WWE Night of Champions PPV Evaluation 9/15
By Nathan Kyght, PWTorch PPV specialist

BEST MATCH - DANIEL BRYAN VS. RANDY ORTON

There were slim pickings on this show, easily the worst and strangest big show (pun intended) of WWE's year. Credit where it's due, though, the main event was well put together and with two of the best wrestlers in the company, things could have almost accidentally gone right. Having the benefit of seeing the next night's Raw as I write this, though, I have to question the finish.

I thought the finish at Summerslam was perfect - it was intriguing, it set up a new top program, and it turned Triple H. But, then we paid (probably) $60 to watch this show, and the next night they essentially pretended the show didn't happen. So what if Bryan wins at Battleground? Or, Hell In A Cell? Does it count? Does anything count? Because I can keep up with the storylines on free TV, y'know. It's not good for business. (Pun also intended. Last pun, promise.)

WORST MATCH - FANDANGO VS. THE MIZ

I could have picked the majority of the undercard here. It wasn't necessarily "bad," it just felt like throwaway television filler. There were almost two-and-a-half hours of inconsequential matches, a fun TV angle with C.M. Punk and Paul Heyman, and then a main event that was erased from history. And someone saw all of this on paper beforehand and thought, "Nice."

BIGGEST SURPRISE - RYBACK, PAUL HEYMAN GUY

I figured that interference would save Heyman from the majority of Punk's revenge, but I figured the smark money (TM) was on Big E. Langston (who is great). Ryback? Meh, he'll benefit from Paul as his mouthpiece for sure. I just hope this isn't building to Lesnar vs. Ryback...

BIGGEST LETDOWN - THE SHOW

It's a bit dramatic, but WWE had been on a roll as of late. I thought Summerslam was the best major promotion pay-per-view of the year, and was genuinely interested in Night of Champions. It felt like Raw, mostly. And a little like Main Event.

BEST MOVE - DANIEL BRYAN

Running knee. It's simple, and it adds a move to the repertoire that if it continues to be used to win major matches, adds to the possibility of exciting nearfalls, etc. And Daniel Bryan is great. This is not breaking news.

BEST MATCH FINISH - AXEL/HEYMAN VS. C.M. PUNK

I give this the nod, not for the finish itself, but for the beat down of Paul Heyman. There is no one in wrestling right now more in-tune with his character than Paul. His performance was tremendous.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

- How great was it that Paul Heyman grew a beard to sell his nerves for the match? My wife helpfully pointed out that I can't grow a beard during this, which seemed unnecessary.

- A.J. Lee wins the four way. It was nowhere near as good as Total Divas. Yep, I said it. I also watched the reunion special. Oh, Jarret, you trouble-maker!

- Rob Van Dam vs. Albert Del Rio was decent, but the ending was awful. Didn't break at the five? Really? On PPV?

- The rest of the show was average, and that was the problem. It felt like I'd seen it all before.

WHAT IT'LL BE REMEMBERED FOR

The main event? Just kidding. Never took place, silly.

UPDATED 2013 PPV EVALUATION RANKINGS

1 - WWE SUMMERSLAM (2013-08-18)
2 - WWE PAYBACK (2013-06-16)
3 - WWE WRESTLEMANIA XXIX (2013-04-07)
4 – TNA SLAMMIVERSARY (2013-06-02)
5 - WWE MONEY IN THE BANK (2013-07-14)
6 - WWE ROYAL RUMBLE (2013-01-27)
7 - TNA LOCKDOWN (2013-03-10)
8 - WWE EXTREME RULES (2013-05-19)
9 - WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER (2013-02-17)
10 - WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS (2013-09-15)
11 – TNA GENESIS (2013-01-13)

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