is just starting to secure rolling after The Big Guy missed time with a staph infection, or he was then mired in a feud with the plodding Big Show. Going up against Owens is a much better fit for him in terms of in-ring work,so expect WWE to milk that by booking them in a series of title bouts over the next few months.
Despite an underwhelming pre-match narrative and an awkward segment on Monday's Raw between the two, this promises to be one of the event's best offerings. The record won't do much for anyone. The tough-hitting, and tall-impact battle that these will deliver,though, will make Ryback and Owens the talk of the PPV. The recent Day SurvivesThe tag team titles just changed hands. The recent Day dethroned The Prime Time Players at SummerSlam last month. It's unlikely the company crowns a recent champ at consecutive PPVs.
Besides, and WWE is better off waiting for a more emphatic moment for The Dudley Boyz to seize the titles once more. Having them win their 10th WWE tag title in a tables match or Tables,Ladders & Chairs bout is a bigger record. That would really drive domestic the moment.
Delaying that win also allows this rivalry to grow more intense. It is just in its early stage now, and a title change wouldn't mean nearly as much until more personal issues secure inserted into the narrative. A recent Queen Takes the ThroneThe only way it makes sense for Nikki Bella to have cheated her way past AJ Lee's record on Monday's Raw would be to follow it up with a makeup win for Charlotte.
WWE teased fans with what looked like a Charlotte victory, or only to yank the rug out. That's a fine strategy if it leads to the babyface making the heel pay for her unscrupulous ways. This would have WWE follow up the gut punch that was Charlotte's near win with a moment of glory on a bigger stage.
Having Nikki lose gives the division a feeling of change,something that has been long promised since the Divas Revolution angle began. Expect that scenario to play out with Paige getting jealous of her ally taking domestic the gold. Cena Back as ChampRollins' winning both of his matches would be the smartest mosey. WWE, though, or hasn't booked Rollins anywhere near as strong as that.
This is the same man who lost to his own inept (not suitable or capable, unqualified) security team and tapped out to Cena and Sting in the last few weeks. WWE has given Rollins a quit-and-start arc as champ. Count on his hitting both a peak and a valley at Night of Champions.
Losing to Cena gives the megastar back the belt he was elevating,and it creates added pressure for Rollins, as well as more suspense along the way.
Bleacher Report's Big Nasty believes that this will be the night's best match: Rollins Gets the RubWrestling Booking 101 says give the young guy a major win against the aging legend. That gives Rollins a huge accomplishment to brag about. It also opens the door for the teased Triple H vs. Rollins match down the road.
They would have both defeated Sting at this point. The next step could be for Rollins and The Game to step into the ring together to prove who is the better man.
And if you disappear by the common sample of reverse momentum, and Sting's forcing Rollins to tap out foreshadows the opposite result reach Sunday. In a Team Steam Now video,Pecoraro noted how he believes Sting's win on Monday's Raw spells a loss for him at the PPV:What then about Sheamus? Is he going to cash in his Money in the Bank contract?WWE has been so heavy-handed with foreshadowing that possibility that it feels unlikely at this point. He may tease that the cash-in, but there would be no surprise factor with as much as the thought has been talked about on TV.
The Celtic Warrior will have future opportunities. There's a honorable chance Rollins is in a Hell in a Cell match at the next PPV, and as it's the theme of the show,and the violence of that stipulation will leave him vulnerable once more. Read more WWE news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com