WWE Night of Champions 2013
Sunday 15th September
Detroit, MI
Curtis Axel (c) v Kofi Kingston for the IC Title
Not the ideal ppv opener. They had the pre-show match with the tag teams, so for the live crowd they had already had a gauntlet tag team opener. For us - if you didn’t watch the pre-show that is – this was the thing that set the pace for the show. It was generally well-wrestled throughout. Kofi is really safe pair of hands and Axel has certainly improved over time. They were given a really long time which was surprising, probably too long because you felt that they had run out of ideas as to how they should fill it by the end. The false finish after Kofi’s SOS was where the crowd really came alive and Axel’s finisher could do with some work. I can see Axel holding this title for a while now.
Divas Match – AJ (c) v Brie Bella v Natalya v Naomi for the Divas Title
AJ won with the Black Widow which is an excellent finisher and really suits her character. The match wasn’t as bad as expected and saw a really strong outing by Naomi who, once again, looked excellent. Total Divas has given them all a much needed platform and once they start to get given well-laid-out matches, they could really put together a division that has some matches worth watching.
The silly spot was the double sharpshooter by Natty on Brie and Naomi who sold it like it was killing her but AJ retaining was a shock and should build up a nice programme for the Divas over the coming month before Total Divas returns.
RVD v Del Rio (c) for the World Heavyweight Championship
Del Rio now gets zero reaction from the fans and it’s a real shame. The awful babyface turn and then immediate heel turn has made a mockery of his character and has confused the fans. He does tough and stiff well in the ring and is really at his best when he is giving a beat down to someone. RVD, on the other hand, is really beat up and produces some sloppy performances now. They had a good match – Del Rio taking a spin kick from Rob as he was draped over the dasher boards was a good spot as was the block that Del Rio gave for the frog splash which he turned into his arm bar. The horrible finish was only saved by RVD’s coast-to-coast with a chair.
They spent a lot of the match outside the ring, and with the chair shot and the doctor’s coming out to check on Del Rio at the end, it would make sense that they do a hardcore/no DQ match at the next ppv. However, if this feud doesn’t continue, I doubt many will be complaining.
Fandango v Miz
You have to feel sorry for Fandango. He shouldn’t be working with Miz, he is a much better in-ring competitor and needs to work with quality on house shows and TV if he is going to improve further. He should have beaten Miz here but for some reason Miz beat him clean with the figure four. I would turn Fandango babyface now and put him up against Curtis Axel or keep him heel and give him time with somebody like Ziggler or Kingston. This was a nothing match that took time away from the main card.
CM Punk v Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman – Handicap No DQ Match
There was a tremendous WWE video package that they used to introduce this match. It told the narrative really well leading into this, going all the way back to Money in the Bank. I have to say that when Axel and Heyman came out to the ring, they looked like a big deal but this whole feud’s reliance on the Kendo stick is really meaningless and has never been given a context.
Punk immediately injected pace into the match by suicide diving onto Heyman through the ropes. It was almost as if he could sense that the crowd needed something after what was, so far, a really average show. He then put on JBL’s hat and the crowd were given something to enjoy. That’s the thing with Punk, he always brings energy, anticipation and fun into his angles – here he was worker against a lower mid-carder but was making it seem relevant. Heyman, of course, was once again fantastic here. His facials were terrific.
Ryback as Heyman’s new protégé was no surprise. It brings the narrative full circle from when Punk was champion under Heyman and Heyman helped Punk beat Ryback a year ago at Hell in a Cell. I dread the thought of this feud again. Langston would have been a much more interesting choice.
Dean Ambrose (c) v Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship
Poor Dolph Ziggler. I am a huge mark for Ziggler and I really wish I knew what he’s done to deserve this. When he cashed in his briefcase and finally became champion, I assumed that they would give him time to get into the mould and work on his promos. Instead, he lost to Del Rio in a heartbeat and is now languishing in the mid card for matches with zero build for an essentially meaningless title.
Given some build, these two could have had a great match. But the crowd were dead as this was used as a buffer match after Heyman and Punk. Ambrose will keep this until the decide its Fandango or Bray Wyatt’s turn to be given a title to make them meaningful but Dolph is better than this.
Rollins and Reigns (c) v The Prime Time Players for the Tag Team Titles
Titus O’Neil is a good worker and everyone says that he could be a big deal one day in this company. The truth is, he’s 36 and I just can’t see him going above this level any time soon. Darren Young is improving, however, and looked good here, as did Seth Rollins who continues to impress. Rollins is capable of main-eventing in the future, if he’s booked properly and Reigns could be booked as a monster a la Ryback and so will be fine.
This was an OK match with a good finish that saw the ref miss Roman Reign’s spear on Darren Young (which looked tremendous). I think we’re waiting on Big Show and Mark Henry to be healthy – or failing that A N Other in Henry’s place – before these titles go anywhere.
Daniel Bryan v Randy Orton (c) for the WWE Title – No Interference
Another fantastic video package preceded this match. They really do this so well for their ppvs and I think fans often take them for granted. There are few better production companies in the entertainment business at this. Cole in the sit-down interviewer role with HHH provided the perfect soundtrack to the story and, I guess with the Meyweather fight being just a matter of hours before this, was intended to look like a Show Time, big fight event.
These two worked a really good match. Orton is rarely poor. He is so smooth in the ring: he sells well, he’s quick, he’s powerful and he’s a fantastic heel. The sub plot to the match was the refereeing changes, culminating in Scot Armstrong returning towards the end of the match to give a fast count for Bryan’s win. This will obviously play out on Raw tomorrow but was no sold by the commentary team and so Daniel Bryan was given his win, clean with the Busaiku knee. I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if HHH voids the result because he just wanted Bryan to get this out of his system and will informs us that it was all a work. Notice, after the fast count, Orton stayed lying on the floor still selling as if knocked out. Why do the fast count then? It’s possible that Vince will return but I see this as a HHH screwjob that will play out on Raw.
A very average ppv that broke the streak of excellent ppvs for 2013. It was always a two match card and only one was really worth paying for.
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