Night of Champions Preview

Call me crazy, but I can't wait for this one - a great single-show gimmick, a guaranteed heavyweight title change, and a clean four-week break since the last show. I'm sold, folks.

Live from Dallas, TX at 8pm!

Regardless of how disappointing One Night Stand ended up being - and believe me, it was quite disappointing - I think the WWF is going to set itself back on track with this show. I love the gimmick, and the dropping of the "Vengeance" name, which takes a huge step towards shedding the dodgy history of last year's first NOC on the weekend of the Benoit tragedy.

As always, the picks, in projected match order:

WWF Divas Championship (rumored)
Natalya Neidhart vs. Jillian Hall

Ee gads. We really need two women's titles? Let's hope this one gets relegated to the dustbin.

Winner: Natalya, if it happens
My Pick: Natalya. Gotta love the Harts.

WWF Intercontinental Championship (rumored)
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

They might announce Michaels as a "mystery opponent", and who knows, they might even go with someone like Lance Cade or Kofi Kingston as the mystery opponent. Regardless, Michaels surely feels that this belt is beneath him, and correctly so.

Winner: Jericho if Michaels is the opponent, Mystery Opponent if he isn't
My Pick: I don't care as long as they at least have the belt defended on a PPV for once. There's no excuse not to defend it on this show.

WCW United States Championship
Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Guerrero
So it looks like this belt will actually stay on ECW, which seems odd. The upper midcard on Smackdown is officially stacked, I don't know if they can just do without a secondary title (maybe they pick up the IC title with a mystery opponent?)

Winner: Matt Hardy
My Pick: Matt Hardy, but hopefully in spite of MVP interference; I'd love that to become a career-long game of one-upsmanship for both guys. It's not like MVP is doing anyhting else here, and he's too valuable to waste (ditto Kennedy and Punk, neither of whom are in matches).


World Tag Team Championship
Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase Jr. & Mystery Partner
The World Tag Team Championship? Defended on a pay-per-view? Is this 1996?

I love seeing this defended, and since the DH Smith thing seems to be out the window, my guess is Cody's the mystery partner, turning on Holly mid-match. Awesome.

Winner: Team DiBiase
My Pick: The same, with the long-rumored Second Generation faction to form immediately. Come on, Vince. We need some factions pronto.

ECW Championship
Kane vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry
None of these guys winning would shock me here - Kane's the current champ, Big Show is on Smackdown (with its aforementioned grave need for secondary titles) and Henry is not only on the program that's the championship's namesake, he's also a victim of some recent, very public discrimination on the part of a prominent WWF higher-up.

Winner: Kane to Retain
My Pick: Mark Henry, since having the ECW champion on a show that isn't ECW reeks of late-WCW stupidity more than anything else. Also, he seems like a genuinely good guy, not that the other two aren't or anything.

WWF Tag Team Champions
John Morrison & The Miz vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle
Oh good lord. From what I've read, this may become a serious, long-term feud. God knows ECW needs to fill as much airtime as they can with Punk and Kingston gone.

Winner: Finlay & Hornswoggle
My Pick: Please, not Finlay & Hornswoggle

WCW Championship
Edge vs. Batista
One reason this seems to be such a unique card: While I honestly have no idea who's going to win this match, or the WWF title match, the winner of this will make the latter quite obvious. I don't think there's anyone out there who genuinely believes that both belts will be staying on Smackdown; of the two heavyweight belts, there will be one, and only one, title change. I don't think this is it.

Winner: Edge, since they just gave him the strap last month.
My Pick: Edge

WWF Women's Championship
Mickie James vs. Katie Lea Burchill
In an effort to prove that the Women's Division isn't that bad, the WWF has launched a corollary "Divas Championship", with a match likely to be earlier on the card. So, rest assured, this will be the best women's match you'll see all night.

Winner: Mickie James, because this show's already going to be loaded with title switches
My Pick: Mickie James, because she's quite gorgeous.

WWE Championship
Triple H vs. John Cena
The main event of the night, regardless of what the result of Edge vs. Batista is booked to be. As I said before, we'll know the result of this as soon as that match ends, and the hotshotting of this match was a dead giveaway that one of these two would be switching brands (Note: We picked Cena. We were wrong.). One title needs to stay on Raw, and my guess is that it's the one with the spinner on it. Trips loves short title reigns anyways, and since that goddamned spinner is still there, this one's going back to Cena. I may have to contemplate moving my viewing habits to Smackdown. This one should be good though, both from an in-ring perspective and an "Insane Crowd Reactions" perspective.

Winner: John Cena
My Pick: Cena, I hate the spinner but this belt belongs on the A show.

Recommendation: Watch this one via illicit means. It has the epic feel of an old-timey Great American Bash card, and the championship gimmick is a neat change of pace. Cena-Trips should probably be worth the time by itself.

Enjoy the show, folks, and here's hoping that (0.0001% chance, I know) we see the return of WarGames at the actual Bash next month.