WWE Night of Champions 2014 : Full Match Card Analysis and Predictions

Monday Night Raw ended on a low note but Night of Champions still has all the fire power that it needs to follow up a spectacular show like SummerSlam.Eight matches have been scheduled for the pay-per-view with all five titles in the company up for grabs.Two SummerSlam rematches including the main event between John Cena and Brock Lesnar are also in the fold at the Bridgestone Arena making sure that the fans won’t feel too much distance from the summer’s biggest party.Many of the expectations that arose among the WWE Universe regarding the match card was not met but there enough potential in those eight matches to make sure that NOC doesn’t flop. So as we take another step closer to the pay-per-view, here is a look at the Full match card and predictions.

#8 Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

WWE might’ve made a bad step by booking this match on Raw but Reigns and Rollins are versatile enough to have an entirely different contest on Sunday.

The reason for these two locking horns on Raw is yet to be known but at Night of Champions it will be all about settling the scores once and for all.

Reigns will be looking to silence the critics who claimed that he did nothing to Rollins after the Shield broke up while Rollins would be looking to stamp his momentum before potential cash in of the briefcase.

There is a possibility of Ambrose returning to the mix during the match which might ensure a victory for Reigns. That would be the right path as well since Rollins wouldn’t suffer much from losing as he has the briefcase with him.

Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

#7 Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton

This is a makeshift match from the WWE to be frank. Jericho’s feud with Bray Wyatt was going nowhere and came to a pre mature conclusion with the steel cage match on Raw.

Orton on the other hand gave everything he could to aid Reigns at SummerSlam itself making a rematch unnecessary. So instead of letting two big stars skip the pay-per-view, the writers decided to pair up them randomly for a match.

Both Orton and Jericho is capable of giving a solid match under a pay-per-view stage and it wouldn’t be anything more than that.

This would be Jericho’s last match of the current run as well which means that Orton has the upper hand when it comes to the result.

Prediction: Randy Orton wins.

#6 The Usos (c) vs. Gold and Stardust (WWE Tag Team Championship)

The tag team championship will get some pay-per-view spotlight at Night of Champions when the Usos will defend against former champions, the Rhodes Brothers.

Unlike the previous matches that the two teams have had, this one will be refreshed by the new incarnation of Cody Rhodes. His weird Stardust character has been doing wonders for the team as a whole and done the same to the division.

However, this might not be enough to ensure that they’d walk out with the gold. Ascension recently dropped their NXT tag titles meaning that a call up is near.

When they make their debut, Usos has to be champions meaning that the title reign will not come to an end at Sunday.

Prediction: Usos retains.

#5 Mark Henry vs. Rusev

WWE apparently is so high on the Henry – Rusev feud that they let the two headline this week’s Monday Night Raw. There is minimum heat from the crowd for the duo as this is a storyline that has been recycled a million times.

At Night of Champions, Henry will be assigned with the job of putting Rusev over just like Swagger did at SummerSlam.

Rusev’s rise to the top has only begun and a win over a veteran like Henry would give the Bulgarian Brute more momentum to head upwards.

Any result other than a win for Rusev would pretty much be a waste from the creative as Henry is going nowhere with a win while Rusev has a bright future ahead of him.

Prediction: Rusev wins.

#4 Paige (c) vs. AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella (WWE Divas Championship)

AJ Lee and Paige was entertaining enough to have another pay-per-view match for the divas championship despite having two already.

However, the lack of success form the Bella’s or a lack of faith in AJ and Paige has forced WWE to make this a triple threat match involving Nikki. There are no signs of Brie entering and making this a fatal four way which might actually work in favor of the champion.

This is the most unpredictable match in the pay-per-view as there are so many aspects attached to it. Brie’s interference is clearly going to play a big role as she could either cost her sister the title or turn heel and help Nikki win it.

The former is more likely to happen on Sunday leaving AJ and Paige free to fight over the title. Now that AJ has Stephanie as a credible foe, Paige is the favorite to win the match and walk out with the gold.

Prediction: Paige wins.

#3 Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. The Miz (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

A rematch from SummerSlam, Ziggler and Miz would fight it out for the Intercontinental championship while their respective stunt doubles will probably be ring side.

Unlike SummerSlam, this one might be more entertaining as there are more characters involved. Damien Sandow has been getting some good reaction from the WWE Universe and they will clearly be cheering him at NOC.

As far as the in ring action is concerned, anything involving Ziggler hasn’t disappointed the fans and this would be no different unless the creative devise some awful plans.

There are rumors floating around saying that Bray Wyatt will be challenging Ziggler for the title next which ensures that WWE has other plans for Miz.

Prediction: Ziggler wins.

#2 Sheamus (c) vs. Cesaro (United States Championship)

Two of the company’s most physical superstars will be going at it on Sunday to reign supreme as the United States Champion.

Sheamus was expected to revive the championship once he won it from Dean Ambrose but couldn’t get the job done due to the booking he got. Cesaro on the other hand will see Night of Champions as an opportunity to shine after a long time.

Cesaro could walk away with the title in the end, but the chances of that aren’t high since Sheamus would be left wrong footed. Sheamus is the John Cena of upper midcard and him losing a match to Cesaro might be a long shot.

The Celtic Warrior looks set to keep his gold intact while the Swiss Superman has to still wait for a miracle to happen.

Prediction: Sheamus wins.

#1 Brock Lesnar (c) vs. John Cena (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

This is what it’s all about, the rematch between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. All the other matches seems to be just a decoration compared to this one as it is one of the most anticipated matches of the year.

SummerSlam saw Cena take the beating of his life but instead of running away, the Cenation leader is more driven than ever to get his hands on Lesnar.

This will be an entirely different Cena than the one we saw at SummerSlam but that doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing Lesnar’s dominance. Booking Cena weak again is the best decision WWE can do as it would stamp Lesnar’s reign.

No matter how the match is booked, Lesnar is walking out as the champion. If not, consider it to be the company’s worst booking decision in a year that was full of worst booking decisions.

Prediction : Lesnar wins.