WWE Night of Champions 2015: Full Predictions for Each Champion at Event

Tonight's the night: WWE Night of Champions 2015 is here, and every championship is on the line at the Toyota Center in Houston on Sunday.

Even with Superstars such as Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Neville and Dolph Ziggler wrestling, it's the stout lineup of title matches on the WWE Night of Champions 2015 card that highlight the pay-per-view.

WWE has added a dose of nostalgia to this event with the inclusion of Sting and the Dudley Boyz in title matches. Whether you believe Sting can actually overcome the odds to claim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time or Team 3D can become 10-time tag team champions is irrelevant. 

Just bringing these Superstars back into the fold has made a second-tier pay-per-view a must-see event for hardcore fans.

Even the addition of Ric Flair into the WWE Divas storyline during Monday Night Raw—only to have his daughter, Charlotte, lose thanks to a Dusty Finish—gave old-timey wrestling fans something else to cheer in the lead-up to WWE Night of Champions 2015.

The biggest storyline for tonight, however, is the dual title defenses for Seth Rollins, who will be pulling double duty, facing both Sting and John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship respectively.

And it's with the match for the U.S. title where we'll start.

Seth Rollins, Part I (WWE United States Championship)

WWE needs Seth Rollins at his strongest heading into the main event of WWE Night of Champions 2015, which means his secondary title match for the United States Championship will be front and center early in the evening. 

This is a double-edge sword for WWE Creative. On the one hand, putting a potential Match of the Night contender on so early could deflate the remainder of the evening (see: Dolph Ziggler versus Luke Harper at WWE TLC 2014).

On the other hand, WWE is banking on Rollins and John Cena continuing the story they've told for the last month or so: that Rollins' vulnerability is at an all-time high. Why? Advancing that angle makes the night's main event, Rollins versus Sting, a match that fans will care about more. 

That's why it's easy to see Cena claiming victory over Rollins and recapturing the U.S. title.

Such a result would also set up Cena and Rollins to go at it in a rubber match at Hell in a Cell in October, a bout that will likely result in Cena collecting his record-tying 16th world title reign.

But would WWE allow two men two be dual title holders in the same calendar year? No. That is why Cena will drop the U.S. title in the weeks before Hell in a Cell. But that's a prediction for another day.

Prediction: John Cena

Ryback

For all the good things Ryback has done this year, the one thing he can't do is make anyone care about the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

A lot of it isn't his fault. WWE Creative dropped him into a terrible storyline with Big Show and the Miz, an angle that had to be delayed for a month because of Ryback's staph infection. 

The Big Guy has improved both in the ring and on the mic, but he's a placeholder champion. And that may be the way WWE decides to book its entire midcard with respect to the IC title, which is truly a shame. 

With the right push, much of the midcard—Ryback, Kevin Owens, Rusev, Cesaro, Stardust and even the Miz—could not only be viable champions but strong titleholders who could prop up the rest of the roster. 

Unfortunately, that push hasn't been there since Dolph Ziggler's run in the fall of 2014. WWE tried to give Daniel Bryan a push at WrestleMania 31, but injury forced that storyline to stall before it could even start.

That development led to Ryback's current reign, which has been decent but uninspiring. That's why his match against Kevin Owens is so important. This is a good matchup for both men and could result in a long-term feud that runs through to the end of the year.

Focusing on these two for the IC title would be a good move by WWE Creative, tossing aside the round-robin booking of the title to promote two very good midcard talents looking to make a mark in the company.

A win by Ryback over Owens would legitimize the decision by WWE to push him in this role over guys such as Sheamus, King Barrett and Ziggler, whom Ryback defeated at Elimination Chamber for the belt. 

A loss to Owens, who in his own right would be a terrific choice to help elevate the dormant title, would be WWE Creative continuing their lazy booking of a once stellar title. Look for the former, but don't be surprised if WWE makes the wrong decision regarding the Intercontinental Championship once again. 

Prediction: Ryback

Nikki Bella

The reaction to Nikki Bella's win this past Monday on Raw has divided the WWE Universe, which is what a great heel is supposed to do. 

Whatever side you fall on, one thing's clear: WWE Creative's decision certainly made Nikki's match against Charlotte at WWE Night of Champions 2015 much more interesting.

Many believe tonight's match will be a coronation for the former NXT women's champion. Rightly so. Nikki and Charlotte put on a very entertaining match on Monday night, only for a Dusty Finish to keep Nikki's reign intact and make it the longest title run for a WWE Divas champion ever.

With the record in hand, it's a perfect time for the Divas Revolution to actually begin. The biggest question after WWE Night of Champions will be Nikki's involvement in the movement. 

The advancement of women's wrestling in WWE and NXT over the last year shows the ability of the new generation of Superstars. Paige, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and current NXT women's champion Bayley are heads and shoulders above the current group of Divas on the main roster.

Will the WWE push these women instead of continuing its focus on those starring in its E! show, Total Divas? If so, where does that leave Nikki, someone whose in-ring performance has improved over the last year but is the mainstay of the old guard?

A title change at Night of Champions is for the greater good, allowing the Divas Revolution to finally move forward to focus on the individual feuds WWE fans have been clamoring for.

Prediction: Charlotte

The New Day

There shouldn't be any arguments anymore: The New Day is the best tag team in WWE. The New Day is the top heel faction in WWE.

Simply put: The New Day is the best act in WWE.

Whether it's Kofi's athleticism in the ring, Big E's dancing or Xavier Woods' trombone, the trio has been the best thing on WWE television in 2015.

Taking the titles off them in a nostalgic moment would be a crime.

While WWE Creative finally gave the New Day a great foil in the Dudley Boyz, it should be a slow burn for the nine-time tag team champions to achieve their 10th title run. 

Taking the belts off the New Day so soon after they reclaimed their rightful gold would be lazy booking. It would be succumbing to fans' longing for the Attitude era, a time and excitement the company will never replicate. 

WWE should allow these teams to continue their battles for a while, but with D-Von and Bubba Ray chasing the best heels in the business.

WWE Night of Champions should be the start of that story, with the New Day winning in typical heel fashion. Having Woods interfere, giving Kofi and Big E the opportunity to get the pin is the key. It gives more heat to a team that is generating more positive buzz than most anyone in the company while helping fans gravitate toward the Dudley Boyz.

It also gives D-Von and Bubba Ray a reason to toss someone, likely Woods, through a table post-match. Which is really what the fans want to see.

Prediction: The New Day

Seth Rollins, Part II (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

There's no doubting Rollins' greatness at this point. He's the best all-round performer in WWE today and should be appreciated as such. 

At WWE Night of Champions 2015, he'll go toe-to-toe with the man who held the world title a generation ago, the Icon Sting. 

It'll be up to Rollins to control everything about this match, from its storytelling to its pacing to its conclusion, because Sting is a 56-year-old part-time wrestler performing in only his third match in WWE. 

While Sting is the sentimental favorite, Rollins is the one who will be walking out of this pay-per-view with the title.

Rollins needs to continue his dominion over WWE, and Sting—for as great a figure as he is in wrestling—isn't the Superstar to take the title from him. 

WWE is beginning to walk down a dangerous path. This will be the third straight pay-per-view that at least one part-time wrestler has headlined. Putting the company's top title on a guy such as Brock Lesnar is one thing—he's a believable champion who can stand up to John Cena, Seth Rollins et al.

Guys such as Sting and the Undertaker are attractions of a different sort: guys who are fun to watch based on their historical significance. But they're not believable champions.

Making part-time wrestlers the featured act for not just the company's significant shows (WrestleMania and SummerSlam) but also for the events that are supposed to advance storylines is bad for business. Eventually, fans won't care about the guys who are building the business night in and night out—they'll just be waiting for the next surprise appearance.

Such fans don't improve poor television ratings, drive WWE Network subscriptions or buy tickets to live events.

Keeping guys such as Rollins, Cena, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns strong and improving their storylines does. Introducing the next generation of Superstars such as Kevin Owens, Neville, Finn Balor and Sami Zayn while making them more than caricatures generates excitement. 

Sting, the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar are great for business in doses. Relying on men who wrestle such limited schedules to prop up the company might bring back some fans who yearn for yesteryear. 

But once those same fans realize the Superstars they've come to see aren't around for long, they'll flee the product. So too will the ardent fans who become disenchanted with the lack of development in the company.

Sting is great and a legend in the business. But he's not championship material anymore. 

Seth Rollins is. And he should be until another regular or an up-and-comer is ready to take that mantle. 

Prediction: Seth Rollins