WWE Night of Champions 2014 Matches: Handicapping Each Bout on the Card

WWE Night of Champions will play host to a highly anticipated rematch between Brock Lesnar and John Cena in the main event, but there is no shortage of other entertaining bouts scheduled for Sunday's card.

Along with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, every other WWE title will be on the line. Some of the event's eight contests have clear-cut favorites to come out on top, but others look like they could go either way on paper.

There appears to be a greater amount of unpredictability surrounding this pay-per-view than most others, which should interest fans along with the solid in-ring action that is almost certain to occur.

With Night of Champions quickly approaching, here are the latest predictions for how each and every scheduled match will play out.

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena

After dominating John Cena en route to winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar will look to do something similar at Night of Champions. Since Cena's humiliating defeat, however, WWE has gone to great lengths to restore his credibility.

Cena has also had to deal with Paul Heyman's constant poking and prodding. Cena has resisted Heyman's advice to channel his inner dark side, which Heyman claims is the only thing that can help him defeat The Beast Incarnate. With Cena unwilling to change, though, Heyman made it clear that Cena won't get the job done, according to WWE Universe on Twitter:

There is little doubt that this match will be more competitive than the one that occurred at SummerSlam, but the ultimate result should be the same. There is always at least some semblance of a chance that Cena will win, but Lesnar has brought so much excitement and intrigue to the title scene that it wouldn't make sense to make a change right now.

Lesnar's next loss should be used to elevate someone who needs it, and Cena simply doesn't fit into that category.

Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton

A pair of veterans and future Hall of Famers will lock horns Sunday night when Chris Jericho and Randy Orton look to settle the score. Y2J and The Viper have faced each other many times in the past and had their issues, but things recently got personal.

After Jericho questioned Orton's effort and commitment, The Viper went on the attack. Orton went after Jericho's injured knee, which resulted in a match between the two Superstars being booked.

Since Jericho is likely taking a break from WWE after this match in order to tour with his band, one can only assume that he'll put Orton over.

Orton has been on a major pay-per-view losing streak since WrestleMania XXX, and he could really use a victory over an established guy like Jericho. Once The Viper scores the win, don't be surprise if he punts Y2J in the skull for good measure in order to send him away.

Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz

WWE intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler and The Miz have been engaged in what has arguably been the most entertaining feud in the company over the past couple months. Ziggler won the IC title from Miz at SummerSlam, but the self-professed A-list movie star is hoping to take the strap back.

There have been a lot of fun and entertaining moments on all of WWE's programming throughout this feud. In fact, the two combatants have even taking to Twitter in order to add fuel to the fire:

The Miz has enlisted the help of a stunt double in the form of Damien Sandow, but Ziggler has countered with one of his own in R-Truth. In addition to Miz and Ziggler doing battle in the ring, it is quite likely that the stunt doubles will play a role in this match as well.

This is a match that could really go either way, and there is a decent chance that the feud will continue no matter what. Since Ziggler is better tailored to chasing the title than holding it, The Miz will prevail through nefarious means, and Ziggler will be faced with adversity once again.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro

Sheamus and Cesaro are two of the toughest and most skilled in-ring workers in WWE today. They have plenty of history together and have proven capable of putting on spectacular matches when given the opportunity.

The Celtic Warrior will put the United States Championship on the line Sunday against The Swiss Superman, but it has been extremely difficult for fans to get behind the feud since the creative team hasn't put much effort into creating a story.

Even so, the match promises to be a rough-and-tumble affair. Sheamus has made no effort to hide what he intends to do to Cesaro at Night of Champions.

It is tough to get a definitive read on this match, but Cesaro is the likely winner. Sheamus hasn't been afforded the opportunity to do much with the U.S. title, while Cesaro could use some type of momentum to become relevant once again.

There is no guarantee that Cesaro will be booked well even if he does come away with the United States Championship, but it figures to change his direction and shake things up for both Superstars in the process.

The Usos vs. Gold & Stardust

It has been more than six months since The Usos defeated The New Age Outlaws to become WWE Tag Team champions. It has been a long and fruitful reign for the twin brothers, but the time has come for a new pair of siblings to wear the belts.

Goldust and Stardust have been picking up momentum as a team in recent weeks, especially following a heel turn that saw them attack The Usos. Goldust and Stardust have already held the titles together once with Stardust as Cody Rhodes, but Goldust is confident that they will secure them again Sunday:

The unfortunate reality is that there isn't much left for The Usos to do right now because of the lack of depth in WWE's tag team division. Putting the titles on a heel duo like Goldust and Stardust would at least open up some new avenues.

Goldust and Stardust are intriguing if nothing else, and they deserve a chance to show what they can do atop the tag ranks.

Paige vs. AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella

The Divas division's booking has been a bit erratic as of late, and it has led to a Triple Threat match between Paige, AJ Lee and Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship. Even if the storytelling hasn't been the greatest, this bout has the potential to be an excellent one.

Paige and AJ clearly already have great chemistry, and they have had some solid singles matches together. Despite not often receiving much credit, Nikki has improved significantly in the ring over the past several years as well.

It is obvious that this match will feature plenty of outside interference with Brie Bella playing a prominent role. Stephanie McMahon could also get involved due to the fact that she is the one who created this match.

Look for Steph to counteract Brie's interference, which will open the door for Nikki to win the title. That situation can then lead to branching feuds of Nikki vs. Brie for the title and perhaps even AJ vs. Stephanie, which was teased a couple weeks ago.

Mark Henry vs. Rusev

Rusev's reign of terror over WWE has lasted for the past several months, but it is possible that he has finally met his match in the form of Mark Henry. The former U.S. Olympian has decided to take a stand in the name of his country, but nobody has been able to take down Rusev yet.

The World's Strongest Man has gotten the better of Rusev on several occasions leading up to Night of Champions, and he even managed to beat him in an arm-wrestling match. Henry even claims to have a little extra motivation:

As entertaining as Henry has been, this match has a Rusev victory written all over it. The Super-Athlete has been getting built up in a major way, and it is difficult to imagine him losing to a veteran guy like Henry.

Beating a former world heavyweight champion would be a major feather in Rusev's cap, though, and it will give him even more momentum moving forward.

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