Night of Champions Hits and Misses:
Night of Champions Hits:
Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan: Match of the night, although not a great main event. A surprising ending for sure, with Bryan winning with the running knee. I imagine the fast count from referee Scott Armstrong will come into play tonight on Raw, but it was a pleasant surprise Bryan was given a "moment" rather then HHH coming out to re-start the match or strip the title. I wondered in my predictions if having Orton and Bryan trade the belt back and forth like Orton/Cena did in 2009, and it's certainly a possibility. Bryan and Orton work very well together, and this was no different. A solid match overall, but not a great main event.
***1/2.
CM Punk vs. Curtis Axel/Paul Heyman: I'll give WWE credit: They had me believing that the no-DQ stipulation was so that Punk could beat the crap out of Heyman, but instead, they used it to introduce a new "Paul Heyman guy" in Ryback. Someone on this site questioned what Punk would be doing next, and I think we got our answer. This match played out the way it should, with a tired Axel wrestling his second match of the night, and falling to the better wrestler. Punk beat up Heyman enough that fans who paid to see it could feel somewhat satisfied, at least, but also kept the feud going nicely. It will be interesting to see what Heyman does for Ryback.
***
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler: I one thought Seth Rollins was the best worker of the members of the Shield, but Ambrose has shown himself since his match with Undertaker to be an excellent worker with high upside. He and Ziggler had a very good match that while inconsequential, was nicely paced and gave Dean a credible single's victory over a former World Champion. I don't like he and Axel both using the Bulldog Driver as a finisher, but it's a minor complaint. Good stuff here.
**3/4.
Rob Van Dam vs. Alberto Del Rio: GOod match, poor ending. Del Rio got his comeuppance for being DQ'd when RVD hit the Van Terminator, but it was apparent by the build, or lack thereof, that they weren't going to switch the title. Apparently they wanted to protect Van Dam for a rematch as well, but Del Rio to break a five-count was probably the weakest way to do it. Good, but nothing one would
need to see again.
**1/2.
Night of Champions Misses:
Overall Show: For those who complain about John Cena and "part-timers", well, here's your result when Cena is hurt and none of the part-timers are on the card. The lack of depth on the roster due to injuries(Cena, Sheamus, Henry, Mysterio and Christian) storylines(Cody Rhodes) and no special attractions lead to a very mediocre PPV. There were some decent moments and good matches, such as Ryback joining Heyman and Bryan defeating Orton for the WWE Title, but the show overall was very lackluster, and even boring at times.
C-
Pre-Show Gauntlet Match: Yes, it was free, so I shouldn't be complaining much, but this was the weakest of the Pre-Show matches that I can recall since they started airing them on the actual show. Three of the five teams have been treated like nothing but jobbers, and the other two, The Usos and The Prime Time Players haven't been elevated enough to present a serious challenge to the Shield.
*1/2.
Opening Segment: When did HHH suddenly become a face? By talking down another heel in Paul Heyman to guaranteeing a lack of interference in the title match, HHH came across as a face and not a heel. Furthermore, I'm not sure why he was attempting to use crowd-pleasing phrases such as "Are You Ready" when he's been fully established as a heel.
Kofi Kingston vs. Curtis Axel: It worked for Ziggler, but I don't believe Axel is ready to wrestle two matches a PPV. The fact that this was impromptu with a random opponent didn't help matters. The match itself had a decent back-and-forth pace, but the match simply served to make Curtis look like a threat heading into his match teaming with Heyman against Punk. As for Kofi, he appears to be stuck in mid-card paradise at this point.
**
No Big Show: He's been such an integral part of the main event storyline that him not appearing on a show that already lacked serious star power made little sense. On one hand, I liked that HHH made the WWE Title match between just Bryan and Orton. On the other, every other major player in the 'Best For Business' storyline was on the show in some way, and I can't help but think they could have found a reason for him to be on the show, even if just to make a backstage appearance.
The Miz vs. Fandango: A match that had no business being on PPV, and wouldn't feel special on Raw either. They've essentially built a feud on walking out and matches and Miz mimicking Fandango, and the ring work was incredibly sloppy. Miz has been a failure as a babyface, and Fandango has slipped to jobber status since beating Jericho at Mania.
*1/4.
The Prime Time Players vs. The Shield: Too short to matter, and no feud has developed between the two teams. This could work long-term, and the PTP could provide a threat, but there was no doubt who was winning this match. A decent buffer between Ambrose/Ziggler and Orton/Bryan, but it felt extremely rushed. *3/4.
I thought they completely messed up with Bryan and Orton. They should of had a screwy ending with Orton winning not Bryan. DB chase to regain the title should have been longer.
I think this is going to be another angle that does screw with Bryan more, trying to break his resolve. I don't think it's a coincidence that HHH made the order that
noone gets involved, and we had a ref bump, and then the first ref came back from the bump and counted a quick three.
Don't be surprised if it is revealed he was "ordered to" by HHH, and Bryan is stripped of the title once again.
Also, Triple H acting like an asshole for weeks and now all of a sudden he wants a fair fight between Orton and Bryan was odd. Obviously I have to wait to see what happen on Raw, but I'm not sure I like the direction this is going in.
I found this an odd segment as well. I'll reserve judgment until after Raw tonight, but it just seems like something is fishy, and based upon what HHH said in his promo, Bryan isn't going to hold the title for very long.
These mind-screws that WWE tries to play with the audience are exactly why authority figures should be done away with.
