WWE Night of Champions 2012: Predicting the Participants in Every Title Match

SummerSlam may have just taken place, but it's never too early to start looking ahead to the next pay-per-view. That, of course, will be next month's Night of Champions, which is an event at which every single title in the WWE is defended.

Every title should be defended at every pay-per-view anyway, but I digress. A lot can happen between now and Night of Champions as there are a few weeks' worth of buildup that need to take place, but it's always fun to predict how a card might take shape over the course of a month.

Some possible matches like CM Punk vs. John Cena seem pretty obvious, but other title scenes, particularly the World Heavyweight Championship, are so convoluted that you never know what might happen. That didn't stop me from predicting every title match that will be on the Night of Champions card, however.

Here are the six championship matches that I anticipate seeing when Night of Champions launches from Boston on Sept. 16.

CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship

We've certainly seen it before, but there is no doubt that the vast majority of fans would love to see CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship happen once again. Punk beat Cena at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam last year and he beat Cena in a triple threat on Sunday, so Cena obviously has some unfinished business to take care of.

Punk gave Cena the opportunity to be No. 1 contender on Monday if Cena admitted that Punk is the best in the world, but Cena refused to do so. This storyline might drag out a week or two, but it's only a matter of time before Punk vs. Cena is announced, especially since Night of Champions is taking place right in Cena's backyard in Boston.

No matter how you feel about either competitor, they always put on a great match when they are in the ring together and they are the top two stars in the company today. Their rivalry has become quite interesting and personal, and I for one can't wait to see them duke it out again. It has been 10 pay-per-views since Punk has been in the main event, but it's safe to say that the streak will come to an end at Night of Champions.

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton vs. Big Show vs. Wade Barrett (WHC)

After what happened at SummerSlam, it's hard to say what exactly is going on with the World Heavyweight Championship, and I'm not even sure the writers know at this point. Sheamus defeated Alberto De Rio yet again on Sunday, but his foot was on the ropes when the pinfall occurred, so conventional wisdom says that Del Rio is likely to get another title shot.

At the same time, though, nobody wants to see Sheamus vs. Del Rio in a singles match again. That is why this match has to involve multiple wrestlers. The WWE hasn't had a championship scramble match in several years, but this would be the perfect time to break that wild match type back out.

The championship scramble features five wrestlers who enter the ring in five-minute increments, and whoever scored the last fall when time runs out is the champion.

Not only would this match feature Sheamus and Del Rio, but Randy Orton had a confrontation with both of them on RAW, so he should be involved as well. Also, after losing in the WWE Championship triple-threat match, Big Show needs something to do.

Finally, Wade Barrett should be returning any day now, so I would like to see him in the match as well. This way you get several main-event-caliber guys into an important match and make the World Heavyweight Championship much more interesting.

The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship

The Miz and Rey Mysterio did battle over the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam without any storyline development to speak of and they went on to have what many considered the best match of the night.

There was no backlash regarding the match the following night on RAW, but there are honestly no other options as far as challengers for the IC title goes, so I see Miz and Mysterio having Round 2 at Night of Champions.

I have no problem with a repeat match from SummerSlam since it was so well wrestled, but the writers need to actually do their job and create a feud between Miz and Mysterio.

Before SummerSlam, Mysterio beat Miz in a non-title match, but that was about the extent of their involvement together. It's time to let Miz start tearing down Mysterio on the mic because that's where he truly shines.

Mysterio is still great in the ring so he's going to put on a fun match regardless of how hot the feud is, and Miz has improved by leaps and bounds in the ring as well, so I have no doubt that the match will be a good one.

I would have liked to have gotten more creative with this match, but Mysterio is the only mid-card face who could conceivably challenge Miz, so this rematch is almost a given in my mind.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Christian for the United States Championship

Antonio Cesaro became the new United States Champion when he defeated Santino Marella on the SummerSlam pre-show, and now it's time to see what he can do with the title. I expect Cesaro to defend the belt against Santino sometime during the next week or so, but after that he needs to have a substantial feud with someone else to solidify himself.

I believe the perfect opponent would be Christian. He is one of the top mid-card faces on the roster, he has main-event ability in the ring and on the mic, and he has literally nothing going on right now.

Cesaro and Christian actually had a match a couple weeks ago on SmackDown with Christian winning and Cesaro attacking him after the contest, so they have a bit of history as well.

Christian has won a ton of titles and accomplished a lot over the course of his career, so beating him is no small feat. Cesaro needs to be built up quickly and effectively in order to bring some legitimacy to the United States Championship, and going over Christian at Night of Champions would be a fantastic start.

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

The tag-team division is in absolute shambles at the moment and there is no saving grace in sight, so the WWE needs to do something drastic in order to make tag-team wrestling mean something again.

There have been rumors floating around that Triple H want to breathe some new life into the tag-team scene and I believe one way that it could possibly be done is by pairing up two main-event-caliber guys like Daniel Bryan and Kane.

The days of developing and cultivating tag teams are pretty much over as everyone comes to the WWE as a singles competitor. With that in mind, essentially every tag team is two guys who are just thrown together.

Some fans have a problem with that, but some of the best tag teams ever were comprised of top guys being paired up, such as The Rock & Sock Connection, Rated RKO, Jeri-Show and so many others.

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth have been the Tag Team Champions for several months, but they're awful and have done nothing to further the titles. Kane and Bryan are feuding right now, however, I have a funny feeling that they'll ultimately end up teaming together since they're both somewhat psychotic and can find some common ground.

I'm hoping that they do so they can beat Kofi and Truth and Night of Champions and make the tag titles mean something again.

Layla vs. Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship

Whether you consider it to be one or not, the Divas Championship actually is a title in the WWE. Layla has held the belt for quite some time, and although she hasn't really been given a lot of opportunities to defend it, I feel like she has done a nice job. The main issue is that the divas' television time continues to decrease, so neither Layla nor any of the other women can gain any momentum.

Kaitlyn won a No. 1 contender battle royal on RAW, so she figures to be facing Layla at Night of Champions. It was a strange decision to have Kaitlyn win over Eve since both Kaitlyn and Layla are faces, so I'm expecting one of them to turn. Layla's reaction after the match was a bit weird as well, and that makes me believe that she might be the one to become heel.

Over the past couple months Kaitlyn has actually become a pretty popular diva, so my best guess is that she beats Layla at Night of Champions and Layla then attacks her rather than congratulating her. I feel like Layla is the best diva in the company right now and she can pull off being either a face or heel, so I would welcome a persona change for her.

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