Night of Champions 2012 Thoughts

So, it turns out I watched a few matches from Night of Champions this morning.  I watched it in reverse, starting with the WWE Championship match.

And what a match it was.  We know, based on their previous matches that these two have great chemistry to make their matches feel huge, and this one was no disappointment.  I was massively looking forward to this, and was slightly worried I'd over-hype it for myself, but fortunately this wasn't the case.  Both men delivered a phenomenal 4.5/5 star match.

Both guys hit their finishers twice, and both men kicked out twice.  They also slapped on both their respective submissions and again both men fought out.  The counters were fantastic which, particularly in the final 10 minutes, saw some fast-paced, dramatic action.  Heyman played his role perfectly, as he didn't take any attention from the match, but his facial expressions helped increase the drama as only he can.

The finish was unexpected, as both men's shoulders were on the mat for the 3 count, resulting in a draw.  I also never expected the super German suplex from Cena, but I marked out for it, because I love the German suplex.  Cena's reaction and Punk's sneak attack with the belt tied this match up in a nice little bow that should see this rivalry continue moving forward.  I'm okay with that as these guys know what they're doing.

I'm not a Cena hater, but I do have my issues as most do, with his overexposure, but the man knows how to main event and, paired with someone of the caliber of CM Punk, you know you're in for a damn good match.

The second match I watched was the Kane/Bryan vs Kofi/Truth match for the Tag titles.  This was awesome, too, but for different reasons.  It wasn't the greatest tag team match you will ever see, but the comedy moments as well as Kane/Bryan's phenomenal chemistry is what made this stand out.  Kane and Bryan are the new tag team champions, because Bryan shoved Kane off the top rope, who in turn splashed Kofi for the 3 count.  That's payback for Kane chokeslamming Bryan for the win on Raw, which is fair enough.  Their argument at the end over who was the Tag Team Champions was fantastic.

I know there was a backstage segment involving them, but unfortunately I didn't get to watch it, as my connection timed out.  I only saw the first few minutes of the Ziggler/Orton match, but I expect that was great as these guys are two of the best workers in the biz.

Results below, with my predictions (I don't usually do well) and reactions to said results.

The Miz (champion) vs Rey Mysterio vs Sin Cara vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship:

I went with Rhodes to win, but Miz retained.  I'm very happy with this, as Miz hasn't had it long, nor has he had much attention with it, since he seems to be the fourth wheel in this 3-way rivalry between the other gents.


Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs Kane and Daniel Bryan (team friendship) for the Tag Team Championship:

Kane and D-Bry retain, as I mentioned further up.  It was pretty reasonable to think that they would.  I didn't know what to think of this Team Friendship between Kane and D-Bry, as I was worried about other legit tag teams being left out.  But, after the Anger Management skits, as well as their in-ring chemistry, I am totally sold.  I'd love to see D-Bry in the main event again, but if this keeps up, I'm perfectly happy for him to stay where he is for the time being.


Antonio Cesaro (champion) vs Zack Ryder for the United States Championship:

I've stated before that I don't particularly care for the US belt.  The WWE hasn't really helped that, so my prediction here was Cesaro to retain (which he did) so he could build himself, and the Championship up.  I wasn't expecting Ryder to win.  He may be over with the fans, but for whatever reason, the powers that be clearly don't have much faith in him.

Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler:

Randy Orton defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain.. nothing.  That was weird, considering it's Night of Champions and everything must be defended.  Having Ziggler's MITB briefcase up for grabs would've made this interesting and have Ziggler go over Orton since Orton isn't going to be around for a while (filming 12 Rounds: Reloa-zzzzzz).  Also that would've meant my prediction of Ziggler winning would've been right.

Layla (champion) vs Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship:

I prefer Women's Championship but there we go.  I guessed Layla would retain since I still think Kaitlyn is ridiculously green.  Of course, that didn't happen because Eve found that Kaitlyn was injured (I wonder how?) so she took her place, and became the new Divas Champion.  I'm okay with that as it actually gives a fairly compelling story.

Sheamus (champion) vs Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship:

I didn't see this match, I wasn't that bothered to be honest.  Sheamus retained the belt as I guessed.  Fairly easy one.  Hopefully this is the last Sheamus/ADR match.  Not much else to say.  This had the strongest story going in, in my opinion but I hope it can be put to bed now.  Let's move on.

CM Punk (champion) vs John Cena for the WWE Championship:

I've already written my thoughts on this, but I predicted Cena would win.  I'm very happy that Punk walked away and hope he can keep hold of it until at least the Royal Rumble to take on The Rock.  This makes Punk even more compelling for me, for the same reasons The Miz was when he was Champion.  Because Punk has held the title for so long, you would expect him to drop it very, very soon.  Hopefully they can drag this out for the rest of the year.  I'd be perfectly happy with that.

Anyway, they're my NOC thoughts.  But what did you think?  If you made it this far through the ramblings, you're strong in spirit, and I thank you.  Raw Review will be up tomorrow at some point. Follow @jbrinkleyreview