WWE Night of Champions 2014: Fringe Stars Who Will Make Big Statement

World Wrestling Entertainment's Night of Champions pay-per-view on September 21 will be headlined by a huge WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar, a rematch of their one-sided affair from SummerSlam.

Roman Reigns will meet Seth Rollins, and Randy Orton will attempt to end Chris Jericho's latest stint with WWE on a sour note when they square off in singles competition.

While the stars involved in those three matches figure to steal headlines, especially given their spots on the card, there are others just beneath them on the totem pole who have the potential to make major statements at the annual extravaganza.

Whether they are involved in championship clashes or good ol' fashioned grudge matches, they are the Superstars and Divas who will have fans and critics buzzing in the aftermath of the show.

Who are these men and women?

Take a look for yourself.

Credit: WWE.com

Goldust and Stardust

A year ago at this time, Goldust and Cody Rhodes were preparing to form a tag team that would lead to them being one of the hottest acts in all of WWE. They were embroiled in a rivalry with The Shield and The Authority and were among the biggest babyfaces in the company.

Their feud with the New Age Outlaws to start 2014 killed a great deal of their momentum, and shortly thereafter, poor booking left them wallowing way down the card with little to no direction.

The introduction of the Stardust character gave the brothers an injection of life, and they have been off and running since. Together, they have climbed their way back into title contention but have done so by undergoing an attitude change. They are edgier, more dangerous heels and a very real threat to The Usos come Night of Champions.

Jimmy and Jey Uso have been champions for more than six months, and a championship switch is thus not out of the question. Even if Goldust and Stardust do not leave with the titles, expect them to leave enough of an impression that fans have no choice but to sit up and take notice of the deranged duo.

Credit: WWE.com

Rusev

The Bulgarian Brute is a hybrid athlete, a man as fast and agile as he is strong—the perfect physical specimen. He has torn through several notable Superstars to this point in his main roster career, and on September 21, he will have the chance to defeat another former heavyweight champion when he meets Mark Henry.

The World's Strongest Man has gotten the best of Rusev to this point, but that will not be the case when they clash at Night of Champions.

Rusev is at a point in his career where every win is absolutely integral to his growth as a performer. There is no chance he loses to Henry at WWE's next major event. Instead, he will showcase his impressive power and overwhelm Henry with his speed en route to the biggest win of his career.

Credit: WWE.com

Nikki Bella

The buxom brunette will clearly be the worst wrestler in the ring when she meets Paige and AJ Lee in a Triple Threat match for the Divas Championship at Night of Champions. With that said, she has the attention of WWE Creative and, more importantly, is a central figure in a storyline involving Stephanie McMahon. As a result, she will be the woman that the entire match revolves around.

For better or worse.

Expect her to be the most talked-about Diva in the match, partly due to the fact that her lesser talents will be exposed when she is in the squared circle with two immensely talented individuals like Paige and AJ, but WWE Creative, commentators and management will also ensure that she is the woman fans talk about most following Night of Champions.

Credit: WWE.com

Dolph Ziggler

WWE's resident showoff and current Intercontinental champion, Dolph Ziggler is one of the most consistently great in-ring performers in WWE, so it is not a stretch to believe that he will be one of the fringe stars to make a major impact on September 21.

At SummerSlam this past August, Ziggler and The Miz kicked off the show with a tremendously competitive match that got the show off to a hot start.

With a stronger story and more heat surrounding the heel's character, fans should be more prepared and excited for the rematch.

Ziggler will do everything in his power to steal the show from a match-quality standpoint. Considering some of the matches further up the card, that may be difficult. But a challenge is exactly the sort of thing that motivates the Showoff and guides him to his best performances.

Expect something special from him when he meets The Miz in the latest of their title clashes.