Examining How to Make Night of Champions More of a Celebration of Past Champs

History and star power can help the Night of Champions pay-per-view develop its own identity.

Making the show more fun and a unique celebration of WWE's past will increase its pull. Accomplishing that is a two-step dance—showcasing names from yesteryear and weaving title history into the event.

On the crowded pay-per-view calendar, it's hard to stand out. Night of Champions used to do that by promising to have every champion defend his or her title.

That's not as special of a gimmick as it used to be. With just five titles left, several other pay-per-views fulfill that requirement. WWE would be wise to return to what it began to do in 2007 at Vengeance: Night of Champions.

That night, WWE welcomed legends like Magnum T.A. and Rick Martel to sit in the crowd. The camera stopped at them from time to time, reminding fans of a time when those men wore gold of their own.

Bring Back Big Names

Rather than have old vets like Jimmy Snuka and Sgt. Slaughter actually compete, as they did at the first Night of Champions, the company would be wiser to infuse them into the storylines and make them guest stars, not the leading men.

One easy spot to insert past champions is as a guest referee.

As fans saw with Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell 2013 and Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 28, choosing the right referee can change the complexion of a match. That's especially true with the kick-happy Shawn Michaels.

When the Intercontinental Championship is on the line, WWE should bring in a Hall of Famer who once held that belt. Bringing in Bret Hart for Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz, for example, would be fun.

He has past animosity with The Miz, adding a subplot to the action.

Have Lex Luger ref a U.S. title fight or Lita suit up in stripes for a Divas title match. Not every match should go this route, but a few guests a year would be an added attraction. 

Legends could also serve as cornermen and managers.

Finlay could stand in Sheamus' corner for support, or Rikishi could accompany his sons The Usos as they defend their titles. Those are easy, fun additions.

They would give the pay-per-view a different feel, similar to the one that the old-school editions of Raw do.

Showcase History

Night of Champions can also be a chance to focus on the prestige of the titles.

The WWE production team has already shown itself to be highly proficient at reflecting on the company's own history through videos. It can choose a few championships each year to focus on and tell their stories in a new, slickly produced series of clips. 

Each video can zero in on a single element.

If a Canadian is the current WWE champ, the video can showcase all the great Canadian wrestlers who have held the belt. If a brawler is champion, have all the title's past bruisers and fist-throwers on display.

WWE could even work the videos into the matches themselves.

Say, for example, WWE puts up a video highlighting AJ Lee's record title reign at this Night of Champions. That's surely going to enrage Paige. She can get in AJ's face and promise to break her record for longest reign.

The company could show footage of the longest-reigning tag champs in history, from Demolition to The Valiant Brothers, and work that into The Usos' story. They could not only be working to fend off Gold and Stardust but looking to chase history. Playing up its own statistics is something WWE simply doesn't do enough.

It's a simple way to add interest in a title reign. The Usos winning on Sept. 21 wouldn't just mean victory; it would mean drawing closer to immortality.

An increased focus on that element is something Night of Champions should be all about. It should be a night where the past merges with the present, and the current champs eye the future.