Now that I'm a member of Wrestlingfigs, I finally get to do this on a public forum for all to see. Tonight, WWE presents their sixth annual Night of Champions event, where every current championship in the company will be defended. This is one of the very few gimmick PPVs that has lasted as long as it has. We have a very nice card here that has been overshadowed by lazy booking, but we may witness one of the best pay-per-views of 2012 tonight. The event will emanate from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. I will predict each match from least important to most important, and some final thoughts for good measure. If reception bodes well, Inside The WWE will become a permanent fixture on Wrestlingfigs. OK, as Nickelodeon used to say, we're ready and rearing to go!!!!
United States Championship-Antonio Cesaro vs. TBD (challenger will be determined via a pre-show battle royal 30 minutes before the event on WWE.com, WWE's official YouTube and Facebook pages)Cesaro has a lot of potential to become a star in WWE. He can wrestle, is very smooth on the mic and has some very tasty eye candy in Aksana. However, this match will determine whether Cesaro is good enough for the fans' liking. I don't like how WWE is taking the fail-safe method by giving Cesaro a random challenger, but with the way the midcard titles have been treated over the years, this shouldn't come off as a shocker. The number of guys in the battle royal is uncertain, so anyone could win this match.
The favorite right now is Brodus Clay. If anything, Clay will dominate the battle royal, come close to beating Cesaro later and get cheated out of the title. As much as I enjoy Clay's character, he isn't championship material and WWE will miss out on a great match. A better choice would be Ryback. He is a favorite of Vince McMahon, the fans are finally warming up to him and his character has greatly improved since the Skip Sheffield debacle. If Ryback does win, he'll have to beat Cesaro. Since it wouldn't make any sense for Cesaro to drop the title so quickly after winning it, it can't be him. I don't want Santino Marella to take it. He's lost to Cesaro four times already (half those matches were for the title) and that feud won't do anything for either of them except turn The Cobra into a horny heel. Zack Ryder would be a great choice, but unless this means he'll be getting much more than his 15 minutes of fame, forget it. Christian is injured, and even if he wasn't, him winning would be too similar to Over The Limit, and when you count out all heels, that leaves Tyson Kidd. He is talented, young, and the perfect fit for the United States Championship. However, he and Justin Gabriel are in a tag-team, and I don't want Kidd to win only to lose to Cesaro. He has too much potential for that. You know what, put my money on Ted DiBiase. He could finally return from injury, beat Cesaro (it would make more sense than Ryback) and then have a great feud for the title that'll help elevate both men. If that doesn't happen, it can always be my first scenario.
PREDICTION: Ted DiBiase (DiBiase wins the United States Championship later on tonight)Diva's Championship-Layla vs. KaitlynI have not cared about the diva's division for a very long time now, and after hearing that the wrong woman won the opportunity to face Layla, it says a lot about how much WWE cares about it. Layla can hold her own in the ring, but I'm not so sure about Kaitlyn. She isn't ready for this match and will prove that tonight. If there is any reason fans should give a damn, it's Eve Torres. She was supposed to face Layla originally, she won NBC's Stars Earn Stripes competition, and her nice act has gotten over well. Eve has steadily become more interesting as a heel, and she can only go up from this point forward. If I were a bookie, Eve would be inserted into the match, she'd win the title, and feud with Layla. Everyone keeps saying either Layla or Kaitlyn will turn heel tonight or in the near future, but don't hold your breath.
PREDICTION: Eve (she'll be added to the match and it'll turn into a Triple Threat)Intercontinental Championship-The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Sin CaraMuch like the U.S. title match, this one also suffers from poor booking. This match was only announced two days ago!!! As champion, Miz needs a long-term feud and could get one tonight. It looks like Rhodes is the one who is set to feud with Miz based on what happened on RAW Monday. Miz may end up turning face by the end of it all thanks to Rhodes. As for who will win tonight, who but Miz? Mysterio and Cara are tagging together right now and shouldn't be feuding until WrestleMania season. With that in mind, expect a good, fast-paced match with Miz retaining and Rhodes as his next opponent.
PREDICTION: The MizWWE Tag-Team Championship-Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. Team Friendship (Daniel Bryan and Kane; or Kane and Daniel Bryan, depending on your preference)The tag-team division may get a serious resurrection tonight. The duo of Bryan and Kane makes good entertainment, as the anger management skits have been well-received and the dynamic between them works on many levels. WWE is obviously listening to the fans and critics and making Bryan and Kane a tag-team. With Dr. Shelby as their manager, these two could become the hottest act in wrestling today. As for the champs, that place should've been given to someone else a long time ago. Before AW's release, the Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) were obviously being positioned to take the straps. Without their witty mouthpiece, the Prime Time Players are as dry as a lead balloon eating bran flakes. Kingston and Truth do nothing for the titles anymore and it's high time they go to somebody who could make a change in the division. This match will be as much as 10 minutes and Team Friendship will prevail, signifying a new era in tag-team wrestling.
PREDICTION: Team FriendshipRandy Orton vs. Dolph ZigglerThis is the match that will determine whether Ziggler is a bona fide World Heavyweight Champion or a hapless midcarder doomed to lose his MITB briefcase. With Orton set to begin filiming 12 Rounds: Reloaded soon, Ziggler must take advantage of that and send him packing the way he did with Chris Jericho. This will be the match of the night, as talent comes to both men naturally. Vickie Guerrero might interfere, but hopefully the match isn't hindered by that. Ziggler should cash in tonight, but due to recent developments, that might not happen. On SmackDown Friday, Orton let it slip that his match with Ziggler will take place after the World Heavyweight Championship match. I don't care if Orton/Ziggler becomes the main event. On a night where champions (and their championships) are celebrated, it makes sense for WWE to coronate their next big champion in Ziggler. There's even the possibility that Ziggler cashes in successfully and Orton becomes his first title defense. Either way, Orton's going down tonight.
PREDICTION: Dolph ZigglerWorld Heavyweight Championship-Sheamus vs. Alberto Del RioIf Tensai gets the next title shot, it won't matter to me. At least that'll be better than Del Rio. Since WrestleMania XXVIII, these two have wrestled each other four times counting tonight (three times out of four it was on PPV) and if it wasn't for what happened at Over The Limit and No Way Out, that figure would've increased to six. No one cares to see these two compete anymore, and now some blame is being placed on Sheamus for no reason. The story here is that Del Rio has gotten the Brogue Kick banned until further notice, but I don't think that'll stop Sheamus. He has White Noise, the Celtic Cross (which hasn't been used in ages) and more recently, the Texas Cloverleaf. By contrast, Del Rio just has the Cross Armbreaker. Sheamus will win tonight, as it's time for both men to move on to bigger and better things. As for who Sheamus' next opponent will be (assuming Ziggler doesn't cash in) it has to be Wade Barrett. He is the perfect fit for a feud with Sheamus and their brawling styles will make great matches at Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series. Especially Hell in a Cell. Besides, Barrett said that squash matches don't interest him in the slightest, so hopefully he plans to remedy the situation. Maybe Barrett will attack Sheamus after his match, Ziggler will attack Barrett, cash in the blue briefcase and become the new World Heavyweight Champion. All three men can then feud with each other. You know what, go with that.
PREDICTION: Sheamus (Wade Barrett will attack him after the match, which will lead to Dolph Ziggler cashing in Money in the Bank and winning the World Heavyweight Championship)WWE Championship-CM Punk vs. John CenaFor those not in the know, Cena will debut new pink attire tonight in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and his younger brother Sean, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last November. WWE is teaming up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help raise awareness for victims and fatalities of breast cancer. The style is basically just like Cena's current green attire, but the T-shirt has a black background, the armbands are pink, the cap is pink, and the "Rise Above Hate" logo is pink. The new slogan is "Rise Above Cancer," which is also on the cap. Cena will wear these new digs through next month, at which point he'll go green again or debut an entirely new attire. Class act from a classy guy.
Now, let's get to the match. This, without a doubt, will close the show and is the most anticipated. I was sold on this match for quite a while, and that excellent promo by Cena on Monday only furthered that sentiment. Let me tell you one thing: I do NOT like Punk's current heel turn. At first glance, I thought he was going to breathe new life into his character (which has gotten noticeably stale) and recapture the lightning in the bottle he was struck with last summer. But all he turned into was a typical heel who bitches and moans for respect and attacks faces. And the worst part about Punk's heel turn is that no matter what nasty thing he does or says, the fans still cheer him!!!! One reason why "Stone Cold" Steve Austin failed as a heel was because he was far too predictable and became a whiny, cowardly little diva. And he only beat down certain people. Even Austin admitted it failed. As a heel, if you like them, boo them. This means they're doing their job well and making you hate them. Punk has failed to do that in any city he's been in. Montreal doesn't count because Bret "The Hitman" Hart is a local hero there. Punk not only needs to beat Cena tonight, but establish his position as WWE's top heel.
At first, I thought Cena would win cleanly, due to the event being in Boston (which is close to Cena's hometown of West Newbury, Massachusetts). Now, with recent circumstances, that isn't happening. Cena has no home-field advantage, because despite him being the most honest, heartfelt, and selfless guy you'll ever meet, the fans hate him for that. He gets a mixed reaction of "Let's go Cena!!" and "Cena sucks!!" in every city he goes to, and despite it being Boston, it won't matter at all. Punk will also get a mixed reaction, and that doesn't sound good, especially when Cena is supposed to be the hometown babyface. There are also too many intangibles that Punk has. Paul Heyman might interfere, Big Show might cost Cena the title, or Brock Lesnar could return and destroy Cena. As for the match, expect it to be a near-classic. Punk will be Punk as usual, and Cena will step his game up a notch. Anyone who thinks Cena can't wrestle is pathetic. Cena has had good-to-great matches with a lot of guys on the roster, and his two WWE Championship matches with The Great Khali in 2007 went over pretty well with fans and critics alike. If you can make Khali look good, you're a good wrestler. The finish will go down like this. Cena has Punk trapped in the STF, flashbulbs pop as a new WWE Champion might be crowned, when a clean-shaven Big Show makes his return to the company. Big Show attacks Cena and Punk loses by disqualification, but retains his title on the Champion's Advantage. Punk, Show, and Heyman assault Cena and a new alliance is born between all three men. Lesnar might return instead, but considering the circumstances, it makes more logic for Show to join Punk and Heyman. There is also the possibility that a new WWE Championship belt will be unveiled, but who really has been talking about that lately?
PREDICTION: CM Punk by disqualificationFINAL THOUGHTS: As long as WWE sees what a nice card they have, Night of Champions will end up being a really fun show. My sincerest thoughts go to Jerry "The King" Lawler, who is currently recovering after that heart attack on RAW Monday. As for who will replace him until his return, it'll be a true wrestling god. According to F4WOnline.com, John Bradshaw Layfield (better known as JBL) was contacted by WWE and agreed to work tonight's PPV and tomorrow's RAW with Cole. This will be fun, as Cole and JBL were the tops together during their time on SmackDown! from 2006-2007. With JBL planning to climb Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro as part of his Seven Summits climbing excursion later this month, this relationship might be for two shows only. Hopefully, JBL works with WWE on commentary until he goes to Africa.