Night of Champions Preview

WWE Title Match: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio

One of the reasons Alberto Del Rio got the title was for WWE’s live Raw shows in Mexico next month. I don’t think he’ll be losing the belt before then and this angle could definitely still have a lot of life to it even going into Survivor Series. I expect Del Rio to retain the title in some controversial ending and for Cena to demand a rematch at Hell in the Cell next month.

World Heavyweight Title Match: Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton

Mark Henry has done a great job of taking the ball and running with it on his latest push. He is very believable as a monster on a warpath letting nobody stop him on his quest for the title. I think Night of Champions will finally be Mark Henry’s time and he will win the World Heavyweight Title. Henry has been with the company for almost 15 years and is deserving of getting this shot as he can show that even as a veteran he is versatile in his character and can still get over. Orton as champ has been quite stale recently and it’s always more fun to watch the face chase the heel for the title.

WWE Tag Team Title Match: The Miz & R-Truth vs. Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne

I think this match was one built to give The Miz and R Truth the titles. I really don’t think any of these guys are really being helped by this angle though. Kingston and Bourne are two midcarders the WWE had nothing for. Throwing them together makes for interesting matches but they don’t have the depth of tag teams to face that they need. Miz on the other hand should be competing in the main event scene instead of being relegated to a tag team. Him and R-Truth have made the best of it as they are still entertaining every week and a bright spot on Raw. I think they’ll win the titles and face a few tag teams before inevitably facing each other maybe at Survivor Series.

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Cody Rhodes vs Ted DiBiase

This match was a last minute add-on and I think the WWE has a lot of big plans for Cody Rhodes. He’s been spotlighted on Raw against Orton and headlining Smackdown. His gimmick is maybe one of the better ones in the WWE right now and Cody Rhodes has shown a lot of improvement in his ring work. I think he’s ready to start competing on the Smackdown main event level and maybe dropping the IC belt to Ted DiBiase at Night of Champions will be his first step in that direction.

WWE Divas Title Match: Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly I think Beth Phoenix is a lock to win this match as her team with Natty is the most interesting thing on the divas circuit. Plus Phoenix can actually wrestle which Kelly Kelly can’t. Kelly’s had the belt for a little while now and this makes sense to give it to Beth and freshen up the diva’s division a bit.

WWE United States Title Match: Jack Swagger vs. Alex Riley vs. John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler

This match can go a number of different ways with Riley/Morrison/Ziggler being most likely to win. Ziggler is a great wrestler and his feud with Riley has had a lot of potential. Morrison has been in a lag lately and the US Title might him get him over a bit. I could see Ziggler/Riley cancelling each other out and Morrison walking away with the steal to set up future matches. I’ve been pretty unimpressed with Swagger’s mic work and persona as of late. He’s become pretty forgettable and I have a hard time seeing him walking out of this match as the winner. This match is definitely one to watch though as a lot of different things can happen and each guy could easy steal the show.

No DQ Match: CM Punk vs. Triple H If Punk wins, Triple H must resign as COO.

I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of Kevin Nash and he could very well cost Triple H his COO position by helping Punk to win as revenge for being “fired”. If he interferes on Triple H’s behalf to make Punk lose then I see a Nash/Punk match at Hell in the Cell next month. It’ll be interesting to see how much more steam this angle has from here as it seems like there aren’t too many directions for it to go that could be innovative or creative. Nash is too old and out of shape to put on a good match and Triple H has said he won’t be wrestling much after this match either. I really hope the WWE has a good plan for Punk heading into Wrestlemania as he is the most fun to watch on the show right now but seems to be stuck in a pointless feud.