The best things come in life when you least expect them.
When it comes to WWE B-Shows, i find myself conditioned not to get my hope up with regards to watching something memorable/significant. Sure, one of my favourite PPVs of all time was last year's Money in the Bank from Chicago and THAT was a B-Show. However, events like that come once in a blue moon. Gone are the days when each of the 12 PPVs of the year provide the fans with a compelling card that screams "watch me now, or miss out on something special".
Even though the WWE Championship program had a stellar "Go-Home" segment on the 10/09 edition of RAW, this "don't expect anything mentality" stayed with me on the week leading up to the PPV. On paper, Night of Champions showed some promise with three main events that - although we had seen them plenty of times in the last few months - could provide audiences with some compelling wrestling action if given enough time. The undercard was there and looked to ultimately suffer from a lack of attention and lack of build (with the exceptions being the small attention given to the Divas/Tag team title program). Although it boggled my mind as to WHY it took WWE until Friday to advertise the complete Night of Champions card, I hoped - as i sat down to watch yet another WWE PPV - that the promotion that i have been watching since e i was 11 could surprise me one more time.
Like i said, the best things come in life when you least expect them.
By the time the final image of Paul Heyman chanting the phrase "You're the Best in the World! " to C.M Punk faded into WWE's traditional concluding logo, i was a surprised and content pro-wrestling fan. This was a great wrestling-heavy PPV that was - like Summerslam- light on angles and more focused on strong, lengthy grappling contests. Each match was given the perfect amount of time, depending on its place on the card, with the WWE Championship match peaking at 27 minutes. From a booking perspective going forward, there were no drastic/ illogical winners and generally everyone came out better than they came into this event. Furthermore, with a focused emphasis on wrestling, the inclusion of JBL to replace Jerry 'The King Lawler' was, with all due respect, a much better choice than some. Sure, his historical lessons left something to be desired (ie i didn't know that Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio were both former AAA World Champions???), but his passion combined with grounding his comments in an 'old-school' theology made for some very effective commentary
With all that said, granted, this was not the best PPV of WWE's calender year. Not even close. What it was was an example of how WWE B-Shows should always aim to be: a PPV that comes after one of WWE's "Big 4" that provides the fans with matches you cannot see anywhere else but on PPV and an event that ensures everyone gets their $45 worth with respect to entertainment. It wasn't the most flashy of WWE PPVs, but Night of Champions was something i was definitely glad i witnessed.
So, without further ado, lets see what made WWE Night of Champions 2012 tick.....
Match Results:
# 1: Fatal 4-Way Match for the Intercontinental Championship
The Miz (c)
def
Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio, & Cody Rhodes to retain his Intercontinental Championship
Rating: **
- As an opener, this was the most logical of matches to get the fans excited for the night's festivities: a match lacking in build, but having enough talent to put on a solid contest. In execution however, it lacked polish and finesse.
- Early minutes of the match looked sloppy as Cara's offence left the crowd cold w/ little to no reaction. Definitely not what you want from a superstar that will look to take over Mysterio's spot on the roster some day. More insightful booking is needed to get Cara where he needs to be.
- Mid- match action saw Rhodes and Miz attempt some "on-the-fly" spots (such as an awkward "one-upsmanship" sequence" that made them look lost and confused as what to do next.) With a Rey vs Cara tease that lasted only about 20 seconds before this, i began to have low hopes for this one.
- With Boston weirdly chanting for Rhodes of all people, finish came together nicely, combining the ariels of Rey/Cara with some exciting offence on the outside. It helped that Rhodes and Rey knew each others arsenal well as every spot involving these two looked great.
- The finish involving Sin Cara's mask worked on two levels: it played into the Rhodes/Cara storyline, giving the feud some conclusion, while making Miz look strong by having the IC Champion hit his "Skull Crushing Finale" even though he was blindfolded. An original and effective finish to an generally disappointing outing from these four. I definitely expected more.
#2: WWE Tag Team Championship
Kane & Daniel Bryan
def
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions
Rating: ** 1/2
- As much as it was a shame to see The Prime Time Players fail once again to capture the Tag Team Championship, Kane/Bryan were, by storyline standards, a logical duo to take on the champs at Night of Champions. A wrestling fan of not even 6 months could tell WWE were heading towards an "unlikely Tag Team Champions" storyline: Truth/Kofi wernt lighting anyone on fire as of late and Bryan/Kane are one of WWEs top acts.
- I appreciated two things early with this match. Firstly, i liked JBL's insistingly putting over Kofi/Truth as a solid tag team, which they have been since pairing in April of this year. Even in dropping a championship, its important to get over a duo so that their stock remains somewhat high going forward. Secondly, I loved the early minutes of the match which focused on Truth/Kofi out wrestling Bryan/Kane early. This made a whole lot of sense as, in reality, Truth/Kofi would naturally dominate a makeshift team such as Bryan/Kane, especially if they aren't getting along.
- The match build to all the expected spots, such as the "hug it out"sequence and a real nice "babyface on fire" series of spots from Kofi (which, unfortunately, never caught on with the pro-Bryan/Kane crowd). While it seems odd that, in their quest to become Tag Team Champions, Kane/Bryan would suddenly stop to hug, Boston LOVED this almost as much as anything on the show. In my perspective, most of this love is directed towards Daniel Bryan: a bonafide superstar in the making.
- Finish came off a bit clunky as Bryan threw Kane off the turnbuckle onto Kofi for a surprising 3-count. Yes, the right team won, but i would of preferred a more crisp/decisive/original finish than one that made Kofi look like a guy who couldn't kick out of a middle-rope splash. The "I am the Tag Team Champions" post-match screaming became overkill in a hurry. Going forward, i hope this is NOT going to be the tag line of the team. It comes across as forced and not funny after 5 times!
#3: United States Championship
Antonio Ceasaro (c)
def
Zack Ryder to retain his United States Championship
Rating: **
- After a solid recap of the history of the United States Championship via JBL and Michael Cole, we were treated to Ceasaro's longest televised match in WWE. In short, he provided the fans with a simple, well-executed bout that didn't hurt either man once the bell rang.
- Ceasaro, combined with his "5 languages" gimmick, is getting over more and more evety time he steps into the ring. At Night of Champions, he showcased his ROH background with varied offence that looked painful and fluid: two essential elements to any pro-wrestlers presentation.
- Ryder sold well for Ceasaro. However, like with most matches involving "Long Island Iced-Z", nobody saw him as a credible opponent that could beat the US Champion, which hurt the match. This is the problem with WWE's massive mid-card at the moment: everyone is remaining stagnant and no body wants to risk giving some new babyfaces a proper chance to shine. The end result is a lack luster reaction for a guy who knows how to work.
- Match built to a nice finish that saw the heel be a heel (Ceasaro avoids the "Broski Boot" due to Aksana pulling her man out of the way) and the babyface being the babyface (Ryder, not backing down, chased Ceasaro to the outside, where he was blindsided, then pinned after the "Neutraliser" Cradle Piledriver). Simple, effective pro-wrestling.
#4: Randy Orton
def
Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero
Rating: *** 3/4
- Lets get the massive negative out of the way first: Dolph Ziggler looses again. Why? I don't know. Are they ribbing us "hardcore"fans because they know we want him to be somewhere where he is currently not? No. Like i hear all the time, WWE have a plan with Ziggler. Yes, Ziggler will get 'there' eventually. No doubt. Whether he will be in a good place booking-wise once he gets there is another story. I've said it before and ill say it again: you can only play the "upcoming heel took the Main Event babyface to the limit" card so many times until it becomes a running joke. Currently, i take Ziggler's many losses as one of those jokes.
- If we consider this match as a stand alone bout that we haven't seen before, its hard not to consider this bout as a stellar contest. Sure, the specialness of this match was tainted by its many previous reincarnations over the last few months. However, unsurprisingly, Ziggler had his game face on at Night of Champions, strutting around like a bonafide superstar. Orton, as usual, matched move for move with "The Show Off" throughout in an almost effortless manner. In short, the end result was a memorable outing for two of WWE's best.
- While Boston showed themselves as a pro-Ziggler crowd, i finally understood the role of Vickie as Ziggler's manager. The only reason Ziggler hasn't dropped Vickie is because WWE need Ziggler to remain a heel. Vickie is heel heat personified. Regardless of how Ziggler would drop Vickie as his manager, she would still be booed and Ziggler would ultimately be cheered for his decision. Does WWE's insecurity surrounding Ziggler's status merit Vickie continually detracting from Ziggler's matches? Absolutely not. At Night of Champions, her constant shrieking went against every unwritten law that relates to the role of a manager/valet in pro-wrestling: stay relevant, but don't draw ultimate attention to your self. However, going forward, i predict Vickie will remain where she is until fans stop cheering for the 'Show Off". Shame!
- Mid- Match action felt a tad flat as Ziggler went to his Sleeper Hold numerous times and lost the crowd for a bit. Thankfully, Orton is a master of picking up the pace when needed. Furthermore, the perfectly executed near falls involving both men built to a finish where the words "evently matched" were truly spoken. The Fameasser, Draping DDT on the outside and the eventual Flapjack into an RKO by Orton lead to a conclusion that sent Boston into a frenzy. For a moment after the 3-count, it didn't matter that Ziggler lost. The only thing that did was that Orton and Ziggler just had an awesome contest.
#5 Divas Championship
Eve
def
Layla (c) to become the new Divas Champion
Rating: 3/4 *
- The less time spent on this match, the better. The only positive to come out of this title match was that Eve won the title. Eve is hands down the best female wrestler in WWE today. As a smarmy babyface, she comes across as interesting and likable. Unfortunately, i cant say much for the rest of the division. Also, it should be noted that it was nice to have this title win continue a fairly interesting storyline: was Eve winning the championship her plan all along?
- As far as the match goes, it was not good! Why 3/4s of this match centred around eve applying Body Scissors on Layla is beyond me. In the context of fans caring about Layla as a fighting babyface, this continual submission hold would of worked. However, this is a Divas match in 2012. A very small minority of fans pay to see these ladies wrestle. Thus, very few fans are traditionally invested in Layla and Eve. If anything, this is the kind of match u attempt to make into a spot fest. Have the ladies fly around the ring in an attempt to make the audience care again. While the match was barely ok, Boston did not care, so i found it hard to care myself. A filler match if i ever saw one.
#5: World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus (c)
def
Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodriquez & David Otunga)
Rating: *** 1/2
- While it was borderline ridiculous to have Booker T come out and "reinstate" the Brogue Kick before the match (you would think to let the match build to a dramatic climax, THEN have Booker come out and give Sheamus back his finishing move), Sheamus and Del Rio gave the fans yet another great match that made me legitimately think ADR was going to be crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion.
- Like the Ziggler/Orton match, Sheamus/ADR suffered from over exposure. This was the 3rd time we had seen ADR attempt and fail to capture the World Title on a WWE PPV. Unfrotunally, this lead to a mid-match that felt rinsed and repeated. There is no body in WWE who works on a body part like ADR. However, it was hard to fully engage in something we had seen multiple times before.
- The finish, however, was a different story. Sheamus always has great fire when it comes to his comebacks and it is hard not to get behind him. The work done on Sheamus' arm came full circle as ADR locked in his Cross Armbar multiple times in the dying minutes of the match. Due to some slick reversals and continuous emphasis on Sheamus' bad arm, i couldn't help but think Sheamus was about to tap out in Boston.
- Like the Ziggler/Orton match, if we treat this World Title match as a stand alone contest, this was a fantastic match. The multiple storylines involving Sheamus' bad arm and The Brogue Kick becoming legal came together in an electric finish. Going forward however, it is going to be hard to treat ADR as a legitimate World Title contender. Sure, he looked deadly at Night of Champions. But i have seen him in this same situation for 3 consecutive PPVs.
#6: WWE Championship
C.M Punk (w/ Paul Heyman)
&
John Cena wrestled to a draw (double pin)
Rating: **** 1/4
- Ive said it before and ill say it again: C.M Punk and John Cena bring the best out of each other. It was evident on the "go home" edition of RAW and it was sure as hell evident during the Night of Champions main event. These guys know each other so well and because of that, we were treated to an epic battle that worked over time on drilling one fact home: The WWE Championship is the most important title in WWE. Justin Robert's ring introductions combined with Punk holding his Championship Belt high in defiance before the opening bell made this match feel important and massive at the same time.
- At first, i was a tad disheartened by the pace early. Things were going way too slow and it felt as though there was a lack of direction. Little did i know we were about to witness a 27-minute classic. A note to all wrestling fans (such as myself!): Be patient with your wrestling!
- Throughout the body of this match, i was entertained by two things: the action inside the ring, and Paul Heyman's facials on the outside. Heyman was PERFECT in his role as Punk's cheerleader and stood as a shinning example of what a manager should be doing on the outside. Sure, his many years in WCW as Paul. E Dangerously helped him hone his craft. But it is because of this experience he is able to enhance the action in the ring without drawing all the attention to himself. all it takes is an intense stare or a hand on the face to elict a reaction. I also loved his pre-match promo which smartly established Punk as the overwhelming heel in the upcoming contest. As it stands, Heyman's involvement with Punk has been expertly handled and i look forward to seeing their relationship evolve.
- As for the rest of the match, it was a roller coaster of epic near falls and creative reversals. Both Punk's GTS and Cena's AA were kicked out of repeatedly and I especially loved how Punk and Cena continually worked around Cena's Five Knuckle Shuffle. This move lead to so many awesome moments (ie into the STF, Anaconda Vice, Axe Kick etc). All these elements made for a finish that had me and the crowd chanting "This Is Awesome". Wrestling is its best when it is like this: two guys in the middle of the ring and you have no idea who is going to pull out the 'W'.
- The double pin, in any other circumstance, would of been a major cop out to the paying audience. However, in the context of the storyline, it was the only finish possible. It would of been way too early to have Punk loose to Cena and vice versa. Considering the double pin was a viable call to make in the context of a wrestling match, the finish was logical. Furthermore, in the context of Punk being a heel who is looking to survive as long as he can as WWE Champion, having him weasel out of a loss against Cena was reminiscent of Ric Flair back in the 80's. Fans booed as Punk took out Cena with a belt shot and salivated over the eventual fall of 'their' WWE Champion in the future. In short, a perfect finish to a classic WWE Championship main event.
Thanks for reading folks!
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