WWE Night of Champions 2011: Examining the 7 WWE Champions

Seven.  Or as it's known to those in the year 1995, Se7en.  

Regardless of spelling, it is a number of great significance.  It is known as the perfect number in The Bible.  The World Series, Stanley Cup and NBA Finals are all contested under best-of-seven rules.  At one time there were even seven brides for seven brothers.

The number seven also represents the number of men and women currently holding WWE championships heading into the Night of Champions pay-per-view next month.

These superstars will not only attempt to retain their championships but also continue the rebuilding of importance and prestige onto actually possessing a WWE title in the year 2011.

Night of Champions is an event that hearkens back to a simpler time in the company when all a match needed to be deemed as newsworthy was to have a championship title on the line. 

In recent weeks, WWE has been demonstrating a much-improved focus on putting value back on these golden straps.  From the continued push of the Money in the Bank concept, to Cody Rhodes' obsession with the intercontinental title, to Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga being allowed onto television continually, WWE has shown that they haven't fully forgotten the basics of pro wrestling and sports in general.

Let's examine each titleholder and their position in WWE and what they will need to do to continue their ascent or perhaps avoid further descent. (All photos courtesy of WWE.com)

WWE Tag Team Champions David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty: The NeXT Hope

The Genesis of McGillicutty has joined the A-List.

The fiance of Jennifer Hudson and the son of Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig are WWE tag team champions.

The second-place finisher of NXT Season One is a title co-holder with the runner-up of NXT Season Two.

Almost any way you look at it, the WWE careers of David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty have been built entirely around being in the shadows of those from their personal lives as well as their peers.

Now comes word that Triple H is looking to rebuild the WWE tag team division to re-establish an importance that has only been seen a few times in company history.

The question looms as to whether Otunga and McGillicutty can gel in time to become the standard-bearers for a new tag team renaissance or simply become a footnote in history.  The team that held the titles right before they became important again.

Consider this:  The WWE Tag Team Championship has changed hands nine times between eight teams since a new title design debuted in April 2010.  Of those title changes, exactly zero have been important focal points on the TV shows and pay-per-views on which they occurred.  To say the titles have never meant less is not quite the outrageous understatement it would appear to be.

Breaking off from Nexus onto their own, Otunga and McGillicutty have only recently begun to show flashes of developing into something—anything.  They have their own theme, logo and even have several tag team moves. 

The basics are there.  So far, the interest from fans isn't.

What can they do at Night of Champions to bring vitality and interest to their titles and their careers?  How can they break free from being stuck in the shadows and become leaders themselves?

Being booked on the card will be a start.

Not being stuck in a lazy tag team turmoil match with tossed-together teams and the Usos will be another.

The hope for Otunga and McGillicutty is to somehow have an actual storyline written for them coming into or right after Night of Champions.  One with actual plot turns.  Promos and interview time.  Pay-per-view matches. 

There is always one other solution if that doesn't work.

Join NXT Season Five and try to win in an effort to get onto NXT Season Six where a WWE contract hangs in the balance.

If it can potentially work for Darren Young...

WWE Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes: Restoring a Priceless Legacy

Cody Rhodes is the current WWE intercontinental champion.

It simply took him four years, multiple theme songs, a formation, breakup and reformation with Ted Dibiase, a pretty face, a broken face, a broken pretty face that passes out bags for unbroken unpretty faces and most important of all, a distinct lack of knee pads to get there.  But the main achievement in his young career has finally arrived.

Singles gold.

Rhodes is one of the main heels on the SmackDown roster and adding championship gold around his waist only improves his stock as a rising star in the WWE ranks. 

Utilizing his promo time in recent weeks to focus on his obsession and desire for the intercontinental championship and the legacy of the men (and woman) who have held it before him yielded only positive results for Mr. Rhodes. 

Mick Foley has discussed in the past the importance of promoting your opponent in promos for the dual purpose of making it look impressive if you defeat them and not losing much credibility if you lose.  The same principle applies to championships. 

Rhodes winning the title from Ezekiel Jackson came off as a big deal because to the character of Rhodes, it was a very, very big deal. 

He has been on an upward swing in 2011 as a character ever since his feud with Rey Mysterio began.  The victory at WrestleMania was key and even though the effectiveness of the "Bagging" gimmick is debatable, making former tag team partner and booking equal Ted Dibiase into his lackey has made Rhodes seem like a much bigger deal.

To continue the momentum of both Rhodes and the intercontinental title, a show-stealing defense at Night of Champions is in order.  The intercontinental championship has a long reputation for going to those who can flat-out put on spectacular performances.  Now is the time to not only build on that mythology but to add to it. 

A 15-minute match with a wrestler like Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara or Justin Gabriel will go a long way in adding further importance to the intercontinental championship and establish Cody Rhodes as a go-to player for quality pay-per-view matches.

Knee pads wouldn't hurt either.

WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler: Raw's 2012 Savior?

"Follow that!"

It has become a common refrain for Dolph Ziggler to shout the above phrase at the end of his recent matches.  He is doing one of two things:  Either he is helpfully reminding the director of Raw that there are still 40 minutes left in the broadcast and he must continue producing so as to not disappoint the legions of WWE Universe fans anxious for further WWE action; or he is sending a message to the locker room to step up their game in an effort to match his in-ring contributions.

There is no question it is Option B, but it's nice to think of a world where Mr. Ziggler, the performer and the character, is so considerate of the running time of the longest-running episodic weekly television program in the history of time, earth, space, eternity and everything in between.

Ahem.

Ziggler has added an edge to his character this year that was previously unexplored in earlier incarnations of his WWE career.  So far, Dolph has moved from smiling and shaking hands to forming a goofy partnership with Vickie Guerrero to cutting his hair, losing the hair dye and fans' interest to finally re-adding the hair dye and an intense, angry presence to his demeanor. 

2011 Dolph Ziggler matches combine incredible athleticism, frantic old-school selling and an angry intensity that he simply hasn't shown before.  He is in a pivotal year in his career as a mid-card heel where he either proves he can hang with main-eventers as a character (The Miz, Edge) or becomes simply a recognizable cog in the WWE machine for years to come until he is no longer needed (MVP, Shelton Benjamin).

Ziggler has not been booked on the last two WWE pay-per-views despite being United States champion which hurts the value of the title.  His current storyline involving the dissolution of his partnership with Vickie Guerrero has also devolved his character back towards joke status in a year where he can scarcely afford such missteps.

Ziggler is on the cusp of greatness or blandness.  If he receives a strong fall 2011 push, he could wind up with a breakout 2012 as superstars like John Cena, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio and The Miz will have feuded in nearly every variation, just in time for a new main-event character to emerge.  Ziggler can be a jolt of electricity to the 2012 Raw main-event scene if he finds the key to consistent relevance.

But first, he has to restore prestige and honor to the U.S. title.  A match with Jack Swagger at Night of Champions that is given time and a reduction of Vickie Guerrero shenanigans may in fact be the key to launching Dolph into his next WWE character phase.  It demonstrates that the United States championship is a strong wrestling match companion to the intercontinental title.

Dolph needs to look at the next step evolutions of The Miz and Edge and simply say to himself...

"Follow that."

WWE Diva Champion Kelly Kelly: The 2011 Trish Stratus

A beautiful blonde manager slowly morphs into a mediocre in-ring performer but continues to display a passion for the craft and a willingness to learn and eventually becomes the top female babyface in the company.

Describing the career paths of Trish Stratus and Kelly Kelly underscores the value Kelly Kelly has finally brought to her role in WWE as the dominant Diva of the current era.

Since the retirement of Trish Stratus in 2006, WWE has had many, many, many female performers but none have been able to capture the marketability and in-ring standards Stratus possessed.  Mickie James was very close and Michelle McCool was a terrific heel character.  But Stratus still had an intangible that comes along rarely in the women's division of professional wrestling.

Kelly Kelly has reached that level.

Her pro wrestling talent has improved greatly since she first transitioned to in-ring performer and the easy-to-relate-to nature of her character to fans continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

In an infamous radio interview, Randy Orton referred to her as the No. 2 babyface on the Raw brand bus.  It is a testament to the hard work she has put in since 2006 that she has gotten to this spot.

The Kharma storyline looked to be revolving around Kelly and now the current plot with her going up against Beth Phoenix and Natalya, battling to prove that she is more than just good looks, is a tremendous growing-up point for a wrestler that has been written off for years as a clueless Diva.

At Night of Champions, she will most likely be facing Beth Phoenix and/or Natalya and/or Eve.  The title already has importance crafted back into it by being associated with the No. 1 babyface, especially as her character has more "things to prove" storylines thrown her way.

The future looks bright for the Divas championship and Kelly Kelly.

The torch has been passed one more time.

WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio: Avoiding the Sophomore Slump

Following a year where Alberto Del Rio was promoted with fantastic vignettes, entered into a lengthy and beneficial feud with Rey Mysterio, won the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank and cashed in his briefcase at the second-biggest WWE show of the year, it'd be fair to say that expectations may be skewed for "Alberto Del Rio: Year Two."

Unlike Sheamus who was pushed to the WWE title within five months, Del Rio had a year-long ascent to his current perch as the top dog in the company.  Yet despite that, Del Rio follows in Sheamus' footsteps in being a character that may not have been ready.

Del Rio was an amazing and integral part of SmackDown from the back half of 2010 to the first half of 2011. 

Since then, Del Rio has been a part of Raw.  Not amazing.  Not integral.  Just a part.  He's been entertaining but he's been on a show where CM Punk was almost single-handedly launching a new wrestling revolution, thus parts of his character have felt stale.

Though nothing will ever be stale about Ricardo Rodriguez.  Nothing.

His promo post-WWE Championship win on Raw Monday night was an excellent start.  Equal parts cocky and in charge, he looked the part of a main-event player.

But other recent WWE or world champions have suffered from mediocre booking leading to title reigns that were unmemorable at best.  Sheamus.  Jack Swagger.  Dolph Ziggler. 

Oh yeah, Dolph Ziggler was a world champion in 2011.  Did you know that?  Does Dolph know that?

Alberto Del Rio is on an upswing.  Much like the Royal Rumble, his destiny has been fulfilled.  Now it's time to fulfill his legacy. 

The WWE Championship clearly has high value right now with so many wrestlers after it from Alberto Del Rio to John Cena to CM Punk to pre-injury Rey Mysterio to post-Subway The Miz; it is a focal point of Monday nights and that is a very good thing.

At Night of Champions, Del Rio will most likely face John Cena.  He may even face CM Punk as well if the match turns to a Triple Threat contest.  Del Rio will most likely be booked as a cheat to win champion during this first run with the title, which is fine for what it is.

The question looming for Alberto is can he be an effective-enough champion to be trusted with the title several more times like the true WWE greats?  To allow his character to grow and rely on cheating less and less?  Or will he be a one- or two-hit wonder?  Someone pushed too soon and then too weak and then not at all?

No matter what happens, the main lesson to learn from Alberto Del Rio in year No. 2 is this:

Ricardo Rodriguez will still be phenomenal.  Always. 

Always.

World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton: The Most Important WWE Superstar

In a summer where CM Punk took WWE to mainstream highs that haven't been seen in years, John Cena continued to be booked as the lead lightning rod he is, Alberto Del Rio fulfilled his destiny and character promise one year in the making and Triple H returns as a weekly TV character, it may seem odd to call Randy Orton, lead babyface of the clear No. 2 brand, the most important Superstar in the WWE.

And yet, Randy Orton is the most important Superstar in the WWE.

Orton is a man who always had great expectations placed on him but seemingly at the wrong times to fulfill them.  Growing up as a performer in the early-to-mid part of the decade, he always seemed a character too immature for the audience to latch onto.  His first world title reign and babyface run fizzled and it was easy for stars like Edge, Batista and John Cena to eclipse him.

In the summer of 2007, a clear character shift emerged for Orton.  The Viper was born and fans began to take notice.  Upon returning from an injury in 2008, just the mere physical presence of Orton seemed bigger.  He carried himself as though he was the biggest star in the company and everyone else was clearly below him.

In a business where perception is everything, this was a giant leap forward.  A tremendous lead heel run followed but by the time he was turned babyface, he was still a perpetual No. 2 to John Cena on the Raw brand.

The switch to SmackDown this past April has done wonders for Orton's career.  He is clearly the No. 1 wrestler on the show and he has risen to the occasion.  He is a steady hand from an in-ring and character standpoint.  While CM Punk will cool off to a degree as will Del Rio and Cena remains a Hulk Hogan in 1992 babyface (aka, massive cracks are starting to show), Orton is the most dependable main-event character WWE has.

The title defense Orton makes at Night of Champions will be the kickoff of a new storyline now that the previous Christian one has ended.  Orton being involved will make it a strong selling point of the show with the World Heavyweight Championship also having some of that importance rubbed off on it.

Simply by being associated with him, the World Heavyweight Championship is important and prestigious.  Orton's anger issues cropping up over not having the championship during the Christian feud only furthers the perception that the title is everything. 

Perception. 

Orton perceives himself a world champion.  Orton perceives himself as being the clear No. 1 on an entire WWE brand.  The perception is that Orton is at the top of his game with no clear end in sight which makes him the most important WWE Superstar.

Perception is everything.