WWE Night of Champions preview and predictions (2023)

Night of Champions is usually a bit of a downer after SummerSlam. But because of Seth Rollins' double-champion gimmick, a mystery wrestler and some solid matches, September's pay-per-view event Sunday actually has some juice. Most of the eight matches have at least one compelling aspect, whether it's the continuation of a feud or the possibility of a title change.

Stardust and The Ascension vs. Neville and The Lucha Dragons

This is the first of several matches that seem like a prequel to Survivor Series. I'm very intrigued by the possibilities that Stardust and The Ascension (The Cosmic Wasteland) present. I never expect Stardust to be more than a midcarder with this character, but having henchmen is a good way to start moving toward a truly credible midcarder. Of course, he (and they) have to start winning. This is a good spot for them to continue the feud, as I expect a full-blown Heroes vs. Villains Survivor Series match in November, maybe including the return of Stephen Amell.

Winner: The Cosmic Wasteland

Ryback vs. Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Title

This match has a weird feel to it. The feud was somewhat thrown together, and the story, if you want to call it the story, is rather odd. I like the idea of Owens just being a jerk and targeting aspects of other wrestlers' lives … but attacking "The Secret" is a weird way to have a feud. That being said, this has the potential to be a good match, or series of matches, if they go that route. I could see this match going either way. Ryback is still getting good reactions, but his reign seems to be lacking something. I've written about this before, but I think part of the problem is that we never saw a real chase with Ryback. He won the Elimination Chamber out of nowhere and has coasted since. If I'm in charge of WWE, I give serious consideration to having Owens win here, even if it's just to have Ryback win the title back in a few months. The short chase could do a lot of good for Ryback, as it's a role we haven't really seen him in since he chased CM Punk briefly at the end of 2012. That being said, this is the WWE, and Ryback is still very popular with the live crowds, so they might not want to mess with that. This is one of a couple toss-ups on the card, but I'll go with my inclination here.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler

This feud needs to end. Of all four people involved, the only one who looks any better since the feud started is Summer Rae. I still don't know what we saw with Dolph Ziggler on RAW, as it seemed like he almost turned heel. Or at least was cheating on his girlfriend while being a face — who knows? Maybe this is going to end up with Rusev and Ziggler joining forces and becoming a tag team of two guys who treat women terribly. I'll hope this ends here, though I'm not counting on it, and if it ends, it probably does so with a Ziggler win.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

The New Day vs. The Dudley Boys for the Tag Team Championship

I don't think I need to talk again about how amazing The New Day has been. Everyone realizes this by now. I think even WWE realizes just how great the two are. The fact that the Dudleys returned and have been totally overshadowed by The New Day says everything. While I would never say it's crazy for The Dudleys to win the title, in this case, it is crazy. Now, the Dudleys could win by disqualification or something similar, but they're not walking out with the title. The New Day is too great.

Winner: The New Day

Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte for the Divas Championship

Well, Nikki did it. She beat AJ's record for longest Divas title reign ever. Now we don't have that specter hanging over every Divas title match. It makes perfect sense for Charlotte to win here. It almost makes too much sense to have Charlotte win here. WWE isn't having Nikki win cleanly. With all the stipulations in place, and the fact that Stephanie only just came out to correct a match, it's hard to see Nikki winning with trickery. The only way I could see Nikki winning is if Paige gets angry at Charlotte for not being ringside for her match last week, and costing Charlotte the title because of it. But I think the story is more compelling if Paige turns after Charlotte wins. So, yes, I have Charlotte winning.

Winner: Charlotte

The Wyatt Family vs. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and mystery partner

This is another match that seems like it's building to a full-blown Survivor Series match. I feel WWE has to stretch this out until November, and build on it. Kudos to WWE for making the unknown wrestler a true mystery. There are only a few people I think it could be. Best-case scenario, it's Samoa Joe. Could I see Joe? Yes, I could, but I think it's unlikely. He's in the middle of a few things in NXT, and I believe that whoever the mystery person is takes the fall in this match, because that's the logical move to push this feud ahead. If they're debuting Joe, that's not likely to happen. Randy Orton is still a possibility, and Cesaro is another one who is conspicuous by his absence on the card. Either would be fine, and Cesaro would be a nice addition to help him stay relevant. Unfortunately, I don't think WWE goes that way. I think we're being set up for a letdown here, with someone like Mark Henry. If I'm right and the mystery partner takes the fall, someone like Henry makes sense. He's credible enough that it would be logical from a storyline standpoint for him to be brought in to counter Braun Strowman, and he can easily take the fall. So that's my guess, though I'm hoping it's someone else. (But please, not Erick Rowan).

Winners: The Wyatt Family

Seth Rollins vs. John Cena for the U.S. Championship

This match is compelling, and it's all about what WWE wants the overriding story of the show to be. It's possible this show shows that Rollins is completely legitimate, or at least clever enough to escape with both belts. Even if he doesn't win both matches cleanly, escaping with both belts would be a boost to his credibility. But there's still the question about the U.S. title. WWE had done a great job in building the championship up, and over the past two months, the title has become almost irrelevant. That's not a good thing, and it's something I assume WWE will want to fix. The U.S. title does very little for Rollins. Knowing that Hell in a Cell is coming up, and that Rollins almost certainly isn't wrestling in two matches that night, it's hard to see him escaping with both belts. In my mind, it's more likely to have him lose the U.S. title.

Winner: John Cena

Seth Rollins vs. Sting

I'll say it up-front: I don't see Sting walking out with the title. I could see him winning at some point, just to get a token run before he retires, but it just doesn't feel right here. WWE has a good thing going with Rollins, and it really makes the winter and Road to WrestleMania messy if it inserts a Sting title run (unless Sting wins here and Rollins wins it back at Hell in a Cell). I also don't quite buy Sheamus cashing in tonight, though his absence on the card is also conspicuous. While not a lot of people buy it at this point, there's a pretty clear path for Rollins to retain the title all the way to WrestleMania and make whoever beats him —Reigns or Ambrose would be most likely — really meaningful. If I'm in charge of WWE, I don't mess with that.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Thoughts? Questions? Leave them in the comment section, email me or find me on Twitter: @TheAOster. You can also find my podcast, "Jobbing Out," on iTunes.