WWE Night Of Champions 2012 Preview

Check after the jump for my predictions for tonight's show:

Dolph Ziggler vs. Randy Orton

I have a feeling that this match may open the show and it definitely wouldn't be a bad choice.  It's a bold statement, but with the great matches they've been having lately, I fully expect these two to steal the show.  Ziggler is riding a huge wave of momentum right now and a big win over Randy Orton is just what he needs.  Orton however, gains nothing from beating Ziggler and I think he's going to underestimate Dolph enough to cost himself the match.


Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Divas Championship match: Layla(c) vs. Kaitlyn

These ladies are going to have to go way out of their way if they want to compete with the action from the rest of the card.  It's a toss up whether or not they can deliver and while I'm personally going to be rooting for Kaitlyn here, I don't see Layla dropping the title to her at this stage of her career.


Winner and STILL Divas Champion: Layla

United States Championship match: Antonio Cesaro(c) vs. Youtube Battle Royal Winner

My money is on Tyson Kidd winning the battle royal and challenging Cesaro for the US title.  I think they will have a fantastic match that does wonders for Cesaro's reign and it would be a huge upset if Kidd were to win, but regardless of who he faces, Cesaro will most likely retain the strap.


Winner and STILL US Champion: Antonio Cesaro

Intercontinental Championship match: The Miz(c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara

I don't think anyone is expecting much from this match, but I think it should be a very good match if they use everyone correctly.  Meaning, try and limit botch machine Sin Cara's involvement as much as possible.  Obviously, they will more than likely tease he and Mysterio mixing it up, but it won't happen.  Not tonight.  And neither will The Miz losing his title.


Winner and STILL IC Champion: The Miz

WWE Tag Team Championship: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth(c) vs. Team Friendship

Kane and Daniel Bryan are both involved in some of the most intriguing storylines the WWE has seen in a long long time.  Kofi and Truth are two capable singles stars that deserve another shot in the title hunt somewhere (especially Kingston).  I'm betting on Team Friendship winning and then somehow dropping the titles to The Primetime Players the next night on Raw.  Regardless, this should be the most fun match of the night.


Winners and NEW Tag Team Champions: Team Friendship

World Heavyweight Championship match: Sheamus(c) vs. Alberto Del Rio

This feud seems to definitely be reaching it's climax here, but I wouldn't be surprised if the plan wasn't to add Randy Orton in the mix somehow.  The only way for that to be possible without turning either Sheamus or Orton heel would be if Del Rio were to finally usurp Sheamus tonight.  I think he's ready and I'm thinking I'm not alone in that.  Mark my words, this is going to be the upset of the night.


Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Alberto Del Rio

WWE Championship match: CM Punk(c) vs. John Cena

An obvious choice for Match of the Night and if it lives up to my expectations, a solid nominee for Match of the Year.  The buildup has been phenomenal as things have come full circle for both men since last year.  This feud reminds me a lot of The Rock and Steve Austin for the simple fact that both men desperately need to beat the other.  It's not just about the title.  This one is about pride.  This is the most personal of all their great matches together, where the others were just about the title.  The real question is the role Paul Heyman will play in all of this.  My guess is he'll help CM Punk cement his legacy and more importantly his title run as possibly, the best ever.


Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk

The Verdict

Again the WWE has yet to turn in a subpar PPV event this year and have been on a hot streak of having nearly every big match deliver the goods.  Still, this is just another "set up" show and ironically, Night of Champions hasn't seen many title changes in it's history even though every belt is always on the line.  The big shocker of Del Rio winning and possible tease of Ziggler cashing in on either winner, adds some extra excitement.  The real story here is the brilliantly built Cena/Punk match and more than likely it's the selling point for most.  I for one, can't wait to see how things unfold and I have a gut feeling that this may very well be the most memorable and exciting NOC event ever, but it's still not quite a can't miss show & I wouldn't argue with anyone who didn't feel compelled to order it. 


Verdict: Buy if you've got some extra cash