WWE Night of Champions 2015: Superstars Deserving Biggest Push Ahead of PPV
The buildup for the marquee battles at WWE Night of Champions 2015 has been well-executed.
Major Superstars like Seth Rollins, John Cena, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt have been solidly booked, with new angles to generate added heat leading up to their headlining matches.
The inclusion of Sting into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture adds an extra layer to what could have become a stale Rollins-Cena matchup. Bringing Braun Strowman along as the third member of The Wyatt Family provides an unbalanced, but welcome wrinkle to the SummerSlam rematch.
Add in a WWE Divas Championship match featuring one of the newest additions to the Divas roster, and half of the WWE Night of Champions card is taking shape.
It's the other half of the card, though, that needs work. And the Superstars likely to be part of those other matches need some love from WWE Creative.
From the midcard to the tag division to the Divas Revolution, there are a plethora of underutilized Superstars who could benefit from a more defined storyline.
Here's a look at the Superstars who deserve the biggest pushes leading up to WWE Night of Champions 2015 and where those pushes could lead in the near future.
Honorable Mentions
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Cesaro
If you believe a lack of wins means a Superstar isn't receiving a deserved push, then Cesaro is likely to be the first name that comes to mind.
Cesaro might not be racking up wins, but he's not being ignored. Cesaro is embroiled in a great feud with Kevin Owens, has received tons of support from the WWE Universe and, over the last two months, has been involved in some of the best matches on either WWE TV or at the company's pay-per-views.
A rematch with Owens is likely at Night of Champions. If he is booked to lose both during the lead-up to that event and on that night, the argument can be made that WWE is stifling his progress. Until then, Cesaro's booking isn't a problem.
Nikki Bella
Why does the reigning WWE Divas champion who's about to break the division's tenure record need a push? Because she's been booked so poorly that her reign is a joke.
If WWE wants to preserve Nikki's place in WWE history and not just revise its own by wiping AJ Lee out of the record books, Nikki Bella needs to be shown as a dominant force. Since the Divas Revolution kicked off with a bang on Raw in June, WWE Creative has taken a lazy approach to booking many of its Superstars, especially its champion.
Having Nikki not only hold on to the title at Night of Champions, but also be booked strong during the lead-up to the pay-per-view with wins over challengers like Paige and Naomi would help her identity as a solid champion.
5. Dean Ambrose
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Dean Ambrose seems like the forgotten man in the Bray Wyatt-Roman Reigns feud. He's too talented and too over with the WWE Universe to be relegated to "also-ran" status.
Ambrose should be legitimately competing for titles. The main word: legitimately. WWE Creative appears to insert Ambrose into feuds—for titles or no titles—when it has no better ideas for his opponents, or when it needs a pop from the crowds who love Ambrose.
Having Ambrose stand by Reigns during his feud with Wyatt seems to fit that same mold. Instead of allowing Ambrose to explore more noteworthy stories for the Intercontinental Championship or branch out on his own, they are limiting the character and the wrestler.
WWE doesn't need a resurrected Shield; it needs strong individuals who can compete on their own merits.
Ambrose has proven time and time again he can do just that, whether it be in his own feud with Bray Wyatt last year, his challenging John Cena for the United States Championship earlier in 2015 or taking Seth Rollins to the limit just three short months ago at WWE Money in the Bank.
The Wyatt Family-Shield feud doesn't seem to be ending, and it could likely be a featured match with more competitors come Survivor Series. That means we likely won't see Ambrose doing anything more than playing second fiddle to Reigns for quite some time.
4. Neville
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After debuting on Raw the night after WrestleMania 31, Neville was almost immediately thrust into both the intercontinental and world championship pictures. But after getting knocked off the ladder by Sheamus at Money in the Bank, Neville's been relegated to well-known jobber.
He lost to Kevin Owens in an open challenge for the NXT Championship on Raw in June. He lost to Chris Jericho at The Beast in the East special in July. He took Seth Rollins to the limit on Raw during an open challenge for the WWE Heavyweight Championship before losing.
Sure, he's picked up a couple of wins along the way, mostly against lesser-known midcard talents. And he was featured at SummerSlam, albeit in a match designed to give WWE a celebrity crossover.
Neville is floating in midcard purgatory until WWE Creative gives him a meaningful feud. Maybe he'll continue battling Stardust and putting on great matches. But where does that eventually lead him?
Neville's future success may best rest in a growing tag team division with a partner who can carry the newcomer on the microphone and complement his aerial talents. Because as it stands, Neville isn't anywhere on the radar, which is truly a tragedy.
3. Sasha Banks
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The Divas division currently focuses on Nikki Bella's #Roadto300days and Team PCB member Charlotte getting her shot at the WWE Divas Championship at Night of Champions.
It's a shame that the best female wrestler in the company—Sasha Banks—is on the sidelines.
Since being called up to the main roster in June as part of the Divas Revolution, Sasha has done nothing but impress. She's the de facto leader of Team B.A.D., holding her own inside the ring and on the microphone.
She owns wins over a majority of the women in the Divas Revolution, and she's been protected in her losses, with other members of Team B.A.D. (mainly Tamina Snuka) taking the pins.
But even in the lead-up to SummerSlam, Banks and her team have been relegated to the back burner while Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Paige have been pushed hard by WWE Creative. Nikki's been protected throughout, except once: when Banks got her to submit on Raw in August.
But it's been tough going since then. Losing the NXT women's title to Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, then being part of the first elimination at SummerSlam didn't do The Boss any favors.
Sasha Banks is too good to not have her beating the other Divas on the roster. She should be in the discussion for the Divas championship. Maybe WWE Creative gets her inserted into that match at Night of Champions, or maybe she gets her shot the next night on Raw.
However it happens, WWE shouldn't be waiting long. Sasha Banks is gold for the Divas division.
2. Ryback
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Just when the WWE universe thought Ryback was heading toward a meaningful feud, WWE Creative rolls out the same tired story.
SummerSlam should have been the end of the Ryback-Big Show-The Miz angle. Instead, with two weeks until Night of Champions, it's very likely fans will be witness to a rematch that nobody wants to see.
It's too bad, because Ryback could be a very impressive fighting champion. This year has been an especially good one for Ryback, as he's shown significant improvement both in the ring and during his promos.
His match with Bray Wyatt at Payback, while not properly built, was a pleasant surprise. Claiming the Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber was a career moment, and he's been very good at representing that title.
But he's been given little to work with, as WWE Creative has focused on making the other secondary title, the United States Championship, a more prominent fixture in its stories.
It's time Ryback and the IC belt get the attention they deserve. An open challenge for the intercontinental title could be the centerpiece for a revived SmackDown brand.
Midcard wrestlers previously mentioned—Neville, Cesaro, Dean Ambrose—could all be worthy competitors for Ryback. So too could the next wrestler on this list.
1. Randy Orton
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The way WWE Creative has booked Randy Orton, you wouldn't know he is a 12-time WWE champion with a pedigree befitting a future WWE Hall of Famer.
Orton's current trajectory in WWE is similar to the aforementioned Dean Ambrose. Both are compelling characters the WWE Universe love. Both put on great matches no matter their opponent. Both are called upon to inject life into matches and feuds that WWE Creative wants to provide added attention to.
At least Ambrose is used more often and in feuds that are compelling. Since returning to action earlier this year, Randy Orton has been an also-ran against The Authority and Sheamus.
The current Sheamus angle is most egregious, as WWE Creative has put these men together with little explanation or consequence. It's lazy booking until something better comes along for both men. In Sheamus' case, that will be eventually cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
For Orton, that will be...something? Anything?
Orton is too important a wrestler and too compelling a character to flounder in obscurity. He could easily wrestle guys like Cesaro and Kevin Owens to elevate the midcard. Maybe that sets up a shot at the intercontinental title against Ryback.
Even a feud with Bray Wyatt once WWE decides to end its fixation with The Wyatt Family-Shield redux would be a compelling feud with compelling characters.
Leaving Orton to wander aimlessly around the WWE landscape is an injustice that should be corrected heading into Night of Champions.
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