WWE Night of Champions 2014: Matches Under Most Pressure to Deliver

The breaking news regarding Roman Reigns' emergency surgery for an incarcerated hernia, reported by WWE.com and the WWE Network, has not only thrown the Night of Champions card into disarray, it has put a great deal of added pressure on some of the top stars and matches slated to take center stage Sunday night.

Reigns vs. Rollins figured to be one of the better matches of the evening, thanks to the quality of performers involved. Now, without that match to help carry the event, there will be other contests faced with ensuring the quality and success of the event.

What are those matches? Why are they, and not others, under more pressure to deliver?

Take a look for yourself.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

There was already a considerable amount of pressure on both John Cena and Brock Lesnar to deliver and put an exclamation point on a show whose card is fairly impressive. Now, without Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to deliver solid support as the second-most important bout of the night, the weight on the shoulders of champion and challenger grows exponentially.

As the most-hyped match on the card, the lights will be brightest when Lesnar enters the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for his first title defense against John Cena. All eyes will be on the bout, especially given the utter destruction that Lesnar caused when he clashed with the franchise star of WWE last month at SummerSlam. 

While watching Lesnar systematically dismantle Cena made for an incredible sight in August, WWE cannot book the same match Sunday night and expect fans to be okay with it. They will have to deliver a more competitive bout, one that resembles more of a traditional match if fans are to be receptive.

Cena is a game-day player, the type of performer who thrives when lights are brightest, stages grandest and pressure at its highest. Knowing that a great deal of the show's effectiveness rests on his shoulders, expect to see a banner performance by the company's face.

Credit: WWE.com

Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton

With the absence of the Rollins-Reigns match, Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton suddenly becomes the second biggest match on the Night of Champions card.

Jericho is wrestling what is sure to be his last match before hitting the road with Fozzy, while Orton finds himself lost in the shuffle, an all-time great who has been overshadowed by the rise of the individual Shield members and the return of Brock Lesnar.

Sunday night, two Superstars left for dead from a creative standpoint have the opportunity to steal the show, and it is an opportunity they absolutely must seize to shore up what appears to be a spectacular show on paper.

Credit: WWE.com

United States Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Cesaro

The build to this match has been absolutely horrendous, with neither man being booked particularly well in the weeks leading into the show. Sheamus has been an afterthought, despite serving as the U.S. champion, while Cesaro has regularly appeared on Raw, SmackDown and Main Event but often finds himself enduring the three-second tan, his shoulders pinned to the mat by Superstars who really have no place beating the No. 1 contender to one of WWE's top titles.

With no reason for fans to care about the match, the competitors will be confronted with a scenario in which their in-ring work will dictate how much of a reaction they can generate. Given the skills of both Superstars, there is no reason for them not to deliver a match that could potentially steal the show. With Reigns vs. Rollins off the card, this is the type of match that could benefit tremendously from expanded time.

The winner and loser are irrelevant, thanks to each competitor's placement on the card. Instead, the only thing that matters, both to the card and the reputation of those involved, is the quality of the match.

Credit: WWE.com

Triple Threat Match for the Divas Championship: AJ Lee vs. Paige vs. Nikki Bella

WWE has shown renewed interest in its Divas division since the return of AJ Lee, the increased television exposure of the Bella Twins and the heel turn executed by Paige. In order to reward that interest and ensure the continued growth of the division, it is up to AJ, Paige and Nikki Bella to deliver a match that is both interesting, entertaining and of a specific quality that does not force management to reconsider the sudden push.

Paige and AJ wrestled an outstanding match at SummerSlam, an energetic and action-packed bout with an outstanding finish that saw Paige power out of the Black Widow and deliver the RamPaige for the win. Nikki Bella, conversely, has improved consistently over the last year, incorporating a power-based offense that should mesh well with the styles of her Night of Champions opponents.

The presence of Brie Bella, which is certainly expected given her intensifying sibling rivalry with Nikki, could add a dynamic element to the bout that puts it over the top and helps it become one of the stronger midcard matches.