Night Of Champions 2012 takes place at TD Garden in Boston, MA on Sunday, September 16th at 8 p.m. ET. Gethin Coolbaugh offers his prediction for all of the event's matches.
WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS 2012 - PREDICTIONS
John Cena Vs. CM Punk (WWE Championship)- It's the moment you have all been waiting for. Well, it's the moment that Cena has been waiting for, anyway. After losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 28 and not holding the WWE Championship since last fall, the 11-time champ is looking to get back on top. He'll have to go through CM Punk, someone he does not have a successful track record against, to do it. The main event of Night Of Champions 2012 should live up to the hype and should get a lot of reaction from fans. Cena is the hometown favorite (although you could argue that more people in Boston hate him than love him) while Punk was the hero of the WWE Universe for most of 2012 before returning to his heel ways after knocking down The Rock at the end of RAW 1,000. The WWE has invested too much time in Punk to take the championship away now, and Cena being champion again isn't necessarily the best direction right now. PREDICTION: CM Punk defeats John Cena.
Sheamus Vs. Alberto del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship) - Yawn. Am I alone in thinking that Alberto del Rio doesn't really drive a championship feud? CM Punk was right back in 2011 when he called del Rio boring. Thankfully, this should be the last we hear from del Rio in the title hunt for quite some time (unless, gulp, he wins). Sheamus may not have the same pull that Randy Orton does, but he has been a good champ, and certainly has more pull than del Rio (or "berty"). PREDICTION: Sheamus defeats Alberto del Rio.
The Miz Vs. Cody Rhodes Vs. Rey Mysterio Vs. Sin Cara (Intercontinental Championship) - Ever since The Miz returned from shooting a movie, he's been back to his winning ways. Miz took the Intercontinental Championship from Christian at RAW 1000, and successfully defended the title at SummerSlam against Rey Mysterio. Cody Rhodes, meanwhile, has been obsessed with the masks of Mysterio and Sin Cara, and it has cost him a few matches along the way. My guess is that Rhodes' obsession continues, and Mysterio and Sin Cara will team up to knock Rhodes out, but Miz will take the pin and keep the strap. PREDICTION: The Miz defeats Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara.
Antonio Cesaro Vs. Pre-show Battle Royal Winner (United States Champion) - I don't care how many languages Cesaro can speak, he's not the best man to wear U.S. Championship, and he's going to lose the title at Night Of Champions. The question is, to who? There will be a Battle Royal before the show to determine which man will face Cesaro for the strap. With Brodus Clay making a special visit to Cesaro after his match on Friday Night Smackdown, it's safe to assume that Clay will be one of the last man in the ring in the Battle Royal. The only question remaining is how on earth Brodus will be able to put that championship belt around his waist. PREDICTION: Brodus Clay defeats Antonio Cesaro.
Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan (Tag Team Championship) - It's Team Little Jimmy vs. Team Demon and Goatface. The popular tag team of Kingston and Truth have held the tag team titles since late April, and the, well... "team" ... of Kane and Bryan only formed recently thanks to some anger management sessions. This should be one of the more interesting matches of the night, and due to the popularity of the new improbable team, they should come out on top. PREDICTION: Kane/Bryan defeat Kingston/ R-Truth.
Layla Vs. Kaitlyn (Divas Championship) - Neither strikes me as a particularly riveting Divas champ (why can't AJ Lee be the General Manager of RAW and the Divas champ?), but hey, someone has to win. Layla isn't the best champ in the world, but she's more talented and (more importantly) more interesting than Kaitlyn. PREDICTION: Layla defeats Kaitlyn.
Dolph Ziggler Vs. Randy Orton - Ever since Orton returned from his lengthy suspension, you can bet he's been itching to get back into the title hunt. Who better to face than the man who will likely be the next World Heavyweight Champion to get there? Ziggler won the Money In The Bank contract for the heavyweight title, and has teased a cash in on several occasions after Sheamus' pay per view matches. From a pure wrestling standpoint, this has the potential to be the best match of the night, and depending on its placement, the two could factor into Sheamus and del Rio's bout due to the MITB contract. It's a toss up, but Mr. MITB gets it done. PREDICTION: Dolph Ziggler defeats Randy Orton (BUT, Orton RKO's Ziggler when he teases a cash-in after Sheamus wins).
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