Welcome to the second installment of Ringside Reflections. Today's post will introduce a new feature I plan to continue as this blog goes on. With WWE's only PPV this month, Night of Champions, taking place tonight, I thought I'd start there. We'll analyze the lineup, predict a winner, and see how it holds up after the PPV. So without further ado, here we go:
This show's theme is championship matches. All current WWE championships will therefore be defended on tonight's card. All matches are advertised as of this writing.
I suppose the right place to start is with the undercard:
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
No, that's not a mistake. This match is indeed scheduled to happen yet again. After their numerous encounters on Smackdown as well as their match at last month's PPV that was interrupted by Nexus, this pairing is beginning to wear thin. While these two have definitely been able to put on several good matches in the past, this storyline has evolved past the wrestling and is now more focused on Ziggler's relationship with Vickie Guerrero than anything else. The story here is simple: Dolph took Kofi's belt with Vickie's help, continued to screw over Kofi in each title defense after that, and now Kofi is really at the boiling point. Because of the way those last encounters went down, there is a stipulation in place that if Dolph is counted out or disqualified, Kofi will win back his title. Classic stipulation that has stirred up much championship controversy in he past. Personally, I don't think that Ziggler has had a strong enough reign to drop the title yet.
Prediction: Dolph Ziggler wins by the skin of his teeth. Vickie helps but narrowly gets away with it, allowing Ziggler to get the pin or submission.
WWE United States Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Wow. What a year it's been for Bryan Danielson. In just seven months, he has gone from a favorite on NXT, to a feud with Miz and Michael Cole, to taking it too far during the Nexus angle leading to his release, finding success once again on the indies where he truly shines, only to shockingly return triumphantly as the final member of Team WWE at Summerslam. And now the match we all saw coming will finally happen tonight, and it's for a championship. Miz has grown so much over the last two years. Not only are his mic skills awesome, but he has grown tremendously in the ring as well. This has the potential to steal the show. While so much more can be said about this match, there is much more to cover.
Prediction: The Miz manages to steal an upset after one hell of a fight from Bryan. This feud must continue, and Daniel Bryan's continued hunt for revenge is the perfect driving factor behind this program.
WWE Divas and Women's Championship Unification Match: Melina (Divas c) vs. Michelle McCool (Women's c)
I thought it was such a stupid idea several years ago when WWE decided to create a second women's title for then Smackdown. And when McCool won it over Natalya Neidhart I thought it was even more stupid. Anyway, a little over two years later, and a declining female division has brought the WWE to the decision to once again recognize only one female champion. The current Women's title situation can only be described as embarrassing. With several injuries and releases, the show has wittled down to only three or four women involved in the title picture each week. And one of them is Kelly Kelly. And with the formation of Laycool last year, the title has become nothing more than a prop, especially after it was "broken apart" and given two holders at once. On the Raw side, the Divas title division suffers from a lack of quaity competition and television time. While Raw has good workers like Melina, Gail Kim, or even Jillian, they are never pushed the way they should be and so the "Butterfly" belt means less. The best choice right now is to indeed unify the belts, as this can only help the division and, if done right, make it more competitive. The women's dvision in WWE should consist of more quality matches rather than quick bathroom breaks. Hopefully this is followed up on the right way.
Prediction: Melina defeats Michelle McCool after failed interference from Layla. Apparently this is booked as a lumberack/jill match, so most likely the face divas will hold off the heel divas long enough for Melina to hit her finisher and squeek out the victory for Raw.
Big Show vs. CM Punk (Non Title Match)
Unlike year's past, a non title grudge match has been booked for a main feud from Smackdown. While I never get tired of watching CM Punk, I just don't get where this feud is going. Punk is a strong enough heel that he does not need the help of the Straight Edge Society, and watching Big Show repeatedly destroy them will make even the Cena fans yawn. While I believe both men deserve a spot in the main event picture, I think it's time for Punk to be elevated back to the top, where he is clearly most comfortable. I personally believe this to be the sleeper match of the show, though I hope these two really surprise me.
Prediction: CM Punk gets the win over Big Show after interference from the SES. We'll see if Punk can hit the Go To Sleep on Show, or if he makes him tap with the Anaconda Vise.
WWE Tag Team Championship: The Hart Dynasty (c) vs TBA
Obviously the fact that opponents haven't been named tells you what the WWE thinks of its tag division. While The Hart Dynasty is a decent team, they are just not getting the exposure as champions that they should be. The current lack of top tier teams in WWE is a major problem. Once a good team gets going, they either get jobbed out or broken up. Dudebusters? Entertaining! But jobbed. Cryme Tyme? Solid team. Broken up. On top of that, Shad's singles push failed big time. And what about the Usos? Rikishi's sons were all over tv when they first debuted. But then what happened? Jobbed. Taken off tv. Another push cut short. And so we end up with singles wrestlers teaming together as a makeshift tag team. While Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes are decent performers, I'm not really a fan of them as a team. The fact that getting a decent tag title match on PPV feels so forced because of the PPV theme, where the selling point is EVERY title must be defended, should be enough for WWE creative to take a hard look at their current handling of teams and find a way to make the division work.
Prediction: Hard to tell with no opponents announced. While it may seem obvious that the Harts will retain, a last minute decision or surprise opponents can change things completely around. While I'm really not sure on this one, I feel safe to say the champs will probably keep the new belts anyway.
And onto the main events:
World Heavyweight Championship: Kane (c) vs. Undertaker
While I was very happy when Kane finally got some recognition and won the title at Money in the Bank, I'm not so sure I like the fact that he's being set up for an immediate loss to the Undertaker. I was iffy at the start of the whole storyline when Undertaker was first "attacked" this May and put into an unresponsive state. I thought it would have just been easier to tell the fans about Undertaker's legitimate injury, name a replacement, and move on. However, they decided to revisit the whole Brothers of Destruction saga hat began way back in 1997. While I eventually got tired of Kane's vows of revenge each week after, that all changed when he began delivering the best promos of his career. Undertaker's injury turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for Kane's career. He was rewarded for his longetivity and ability to still carry a match fairly well. I like how they have been portraying Kane as finally having an advantage over his more powerful older brother, and thus making a once stale feud fresh again with a new spark. A 2010 match between these two shoulddefinitely be interesting if not entertaining.
Prediction: Kane keeps the title by being one step ahead of his brother psychologically, leading into a rematch at Hell In a Cell, Undertaker's match of choice, where he finally reclaims the championship.
WWE Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Wade Barrett - "Six Pack Elimination Challenge"
Raw's WWE Title scene continues to be interesting. While there is way too much storyline wise to analyze in full right here, we'll take into account recent developments to best predict how this one may turn out. With sx men, this is no easy task. Unless there is a major change of events, however, Chris Jericho can be ruled out as a winner. As of tonight he has still not signed a contract extension, and he will likely be taking some time off to tour with his band Fozzy. I don't believe Barrett is ready for a title run either. While Nexus will probably come into play during the match, I don't think he will come out on top. Edge doesn't seem a likely candidate either considering his recent storyline actions. So then there were three. For some reason, I just don't feel the WWE putting the belt back on Cena for a tenth time. It doesn't seem the smartest choice considering how hot Orton has been lately. So therefore I believe the odds are greatest with the remaining two men. If Sheamus does not somehow retain, Randy Orton will be the man to take it off of him. With his current popularity, it wouldn't be wise from a business standpoint to have this any other way. Then again, what do I know about booking when it comes to the six biggest stars on Raw?
Prediction: Randy Orton wins the WWE Championship, leading to a rematch with Sheamus at Hell In a Cell. Otherwise, Sheamus retains and defends against Orton in the cell.
So there you have it, my analysis and predictions for tonight's live Night of Champions PPV. Of course many will disagree with me, but these are just predictions based on my opinion as a fan and ability to call this stuff after over a decade. Come after tonight, we shall see just how strong these wind up being. Until then, this has been another edition of Ringside Reflections. Thanks for reading!
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