WWE Night of Champions: Four New Champs, Good Matches but Something's Missing?

Last night saw the WWE roll into the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL. It wasn't a disappointing pay-per-view by any means but a show about championships that crowned four new champions should have a bigger event feel to it. Although the event was good, it seemed something was missing. Anyway, read my match-by-match review below!

Intercontinental Championship Match

Dolph Zigger defeated Kofi Kingston by pinfall to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

The match started slow but they picked up the pace when they needed to. There was a few nice spots and the crowd was behind Kofi, especially when Vickie nearly slapped Kofi, which would have led to Ziggler loosing the title due to a pre-match stipulation but Dolph stopped her in time.

It looked as if Vickie would inadvertently distract Ziggler and gift the victory to Kingston but Dolph ducked out of a Trouble In Paradise attempt and hit the Zig-Zag for the clean pinfall victory. I think this is probably the best option and not one I thought would happen.

Although he is a heel and is supposed to cheat to win, there have been so many tainted victories lately, he has enough to get the job done on his own and that's what happened here. Kofi won't get hurt from the defeat so it wasn't a risk.

I just hope we've seen the end of this 20-match long feud and see Ziggler defend against some more of Smackdown's crew, such as Christian or Matt Hardy (wishful thinking!).

Although it started slow, they won the crowd over and gave us a good opener. (***)

Big Show Defeats CM Punk by Pinfall

People didn't like that this was on the card as it wasn't even a title match, but with Punk being such a huge character in WWE right now and holding an event in Chicago, they couldn't not showcase the Second City Saint. I loved the introduction from Tony Chimmel at the start. Announcing the next participant was from Chicago then kicking into Punk's music was nicely done. I really hope this feud doesn't continue because I'm not a fan of face Big Show and I can see a heel turn soon enough. Big Show can't last too long—he's a 7'0" foot, almost 500 pound monster and can't go around laughing—it doesn't make sense.

Punk tried to do all he could with Show, but how can you put a quality wrestler like Punk in the ring with Big Show and expect a match? You can't. So Punk did a better job of selling Big Show's offense then trying to get Big Show to sell his. Big Show hit the knockout punch in the end for the pin. The worst finisher in wrestling, I might add. If he has such a strong punch why doesn't he throw it straight away? It's not like a "finisher" that finishes an opponent after a beat down. It's just a punch that can be performed at any stage during the match. It doesn't belong as a wrestling move.

Punk loosing in his hometown in what was a glorified television match, not what we want to see on PPV! Forgettable. (**)

WWE United States Championship

Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz by submission to win the WWE United States Championship.

I'm a big Daniel Bryan fan and a big Miz fan, and I feel Daniel Bryan hadn't been pushed enough to win the belt last night and The Miz needed to drop it to move on and get a main event rub before he decides to cash in his Money In The Bank contract.

So which won in the end? Miz moved on. As good as a wrestler Daniel Bryan is, the fact of the matter is, there is more money in The Miz overall than Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan is a fantastic wrestler, he has cut some good promos in the past but will forever be considered a great wrestler, as opposed to Miz, who will be considered a great star. WWE likes those.

It was a great match and the crowd was behind Bryan, but there were also quite a few Miz fans in attendance. It was great to see Daniel Bryan in the WWE, winning championships after years of staying loyal to the indy circuit and then the supposed firing of him earlier this year.

Fun match, great result, match of the night definitely. (****)

WWE Womens / Diva's Championship Unification: Lumberjill Match

Michelle McCool defeated Melina by pinfall to unify the WWE Womens & Diva's Championships.

It made sense to have these two in the match. Melina is the best women wrestler in WWE right now with Beth Phoenix still injured. Due to the push she gets as 'Takers wife, McCool is the biggest heel woman in the WWE right now so it made sense to have the two in the first singles title unification match in eight years in the WWE! Yet, as usual with the divas, the crowd couldn't care less.

Remember when we had Ivory, Sable, and Jacqueline all competing for the belt and it meant something and the matches were wrestling matches? Seems a lot longer than 12 years ago. It looked like they were going with a LayCool split from Friday Night Smackdown and they may still do it, but they'll get more time out of keeping these two together than splitting them up and feuding them so it's probably the right choice.

The Lumberjill's were the only thing that the crowd got behind, the match including Jillian's botch outside were all part of what is now the standard for the Diva's division. (* 1/2)

World Heavyweight Championship Championship: No Holds Barred Match

Kane defeated The Undertaker by pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

I really loved Undertaker interrupting Kane's entrance to attack him, it added an intensity to the match from square one. He couldn't wait for Kane to get in the ring, he just wanted to pummel him. It was a contrast to the original Taker/Kane feud in which Undertaker, even if provoked, wouldn't hit his brother until he was convinced to wrestle Kane at WrestleMania XIV.

As I posted on my Twitter, with Hell In The Cell only two weeks away they weren't going to try and have a wrestling match here. Instead, they had an all out brawl. It was good and really developed the story between these two. It was a nice change to the back and forth (albeit excellent) promos on Smackdown the past few weeks.
 
There was a cool spot in which Taker did his flying lariat over the barrier at ringside. For a man of his age and size with busted up knees, it's nothing short of impressive.

I'm curious to see where this is going as I don't think it should end at Hell In The Cell, only because it's two weeks away and think that's too soon, but it would be fitting as it was inside the first Hell In The Cell match that Kane made his debut and attacked his brother at Badd Blood 1997 and the ending where 'Taker struggled to get to the back was fantastic. Kane looked like a beast and Undertaker looked legitimately vulnerable and weak for the first time in his career. I hope they continue this past Hell In The Cell and move on to Survivor Series, which would mak Undertaker's 20th Anniversary in the WWE.

Not a wrestling match, but the brawl and continuation of this feud was really good. (*** 1/2)

WWE Tag Team Championship: Tag Team Turmoil Match

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre defeated Evan Bourne and Mark Henry, The Uso's, Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov, and The Hart Dynasty by pinfall to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Tag Team wrestling is dead? Obviously, when you look at a card called "Night Of Champions" and they don't even announce a match.

A few hours before the event there were reports that the T-shirt on sale at the Allstate Arena had the card on the back and included the Tag Team Turmoil match so WWE must have decided in advance that they were going ahead with the Tag Team Turmoil match.

Why was it so hard to advertise? No wonder the belts don't have a prestigious feeling to them anymore.
 
Anyway, I thought Sheamus would be eliminated first in the main event , therefore guaranteeing a new champion and making it a bit more exciting, but they used that here.

The Hart Dynasty was eliminated quite easily about The Uso's and the only other real team in the WWE Curt Hawkins and Vance Archer couldn't make it into this match, they were favored for Evan Bourne and Mark Henry—a team with no history.

They've spent a few weeks building up McIntyre and Rhodes, forming their alliance following the attack of Matt Hardy a few weeks ago and I like it. Rhodes and McIntyre are two guys who shouldn't be left off PPV cards so if they need to become a tag team ,so be it. I think it'll work for them.

I just hope WWE doesn't cross mix their music. 

Not a great match, the match didn't make the tag titles look good at all. (**)

WWE Championship: 6 Pack Elimination Challenge

Randy Orton defeated Sheamus, Wade Barrett, John Cena, Edge, and Chris Jericho by pinfall to win the WWE Championship.

When Chris Jericho got eliminated only 90 seconds into the match after a RKO from Randy Orton, it all but confirmed to me that he wouldn't be leaving the company, at least not now anyway.

If you look at Jericho's character, he would have to come back and try and do something about such a loss. I loved his reaction—it was great and the other five members of the match just standing still as the camera followed him to the back really made the elimination seem like a big elimination.

As noted on ProWrestling.net, if it was no disqualification then why did the remaining members of the Nexus wait until they interfered? Didn't make sense. The eliminations were fun and to see Cena eliminated in that order of participants was surprising. WWE realizes he isn't invisible!

Wade Barrett was eliminated by Randy Orton, and a minute later, despite getting him from behind, Sheamus lost to Randy Orton. Not even a three-minute bash up between the two before the pinfall, just straight into it, which I think ruined it (especially two RKO's in a minute to get rid of Barrett and Sheamus that reminded me of the eliminations at SummerSlam last year). Seemed too familiar.

Good match, upset about the result, but nice ending to the pay-per-view to have fans cheer with Orton. (*** 1/2)

Overall, it sets up Barrett/Cena, Sheamus/Orton, and possibly Edge and Daniel Bryan (after watching some of RAW). Heading into Hell in The Cell looks good. Also, Chris Jericho showed up on RAW so he isn't leaving, at least not now.