WWE Night of Champions 2015: Most Likely Heel and Face Turns at Event
With such a stacked card, there's no doubt that history must be made in some fashion at WWE's Night of Champions pay-per-view. Some of these monumental moments could very well come in the form of face and heel turns.
The classic "turn" is the perfect way to switch up the roster and make it feel fresh again. It also gives whoever flips the switch the chance to engage in new stories and rivalries.
WWE has done a solid job in recent weeks of not only building anticipation for the event but also planting the seeds for the next several months.
As such, don't think for a second that Seth Rollins' digs at Triple H and Paige's showing signs of frustration weren't done intentionally. The current card may seem predictable on paper, but there's a opportunity for WWE to swerve fans in every advertised match.
Thus, several face and heel turns are quite likely to occur, but which Superstars will be the ones to undergo changes in character on Sunday?
Paige
1 of 5
Nobody likes a jealous best friend. And anyone who has been watching wrestling long enough knows Paige's heel turn has been a long time coming.
She's contended for the Divas Championship on countless occasions this year against Nikki Bella and has fallen short of capturing the title each time.
On the Aug. 31 edition of Raw, she was once again unsuccessful in earning a shot at the strap at Night of Champions, having to watch as Charlotte took the spot instead.
While Charlotte has had her sights set on the Divas Championship, Paige has been embroiled in a heated rivalry with Sasha Banks. With the losses against The Boss starting to stack up, it's only logical to assume she will want to take out her frustration on her fellow Team PCB member.
Nikki Bella has already surpassed AJ Lee as the longest-reigning Divas champion of all time, but Charlotte remains hungry to be the one to end her dominant title reign. Don't be surprised to see Paige get involved in the finish somehow, whether it be intentional or not, and consequently cost the second-generation star the title.
Roman Reigns
2 of 5
The rumors of Roman Reigns' going rogue have been running rampant since his controversial Royal Rumble win in January. There has been a backlash toward him from fans ever since that victory, but to his credit, he has won over a number of his detractors with his recent pay-per-view performances.
Throughout his entire feud with Bray Wyatt, he has had to overcome the odds. Despite reuniting with Dean Ambrose over the summer, the former Shield members still found themselves outnumbered by the uncontrollable Wyatt Family.
At Night of Champions, Reigns and Ambrose will pair up with a mystery man to take on The Wyatt Family in six-man tag team action. Although the biggest question among fans right now is who their partner will end up being, there hasn't been much focus on whether we could see a heel turn from Ambrose or Reigns in this match.
It was virtually a guarantee that one would turn on the other at SummerSlam after it was so heavily foreshadowed going into the event, but nothing ever came of it. Now that it isn't expected, there's no better time for WWE to pull the trigger than at Night of Champions.
Of the two, Reigns is the best possible choice to turn heel at the moment. The fans are going to side with Ambrose regardless, so it would be safer to go with the flow of the audience and let Reigns embrace the boos he's been getting.
Dolph Ziggler
3 of 5
First and foremost, let's address the elephant in the room: The current storyline involving Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Summer Rae and Lana is absolutely awful.
That's not to say he was doing anything worthwhile before it started, but Ziggler has cooled off significantly since this storyline began back in May. Keep in mind that this was the same man who won the main event of Survivor Series 2014 to (briefly) put The Authority out of power, and that wasn't even a full year ago!
Ziggler has all the tools to be a top-tier star in WWE, but inconsistent booking along with the typical start-and-stop pushes haven't done him any favors. This angle has only dragged him down the card even further, but a heel turn could help him get his career back on track.
Needless to say, Ziggler is a much better heel than he is a babyface, and that might be where this feud is leading. After Summer supposedly saw him naked on a recent episode of Raw, Ziggler gave her a gift on this week's episode, teasing that there might be something there between them after all.
Besides, Lana is out with an injury for the foreseeable future, so what she doesn't know won't hurt her. That is, unless it makes WWE TV; in that case, they're totally over.
Rusev
4 of 5
By the same token, Rusev is destined to be a babyface. That may sound weird considering he was among the roster's biggest heels for a time earlier this year, but it's clear he's going nowhere fast as the "evil foreigner," a shtick that died a slow death many months ago.
Although this angle with Dolph Ziggler and Lana has been atrocious, there have been glimmers of hope for the Rusev character. He showed a great deal of personality while mocking Lana for being a "fish" and has been known to be a riot on Twitter as well.
That said, would it not make the most sense to transition him into a babyface role starting Sunday at Night of Champions?
Interestingly enough, when Ziggler initially turned babyface back in 2013, it was a part of a double turn with Alberto Del Rio. If Ziggler goes rogue during this feud with Rusev, it'd be wise to flip the switch with The Bulgarian Brute as well.
It was premature to break up the pairing of Rusev and Lana, but once The Ravishing Russian is fully healed, we could see them join forces yet again, this time as a beloved duo. It might not be quite as great as the reunion of Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, but it will come close.
Seth Rollins
5 of 5
In addition to being the current WWE world heavyweight champion, Seth Rollins is the greatest heel WWE has at its disposal at the moment. Initially, there was doubt among fans regarding whether he could work as a heel, but he has done nothing but flourish in the role since turning last June.
So what would be the point in turning him babyface as soon as Sunday?
WWE has been planting the seeds for a Rollins-Triple H matchup for longer than you might think—not only just recently during Rollins' promos on Raw, but also many months ago, when he started using the Pedigree as his finisher.
There has been tension within the ranks of The Authority for some time now, and the powers that be (storyline-wise) might not have faith in Rollins to take home both titles at Night of Champions. Thus, they could recruit another member into the group to ensure that the championship doesn't fall into Sting's hands: Sheamus.
Having had his Money in the Bank briefcase in tow for the past few months, he's teased cashing it at the event each week on Raw since SummerSlam. Rollins will be a babyface before long, but the first step could come at Night of Champions if The Authority oust him from the group to make room for The Celtic Warrior.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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