It has been quite a while since WWE champions were all heels. Off the top of my head, I don't recall when the last time was.
Like I said or alluded to in a couple of the NOC match threads in the ppv section, I don't expect any of the champs associated with Triple H & The McMahons to drop their straps at NOC. I believe they'll all manage to retain their titles, most likely in some sort of controversial fashion. After all, since they're all associates of the WWE's current power structure in this angle, they're going to want this power structure to seem very formidable in actual match situations. They don't want to come off as a bunch of scrubs who can't get the job done apart from beating someone down when it's 4 against 1. That's what TNA did with Aces & Eights from the beginning and it's made them the weakest "major threat" the company has gone up against.
The centerpiece, of course, will be Orton vs. Bryan. The key here, in my opinion, is to make both Orton & Bryan look strong while not derailing Bryan's momentum. People want to see Daniel Bryan overcome the odds and take the WWE Championship back. After NOC, the story will be Bryan managing to get past the overwhelming odds against him to earn another WWE Championship shot against Orton. I might be wrong, but I believe what the numbers for Raw show in the next several weeks after the return of Monday Night Football could influence their decision. If WWE panics, they might decide to push the button on Bryan regaining the title at NOC. However, as with Punk last year, I think WWE will stand firmly behind Bryan and he'll be given the time necessary for fans to see that he's not just being used as a placeholder for Cena. I think there's a real possibility of Orton dropping the title to Bryan at HIAC, then having a rematch at Survivor Series and possibly a final blow off to their feud come TLC.
As for The Shield, again, I don't see them losing at Night of Champions. Indications are that, at least, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz will be the ones to come to the aid of Bryan in the near future. I'm saying this only due to the fact that Renee Young seemed to single them out for an interview and that Ziggler & Show both had handicap matches against The Shield. Mark Henry could be part of it, as Show stated that he & Henry were teaming to go after the tag titles. Maybe that idea has been nixed or something? Since The Miz LOOKS to be either a part of this or about to become part of this, I could see him reforming his partnership with Show as Show-Miz to go after Rollins & Reigns while Ziggler goes after Ambrose for the US title.
As for Curtis Axel, it's difficult to say. I ultimately don't see his handicap match with Heyman as his partner against Punk being for the IC title. Thus far, the IC title being on the line hasn't been mentioned so, I'm assuming, that it isn't on the line. It seems that this angle & match is all being set up just so that Punk can get his hands on Heyman. Therefore, I see Axel getting pinned by Punk and eliminated, thus unable to help Heyman out.
As for AJ Lee, I thought she did a great job on the mic this past Monday. If WWE wanted to ultimately bury the Total Diva cast as an insult to wrestling, then mission accomplished. If they truly believed that fans would rally behind them due to AJ's insults, then Vince McMahon is so far out of touch with how most fans feel about the Divas as a whole that it's downright scary. Unfortunately for AJ, and the rest of us who enjoy seeing a woman with the Divas Championship that's hot, charismatic, loaded with personality & genuine ability inside the ring, I see this leading to her dropping the Divas Championship to one of the Total Diva cast members.
As for Del Rio, I expect him to either flat out retain against Rob Van Dam or RVD to win the strap, only for Damien Sandow to successfully cash in his MITB contract almost immediately afterward. I could be wrong, but I'm expecting it to be the latter. Also, like I've pointed out in some other posts, the reports on RVD's deal with WWE state that he's taking time off after 90 days so, as a result, the likelihood of him having a genuine WHC run is pretty much zero. Sandow cashing in on him, however, gives Sandow an over babyface and high profile star to feud with until RVD's hiatus. Del Rio himself will probably be in the mix as well. The chief reason I'm expecting Sandow to cash in is that WWE is employing the tired formula of tearing him down to build him back up. Vince absolutely LOVES to do this with the WHC MITB winner and, if I'm not mistaken, the only match Sandow has won since winning the briefcase was on Main Event a few weeks back where he defeated Justin Gabriel.
