Predictions for Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho at 2014 Night of Champions

At Night of Champions, Chris Jericho will settle his differences with Randy Orton in a match.

Frankly, it’s hard to get that excited for the bout. This simply feels like a program thrown out there at the last minute to give both guys something to do. Jericho not selling his leg injury on Monday's Raw—after Orton viciously and deliberately attacked it last week—also came off as a rather unwise move.

Nonetheless, WWE will likely put in its best effort Sunday to make the bout more entertaining and intriguing.

One prediction: Orton will defeat his foe and deliver an even more vicious beating to Jericho in their match, effectively writing him out of WWE storylines for a few months. With Jericho's outside commitments—his rock band Fozzy, his popular wrestling podcast and his acting career—he never seems to stick around for long these days.

Credit: WWE.com

It makes sense that bookers would be looking to write him off television and give Orton a boost in the process.

Following Orton's clean loss to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam last month, The Viper could use a resounding victory—and the credit for taking out Jericho—to reclaim some of his momentum and help him get back on top. 

I wouldn't rule out Kane getting involved to help his Authority teammate gain the win. Kane fought Jericho on Monday's Raw and does have a history of getting involved in other people's matches. Notably, he helped Seth Rollins take out Dean Ambrose on the Aug. 18 edition of Raw.

Triple H or Stephanie turning up to help Orton is also possible but far less likely. Those two tend not to get tangled up in midcard bouts, and Stephanie is busy with the Bellas right now.

Credit: WWE.com

Of course, Jericho winning isn't too crazy an idea either. People in WWE have clearly soured on Orton over the past year or so—his dismal and disappointing run with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship may have been a big factor—and it's possible they now see him solely as someone to put over other, bigger stars.

This might not be a bad role for him, considering how limited and stale he seems to be as a character these days. Has he really given WWE much reason to believe in him?

Maybe Jericho is planning on sticking around a little longer this time, hence why WWE would feel more confident in investing in him and booking him to look stronger. A main event run—and maybe even a run with the world title—doesn’t seem out of the question.

Ideally, at the Night of Champions pay-per-view, WWE’s bookers will try to make the most of what is, on paper, a rather dull match. Perhaps they can script a solid victory for Orton to help get his floundering career back on track. Or they could give Jericho a strong win, heralding his return to the main event scene.