Retro Reviews: WWE Night of Champions 2012
It’s time for WWE Night of Champions 2012, which was a really good PPV during CM Punk’s long reign as WWE Champion. This was written the day after the show and the review is untouched from that date.
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There was a pre-show battle royal to determine the opponent of United States Champion Antonio Cesaro later in the show. There was a spot in the match where Santino knocked down Darren Young and Tensai with the Cobra Strike and he tried to pin them afterward. I guess he’s never seen a battle royal before. Zack Ryder made the final two along with Tensai. Ryder eliminated him with a headscissors over the top rope. Ryder vs. Cesaro later.
At the end of the pre-show, Josh Mathews tried to talk to CM Punk. He wanted to hear some thoughts from Paul Heyman. He gave him nothing.
Video packages led us to the PPV.
WWE Night of Champions
Boston, Massachusetts
September 16, 2012
Twitter @johnreport
There was a video package about how CM Punk demands respect. It also involved John Cena as you would expect.
The show opened with a shot of Michael Cole. He updated us on the fantastic news about Jerry Lawler. Cole recounted the events from Monday when Lawler suffered his heart attack. Cole said that Lawler was doing. He encouraged people to tweet #GetWellJerry to support Lawler. Cole said Lawler would be returning to Memphis soon.
There was an intro by Justin Roberts, who brought out John Bradshaw Layfield to the announce table. He received a nice reaction.
It should be pointed out that the top and bottom ropes are white while the middle rope is pink. It’s in support of breast cancer awareness. Great cause. My sister had breast cancer three years ago. Thanks to early detection she’s living a healthy and prosperous life. Apparently John Cena will be wearing pink later in the night so that’s cool.
The Intercontinental Title match is up first. The Miz complained about having to defend the title against three opponents.
Intercontinental Championship: The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara
Early on, JBL is in heel commentating mode since he’s supportive of Miz’s claims that this match is unfair to him. Cara hit a crossbody on Rhodes & Miz at the same time. Mysterio gave Rhodes a headscissors out of the ring. That led to a Mysterio face off with Cara, but Miz pulled Mysterio out of the ring and then Rhodes hit Cara with a cheap shot. Sin Cara hit a nice arm drag on Miz off the top rope. There was a Mysterio/Sin Cara face off that didn’t lead to anything. The crowd didn’t react to it very loudly. Rhodes and Miz worked together for a bit but it didn’t last too long. Rhodes missed a Disaster Kick. Miz hit a backbreaker followed by a back body drop over the top to the floor. Mysterio and Sin Cara each got nearfalls. Mysterio and Sin Cara worked together to destroy Miz with a series of kicks. JBL did a good job of hyping up the Mysterio/Sin Cara showdown as Rey gave him a drop toe hold into the middle rope. Sin Cara gave Mysterio an enziguiri and then Rhodes hit Sin Cara with a Disaster Kick for two. Miz regained control with a DDT on Mysterio as a “Miz is awesome” chant started up. JBL did a good job of putting over how hard Miz has worked in his career. Sin Cara knocked Miz out to the floor and then hit a dive on him while he was on the floor. On the other side of the ring, Mysterio gave Rhodes a headscissors and then a flying senton off the apron. Sin Cara hit a pretty corkscrew plancha to get a two count on Miz. Mysterio hit a springboard moonsault on Miz. Rhodes broke it up. Rhodes gave Mysterio a reverse powerbomb for two, but Sin Cara broke that up. Miz threw Sin Cara into the post. Mysterio hit the 619 on Miz. Rhodes missed a charge on Mysterio. Mysterio hit a top rope splash on Miz for two. Rhodes covered Miz, but Sin Cara kicked him in the face to break it up. Rhodes went after the ask of Sin Cara. Mysterio attacked Rhodes, so Rhodes threw him out to the floor. Sin Cara hit a kick to the hat on Rhodes. Sin Cara took out a mask so he could put it on Rhodes. Miz came back in with his backbreaker/neckbreaker for two. The action in this match is very fast! Sin Cara put the mask on Miz and then gave him a hurricanrana. Miz gave Rhodes the Skull Crushing Finale while he had the mask on. The match went 13 minutes.
Winner: The Miz
Analysis: ***1/4 Fun match. I thought Miz would win and he did. They pushed the idea that he couldn’t see who he hit the finish on because the mask was on his face. I don’t think it matters that he pinned Rhodes. All four guys did a good job. Nice choice for the opener.
Backstage, The Primetime Players were complaining to Eve about how the people need to see them in a match. Some random dude ran up to Eve telling her there was an emergency. She ran over to Kaitlyn, who was being looked at by a doctor. Eve told her she’ll get her match, but not tonight. Eve helped her up along with the doctor.
Analysis: Will this lead to Eve replacing Kaitlyn? Likely yes. Will we later find out that Eve took out Kaitlyn? Probably. Not a bad angle.
The tag titles were next. Anger management video started up.
WWE Tag Team Championship: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Kane & Daniel Bryan (Team Friendship)
There are some “Team Friendship” signs in the crowd. Kane started for his team. When Bryan got in there he was yelling at Kane about how he does things the right way. The crowd was really supportive of Bryan as they chanted his name repeatedly. He did his series of kicks while the crowd did the “yes” chants for every one of his kicks. He tagged in Kane, who hit a low dropkick on Truth while he was seated. Nice point by JBL as he wonders why Kane/Bryan are crazy while Truth has an imaginary friend like Little Jimmy. Bryan missed an attack in the corner, so that led to an argument with Kane. They shoved eachother while a “hug it out” chant began. Bryan encouraged a hug. Kane hugged him to a big pop. All of this led to Truth getting the hot tag to Kingston, who wasn’t getting a lot of cheers because the fans liked the other team better. Kingston went to give Bryan the Trouble in Paradise kick, but Kane saved Bryan by pulling him out to the floor. Kingston hit a somersault plancha onto Bryan on the floor although he didn’t connect with it that well. Bryan put Kingston in the No Lock. Truth broke it up. Kane rammed Truth kidney first into the apron. Bryan hit a running dropkick in the corner on Kingston. Kane tagged Bryan’s back to make himself the legal man. Kingston went for a hurricanrana on Kane, but Bryan held onto Kane’s leg to save him. Bryan hit Kane with a forearm to the face. Then he shoved him off and Kane came crashing down on Kingston with a top rope splash for the pinfall win after 8 minutes.
Winners and New Tag Team Champions: Kane & Daniel Bryan (Team Friendship)
Post match, Kane and Bryan argued about which one of them was the tag team champions. They both are, but it’s fun to argue.
Analysis: **1/2 I thought they would win. It was a comedy match in a lot of ways. It was fun, though. The dynamic between Kane and Bryan is tremendous, so it was the right move to put the tag titles on them.
Backstage, Booker & Teddy Long were talking about what they just saw. Eve showed up to inform them that Kaitlyn has an ankle injury and she can’t wrestle. Booker said he’ll do Kaitlyn right down the road. Booker put Eve into the Divas Title match.
Cole and JBL informed us about WWE partnering with Susan G. Komen for the cure for breast cancer awareness. For more info visit: Komen.org/wwe. They focused in on the pink ring ropes as well.
Prior to the US Championship match, Antonio Cesaro (with Aksana) described this title match with one word in five languages. The word was “unfair.” The crowd chanted “what” after all of them. JBL supported his claim by saying that it’s not fair to have to defend a title when you don’t know who your opponent is before the event started. JBL thought Miz’ title match was unfair too. JBL is a great heel announcer. That’s how you do it.
United States Championship: Antonio Cesaro (w/Aksana) vs. Zack Ryder
The crowd was very supportive of Ryder. That’s good to see. Even though he’s been booked like a joke for most of the last six months he’s still popular with the fans. Cesaro was in control early with a gutwrench suplex. Cesaro hit a suplex for two as the crowd chanted “Let’s Go Ryder” in support of the challenger. After running the ropes, Ryder ran the ropes, but Cesaro decked him with a European uppercut to knock him down. Ryder came back with a clothesline followed by a rollup for two. Ryder hit a missile dropkick for two. Cesaro went for a suplex, but Ryder counted that into a neckbreaker for two. That was a clever spot. Ryder hit a hurricanrana off the top rope. Ryder went for his Broski Boot, but Aksana pulled Cesaro out of the ring. They went back into the ring, Cesaro hit an uppercut and then finished off Ryder with the Neutralizer (he’s Swiss after all) for the win after 7 minutes.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Analysis: **1/4 A good match. Maybe if they had some more build to it the crowd would have cared more because they were dead for some parts of it. The finish was well done with Aksana helping her man win. I hope Cesaro gets a real feud soon because it would add to the prestige of the title.
There was an advertisement for the Vortex block on CW Network where WWE’s Saturday Morning Slam show airs.
Backstage, Alberto Del Rio was talking with David Otunga. Ricardo Rodriguez showed up. He didn’t have his neckbrace on. He said he wasn’t in as much pain as he was before. Otunga told him to put it back on. Otunga asked ADR how to say stupid in Spanish. It’s “stupido” so that’s what he called Rodriguez. ADR and Otunga left, so Rodriguez put the neckbrace back on.
Vickie Guerrero showed up by the entrance, said “excuse me” and then she introduced Dolph Ziggler.
Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero)
Orton put him down with a clothesline early on. Ziggler came back with an awesome dropkick. Maybe these two can have a dropkick contest since they each deliver the move perfectly. Ziggler hit a neckbreaker for two. Orton came back with a slingshot suplex on Ziggler for two. I’m such a mark for the slingshot suplex. Use the ropes to your advantage when you’re in the ring. It makes sense to do moves like that right? Orton hit his side backbreaker followed by the clotheslines and his powerslam. Ziggler rolled to the apron, but he avoided the DDT getting a rollup for two. Ziggler went for a Rocker Dropper/Fameasser except it didn’t connect because Orton countered it with a powerbomb. They fought on the top rope. Ziggler knocked him off the ropes and then a dropkick off the middle rope got him a two count. Ziggler dropped Orton throat first across the top rope. He did it while leaping over the top rope to the floor. What an athlete. Just like the t-shirt says it’s not showing off if you back it up. Ziggler hit a series of elbow drops for a count of two. Ziggler grabbed a headlock. When they got back to their feet, Ziggler hit a clothesline to knock him down for count of two. We’ve reached the ten minute mark.
Orton hit a nice dropkick to make a comeback. Orton went for another move, but Ziggler countered with a leaping DDT for two. Ziggler went to the top. Orton tripped him. Superplex by Orton. He does that move in every match now. It always gets him a two count just like it did here. Vickie Guerrero’s encouragement at ringside: “You need to get him.” Obviously. Orton and Ziggler exchanged punches in the middle of the ring as the crowd chanted “yay” and “boo” for their punches. Orton knocked him down with a clothesline, but Ziggler quickly came back with the Rocker Dropper/Fameasser for two. That move always gets him a two as well just like it did here. Orton wanted the DDT off the ropes. Ziggler avoided it, so they fought on the floor where Orton threw Ziggler into the security wall. Orton set up Ziggler’s feet on the top of the security wall and he gave Ziggler a DDT on the floor. The ref was counting them out. Orton rolled him back in. He followed back in. He covered for a two count because Ziggler got his foot on the rope. Orton went for the RKO. Ziggler countered, got a rollup and grabbed the tights for a count of two. Orton countered the sleeper, he threw Ziggler up in the air and gave him the RKO for the win after 18 minutes.
Winner: Randy Orton
Analysis: ****1/4 That was a fantastic wrestling match. They built it up very well by having a slow pace early on, then it really picked up, they got the crowd into it and kicked out of a lot of big moves leading to an exciting finish. I would make the case that they are two of the top five in-ring performers in the company, so whenever you get guys of this caliber it’s important to give them a lot of time. They got nearly 20 minutes and they delivered. I had predicted the Orton win. Ziggler’s lost a lot as MITB holder. It happened with Bryan last year too. It’s how WWE books these guys because it’s likely that he’ll get a big win in the near future. Outstanding work by Orton and Ziggler. They put on a spectacular match. It’s one of the ten best WWE matches of the year.
If you’re wondering about commentary, Cole is back to being more of a regular announcer that doesn’t favor heel or face. With JBL there supporting the heels more than faces it’s the right move to have Cole in a more neutral role.
There was a commercial for the Dredd 3D movie.
Divas Championship: Layla vs. Eve
It’s not an easy spot for the girls to follow Ziggler/Orton. There’s also not much of a build going into the match, so the crowd isn’t into it early. Layla tried to show sportsmanship towards Eve, but Eve decided to kick her in the gut instead. Eve threw Layla rib first into the side of the apron. Back in the ring, Eve worked on the ribs of Layla. The attacked continued in the corner as Eve gave her an aggressive chokehold into the corner. In the center of the ring, Eve gave Layla a body scissors. It’s a battle of Diva Search champions! There were people in the crowd chanting “Ole ole ole” because they were bored by what they were seeing. Layla came back with a DDT. Layla hit a facebuster. She missed a dive off the ropes. Eve hit her spinning neckbreaker for the win after 6 minutes of action.
Winner and new Divas Champion: Eve
Post match, Eve was celebrating with the championship. There wasn’t much of a reaction to it at all.
Analysis: 1/2* A below average match. The crowd didn’t care about the babyface Layla. They only reacted to Eve’s boot to the ribs after Layla shook her hand and also when she hit her finisher. JBL did a good job of putting over how relentless Eve was once she got the advantage. Again, that’s why JBL is such a good announcer.
There was an advertisement for the Rock/Cena “Once in a Lifetime” DVD. I don’t think it will be once in a lifetime. I think we’ll see it at WrestleMania 29 also. I don’t blame them for advertising it that way.
Ring announcer Lilian Garcia introduced us to some breast cancer survivors in the front row to support the fight against breast cancer. That was followed up with a video about breast cancer with a woman telling us to visit Komen.org for more info on breast cancer awareness.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan was saying “I am the tag team champions” and then Dr. Shelby was there. Kane showed up saying the same thing. AJ interrupted to say she brought Dr. Shelby there to help them and said that they should be happy that they’re tag team champions together. Shelby asked them if they had anything to say to the other. Bryan said “congratulations” to Kane. Kane just left. Kane dumped some Gatorade onto Bryan’s head like you would see at a NFL game. It got AJ & Shelby wet too. Kane said: “I’m going to Disneyland.” The he left.
Analysis: Good segment. Not as funny as some of the others they’ve done, but it was fine. I enjoy the Bryan/Kane alliance.
We got the video package for Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio, which is up next.
Alberto Del Rio made his entrance first. He has a nice car. JBL put him over. No jokes about him being a rip-off? Ricardo Rodriguez did his intro. JBL loved Ricardo’s introduction and wishes that he had a personal ring announcer. David Otunga was also in the corner of Del Rio.
Prior the match beginning, Smackdown GM Booker T appeared at the top of the aisle. He said he examined all the evidence against the Brogue Kick. He said that when you sign up to be a WWE superstar there are risks to be involved. Booker: “At this time I declare the Brogue Kick be re-instated.” The crowd cheered that.
World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Sheamus nailed Otunga with a Brogue Kick while he was on the apron. Otunga went to the back. That’s how you get rid of lawyers, kids. Kick ’em in the face! Sheamus dominated the action early. He hit a shoulderblock off the apron while Del Rio was on the floor. Sometimes the human body dictates what you do in life based on an earlier meal, so I missed a few minutes. When I returned, Del Rio had Sheamus in an armbar as he focused in on the left arm of Sheamus. Del Rio did a move where he draped Sheamus’ left arm over the rope while pulling down on it. Del Rio went to the top and when he jumped off Sheamus decked him with a double axe. Both guys were down in the ring. Sheamus gave him a back drop over the top rope. Del Rio’s head was up against the turnbuckle outside the ring. Sheamus climbed the middle rope and hit the ten clubbing forearm blows to Del Rio’s chest. Del Rio quickly came back with the Back Stabber for two. Sheamus countered the Cross Armbreaker with White Noise to put Del Rio down. Sheamus signaled for the Brogue Kick. He went for it, but Del Rio avoided it, shoved Sheamus into the turnbuckle and hit an enziguiri for a two count. Del Rio went for the Cross Armbeaker. Sheamus fought out of it. He went for the Texas Cloverleaf, but Del Rio avoided it. Sheamus charged Del Rio, he missed the attack and his left arm got caught in between the top and middle ropes. Del Rio kicked Sheamus into the left arm repeatedly. Nice spot there.
Sheamus went for the White Noise. Del Rio countered it with the Cross Armbreaker. Sheamus countered by getting back to his feet and lifting Del Rio up before slamming him back down. It was pure power. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick again. Del Rio ducked out of it and he gave Sheamus a Cross Armbreaker again. Sheamus got his feet on the bottom rope. Del Rio went for his corner enziguiri again. Sheamus moved. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick. He covered for the victory after 14 minutes.
Winner: Sheamus
Analysis: ***1/4 It was a match that told a nice story with Del Rio working over the arm of Sheamus repeatedly. Sheamus showed a lot of heart in coming back from the Cross Armbreaker multiple times. I would assume that this is really the end of this rivalry since Sheamus has now beat him at three consecutive PPVs. I don’t think there was anybody that thought Del Rio would win. Sheamus has potential feuds with guys like Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler in his near future I think.
The video package aired for the CM Punk/John Cena feud. There are no clips relating to Punk and Jerry Lawler, which is the right call. The video focused mostly on the awesome promo that happened last week on Raw that also involved Bret Hart.
Once the video package ended, Paul Heyman was in the ring. He told the crowd that he was there to witness the WWE Champion CM Punk in his 302nd day as the champion. He was there to support the man that proudly states that he is a “Paul Heyman guy.”
The WWE Champion CM Punk made his entrance. Shouldn’t the champion enter last? Respect the champion! I’m being sarcastic. Punk received a mixed reaction. He also entered the building in a hooded grey shirt rather than one of his own t-shirts. It was Yankee pinstripes. Good for heat in Boston. John Cena entered to a big ovation in a “Rise Above Cancer” shirt and hat. He also had on pink arm bands. There was a “I’m a John Cena Guy” sign in the crowd. Crowd plant or genuine? I’m not sure.
The match is set to begin at about 10:20pm. That means they should get 20-25 minutes of in-ring action.
Before the match, CM Punk held the WWE Championship above his head for nearly a minute. It was funny to see how cocky he was. JBL put it over by saying it was smart by the WWE Champion. Paul Heyman looked on in support of Punk. Cena threw his shirt into the crowd. His dad caught it. Punk is wearing New York Yankee stripes on his tights and boots to rile up the crowd, which JBL put over as being incredible. I agree. Great heel heat that way.
WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. John Cena
They worked a slow pace early while the crowd chanted “Let’s Go Cena/Cena Sucks” which is typical of every big Cena match. Punk had the control with a headlock on the mat. Cena charged at him in the corner. Punk moved. He hit a dropkick to the face. Punk gave him a hard whip into the corner followed by some posing in the corner. Punk countered a Cena power move with a DDT for a two count. Punk gave Cena a drop toe hold followed by a bridging maneuver that led to a submission maneuver. Cena rolled out to the floor, so Punk hit him with a dive in between the top and middle rope. Punk smirked at Cena’s father at ringside. All of that stalling led to giving him a baseball slide into the ribs. Cena threw Punk over the security wall. He followed that up with a suplex on the floor. Back in the ring, Punk wiggled out of the Attitude Adjustment and then kicked Cena in the left arm. Punk knocked Cena down with a series of punches. JBL did a great job of pointing out that Punk is going for covers to wear Cena out. Punk hit a double axehandle off the top rope as we reach the ten minute mark.
Punk went for the Go To Sleep. Cena countered with his shoulderblocks. Punk countered the spinning suplex into a body press into a cover. Cena countered a neckbreaker by Punk into a clothesline for two. Cena went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Punk countered it. Punk hit a neckbreaker to take control once again. Punk went for his springboard clothesline. Instead, Cena caught him. Cena dropped Punk outside the ring. Cena hit a dive between the top and middle rope. Cole did a good job of putting over that you don’t normally see Cena do something like that, so he’s pulling out all the stops here. Cena went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Punk countered with his foot. Punk slapped him into the Anaconda Vice. Cena powered out of it. He put Punk in the STF right in the middle of the ring. CM Punk turned that into the (Crippler) Crossface. Cena countered that into a side suplex. Paul Heyman looked concerned at ringside. They got back to their feet to exchange punches. Punk won that battle by hitting Cena in the face with a jumping side kick. Punk hit the running knee into the corner followed by a clothesline. To the top rope, CM Punk hit the Flying Elbow for a two count. Punk went for the GTS. Cena slipped out of it and put Punk into the STF in the middle of the ring. Punk crawled to the ropes for the break. Punk hit the GTS quickly. Cena kicked out. Punk was frustrated. JBL asked what he had to do in order to beat Cena. Punk hit a clothesline. He slapped Cena in the face out of frustration. Cena came back with the spinning side suplex. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle soon after. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment. Punk kicked out at two as we reached the 20 minute mark. Heyman was surprised that Punk kicked out. His facial expressions have been good.
Cena went to the top rope. He went for the leg drop to the back of the head of Punk. Punk moved out of the way. Punk hit the roundhouse kick to the side of the head of Cena. Cena kicked out at two. JBL did an awesome job of putting over how this is a battle between two men giving their all. He said you had to love this. I am. Punk went to the top rope. He missed a moonsault. Cena went for AA. Punk hit another GTS. Covered quickly. Cena kicked out for the second time. Punk hit Cena with a Rock Bottom. Huge reaction to that. That got a two count too! Punk was frustrated. He turned back towards Cena. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment. He covered quickly. One…two…no! Wow. Thought that might be it. They fought on the top rope. Cena came off with a German Suplex with him on the middle rope while Punk was on the top rope. The ref counted the pinfall at the 27 minute mark.
Cena celebrated with the WWE Title. The ref Chad Patton told him that both of their shoulders were down at the same time, so the match result is a draw. That means that CM Punk is still the WWE Champion.
Match Result: Draw – CM Punk is still WWE Champion
Analysis: ****1/2 There was a slow pace to it early because they knew they were running long and they could build up to the big spots later on. The last ten minutes of the match were outstanding. Each guy did some moves that we’re not used to seeing from them like Cena’s dive outside the ring and Punk hitting the Rock Bottom to a huge reaction as well. I really liked seeing them kick out of all the finishers as well as submission moves. It gave the match a PPV feel to it, which is what we should get when we pay $45 for these shows. Punk kicked out of the AA twice. Cena kicked out of the GTS twice. They fought out of submission moves. It was an even match in every way. The finish was controversial, but it was done to allow for a rematch. I’m all for that because of how good these two are together. This was one of the best matches of the year. No doubt about it.
I’m fine with Punk leaving as WWE Champion. I thought maybe he would drop it to Cena here and then get it back towards the end of the year, but I have no problem with him still holding the title.
Post match, Punk hit Cena in the head with the WWE Championship. Punk left with Heyman while Cena was getting checked on by a doctor in the ring. The PPV ended there.
Five Stars of the Show
1. CM Punk
2. John Cena – Yes he CAN wrestle and he proved it again.
3. Randy Orton
4. Dolph Ziggler
5. Sheamus
Final Thoughts
I give it a rating of 8 out of 10. It was one of the best WWE PPVs of the year.
The Punk/Cena match was top-notch. It was at the same level as their Money in the Bank match a year ago except without a finish. I liked the dynamic of Punk working as a heel this year although the crowd didn’t hate him that much. Cena worked out. Punk might be his best opponent. It shows in their matches. I’m looking forward to the inevitable rematch at Hell in a Cell.
I liked Orton/Ziggler a lot too. It went about ten minutes less than the main event, but it was done at the right pace and was built up well. I’m sure Orton winning will piss some people off. I don’t mind it too much. I think it will set up some things down the road.
The tag title match was fun. It’s proof that Daniel Bryan may be the most talented performer in all of WWE right now because not only can he do it in the ring, but his character is ridiculously over right now. It was smart to put the tag titles on them because they have something special there.
The World Title match was pretty good. Hopefully Sheamus gets to feud with Wade Barrett now. That would feel fresh after three months of the same opponent for him.
The only match that I’d consider bad was the Divas Title match. It’s tough to have a good match when the crowd isn’t into your story. Going after Orton/Ziggler wasn’t easy either.
I missed JBL on commentary. I’m not sure how long he’ll be at the announce desk for. I’m just glad he’s there because he’s wonderful at that job. It also made Michael Cole more tolerable as a regular announcer rather than his over the top heel character that was too annoying.
In terms of predictions, I nailed all of the advertised matches except for Punk/Cena. A predictable show doesn’t make it a bad show. Smart booking matters. Right now I agree with a lot of the booking, which is why I enjoyed Night of Champions quite a bit.
Thanks for reading.