By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

KELLER'S WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 19, 2010
LIVE FROM CHICAGO, ILL.
AIRED ON PAY-PER-VIEW

[Monday through Friday, join Wade Keller or James Caldwell and a guest co-host for the PWTorch Livecast, featuring live callers, live chat room questions, and conversation on the latest breaking news in pro wrestling from WWE, TNA, and other organizations. The show launched in late-December and is already one of the top sports talk shows at the Blog Talk Radio network.]

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-After a four minute video package hyping the top matches, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Matt Striker introduced the show from ringside. Cole touted the 13,000 and change in attendance and said this is one of the most prestigious nights of the year for WWE because every title is defended.

1 -- DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. KOFI KINGSTON -- Intercontinental Title

Vickie interrupted the ring announcer so she could handle ring intros herself for her boyfriend Ziggler. Lawler and Striker talked about how Ziggler lost his "championship advantage" since he can lose the title via DQ or countout. Good crowd reaction early, including when Kofi sent Ziggler tumbling to the ringside at 1:00. Zigger took over inside the ring at 2:00. He settled into a side headlock. For the next several minutes Ziggler grounded Kingston with variations of chinlocks and side headlocks. He power legdropped Kingston and then rolled Kingston into a leverage pin attempt for a two count at 5:00. He went back to chinlocks for a minute. Kingston made a comeback at 7:00. He climbed to the top rope and landed a crossbody for a two count.

Kofi took Ziggler down with a Thesz press for a two count at 8:00. He went into his finishing routine and dropped the double legdrop. He clapped his hands afterward to get the crowd to yell "Boom! Boom!," but that gave Ziggler time to recover, making Kofi look silly for posturing so long. Ziggler went for his sleeper, but Kofi countered quickly and rolled up Ziggler for a near fall. Ziggler grabbed the bottom rope to stop the count. He rolled to ringside near Vickie. Kofi was about to dive onto Ziggler, causing Vickie to flee and trip in the process. He then dove onto Ziggler and slammed him at ringside. Vickie yelled as the ref nearly counted them out.

Back in the ring Kofi immediately went for a cover. Cole said Kofi should have left Ziggler at ringside for a countout win. Ziggler surprised Kofi with a sleeper a minute later. Kingston fought against it, but after standing, dropped to the mat. Kofi escaped at 11:00 and applied his own sleeper. Ziggler escaped quickly by ramming Kofi throat-first into the middle rope. Vickie rubbed her hands together and was going to his Kofi, but Ziggler implored her not to interfere. Meanwhile, Kingston recovered and went for Trouble in Paradise. Ziggler ducked and then hit hit Zig Zag finisher for the win.

WINNER: Ziggler in 12:00 to retain the IC Title.

STAR RATING: **1/2 -- Good PPV match. Too heavy on chinlocks and headlocks in the first half to get to three stars, but some convincing dramatic near falls and a nice tease at the end that Vickie would cost Ziggler the win.

-A commercial aired for Paper Jamz instant rock star with The Miz.

-Todd Grisham interviewed Edge backstage. He asked for his strategy. Edge asked if he's asking that because he thinks he's at some disadvantage because he faces five others. He said this is the type of night where the opponents should be worried because he is the ultimate opportunist. He said he will walk out the new WWE Champion.

-As C.M. Punk made his ring entrance, the announcers said some of Punk's childhood friends were in attendance and told them he was always a conflicted, hard to ignore personality. Lawler said he was surprised by the positive response Punk got in his hometown. The crowd chanted his name as he stood in the ring. Punk said he loves Chicago and he listed a number of things he loves about the city. He said, though, what he hates are the inhabitants of Chicago. The cheers turned to boos. They showed some fans laughing. "You ruined by beautiful city," he said. "You middle class lazy Teamsters, you corrupt politicians, you corrupt police officers, you horrible Chicago White Sox, the Suzy Homemakers who fatten up their kids with fast foot and gobble a bottle of pills and pass out of on the couch, you out of work dads, you make me sick." He said he's proud of the city, but the people of Chicago are the scum of the earth who ruined a city. He said it should be burned to the ground for a second time so he can build a Straight Edge Utopia. "Speaking of fat people nobody likes," he said as he transitioned into talking about The Big Show. He said he won't run from anyone, even if he's taller and outweighs him by 250 pounds. He said he's David and Big Show is Goliath. Then Big Show made his ring entrance.

2 -- C.M. PUNK vs. BIG SHOW

"I went out to eat with The Big Show once and he looked at the menu and said, 'I'll take it.'" Show overpowered Punk early and got cheered. He slapped him in the chest and sent him tumbling to ringside. As he re-entered the ring, Punk kicked him and took control. He backflipped over the top rope onto Show at ringside at 2:00. Show returned to the ring at the count of nine. At 4:00 Punk flew off the top rope at Show, but Show caught him and tackled him. He came up holding his right arm against his chest and selling an injury perhaps to his chest. He used that arm to KO punch Punk for the clean win, then went back to holding that hand against his chest and gingerly walking to the back. It looked like a rib issue, although he might have been just selling nothing.

WINNER: The Big Show in 5:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Decent short match that gave Punk some nice offense before losing. Still, it does seem to knock Punk down a notch to lose so cleanly to Show in just five minutes.

-Josh Matthews asked Chris Jericho backstage if he feels lucky to even be in this match. Jericho said the mystery G.M. knows his track record including that he beat The Rock and Steve Austin to become the Unified Champion. He said he also knows he won a scramble match to retain his title. He bragged of more triumphs in multi-person matches and said this is his specialty. He said he will walk out as champion not because of luck but because he is the best at what he does. He didn't say anything about his vow to leave WWE if he doesn't win, but afterward Cole did bring it up. They showed some active members of the National Guard in uniform at ringside.

3 -- THE MIZ (w/Alex Riley) vs. DANIEL BRIAN -- U.S. Title Match

A video package aired before the match with Miz narrating, saying he resented from day one that people said Bryan should have been mentoring him. Clips airs of Miz giving Bryan a hard time and Cole doubting Bryan on NXT. As Miz walked out, Cole said he's the future of WWE. Lawler and Cole thanked specific camps in Iraq and Afghanistan. Miz ducked between the ropes early, pulling a Zbyszko. He kicked Bryan and applied a side headlock. Bryan escaped, leapfrogged Miz, and then took him down with an early LaBell Lock attempt. Miz escaped to ringside briefly and conferenced with Riley. Lawler questioned whether Cole knew anything about Mike LaBell. Cole recited several facts about him that impressed Lawler and Striker, although they said he probably just looked it up on the Internet. Cole then went on an anti-Bryan rant as Miz took over the match.

Miz worked on Bryan's arm, including a back suplex onto his arm. Cole said this is the biggest match of Bryan's career. Cole asked who wants to be like Bryan, adding, "The guy doesn't eat meat, for God's sake!" Miz worked over Bryan's arm for several minutes. The fans chanted, "Let's Go Bryan!" He punched himself free and then side stepped a charging Miz, sending him to the floor. He dove through the ropes at Miz and tackled him, landing against the announce table himself. He climbed to the top rope and hit a missile dropkick for a two count. Miz upkicked Bryan a minute later and continued to work over Bryan's weakened left arm.

Bryan came back with a dropkick for a two count at 7:00. He had the crowd behind him as he roundkicked a kneeling Miz and then scored a two count. He climbed to the top rope and punched Miz, but Miz shoved him and he straddled the top rope. Miz then launched with a power clothesline, knocking Bryan to the mat. He scored a convincing near fall. That was a nasty bump Bryan took onto his heat, which they showed in slo-mo. Miz went back to working on Bryan's arm. Miz went for a Skull Crushing Finale, but Bryan rolled him up and went for a pin. Miz escaped, but Bryan then shifted into a LaBell lock. Riley distracted Bryan from the ring apron. As Miz charged at Bryan, Bryan side-stepped him so Miz knocked Riley to the floor. Bryan rolled up Miz from behind for a dramatic near fall. Lawler said that might have been Bryan's best chance to win. Miz threw Bryan to the floor. Riley charged at him, but Bryan sidestepped him and threw him into the ringpost. Back in the ring Miz surprised Bryan with a small package for a near fall. Miz mounted Bryan and punched his head. The ref pulled him off for using sustained closed fist punches. Miz went right back to it. As Miz complained, Brian slipped on the LaBell Lock for a tapout win. "This is so wrong on so many different levels," claimed Cole. Lawler said he was eating crow. As Bryan celebrated on the rampway, they cut to Miz crying at ringside in shock and dismay.

WINNER: Bryan in 12:00 to capture the U.S. Title.

STAR RATING: ***1/4 -- Really good 12 minute PPV match. They really made the most of that 12 minutes. One of Miz's signature matches so far, and Bryan certain gets a share of the credit. Bryan may be a pretty big star in WWE, but there's a chance he'll also be known as the guy who took Miz to the next level as a singles wrestler that people take seriously as more than an aspiring mid-card personality-driven act.

-A commercial aired for the Hell in a Cell PPV in just two weeks. That's just ridiculous - two weeks between $45-55 pay-per-views from WWE?

-Matthews interviewed John Cena backstage, who got a mixed reaction from the crowd. He made fun of people making a big deal out of percentage changes to win this match. After listing a bunch of random percentages regarding things on this show and the weather. He said there was a 35 percent the crowd would be hostile. He listened, heard boos, and changed the percentage to 75 percent. He said there's a two percent chance they'll find out Sheamus is made of two percent milk.

4 -- MICHELLE MCCOOL (w/Layla) vs. MELINA -- Divas Title & Women's Title Unification with Lumberjills at Ringside

The rest of the WWE Divas walked out. Striker made a crack that Lawler has a rotary dial cell phone. Lawler replied, "Listen to this guy!" as if to acknowledge he was stealing his bit. Striker said McCool connived her way into defending the title she co-owns with Layla. Layla stood at ringside with her arms crossed, looking upset that McCool was in the match. As Melina did the splits on her ring intro, McCool charged. Melina lifted herself up and McCool slipped to the floor. Melina went after McCool, but the ref separated them before calling for the bell. They locked up in a test of strength at the start. Cole said the WWE Women's Title has lineage dating back to 1956. Melina mounted McCool on the top rope, but McCool yanked her to the floor by her hair.

At 4:00 McCool transitioned from a head scissors to a Faith Breaker attempt. Melina countered it into a face plant. Melina rolled up McCool but the ref was yelling at Natalya on the ring apron. A brief brawl broke out at ringside among the lumberjills. Melina jump spin wheel kicked McCool, although it looked weak. He followed with a running knee against McCool's back against the ropes. She let out her high pitched scream, then matrixed to avoid a McCool kick, but McCool fired right back with a hard shove. McCool shoved Melina into the corner and up on the top rope. Something went awry and they tumbled together to the floor. McCool threw Melina back into the ring, then she ended up in a brawl with the lumberjills. Meanwhile, Layla went after Melina in the ring. Melina threw her to the floor, but McCool caught her with a kick to the face to win.

WINNER: McCool in 7:00 to unify the Women's and Divas' Championships.

STAR RATING: * -- They gave the more time than usual which was good, but it had some highs and lows in terms of execution.

-Grisham interviewed Wade Barrett backstage. He said he'll prove the winds of change are indeed blowing. They went to Cole, Lawler, and Striker at ringside who hyped the Six Pack Challenge.

5 -- KANE vs. UNDERTAKER -- WWE Title Match / No Holds Barred

The fact that this is happening before the Six-Pack Challenge is interesting. If there was ever a PPV where they could headline with the Smackdown version of the world singles title match, this is it with the return of Undertaker to a PPV title match and Kane's big push. Could mean Kane's winning this and a babyface is winning the Six-Pack Challenge. Taker's ring entrance took place first. When Kane's intro began, Taker charged up the ramp and attacked him, fitting the backstory of this angle. It wouldn't have made any storyline sense for Taker to lock up with Kane in a test of strength here. They brawled for several minutes, arriving at ringside at 3:00 where Kane threw Taker into the ringside steps.

Kane hit Taker with the title belt and continued to dominate offense. Kane threw Taker into the ring and then flew off the top rope with a flying clothesline against Taker which showed some light. Not sure if the boos in the crowd were the fans noticing or just booing Kane's offense. Kane went for the first cover and scored a two count. Kane threw Taker into the announce table. Cole said Taker can't get rolling or get out of the gate. Taker finally made a comeback when he reverse-whipped Kane into the ringside steps. Taker guillotine legdropped Kane across the ring apron. Kane managed to stand up first, which amazed Cole. Taker, though, charged at Kane and sent him over the ringside barrier into the bell ringer's corner. Taker caught his breath and then dove at Kane in the corner at ringside over the barricade at 10:00. They brawled into the crowd and then back to ringside. Kane leaped off the ringside barrier with a flying punch at 12:00.

Back in the ring Kane remained on offense. As Kane punched away at Taker in the corner, Cole said, "If this was a boxing match, folks, this would be over." At 16:00 Taker showed signs of life and the crowd chanted along with each punch. Kane kneed Taker to stop him, but Taker ducked his clothesline and then landed one of his own on the rebound off the ropes. Taker came back with a snake eyes, a big boot, and a legdrop for his first serious near fall of the match. He then hit a chokeslam. He did the throat-slice gesture and dropped is straps. He lifted Kane for a tombstone, but Kane reversed it and tombstoned Taker. He dragged him to mid-ring and made the cover and scored the clean win. Cole said he was in absolute shock at that outcome. Cole called Kane a diabolical man with no soul. Lawler said it's Kane's most impressive match ever.

After Kane celebrated as he returned to the back, his music stopped and the cameras dramatically focused on Taker trying to regain his footing. Lawler wondered if this was the end of one era and the beginning of another. Taker limped toward the back, but stopped and bent over after a few steps up the ramp. They followed Taker's struggle all the way to the stage where he received a polite round of applause. He leaned on the entrance stage area as Lawler said he thinks Taker's powers are completely sapped.

WINNER: Kane in 18:00.

STAR RATING: ***1/2 -- I liked that match quite a bit. Good first singles match between these two that matched the backstory. Good use of the bag-o-tricks with the brawling on the ramp and later in the crowd and at ringside, but because WWE doesn't overdo that these days, it felt novel.

-A commercial aired for Cena's move.

-Grisham asked Orton for a final word before the Six Pack Challenge. He just stared off looking intense, then slowly turned to Grisham and said, "No."

6 -- THE HART DYNASTY (w/Natalya) vs. THE USOS (w/Tamina) vs. MARK HENRY & EVAN BOURNE vs. CODY RHODES & DREW MCINTYRE vs. VLADIMIR KOZLOV & SANTINO

The rules are that two teams begin and whoever wins stays and faces the next team, with the last team standing winning. The champs had no "champs advantage" that the announcers talked about during the Ziggler-Kofi match, as they had to beat each team to retain their titles as they walked out first. The Usos came out first. Given how little tag teams are pushed on WWE TV, the crowd definitely seemed to look at this as a time-filler. Striker said he likes to play Six Degrees of Separation with the Hart Dungeon. Cole said he can't tell the difference between the Usos anymore they both wear short tights now. Lawler acknowledged that whoever designed this match had it in for the champions. Kidd flipped over the top rope onto the Usos at ringside at 1:00. When Tamina distracted the ref, the Usos kicked Kidd in the head and then scored the pin at just 2:00. That guaranteed new tag champs would be crowned.

Up next Vlad & Santino came out. Santino hyped up the crowd with aggressive offense out of the gate. Santino set up his Cobra finisher, but Tamina distracted him on the ring apron. That gave an Uso a chance to beat him with a Samoan Drop at 1:00. Vlad was never officially in the match. I hope they make him help put up the ring or something because flying to Chicago just for that seems like a real waste of a plane seat.

Next out was the team of Bourne & Henry. Bourne came out with high-energy. Henry tagged in at 1;00 and headbutted Uso. The other Uso tried to grab him, but he shoved him to the floor. Henry caught the official Uso in the ring and powerslammed him. He dragged him into position for a Shooting Star Press from Bourne. He landed it for the win just over 1:00 into the match.

Up next, an odd team of Cody & Drew came out. Drew scored a two count at 2:00 after a fast standing clothesline. He grounded Bourne with an armbar. The crowd cheered Bourne's escape attempt and he did quickly. He tagged Henry, but the ref didn't see it. Cody then covered Bourne for another two count. Bourne eventually hot-tagged Henry into the ring. He beat up Cody, then tagged Bourne back in to launch off of his shoulders. McIntyre intervened. Bourne kicked him in the head and then went after Cody, but Cody gave him a sudden Crossroads for the win.

WINNERS: Rhodes & McIntyre in 11:00 to capture the Unified Tag Team Titles.

STAR RATING: **1/4 -- I'm not a fan of so many rapid pins among "top contender teams" in such a short span as it feels artificially rushed. The final fall, though, at least was between the two freshest teams (the last two entrants) and it went about five minutes. Hopefully this means Cody will get a new entrance song as he has maybe the worst song in the industry right now. It's out of a bad late-'80s movie soundtrack, but like that third song that plays during the credits when everyone has already left the theater or turned off the DVD player.

-They aired a brief intro video on Alberto Del Rio for the benefit of non-Smackdown viewers. Lawler said Cole likes Del Rio because he drives a Bentley whereas Cole has a "time share on a TransAm."

-Before the main event, vintage clips aired of various WWE Title wins over the years including Bob Backlund, Pedro Morales, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, Eddie Guerrero, Undertaker, Andre the Giant, and Bret Hart. No Bruno, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Nash, or Jeff Hardy in that parade of champions. That's all understandable. But no Triple H was odd. Same with Batista being excluded.

-Matthews interviewed Sheamus backstage who oozed confidence.

7 -- SHEAMUS vs. RANDY ORTON vs. JOHN CENA vs. EDGE vs. WADE BARRETT vs. CHRIS JERICHO

Sheamus came out first, then Cena to a mixed reaction as expected, then Edge, Jericho, Barrett, and Orton. Good crowd heat before the bell as everyone stared each other down. It opened up with Orton knocking Sheamus to the floor, then Brett battling Orton. Edge and Jericho double-teamed Cena in the other corner. Sheamus yanked Orton to the floor. Orton reverse whipped Sheamus into the ring apron. In the ring Cena hit Orton with a clothesline, drawing boos. Jericho knocked Cena out of the ring and went for the cover, scoring a two count. Cole talked about the WWE Title beginning in 1963 starting with Buddy Rogers. He said it's the "greatest title in the history of this industry." He mentioned Bruno, Superstar, Hulk, Andre, HBK, Triple H, Rock, and Austin "have made this title the greatest ever." There's acknowledgment of Bruno, Superstar Graham, and Triple H who weren't included in the video montage. Orton came back with an RKO on Jericho for a quick three count at 2:00. Wow. Lawler said that was his pick. Jericho absorbed the ramifications of that quick loss. He asked the ref if that was really a three count. The ref ordered him out of the ring. The crowd didn't chant the "Na na na na, good bye" song but rather they chanted "Y2J! Y2J!" briefly. With all the attention focused on Jericho's loss it doesn't seem like a contract expiring send-off but a start of a hiatus. I could see Jericho returning under a mask and denying that he's Jericho since he didn't officially lose a match where he had to leave WWE, it was just something he said he'd do.

After a pause, Barrett found himself surrounded by the other four. They swarmed him Nexus style, which popped the crowd. Edge and Sheamus clotheslined Barrett over the top rope. Cena and Orton then clotheslined them and knocked them to the floor. That left Cena and Orton, who unfortunately are overexposed against each other so it didn't feel like a big moment particularly. The three heels returned to the ring and jumped them before they touched. Barrett tried to talk Edge and Sheamus into working with him against the two babyfaces. Striker called them three "rule breakers." Edge went after Barrett with a kick. Sheamus gave him a forearm. They knocked him to the floor. Cena threw a rare dropkick on Edge, showing why he doesn't throw many dropkicks. Cole said he's never seen Cena throw a dropkick. Orton disposed of Edge. That left Cena vs. Orton again.

Orton and Cena squared off mid-ring. Orton went for a quick RKO, but Cena blocked it and went for an STF. Orton escaped. They continued to counter each other. Edge heped Orton suplex Cena, but Barrett yanked Edge and Orton hard to the ground. Sheamus then clotheslined Barerett. Sheamus went for a pin on Cena in the ring and got a two count. Cena made a comeback and climbed to the top rope. Edge shoved him off balance. Cena landed and clutched his knee. Edge and Sheamus double-teamed Cena. They gave him a superplex. Edge covered Cena was Sheamus looked on. Cole noted that there was no advantage to Sheamus interfering. Lawler said this isn't the same as a Triple Threat match. Sheamus and Edge whipped Barrett into the ringside barrier at 11:00. They took control of Orton and Cena with sustained offense.

Orton made a comeback at 13:00 and snap powerslammed Edge. Sheamus then surprised Orton with an axe handle. Edge finally went after Sheamus. Lawler said that's good for the other three in the match that their alliance was broken. Cena reentered the ring and gave Edge an Attitude Adjustment for the pin. Edge was the second to be eliminated at 15:00.

Barrett jumped Cena right away as Orton and Sheamus recovered on the floor. Cena fought back against Barrett and hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He then went for an Attitude Adjustment, but Barrett slipped free. Sheamus checked Barrett out of the ring. Cena put Sheamus in an STF. Sheamus crawled to the bottom rope while teasing a tap. He grabbed the rope. Cena shows so much light on that hold. It's so clear Sheamus can move his head loosely in that hold. Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, and David Otunga from Nexus ran to ringside. They distracted Cena and Barrett gave him Cena his wasteland finisher for the pin. Cena was eliminated at 18:00.

Nexus swarmed Orton on the floor. Cena said DQs are not in effect in this match-up, which makes one question, for instance, why Cena let go of the STF when Sheamus grabbed the bottom rope. Why not leave the hold on until Sheamus passes out or taps out instead? Nexus stood on the ring apron to intimidate Orton. Cena hit Otunga and Tarver in the back with a chair. Orton gave an interfering Slater an RKO. Barrett lifted Orton for an RKO. Orton countered with a backbreaker. He slapped the mat repeatedly and didn't dislocate his shoulder. He then gave Barrett an RKO for the pin at 20:00.

Sheamus entered the ring and timed his thrust kick to Orton's chin. Orton kicked out of the believable near fall. Sheamus turned redder with frustration. He set up his High Cross, but Orton slipped out and hit his RKO for the pin. Cole called it a goosebump-inducing ending to a tremendous night. Striker wondered what this would mean for the Hell in a Cell PPV in two weeks.

WINNER: Orton in 21:00 to capture the WWE Title.

STAR RATING: ***3/4 -- Not a four-star main event, but still satisfying. There was plenty of time for Orton and Sheamus to give another five or even ten minutes of one-on-one action, but the Orton win did come at a peak of energy with the crowd and got a big pop as a result.

BREAKING NEWS: Big UFC headlines this weekend as a PED test failure threatens an upcoming major title fight, plus an eye injury puts in jeopardy the next PPV main event. Check out full details at our sister site, www.MMATorch.com right now!

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