Night of Champions Predictions

Pre-Show Battle Royal with winner facing Antonio Cesaro for the United States Championship

 

This match is a tough one to predict. First, you need to figure out who is going to win the battle royal. I have narrowed down my ideas to a few superstars. First of all Santino Marella has been feuding with Cesaro for a while now, since he lost the title to him. I feel that Marella is a safe choice to choose who the winner is. Brodus Clay, Ryback, and Zack Ryder are all valid choices, too. I am going to say that Ryback will not be in the battle royal. They will not want to hand him his first loss and I think that it is too early to give him a belt. He needs some more character development first. Brodus Clay could get a huge jump up the ranks if he could participate in his first title match, but I do not think that will happen. Lastly, Zack Ryder has been winning matches and looks like he could be next in line for a title shot. I am going to take the safe route and say that Santino Marella wins the battle royal. 

So, now it is Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro for the United States Championship. They have been feuding lately and this could be the match that finally puts the feud to an end. I think it would be foolish to take the belt off of Cesaro so early, if they want him to be a competitor for years to come. Santino is over, whether he is the champion or not. I think that Antonio Cesaro will retain his title. 

Layla vs. Kaitlyn for the Diva's Championship

This may be the easiest match to predict on the card. The rumor is that Kaitlyn was not even suppose to win the battle royal for this spot in the match. I do not know if that is true or not. No one from WWE has admitted the botch. I think that Kaitlyn is not the answer the WWE needs for a dieing Diva's division. They need a new top star, and Kaitlyn is not it. So my vote for this match is going to go to Layla.

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan for the WWE Tag Team Championships

  

I'm glad the WWE finally listened to its fans and made Kane and Daniel Bryan a tag team. The question is, "Will Kane and Daniel Bryan be able to succumb to their anger and work as a cohesive unit?" I do not think that they would have taken the Prime Time Players out of the match if Kane and Daniel Bryan were not going to win. In my opinion it looks like the WWE creative team realized how much the fans love the two after their anger management skits. I am going to say that Kane and Daniel Bryan win that titles at Night of Champions.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler

This is an important rubber band match. Orton has won a match and so has Ziggler. The important part here to make sure that Ziggler stays looking strong before he cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase. I think with that reasoning the only logical explanation would be to have Dolph Ziggler win the match.

The Miz vs. Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship

Fatal four ways are always hard to predict. There are so many different routes the creative team can take. They could have the champion retain. They could have the champion get pinned. They could even have the champion lose the title without getting pinned. The great thing about this match is that all the competitors could legitimately win the title on Sunday. The person that I think has the least chance of winning is Sin Cara. He is not getting the backing of the fans that the WWE has been hoping for. Of course, injuries have not helped him any. I also think we are past the time of Rey Mysterio holding very many singles championships. Especially with all of these younger stars on the verge of breaking out. Cody Rhodes did so much for the Intercontinental title last year and early this year, but I do not think that it is his time to win it for a third time. So, I predict The Miz will retain his championship. 

Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship

 

I am not a fan of Alberto Del Rio and I hope that he gets out of the title contention soon. I do not think that Alberto has much of a chance of winning this match. Especially now that Sheamus has a new submission maneuver, the cloverleaf. I think that Alberto will lose to Sheamus by submitting to his new finishing move.

John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship

 

This is one of the hardest matches to predict on the card. I can see WWE going both directions here. In order to understand where I think they will be headed, we need to look forward to the Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, the winner of this match, could theoretically be facing The Rock. Now, we have already seen Rock vs. Cena and the rumor is that their rematch is going to be at Wrestlemania 29. If Cena wins here then he would most likely have to drop the title before the Royal Rumble. I think that having The Rock vs. CM Punk would be something new and refreshing for the fans. I would also be ecstatic if CM Punk can manage to hold onto the title for over a year. We haven't had a year long reign since Cena held the title in 2006-2007. I am going to say that CM Punk retains his championship. 

     

   

My Power 25- Week of 9/9/12-9/15/12

It is the week before the Night of Champions. How did the superstars and divas perform before this monumental night? Did Cody Rhodes ever get over his mask fetish? Did Eve officially join the good guys? All this and more on the Power 25!

#25 Jerry Lawler (LW=Unranked)

 

 Jerry Lawler had a pretty hectic week. He finds himself on the power 25 after winning a tag match with Randy Orton against CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler. The night did not end there for lawler. He ended up suffering a heart attack later on in the evening. I wish Jerry Lawler a quick recovery and I can't wait to see him back at the announce table. 

#24 Wade Barrett (LW=22)

 He did not participate in any matches this week. He better start showing up if he wants to move up the Power 25 ladder. 

#23 Cody Rhodes (LW=Unranked)

Cody beat his masked nemesis, Rey Mysterio, on RAW and beat Zack Ryder on Smackdown. After getting out of his losing streak, can he keep up the momentum?

#22 Prime Time Players (LW=18)

It is a bad week when you lose a match. It is a horrible week when you lose a match that involved your number one contendership to the WWE tag team titles. They lost to Kane and Daniel Bryan this week. 

#21 The Miz (LW=19)

The Miz did not show us how an Intercontinental champion should win. He first lost a tag team match against the WWE tag team champions on RAW and then he lost to Sin Cara on Smackdown. Now, he must defend his Intercontinental championship in a fatal fourway this Sunday at Night of Champions. 

#20 Eve Torres (LW=23)

Do to all the movement at the bottom of the Power 25, Eve has a nice jump up the rankings. She teamed with Layla and Kaitlyn to beat the team of Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Alicia Fox. She even got the pin for her team, even though she tagged herself in.

#19 Kaitlyn (LW=21)

Kaitlyn proved why she is the number one contender, whether it is a fluke or not. Not only was she on the winning side of a tag match, but she also defeated one of the most dominant women in the diva's division. That woman is Beth Phoenix.

#18 R-Truth and Kofi Kingston (LW=20)

Even though Kofi Kingston loss on Smackdown against Kane, the duo still moves up after a great showing against the United States Champion and the Intercontinental Champion.

#17 Antonio Cesaro (LW=15)

    Antonio Cesaro was pinned during his and The Miz's tag team match on RAW. 

#16 Santino Marella (LW=17)

 

Even with his Cobra troubles, Santino was able to defeat Jinder Mahal this week on RAW.

#15 Zack Ryder (LW=14)

Zack Ryder's only appearance this week was on Superstars. In this one appearance he loss to Cody Rhodes.

#14 Layla (LW=16)

Layla was in an interesting predicament this week. Instead of defending against he opponent for the Pay Per View, she had to team with her. Layla, Kaitlyn, and Eve were able to beat the team of Natalya, Beth Phoenix, and Alicia Fox.

#13 Brodus Clay (LW=13)

Brodus did not move up or down this week due to inactivity. He better show up next week or his spot in the Power 25 is in jeopardy. 

#12 Damien Sandow (LW=10)

Damien Sandow also did not participate in a match this week, so he slips a couple of spots. 

#11 Ryback (LW=12)

Ryback beat Heath Slater on RAW. This was his 30th televised win. If he gets 30 more he could find himself at the top of the Power 25. 

#10 Daniel Bryan (LW=11)

Daniel Bryan, along with Kane, became a number one contender to the tag team championships by beating the former number one contendors, Prime Time Players. He then preceded to lose to Sheamus on Smackdown.

#9 Rey Mysterio (LW=7)

Rey Mysterio had a very up and down week. He started the week by losing to Cody Rhodes on RAW, but he redeemed himself by beating Michael McGillicutty on the Saturday Morning Slam. Since he lost to an unranked superstar, he drops a couple of spots.

#8 Kane (LW=9)

Kane, with Daniel Bryan, beat the Prime Time Players to become the new number one contenders to the tag team titles. He then solidified his dominance by beating Kofi Kingston on Smackdown.

#7 Sin Cara (LW=8)

Sin Cara beat the Intercontinental Champion, The Miz, on Smackdown this week. He was then placed into the fatal fourway for the Intercontinental Championship.

#6 Dolph Ziggler (LW=4)

 

Ziggler teamed with WWE Champion, CM Punk, against Randy Orton and Jerry Lawler. He ended up taking the pin for his team. 

#5 John Cena (LW=5)

John Cena did not have a match this week. He did have a great promo against CM Punk with the help of Bret Hart.

#4 CM Punk (LW=3)

CM punk drops another spot after losing two matches this week on RAW. He lost to Randy Orton by disqualification after Dolph Ziggler interferes and then that match is made into a tag match putting CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler against Randy Orton and Jerry Lawler. Dolph Ziggler took the pin and added another loss for Punk this week. 

#3 Randy Orton (LW=6)

Randy Orton had a very successful week. He beat CM Punk by DQ, he teamed with Jerry Lawler to beat CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler, and he beat Tensai on Smackdown. 

#2 Alberto Del Rio (LW=3)

 Alberto Del Rio had a somewhat quiet week, just beating Tyson Kidd on RAW.

#1 Sheamus (LW=1)

Sheamus finds himself at the top of the Power 25 again this week after wins against David Otunga and Daniel Bryan.

Goodbye: These Superstars were not able to retain their spots on the Power 25.

Jinder Mahal (24): He lost to Santino Marella this week.

Epico and Primo (25): They did not have any matches this week.

 

  

 

 

WWE Championship: Bruno Sammartino (2nd Reign)

Bruno Sammartino: December 10, 1973-April 30, 1977

Bruno defeated Stan Stasiak after he held the title for nine days. He faced many people during his second reign. One famous instance was in Japan in a tag match  versus Antonio Inoki. Inoki tried to put a real submission hold on the champion, but Sammartino powered out of it. Inoki tried to stay way from Sammartino the rest of the match.  Years later Inoki left NJPW and joined the WWWF, but Bruno Sammartino refused to wrestle him. 

On April 26, 1976 Sammartino was in a match against Stan Hansen. Hansen botched a body slam and ended up dropping Sammartino on his head. He fractured his vertebrae during this match. Sammartino had a rematch against Hansen two months later on June 25, 1976. The rumor for the quick recovery was that Vince McMahon Sr. thought the WWWF was going under, so he had Bruno return from injury early. 

After suffering a broken neck, Sammartino informed McMahon that he wanted to be done with holding the title. McMahon scheduled a fight with Superstar Billy Graham where Graham won the title in controversial fashion after he had both feet on the ropes during the pin.

Scores:

Strength: Sammartino became the first person to hold the WWWF championship twice. 10/10

Length: He held the title for 1237 days, almost three and a half years. With this reign he has held the championship for more than a decade. 10/10

Opponents: Sammartino faced many of the all time greats. These include Ivan Koloff, Freddie Blassie, Nikolai Volkoff, and Superstar Billy Graham. 10/10

Matches: He also had many memorable matches including a cage match against Ivan Koloff and a Sicilian Stretcher Match against Stan Stasiak. 10/10

Final Score: 40/40=100% A

 

Royal Rumble Profile: Harley Race

All time
Number of Appearances: 1
Best Performance: 17th
Worst Performance: 17th
Highest Draw: 6
Lowest Draw: 6
Longest Time: 10:03
Shortest Time: 10:03
Total Time: 10:03
Most Eliminations: 0
Total Eliminations: 0

1988 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 6
Time: 10:03
Performance: 17th
Eliminations: None
Eliminated By: Don Muraco

Race fights in the match for just over ten minutes before being eliminated by Don Muraco.

Royal Rumble Profile: Jake Roberts

All time
Number of Appearances:7
Best Performance: 11th
Worst Performance: 28th (Twice)
Highest Draw: 16
Lowest Draw: 4
Longest Time: 21:52
Shortest Time: 1:10
Total Time: 1:13:45
Most Eliminations: 2
Total Eliminations: 5

1988 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 5
Time: 21:52
Performance: 11th
Eliminations: Butch Reed, Boris Zhukov
Eliminated By: One Man Gang

Jake roberts starts his royal rumble debut by saving Tito Santana from being eliminated. In this match Roberts does have a little success with eliminating Reed and Zhukov, but as soon as One Man Gang enters he goes straight for Roberts and he is history. He does manage to last the second longest in this match.

1989 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 7
Time: 2:08
Performance: 28th
Eliminations: None
Eliminated By: Andre the Giant

Jake Roberts enters the match and immediately goes after the largest person in the ring, Andre the Giant. They were feuding at the time. He only lasts just over two minutes before Andre tosses him over the ropes.

1990 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 4 
Time: 10:03
Performance: 28th
Eliminations: None
Eliminated By: Randy Savage

For the third year in a row, Jake Roberts has drawn a number in the single digits. He immediately starts beating up Ted Dibiase. Next, Randy Savage enters the match and helps out Dibiase, but Roddy Piper is the next entrant to even up the score. After fighting for just over ten minutes, he is eliminated by Macho Man.

1991 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 9
Time: 12:58
Performance: 24th
Eliminations: Paul Roma
Eliminated By: Rick Martel

Again, Roberts draws a single digit number, but it is so far the highest number he has drawn. He starts off his entry by going straight for Rick Martel. He was mad at Martel for spraying cologne in his face which started up their feud at Wrestlemania VII where they had a blindfold match. Jake even chases Martel under the ropes and to the floor and is attacked by Greg Valentine on his reentry into the ring. Paul Roma tries to charge him, but is eliminated by a backdrop. Eventually, Martel eliminates him by pulling him to the floor from the apron.

1992 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 16
Time: 10:55
Performance: 16th
Eliminations: None
Eliminated By: Randy Savage

Roberts finally beats his own curse and draws a high number. He first just sits in the corner and watches Roddy Piper beat up Ric Flair until Piper turns his back on Jake. Randy Savage runs to the ring at number twenty-one and he is looking right for Jake. Roberts hides down on the outside of the ring. Jake Roberts tries to take advantage of Undertaker beating up Savage, but he is eliminated.

1996 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 7
Time: 14:39
Performance: 25th
Eliminations: Takeo Ornori, Henry Godwinn
Eliminated By: Vader

Roberts enters and immediately clears the ring with his huge snake. He didn't really do anything of note before being tossed by the debuting Vader.

1997 Royal Rumble
Entry Number: 7
Time: 1:10 
Performance: 25th
Eliminations: None
Eliminated By: Steve Austin

This looks like a repeat from last year. He draws number seven (for the third time in his career) and gets 25th place. The only difference is he lasts way less time at just over a minute. When Jake enters the match, Austin is the only one in the ring and he is eliminated before anyone else enters the ring.

WWE Championship: Stan Stasiak

Stan Stasiak: December 1, 1973-December 10, 1973

During the match against Pedro Morales, Morales gives Stasiak a belly to back suplex and both men's shoulders are on the mat. At the count of two, Stasiak lifts his shoulder up and pins Pedro Morales to become the new WWWF champion.  He was used as a transition champion because he lost the belt to Bruno Sammartino just nine days later. 

Scores: 

Strength: Stasiak was just considered a transitional champion and did not have a very strong reign. 1/10

Length: He held the belt for nine days, the shortest reign at the time. 1/10

Opponents: He faced off against Pedro Morales to win the title and lost the title to Bruno Sammartino. 1/10

Matches: He only had two matches as the champion. 1/10

Final Score: 4/40=15% F

WWE Championship: Pedro Morales

Pedro Morales: February 8, 1971-December 1, 1973

 

Pedro Morales looked like he was never going to be the WWWF Champion. The current champion was Bruno Sammartino and they were both huge crowd favorites. Opportunity came knocking at Pedro's door when Sammartino lost the belt to the hated, Ivan Koloff. Morales beat Koloff on February 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden. He was the current WWWF United States champion and dropped the title after his World Championship win. 

There is not much information about Morales's championship reign, but one his most notable matches was on September 1, 1972. On this day he faced Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF championship. They ended up wrestling to a 75 minute draw. This was the first two fan favorites had wrestled each other for the title. Fans were so angry with the decision that some of them jumped the barricade to shake their fists at the Morales and Sammartino. 

Scores:

Strength: Morales had the first ever face vs. face match for the title. He also defended against many people during his stint as the champion. 10/10

Length: Morales held the title for 1027 days. That is just under 2 years and 10 months. 10/10

Opponents: Morales faced people such as Bruno Sammartino and Larry Hennig. 10/10

Matches: The most notable match from this reign was his 75 minute match with Bruno Sammartino. 10/10

Final Score: 40/40=100% A

So far it looks like you either get a really good reign or a really bad reign. These reviews will be easier once we get into the Pay Per View era. Then we will start to see some differences in my scoring.