WWE Night of Champions 2015 -- Results & Afterthoughts

WWE held Night of Champions on September 20, 2015, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, exclusively on the WWE Network. For this write-up, we're going to try something new for this event on the approach on this article. Since my partner-in-crime and padawan learner on wrestling knowledge, Serena, watched the event with me that night, we decided to tackle this article together since we were already discussing it afterwards.

Kickoff: 6-Man Tag Team Match
Astral Alliance (Stardust & The Ascension) def. Lucha Dragons

ZX: Nothing really shocking pretty much the run of the mill stuff from what you'd expect on RAW/SD from this match. I was just glad to see the Ascension pick up some steam for once. I never liked those guys even during their NXT run but I think them being Stardust's henchmen like the campy superhero villain that he is works for them.

Serena: I didn't have the chance to see the pre-show live, but I still have an opinion about the "Cosmic Wasteland" and now renamed as the "Astral Alliance". I think Cody Rhodes shines is brightest as Stardust. You can see how much he enjoys crafting this way out there comic book villain, not only with his grade A cheese promos, but with his mannerisms and look as well. The addition of the Ascension not only gives the former NXT Tag Team Champs a chance to do something away from the title picture, but also adds another stroke in the portrait of the evil and diabolical Stardust.
Next?

Intercontinental Championship Match - Kevin Owens def. Ryback (c)

ZX: No offense to Ryback, but I felt that they just tossed Owens into the feud without even thinking about it. WWE could have easily thrown Cesaro in this match as well as I felt that the Owens/Cesaro feud wasn't quite done. At the same time, the absence of Miz in this match was strange as well when it seemed like he was still in the IC title hunt as well.

As for the match itself, it wasn't bad in the least. Owens showed exactly why he's one of the best natural heels in WWE today and started the trend (at least in these opening matches) of strong match psychology by working Ryback's arm to take his "power game" out of the equation. The finish was a tad sloppy though. If it were up to me, I would have had Ryback retain here to look strong but drop the title to Owens on RAW tomorrow night.

Serena: Before the match officially started I had this hunch that Ryback's reign wouldn't be lasting that much longer. Chatting with ZX via Facebook, both of us agreed that he will lose the title at the PPV or the next day on Raw. This reign was somewhat underwhelming, mostly because the champ was injured and battling a staph infection for a good chunk of it. WWE needed to inject some life after that not too exciting triple feud with Big Show and the Miz... Cue in Owens. A brawl between two big guys, Owens smarts in the ring and Ryback's likability turned into this oddly short match, with no really interesting spots and a screwy finish. In my eyes, this loss might have been too soon in the feud as Owens announced his interest in the title only a few weeks ago. I still hope that Ryback will get another proper title reign in the future as the guy can really grow on you over time.

That said, I think that this might be a good set up to continue the feud between Owens and Cesaro, since they work so well off each other and both have clearly defined heel and face qualities. The midcard is in desperate need of a good, quality feud.

Who knows, they might be planning a lengthy Cena/Cesaro program for the US title?

That would be something I would like to see. Those open challenge matches between Cena and Cesaro were truly captivating and The Swiss Superman is another guy who can bring out the best in Big Match John.

Dolph Ziggler def. Rusev (w/ Summer Rae)

ZX: You guys know that I've been losing interest in this feud after the lack of Lana after her injury. All jokes aside, this match wasn't doing anything for me. From Summer Rae's cheap imitation of Lana to Dolph Ziggler doing his best tribute to Rick Rude and Scott Steiner's antics with his Lana-themed ring gear with the sprinkle of HBK's flair, there wasn't much to write home about in this match. As much as we want this feud to end, I doubt they are going to end it until Lana recovers from her injury. At least Summer found a way to succeed with her high heels where Layla couldn't.

For those who don't get the joke, go back and watch Survivor Series 2008 where Layla throws her shoe at CM Punk after Regal gets eliminated.

I don't know why they pulled the "hurt from falling in the ring" spot where we ALL know Summer takes bumps for a living so that was going on deaf ears in terms of sympathy. We need more referees like the guy in this match though. That guy had catlike reflexes to dodge that shoe in point-blank range like that.

Serena: Usually I would say that I have a problem with a certain gimmick or feud... Nope, this time I can say with the utmost confidence. I absolutely hate and despise this feud from the very beginning. Not only did they bury a great heel manager (not a valet, but truly, a brilliant manager), but they also keep creatively killing Dolph Ziggler, who is one of the most underrated performers in the company. So, you have to understand that when I saw that this match is next I just wanted to get it over it. And... Well... There is not much to really say about it. Dolph debuted new ring gear, which looked like something stolen from the Hart Family (I bet it's the color scheme) and had Lana's face on the crotch... Odd placement. Summer Rae was up to her usual shenanigans, interfering into Ru Ru's match and both Rusev and Dolph put up a fairly decent bout.
I can only agree with Z that there was nothing to write home about. Performance wise the match was fine, but the thing that kills it is that god awful storyline. And to my disappointment, I doesn't look like these wrestlers will be put out of their misery any time soon.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match - The New Day (c) def. The Dudley Boyz

Serena: I know that New Day is probably the hottest tag team around as of the present time. And I have to say that they definitely deserve the praise. Xavier Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston are great fellas, skilled in-ring performers and have an insane amount of charisma. Their promos are natural and fluid and most of the times you are a 100% certain that they are improvising and this is all them. Kudos, for the creative liberties they have.

But... I do think that sometimes too much is not entertaining, but is just that... Too much. Some of their antics are weird, some of them are kooky, some of them end up being hilarious, but most of the time I end up wanting for them to pull back just a bit, just slightly. And the match against The Dudley's was exactly that. Way too much. That excruciating trombone, quick changes between the wrestlers, Xavier yelling... All of this seemed more like noise than a wrestling match. And I know that people will hate me for this. But hey, an opinion is an opinion.

I do think that the outcome of the match was fair, since there is still so much unresolved between the New Looney Tunes and The Dudley's and title changes two PPV's in a row didn't seem as good for business. Although, I have to say that Big E yelling "Woods! Get the tables!" was probably my personal highlight of the match.

ZX: I'm with you on how I'm not on board with the New Day as I think Kofi, Woods, and Big E are far too talented to be reducing themselves to the stupidity that comes with this gimmick. That being said, it was revealed on Table for 3 on the WWE Network that they are slowly given more liberties with this gimmick than what they had when it first started, so bravo to them getting to be themselves, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Their antics are more misses than hits to me and I think the trombone antics are more disrespectful to the match itself than trying to get cheap pops in instead of actually encouraging the athleticism and competition. You could tell Bully Ray Bubba Ray Dudley was clearly pissed off on the ring apron as he wasn't for playing the trombone in the match no matter how over the New Day are.

As for the match itself, it wasn't bad, but I was glad that the Dudley Boys didn't win the titles on their first PPV appearance back in the company. They need to be in the chase for a bit longer for it to matter when they win.

Divas Championship - Charlotte def. Nikki Bella (c)

Serena: I was quite interested to see how this one would turn out. Nikki was generating a stellar response as the cheating and malicious heel and the screwed over Charlotte together with her dad by her side seemed like a real tearjerker. And after seeing the entire match go underway, I have to say this went nothing like I expected. The "Genetically Superior" Charlotte always comes off as very physically strong and easily dominating. At "Night of Champions" Nikki wiped the floor with Flair (Get it? Get it?). Honestly, the longest reigning Divas Champion looked like a million bucks. She not only looked strong physically and very in tune with her surroundings (especially her reaction when Brie and Foxy tried to pull on the ropes), but Nikki also came off as a smart and scheming heel. For the crap that she gets, tonight one half of the Bella Twins proved why she was a Divas champion.

As for Charlotte. I'm happy with the title change, fun to see Ric Flair so proud of his baby girl, but she definitely didn't shine in this bout and her win, with a match that lasted around 14 minutes, was awfully rushed. Yet, deep down, I know that she is really good and I am hoping to see some entertaining title defenses. Maybe this so-called Divas Revolution will finally start looking like one.

ZX: For all of the crap that Nikki Bella gets from fans, she has to be proud of her performance tonight. Nikki carried Charlotte from start to finish of this match, working like a methodical heel by targeting her legs in a multitude of ways. Nikki definitely proved why she was the longest reigning Divas Champion wasn't a fluke in the least and displayed a show of force in this match. As for the lack of respect for what Nikki and ALL of the WWE Divas are doing to make strides to make this Revolution, I'm not going to mention it here but in a full blown article at a later date.

Anyone who reads my live tweets during RAW and NXT know that I'm not the biggest fan of Charlotte's ring work but she looked solid here. The rebellious fans of the Divas Revolution wanted a new champion on the top of the mountain and now they got it. I'm anxious to see how Charlotte adapts to this new role within the Revolution. Many fans are demanding more from this revolution and the blame is going to fall into her lap if things turn sour if the Divas don't continue to bring it in these matches.

If I had a problem with the match itself it was with the finish. Charlotte rushed the comeback phase. She no sold her legs being worked by Nikki and hit the Spear and applied the Figure Eight without any problems. I would have had Charlotte drop to the canvas in pain from Nikki working her legs to stop the Figure Eight prematurely, then build up to another exchange that ends with the Natural Selection for the win. The ending seemed rushed just to have time to have Ric Flair run down to the ring, fake some more tears and rehash the "emotional" celebration from RAW a few days prior.

The Wyatt Family def. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Chris Jericho

Serena: If to be quite honest, there is not that much I can say about this match. The main catch here was to find out who will be the mystery team member. Since I was out of the wrestling loop for a number of years, I didn't really knew about the animosity between Jericho and Bray, but when I read that he might be a contender, it honestly made sense. So, I spoiled myself out of a surprise. The saving grace to this okay match was in my opinion the very end. WWE managed not to shoot themselves in the foot by letting a rarely on TV seen Legend win and then disappear once more. They booked the newcomer Strawman as a terrifying threat, who can't be stopped. And that was one of the best decisions as of late.

Yet, the way Chris Jericho left the ring left me somewhat confused. Does this mean that Y2J is coming back to regular programming at least for a short period of time?

ZX: I like Chris Jericho as much as the next person, but him being the third man for Team "Wannabe Shield Reunion" was a bit of a buzzkill. We've seen these tag team matches between the non-Shield and Wyatt Family members so many times on RAW and Smackdown! over the last few weeks that I was up to the point where I didn't care either way, but I felt that the Wyatt Family needed the win more than the Shield boys.

Fortunately, things played out well with some common sense booking. Jericho took the loss while Ambrose and Reigns still look strong and the Wyatt Family establishes a much-needed swing of momentum after their new addition. Why Bray Wyatt hasn't held not a single solo title in his career to date is a complete mystery to me. WWE is at the point where they have a lack of strong main event caliber guys and they have guys like Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, and Dolph Ziggler doing nothing to put them in a better limelight with the fans.

Jericho blowing off the team post-match was a nice touch as I wouldn't mind a Jericho vs. Ambrose feud.

United States Championship Match - John Cena def. Seth Rollins (c)

Serena: Yes, the internet can hate me for this one, but from the beginning I was a big Cena fan and will probably respect and admire the man till the day he retires. I honestly think that people tend to ignore how much of a great worker he is. And tonight was no different. 2015 is the year when Cena solidified the moniker "Big Match John". His bouts with both Owens and Rollins were something stellar. And this match was no different. Seth did do a very good job, as he always does, although did seem to have some little bits off here and there. The only thing that was a problem that the match did have a lot of the same spots as their match at Summerslam. But I think what stood out for me was the perfectly executed Tornado DDT by John. I know that I should have a lot more to say about a co-main event. But, if to be quite honest, everything seemed pretty predictable. Seth Rollins had the two titles belts to validate him as champion and now it is time to give it back to the person that did do something really fun and interesting with it.

And I know that there weren't that many people that liked the end, where John AA'ed Rollins outside of the ring.... But weren't you the ones who keep moaning that Cena should turn heel?

ZX: I'll start off answering your question, Serena. The internet smart marks want Cena to go heel but at the same time don't understand that he's WWE's poster boy and boy scout. Until they build someone else up to that level, a turn at this point would be damaging to what he represents to the kids. Of course the older fans hate him and can list a hundred and one reasons why they hate the guy, but I'm at the point where I'm like you and I have come to respect what Cena represents and what he brings to the table on the landscape of the WWE Universe.

Cena's AA on the floor was merely "punishing" the cowardly, chicken-shit heel who was looking for the easy way out instead of having to face his next opponent like a man. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't get why people were getting butthurt about that act like Cena was teasing a heel turn or something. Instead, WWE should be worried about portraying Seth Rollins too much like a babyface with this "vulnerable" booking. I understand that they want to make him seem like a "beatable" heel but it's coming off like he's an underdog babyface in his last few matches, especially here facing against Cena and Sting in one night and even more so when he faced Brock Lesnar two months ago.

The match felt like the same thing we've seen on RAW and at Summerslam last month, which didn't help that Seth Rollins was dressed like the White Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger yet again. WWE might want to be careful about booking Rollins vs. Cena matches too much or it will become the new Orton vs. Cena matches that people will dread watching in another year or two - even sooner at the rate that WWE is going.

If I was Rollins I would look into making that Vertical Suplex from the top rope to the deadlift Falcon Arrow one of his signature moves or something. That combination is too good to have guys kicking out of left and right. I would have Rollins bust that out on guys in the lower card and season the fans that there's a possibility that Rollins could end a match with that thing. While we're talking about finishers, I would axe using the Pedigree too and possibly make that Phoenix Splash into Rollins' new finisher. He could easily make the Turnbuckle Powerbomb or the Vertical Suplex/Falcon Arrow combo set the move up.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match - Seth Rollins (c) def. Sting

Serena: Round #2 for the Man. This all had potential. It could have been better than it was. Sting did seem faster on his feet and quicker at his offense and defense than he was with Triple H at Wrestlemania. Rollins, in his typical fashion, was showing us amazing athleticism and worked the crowd. But, the match had to end quick because of Sting hitting against the turnbuckle with the back of his neck as Seth threw him into the corner. We didn't get the usual finisher as it was decided to end the match quick in order to avoid further injury to the veteran and Rollins picked up the win via Small Package. The twist ending with Kane's return....

If to be completely honest, I was slightly confused. I like Kane as any other long time worker for WWE, but I honestly don't see any point for Rollins to feud with The Demon. There are so many great young guys that need to finally get recognized and get a shot at the main event scene. But, following the current tendencies, new PPV = Legend Returns and feuds with Rollins.... Hmmm... The Legend Killer.... I think I've heard it somewhere before.

ZX: When Sting collapsed after trying to duck Rollins' clothesline, I knew something was wrong as you could hear Rollins tell Sting "That was on me, man..." as he dropped Sting awkwardly onto the turnbuckle with the second Turnbuckle Powerbomb. Like Serena said, Sting looked amazing in this match and hasn't looked this good in a match since working with AJ Styles back in Impact Wrestling. He didn't seem winded or slow like he was with Triple H at WrestleMania.

If Sting didn't get hurt, I would have preferred for Rollins to drop the title to him. With two losses in Sting's column in his WWE career thus far, it seems like all of this hype of bringing him into the company was for nothing, especially if this injury is career-ending. The dream match scenario for Sting as champion would either enter a program with a returning Ric Flair and build up that rival again for new audiences since WWE never had that feud over a championship between those two in their company. It would give WWE an excuse to add another title win to Ric Flair's record. Alternatively, they could shuffle guys in and out of the title picture from now to WrestleMania (like Lesnar's part-time status when he was champion) and end with the fan-favorite option of Sting vs. The Undertaker that has been demanded since Sting signed to the company. In the meantime, Rollins and Cena could help add more prestige to the midcard titles help more potential main eventers get their feet wet.

Serena tells me all the time that I should be working creative or booking for WWE, but I say that they wouldn't be able to pay me enough for that job...

As for Masked Kane coming back for the finish, it could work even though I'm not all that crazy about it. Let's just face facts that WWE is in that mode where they are just filling in the gaps between now and WrestleMania season. I'm just getting a sense of deja vu of Armageddon 2006 where Kane and Undertaker were set to main event two high-profile matches on that event's card. Now, roughly a decade later, we are about to witness the same thing as Taker will face Lesnar in a Hell in the Cell match while Kane will (obviously) be facing Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship. I'm positive that if Sheamus does cash in and win with the Money in the Bank briefcase, he's either going to take the title from Kane or a battered and beaten Seth Rollins.