DVD Review: WWE Night of Champions 2015 (Rollins vs. Sting)

WWE Night of Champions 2015 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now in the UK. You can order here at WWEDVD.co.uk and all other reputable DVD stockists. Broadcast live on PPV (and on the WWE Network) from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, USA on 20th September 2015. The show features Seth Rollins defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sting as the main event. There's also six other matches featuring the likes of Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, The Wyatt Family, Dean Ambrose, The Dudley Boyz & The New Day in action. The WWE Intercontinental, WWE United States, WWE Tag Team and WWE Diva's Championships are also up for grabs. The DVD version contains one further bout as part of the Special Features.

the show 

In the opening bout, Ryback more than matches Kevin Owens to put on surprisingly enjoyable bout over the WWE Intercontinental Championship, in a storytelling and character based encounter. Things drop off a little as Dolph Ziggler and Rusev (with Summer Rae) struggle to get past the soap opera theatrics of their storyline. Luckily, The New Day our out and the crowd is very into everything the trio do, even if the promo itself isn't a particular standout. The groups' Big E and Kofi Kingston putting the WWE Tag Team Championships on the line against the Dudley Boyz features some fine action, but is ultimately let down by a weak finish.

Charlotte (with Becky Lynch & Paige) and Nikki Bella (with Alicia Fox & Brie Bella) have one of the best Diva's PPV bouts of 2015, telling a strong story, but there's definitely a sense that with a little more finesse to the execution this could have been even better. Chris Jericho coming out as the "surprise" partner of Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns is perhaps a little anti-climactic if you'd let your imagination run wild prior to the bout. The threesome tackle the Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman & Luke Harper) in a belting six man tag team bout, that features plenty of exciting high-spot sequences, whilst Strowman get's a strong push. 

The first of two Seth Rollins bouts, sees the WWE United States Championship on the line against John Cena, in what is arguably the match of the night. The two put on world class performances, with the action going back and forth at a nice pace and featuring a lot of near falls. In the main event, Rollins manages to carry a 56 year old Sting to a decent WWE World Heavyweight Championship contest, with the earlier parts of the bout featuring the best action. It's a shame that Sting suffers a major injury in the later portion, as this match would easily have ranked among some of his best work since the close of WCW in 2001.


The special features include a fun six man tag team bout with The Cosmic Wasteland facing The Lucha Dragons and Neville, that originally aired on Night of Champions 2015 Kick-Off .

finally...

In our opinion, this is a good PPV event, that features a lot to enjoy across the card. Whilst the double title defense from Seth Rollins didn't quite work from a booking perspective, the then WWE World Heavyweight and United States Champion puts in a career defining performance, in back to back bouts with John Cena and Sting, with the first bout being the strongest match of the evening. The show is only majorly let down by a weak Dolph Ziggler and Rusev bout. However, if your looking for a momento from WWE's summer 2015 catalogue, Beast in the East or SummerSlam are probably better options. 

PPV Review: WWE Night of Champions 2015

      It's been a mixed four weeks across WWE television since SummerSlam, but it lead us to this, the seventh incarnation of Night of Champions. Seth Rollins had to defend his United States and WWE World Heavyweight Championships against John Cena and Sting respectively, whilst Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, The Wyatt Family, Dean Ambrose, The Dudley Boyz and more appeared across the show. Could WWE bring their Summer programme to a close in style? 

     The opening promo focused on the idea of challengers, rather than Champions, which was an interesting twist, whilst Seth Rollins dual title defences also featured heavily. 


     Match 1 - WWE Intercontinental Championship - Ryback (C) vs. Kevin Owens


One of those annoying little things that always niggled me is when the champion is out first for a title match, Ryback supposedly being a babyface made this even more frustrating to see.

The opening match was completely what it needed to be, sticking to a story-based structure and doing it well. Kevin Owens working over The Big Guy's arm, after the Intercontinental Champion had crashed into the ring post on the outside, worked well with Ryback doing a stellar job of selling his injury, holding his left arm close his chest for the majority of the bout. The closing sequence was where the two took this match up a notch after Ryback was able to escape an arm bar attempt and turn it into a potential Shellshock, Owens raked the eye and pull out a school boy roll up victory to win his first Intercontinental Championship. The idea that after being unsuccessful at putting Ryback after with the arm bar, that Owens resorted to cheating to get the victory bolsters his heel credentials and gives the pair somewhere to go with the feud heading into Hell in a Cell.


Winner - Kevin Owens via pinfall in 9 minutes, 32 seconds *NEW CHAMPION*


Following the bout, Owens celebration with the belt was spot on, as the former NXT Champion went over the top to put over his cheap victory, here's hoping that Owens will be the one to get the Intercontinental Championship some more spotlight.


Brock Lesnar's Go to Hell Tour on the WWE Network was unveiled, obviously we knew about Lesnar facing The Big Show at Madison Square Garden on 3rd October, and the announcement that Lesnar would be on the Steve Austin Podcast on 19th October, but the biggest news revealed was that Lesnar would face The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell on 25th October.

Match 2 - Singles - Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev with Summer Rae 

A cheeky recap of all the goings of this god-forsaken storyline over the last week, reminded me just how little I cared about this match. Ziggly had funky new tights for the occasion and the camera made a point of showing us Rusev's flag gimmick hanging above the ring.

    I tried to get into this one, I really did, but just like the soap-opera heavy feud I just couldn't get into the action. I think a big part of it had to do with the fact that it was clear the match wasn't going to finish until Summer Rae had gotten involved, and for the most part she was pretty inconsequential at ringside. Now the action in the ring was all right, but there was nothing in particularly that caught my interest, rather than quite a few superkicks being thrown back and forth. When Summer Rae did get involved it was all a bit contrived, as she fell into the ring somehow, got thrown out by the referee, then accidentally hit Rusev with her shoe, allowing Ziggler to hit a Zig Zag for the victory. At least, it stuck to the feel of the overall storyline I suppose. Personally, I thought this was about five minutes too long, and shaving time off the bout would actually have improved the contest, as there would have been less waiting around for Summer to get involved.


Winner - Dolph Ziggler via pinfall in 13 minutes, 42 seconds.


With everything else going on around the ring, Michael Cole spouted the cringe inducing line "That brings a whole new meaning to the word "heel" here in WWE"

Match 3 - Tag Team Championship - The New Day's Kofi Kingston & Big E with Xavier Woods vs. The Dudley Boyz

     Prior to their Tag Team Championship collision with The Dudley Boyz, The New Day were up to their usual antics, getting on the mic and putting over their #SaveTheTables petition. Whilst I'm not sure this was up their with the groups most entertaining efforts over the last few months, I did find the group incredibly annoying, but in a way that made me want to see the Dudleys beat them shitless. The list of people who had signed the petition was a little bit corny for my tastes, but it did garner a decent amount of heat from the Texas crowd.

The tag match was enjoyable, but it hardly set the world on fire. Keeping to a fairly basic tag team formula, The Dudley Boyz had a quick shine at the beginning, before the numbers game allowed The New Day to take advantage. Bubba Ray was an interesting choice as the face in peril, as the bigger man of his team (and arguably the most popular, thanks to his run as TNA World Heavyweight Champion) he surely would have been better off waiting for the hot tag before cleaning house. The finish I wouldn't usually be happy with on PPV, as Woods interfered to cause the DQ after The Dudleys had hit Kingston with the 3D, but as soon as they had hit the 3D I was hoping that wasn't the end of the bout. I think, having the Dudleys win the titles in their first PPV match back would have been a mistake, as it would have pulled the carpet away from their feud with The New Day. There's much more interest in the Dudleys chasing the New Day's titles, rather than the other way round.


Winners - The Dudley Boyz via disqualification in 9 minutes, 57 seconds *STILL CHAMPIONS*


The Dudleys getting their heat back by putting Woods through a table with a 3D (after New Day had introduced the tables) sets up a tables match between the two at Hell in a Cell, which is surely what everyone's been waiting for anyway.

Match 4 - WWE Diva's Championship - Charlotte with Becky Lynch & Paige vs. Nikki Bella (C) with Alicia Fox & Brie Bella

     The promo package before the bout was an extended version of the one that aired on Monday Night RAW last week, with an added lock at the pairs match from that show. The highlight of the pre-match festivities was the referee holding the Diva's title upside down, what a treat.

The best Diva's Championship match that I can remember. Taking a similar route as their match on Monday Night RAW, with Nikki targeting Charlotte's leg, with the obvious hope that Charlotte would be unable to lock in the Figure 8 submission hold. Charlotte's selling was spot on throughout the contest and she managed to garner a fair amount of crowd support which gave the match an extra boost. Nikki's offence looked the best it has ever done, as she delivered a series of vertical suplexes that would lead to Charlotte's legs hitting the bottom rope. A personal highlight of the bout saw Charlotte attempt a backslide, only for Nikki to mule kick her injured leg to escape. In my views, I wouldn't have had Charlotte win with the Figure 8, simply because of the injured leg. She of course could have pulled out her old finisher, Natural Selection, to pick up the victory. There was scope for an extra few minutes of action, that could have raised this match up just that little bit more.


Winner - Charlotte via submission in 12 minutes, 41 seconds *NEW CHAMPION*


Ric Flair coming out to celebrate post-match was lovely, but I do wish Charlotte had continued to sell her leg injury!


Kevin Owens interview with Jo-Jo backstage wasn't one of the new Intercontinental Champions best efforts, as he rambled through why he deserved to hold the title.


The Kick-Off panel of Renee Young, Booker T, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton, focused on Charlotte and Kevin Owens title victories, whilst Booker put over his excitement for finding out who Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns mystery partner could be. 


Match 5 - Six Man Tag Team - The Wyatt Family vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Chris Jericho


    The promo for the match looked at the on-going rivarly between Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns, going back to Money in the Bank, but shied away from the main interest in the match, that being who the mystery partner of Ambrose & Reigns would be.

   
      I wish I super hyped when Chris Jericho walked out as the third man on Ambrose and Reigns team, but I just wasn't. Out of the names that were thrown about over the last few weeks, Jericho was probably the one I was least excited for, just because it seemed like the easy option. Seeing as Jericho has been touring with the promotion a lot over the last few months. I mean, at least it wasn't Baron Corbin, but when Daniel Bryan and The Rock's names had been mentioned, Jericho just didn't seem as exciting, as he walked out in his silly jacket.

The six man tag was all about Braun Strowman, with the entire bout rotating around the black sheep of the Wyatt Family. It was Strowman who put an end to the face shine, it was Strowman who was targeted while standing at ringside, it was Strowman who was waiting to make the tag for the Family as Reigns waited for the tag on the outside, it was Strowman who got the victory for his team tapping out Chris Jericho. Whilst Strowman is clearly limited, being protected by two strong workers like Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper (who put together a sweet sequence with Roman Reigns earlier in the bout), as well as those on the other team, there is space to turn him into a star, if he's kept protected. It wasn't up there with The Wyatt Family and Shield's tussles in 2014, but it was still an satisfying slice of six man action.


Winners - The Wyatt Family via pinfall in 13 minutes, 4 seconds.


The tension between Chris Jericho and his partners following the match (Jericho tagged himself into the bout, which would lead to the loss) was an interesting spin coming out of the bout, a feud between either Jericho and Ambrose or Jericho or Reigns has a lot of potential heading into WWE's Autumn season. 


Brock Lesnar's Go to Hell tour recieved another promo, which really wasn't needed, considering most people would be watching the PPV from start to finish.

Match 6 - WWE United States Championship - Seth Rollins (C) vs. John Cena

The promo package focused on both this match and Rollins' second match later on with Sting, focusing on Rollins' journey since WrestleMania and as well as detailing selected sections of his feuds with Cena and Sting.


Before the match the commentary team were still obsessing over Jon Stewart's involvement at SummerSlam, whilst Michael Cole said that the match was for the United Stights Championship, which was nice.

I predicted that this one would be the match of the night, and it duly delivered as John Cena and Seth Rollins put together a world-class bout over the United States Championship. The two going back and forth throughout the match, reversing each other signature moves took up the majority of the bouts storytelling, making perfect sense considering the pair have work a number of televised clashes against each other. Rollins looked particularly on form, blocking Cena's signature comeback sequence on a number of occasions, with a neckbreaker reversal of Cena's protobomb attempt. Whilst there were a few moments that could have been slicker, the majority of the bout was smooth and the pair locked very comfortable. 


    It was interesting to see Rollins wrestle a near perfect match against Cena, yet still be unable to pull out the victory. Rollins seemed to have Cena at every turn, being able to reverse a number of his signature moves, and control the match. The superplex pulled through into a regular suplex was a highlight of the contest, with Rollins looking great in control of Cena. My main main complaint about the bout was that it lacked any convincing near falls, with Cena's victory, following an Interverted Suplex, Leg Drop Bulldog and then an Attitude Adjustment, feeling like it should have come a few minutes later in the bout, after both had been unable to put each other away. There was space to really push this match onto the upper echelon of WWE contest, but in the end it just fell short.


Winner - John Cena via pinfall in 15 minutes, 45 seconds *NEW CHAMPION*


I'm not sure how I feel about Cena hitting an Attitude Adjustment on the outside after the match, it felt like it was setting up for a Money in the Bank cash-in, but with that not coming, it made it a little harder to buy into the next match.


Match 7 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Seth Rollins (C) vs. Sting


Sting had his funky coat back for the match, big loves for Sting's funky coat.

A completely different encounter to the one Rollins had had previously, this one was all about the spots. To call it a spot-fest would be a step too far, but it was the big spots that stood out, rather than the wrestling content. Sting taking a big bump through the announce table, Rollins getting pushed off the top rope into the barricade and Sting jumping off the top rope to the outside stand out as the most memorable moments of the bout. Perhaps it was felt that this was the way to get the most out of Sting at the age of 56, and it worked for the early part of the bout, but the high impact style clearly took it's toll in the closing stages.


With Sting supposedly hurting himself on a buckle bomb (a move he shouldn't really be taking in 2015, it's not a move I remember him taking that often before hand either), Rollins and Sting did the best they could following the injury. Sting's Scorpion Death Lock didn't look particularly well executed and hurt Rollins a little as he struggled to get to the ropes with Sting barely holding onto his legs (Sting also hurt a previous near fall off a Scorpion Death Drop, as he at first hooked both legs before remembering that Rollins needed a free leg to get on the ropes). Rollins pinfall victory on the Icon looked awkward as he reversed a second Scorpion Death Lock attempt. At least this match provided Rollins with a clean win, which will boost his title runs credentials, a little. 


Winner - Seth Rollins via pinfall in 15 minutes, 20 seconds. *STILL CHAMPION*


The after match shenanigans, with Sheamus and the returning masked Kane, open up some interesting avenues for WWE in the autumn, with the most likely scenario being that Rollins defends his title against Kane at Hell in a Cell.

Finally....

ATPW Scale Rating - 6/10


This was a fine PPV offering from WWE, being a very easy watch from start to finish. Whilst more could have been done in the final two matches to really take advantage of the unique situation, both matches were offered something different and played to the strength of the challengers. John Cena and Seth Rollins US title bout was easily the match of the night, as the pair put together a terrific back and forth bout that had me gripped throughout. A special shoutout for the Diva's Championship match, in which both competitors worked hard to put together the strongest Diva's title bout that I can remember. Whilst Ziggler and Rusev's contest didn't do a whole lot for me, I'd still suggest that there wasn't a bad match on the card for this one. Whilst not quiet as strong as this year's SummerSlam, I'd put Night of Champions up there with Money in the Bank and Payback as one of the best B PPV offerings of 2015.

PPV Preview: WWE Night of Champions 2015

I really wanted to start this article by taking the piss out of WWE for having the gimmick of the PPV be that all titles in WWE (excluding NXT) are defended, when most PPV's feature all titles being defended because they only have five championships...and then I checked and it's actually been an entire year since all the titles were defended on PPV. Whether that be through design (Brock Lesnar holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for a good portion of that time, Nikki Bella sparingly defending her Diva's title on PPV) or sheer coincidence (Daniel Bryan and Ryback's injuries as WWE Intercontinental Champion) it's still pretty cool that WWE have actually come through on the gimmick for the first time in quite a while.


Let's have a look down the card and see what WWE could have in-store for us from Houston, Texas. 

Odds at the Bookies

Rollins - 1-10 (Paddy Power)

Sting - 8-1 (skybet)

Sheamus to Cash in - 5-4 (bwin)

There was dirt-sheet talk and social media buzz that this match wouldn't be going on last, which of course caused quite a stir. Personally, I don't buy into it and seems to be another attempt to get some heat on John Cena (more on that a bit later), because his matches have been fantastic over the last six months and we needed a new reason to hate him.

The quality of this bout all comes down to how ready Sting is to main event a WWE PPV in 2015. If his fit and ready, then Rollins is very capable of carrying the majority of the bout, whilst the Icon has a series of flurries of offence to keep things interesting. We saw on Monday Night RAW this week that Sting can potentially go in short bursts, but it's yet to be seen if he can handle a fifteen minutes plus main event style bout.


Obviously, the outcome of this match will have a lot to do with the outcome of Rollins' other bout, opposite John Cena. Personally, I can't see Sting walking out of the event with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but that doesn't mean that he won't win the match, as we have Sheamus waiting in the wings with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Personally, I can't see Sheamus cashing in at Night of Champions, because WWE has pushed that it could happen way too hard on TV over the last few months, which is usually a sign that the cash in is little way off yet. I'm hoping we see Rollins able to pull a victory out over the veteran, whilst also hopefully setting up a Sting feud for WrestleMania season somewhere in there as well.


Prediction - Seth Rollins retains

Odds at the Bookies

Ambrose/Reigns/??? - 12-1 (bWin)

The Wyatt Family - 1-6 (Paddy Power)

We've seen The Wyatt Family able to get the upperhand on Roman Reigns (and then Dean Ambrose) over the last few months, by simply adding a new member to the group. Part of me thinks that we could see that happen once again at Night of Champions. There's rumours of a Sister Abigail joining the group, although that isn't something I'm particular interested in seeing. In kayfabe, it's hard to look past the Family winning this one, thanks to the fact that they will almost certainly be more familiar with each other than whoever Reigns and Ambrose chose as their partner. WWE's strong push of Braun Strowman over the last month would suggest that we'll be seeing the Family picking up the win no matter what, or at the very least we'll see the big man very well protected in the six man.

Favourite Mystery Partners

Corbin - 5/2

The current bookies favourite. All to do with WWE supposedly spoiling things on their website, but I've only see screenshots (and I'd imagine most people have as well). I'm really hoping it's not Baron Corbin, because the guy just isn't very good. As replacement for Seth Rollins, Baron Corbin couldn't be further from fitting the bill

Bryan - 3

Can you imagine the pop if Bryan walked out as the third man? If his fit and ready, I can't think of a better choice. I'm hoping for Bryan but I'm not expecting it. A three man would be a good way to protect Bryan upon his return, but I'm not sure having to bump for the green Strowman would do him much good.

Rowan - 3

If it's Rowan that is the partner, then I've got a feeling we'll see a double swerve with Rowan rejoining the Wyatt Family to finish the match. Rowan's babyface run earlier in the year clearly didn't work and the last time we saw him he was partnering with Harper...so it really wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for him to come out as a babyface. But this is WWE...

Jericho - 4

He's been working a handful of house shows opposite Luke Harper over the last few months and he has unfinished business with Bray Wyatt after their feud last summer, so perhaps Chris Jericho could be the one to step up and join Ambrose and Reigns. He's someone who wouldn't be hurt by letting the Wyatt Family go over and would be more than able to bump around for Strowman. Jericho may be the best option out of the top four favourite guys.

Outsiders

Kane (6-1) has been off TV since Seth Rollins attacked him before Battleground, personally I think it would be a waste of his return pop by having him in this match. Cesaro (14-1) is someone who would fit into the Shield, style-wise, but WWE haven't exactly treated him like a star over the last few months. Randy Orton (14) would be a bit of a disappointment after it was teased he was the partner a few weeks ago and then go taken out by the Family. The Rock (14-1) would be a huge moment for the feud and play nicely into the theme of Family, whether WWE would decide not to announce The Rock's first match in over two years, I don't know. Samoa Joe (20-1), Brock Lesnar (33-1), Mark Henry (50-1) and Seth Rollins (50-1) are even more unlikely candidates.

Odds at the Bookies

Rollins - 9-1 (Unibet)

Cena - 1-12 (Skybet)

I'd be very surprised if we see Seth Rollins walk out with both titles and this match would seem to be the one that he is most likely to lose. The pair had a good match at SummerSlam until the finish, so I'm expecting that this could take the Match of the Night award, pretty easily. It will be interesting to see how Rollins is presented, as he wrestled almost as a babyface at SummerSlam, and with the gimmick of the night, he could easily end up garnering a lot of crowd support here. If that's not what WWE want they will have to be very careful in their booking of this one.


I'll throw this out there as well, what happens if Sheamus cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase at the conclusion of this one? How will that effect the main event?


Prediction - Cena regains the United States Championship.

Odds at the Bookies

New Day - 10-1 (bWin)

Dudley Boyz - 1-5 (betfair)

How cool has it been to see The Dudley Boyz back in WWE? How cool has it been to watch The New Day recently? Both sides have looked motivated and have bought a new energy and focus to the tag team division, alongside the likes of The Prime Time Players and the Lucha Dragons. I'm surprised this bout wasn't made a tables match, simply because of the focus on the Dudleys using tables all the time. However, maybe we'll get to see a return match with that gimmick down the line. The Dudleys momentum would suggest they're winning the titles at Night of Champions, but I'd expect that we'll see some heel miscommunication that will cost the New Day their titles. 


Prediction - The Dudley Boyz win the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Odds at the Bookies

Neville & Lucha Dragons - 10-1 (bWin)

Stardust & The Ascension - 1-41 (bWin)

This Kick-Off match actually stands out more than a good portion of the regular PPV card. The new team of Stardust & The Ascension is an interesting one, with the trio all kind of floating around recently, trying to find something that sticks, there's an opportunity for them to become a good mid-card act if they are booked in the right direction. Neville and the Lucha Dragons have had some success since coming to the main roster at the end of March. There is talent here to make this an entertaining opening bout, if they are given the time to perform their best stuff. 


Prediction - Stardust & The Ascension win

Odds at the Bookies
Ryback - 10-1 (bwin)
Owens -  1-6 (betfair)


     Their programme hasn't exactly set the world on fire, mainly due to it being pretty stop and start. The two should be capable of working a decent bout, with Owens leading the contest. This needs to be a completely different bout from the matches Owens has had with Cena and Cesaro on PPV, as I don't think Ryback is capable of working that sort of style. This bout needs to heavily focused on the storytelling, and there's a real chance to have Owens working the big bad heel role in this one. Whether the crowd will accept Owens as a heel and Ryback at a babyface in this situation I'm not entirely sure. Owens winning the title may very well get a big face reaction..


Prediction - Owens wins the Intercontinental Championship

WWE PPV Record

Ziggler - 1-4 (betfair)

Rusev - 12-1 (bwin)

Couldn't care less about this match, if I'm honest with you. Ziggler and Rusev have had two matches on TV recently, first the double countout finish at SummerSlam and then a DQ finish on Monday Night RAW...so why is this another normal singles match? Obviously, the plans were heading towards the mixed tag team encounter and then Lana got injured. The strong soap opera style to the storyline hasn't been my cup of tea, and it's made me less interested about all four of the performers involved in the match. The bookies are convinced that Ziggler is going over here, but I'm not sure where that leaves the storyline (which doesn't feel like it's over) to go.


Prediction - Rusev wins

WWE PPV Record

Nikki - 8-1 (bwin)

Charlotte - 1-6 (betfair)

The reaction to Nikki becoming the longest reigning Diva's Champion in history was fantastic. Look all over the internet and people were furious. Of course, that's exactly what WWE wanted. Were they particularly bothered about AJ Lee holding the record, I'd guess not, did they know that it would win people up no end? Of course, they bloody did. Did I think the finish was particularly creative? Not really. But the rest of the match was, I thought the pair did a good job in between the ropes. There's an opportunity to put on a better match here. On the Kick-Off show I'd have both PCB and Team Bella banned from ringside and allow Nikki and Charlotte to put on the best possible bout that they could.


Prediction - Charlotte wins the Diva's Championship

Finally...

This PPV has a fair amount of intrigue from me, but it's more to do with the outcomes and potential surprises than it is about being interested in the match card that WWE has put together, if that even makes sense. I suppose what I mean is that I'm more looking forward to seeing how the matches play out, rather than thinking that the content of the matches will actually be that good. I've got a feeling that this PPV will end up being a much better watch live, than it will be when I watch it back on Blu-Ray a few months later.

WWE Night of Champions 2014 DVD Review

     WWE Night of Champions 2014 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk. Broadcast live on Pay-per-View (and the WWE Network) from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennesee, USA on 21st September 2014, the show features Chris Jericho battling Randy Orton, a SummerSlam rematch between Brock Lesnar and John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship , Sheamus defending the United States Championship against Cesaro and five other matches. The special features include an edition of The Peep Show with Chris Jericho from the Night of Champions Kick-Off show and two Home Video Exclusive interviews. The commentary is provided by John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.

The Show

     The show kicks off with The Usos putting the Tag Team Championships on the line against Gold & Stardust in a good solid tag team encounter, a decent way to open the show. Byron Saxton interviews Dolph Ziggler who puts together a sound promo, managing to put over both his upcoming title match with The Miz, as well as making the Intercontinental Championship seem like something worth winning. I wouldn't argue with you if you said Cesaro and Sheamus' clash over the United States Championship is the match of the night, as the two put on match featuring stellar brawling and wrestling in equal measure. It is however let down by the fact that the Tennesee crowd don't care much for the babyface Sheamus. 

Cesaro and Sheamus put on a Match of the Night contender

     Big Show and Mark Henry's backstage interaction is probably time to grab a quick snack if your planning to watch this all in one go. Dolph Ziggler's previous good work on the mic, is destroyed as Florida Georgia Line are on commentary taking the attention away from Ziggler's Intercontinental Championship match with The Miz. Seth Rollins match with Roman Reigns doesn't actually happen but a surprise return leads to a fun and memorable storyline based segment. Rusev and Mark Henry's bout has a decent in-ring story, that the crowd laps up, but unfortunately I found it difficult to give many shits.

       Chris Jericho almost makes up for his dull feud with Bray Wyatt, with a belter of a match with Randy Orton. The pair of veterans put together an engaging wrestling match, that is super crisp and full of near falls that keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. The crowd that is initially indifferent for this one, is completely into everything the two do by the end of the match. The finish is perhaps the biggest let down of this one, but it still takes my match of the night.

Veterans Chris Jericho and Randy Orton prove their worth

      Byron Saxton is back to interview the hammy Brie Bella about the upcoming Diva's Championship match, in which Brie simply reads words that she has remembered. Nikki Bella and AJ Lee challenge for Paige's Diva's Championship match in a surprisingly decent three way bout. The show closes with Brock Lesnar and John Cena going at it over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in another solid encounter, featuring a strong story that does a lot for both men. The finish again is a little flat and annoying, but it's understandable considering the plans WWE had going forward. 

Special Features

Christian hosting The Peep Show with Chris Jericho as his special guest is a novel idea for the Kick-Off show, with mildly amusing interactions between Jericho and Christian and some extra depth added to the Jericho/Orton feud. Bryon Saxton interviewing AJ Lee provide AJ with a chance to show off some decent character work, Gold & Stardust are provided the same opportunity in an interview with Renee Young, both are Home Video Exclusives.

John Cena and Brock Lesnar headline the show.

  

 

Finally...

This is a solid B-show PPV effort from WWE, being helped along by a rare appearance from Brock Lesnar who puts in a sound effort with John Cena in the closing match. Both Jericho vs Orton and Cesaro vs. Sheamus could easily take Match of the Night, both providing a slice of entertaining wrestling action. The Tag Team title match is the highlight of an adequate undercard, although I could have done without Florida Georgia Line dicking around in the Intercontinental Championship match.