On Sept. 20, the WWE will honor all of its title-holders with Night of Champions live from the Toyota Center in Texas.
The card already looks great on paper, with Seth Rollins having to pull double duty due to being a duel champion. "The Architect" will defend his United States Championship against face of the WWE John Cena and then he will go toe-to-toe with former WCW Icon and TNA Hall of Famer Sting for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
10 Best WWE World Heavyweight Champions Ever
Throughout its history since officially becoming an entity of its own in 2008, Night of Champions has had great battles with gold on the line, and not all of them have been for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The midcard, tag team and Divas titles have all been on the line when blood, sweat and tears spilled on the canvas throughout the history of this event.
Sports World News has combed through the history of Night of Champions and has identified the best matches that have ever been contested for the WWE World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, United States, Tag Team and Divas/Women's Championships. Taking it a step further, we'll try to predict if the bouts for those belts at this year's events will surpass those cornerstone matches of the past as the best in the event's history come Sept. 20.
5 Possible Outcomes To Seth Rollins vs. Sting At Night Of Champions
WWE Divas Championship
Overview: Though there is an ongoing Divas Revolution, this event hasn't been so kind to the Divas/Women's Championship. The belt has been on the line in every event since 2008, but as far as picking out the best match, it wasn't much of a challenge.
Best Match: AJ Lee vs. Paige vs. Nikki Bella, Night of Champions 2014. This bout was an excellent Triple Threat Match at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville that saw Paige drop the title after Lee knocked Bella out of the ring and locked the Black Widow on Paige to collect her third and final Divas Championship. Bella would end Lee's reign at Survivor Series in November and has held the gold ever since.
Head-to-Head: This year, Charlotte is likely to face Nikki Bella for the gold, despite the match being moved up to this Monday's RAW. Though there's questions as to whether or not the bout will happen, if it does it will surpass last year's contest due to how good of a worker Charlotte is, the storyline with Nikki Bella's historic reign and two women telling a better story than three at once.
The Verdict: Yes, it can surpass the best.
WWE Tag Team Championships
Overview: There have been some great tag clashes in the past Night of Champions events, including a few tag turmoil matches, the 2011 clash between Team Air Boom and the Awesome Truth and last year's bout between Gold & Stardust and The Usos, but one bout outlasted all of them.
Best Match: Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) vs. R-Truth & Kofi Kingston, Night of Champions 2011. Kane and Bryan were one of the most dysfunctional duos, but everything worked out for them when they defeated Truth and Kingston to capture the tag gold at the TD Garden in Boston. Though they showed dissention in the contest, it ended up working in their favor as Bryan threw Kane off the top rope onto Kingston for the pin and the win. After the match, both men yelled, "I am the WWE Tag Team Champions."
Head-to-Head: Things are exciting this year as the Dudley Boyz return to pay-per-view for the first time in a decade. Bubba Ray and Devon will take on either The Prime Time Players or The New Day for the tag straps in just over a week. The PTP and New Day will clash on RAW for the gold this week and whoever emerges will battle the Dudleyville dwellers. Regardless of who they face, whether it's a physical warfare with PTP or a fun back-and-forth with The New Day, this match has a great chance to surpass team Hell No's triumph.
The Verdict: Yes.
WWE United States Championship
Overview: There have been quite a few great U.S. Championship matches at this event, including a six-pack challenge (2009), Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Alex Riley vs. John Morrison (2011), Dean Ambrose vs. Ziggler (2013) and Cesaro vs. Sheamus (2014), but only one takes the cake.
Best Match: The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, Night of Champions 2010. These two went head-to-head in a great midcard match at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. The match, which harkened back to their NXT feud, led to Bryan unseating The Miz and becoming the new champion.
Head-to-Head: This year, the U.S. Championship is a huge deal with Rollins taking on Cena and if the past two matches these two have had in the past are any indication (minus some questionable booking) they'll tear the house down.
The Verdict: Yes.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Overview: This midcard title has been defended tremendously throughout the events' history, including Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho (2008), Kingston vs. Ziggler (2010), Cody Rhodes vs. Ted Dibiase (2011) and Miz vs. Ziggler (2014), but one bout in particular stands out.
Best Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Rey Mysterio, Night of Champions 2009. These two Superstars tore the house down at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. After a back-and-forth bout with everything flowing at a rapid pace, Mysterio was able to hit the decisive blow on his challenger to retain the gold to conclude 16 minutes of action.
Head-to-Head: It isn't official, but the WWE has been hinting at a Ryback vs. Kevin Owens clash, which should be very good. While the bout is likely to be an awesome match between two of the company's biggest behemoths, it is unlikely to unseat the fast-paced, high-flying classic between Mysterio and Ziggler.
The Verdict: No.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Overview: The richest prize in the game has had many great matches at Night of Champions throughout the years, the top five of which we chronicled here.
Best Match: Six Pack Challenge, Night of Champions 2010. Randy Orton eliminated three Superstars in this fast-paced highly-entertaining six-man match, including the defending champion Sheamus to win the WWE Championship. The field of six was a great mix as aside from Orton and Sheamus, Edge, Chris Jericho, John Cena and Wade Barrett duked it out for the biggest title in wrestling.
Head-to-Head: With Rollins facing Sting this year, it's hard to tell how the match will go. Sting is in his 50s and only wrestled in a WWE ring once, so it'll be interesting to see how his style meshes with the high-profile, up-tempo flow of the champion. It'll definitely be more hyped then the 2010 encounter and likely more memorable, but from an entertainment standpoint it may not hold up.
The Verdict: No.
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