Night Of Champions 2013

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 182 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: November 11 2013

Between SummerSlam and Night Of Champions, the formation of a new authority heel faction of sorts dominated WWE television, so you would assume that NOC had a big focus on the powers-that-be. But that wasn't the case, and between that and the B-level line-up of matches and largely unmemorable performances, Night Of Champions on DVD is underwhelming.

After a bizarre opening segment that makes the face/heel divide seem very confusing, the show kicks off with a match between Curtis Axel and Kofi Kingston that, admittedly, exceeds expectations. The four-way Divas Title match is just okay, and while Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam is alright, it has an annoying finish for a World Title match on Pay-Per-View.

Curtis Axel returns to join Paul Heyman against CM Punk in a Raw-like handicap match, which eventually elads to Punk brutalising Heyman, before some unexpected help swings things in Heyman's favour (and leaves Punk with a nasty cut on his back). Two matches involving The Shield are next: Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler is disappointing considering who was involved, while Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns vs. The Prime Time Players is probably better than expected, again considering the participants on the babyface side. The main event between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton is good, but the finish (despite the fact that it would be overturned on Raw the next night) appeared to have killed the momentum of the Authority storyline, just one PPV in. The bonus match is the Tag Team Turmoil pre-show bout which determined the challengers for Rollins and Reigns.

Summing this up, perhaps it's the injury-enforced absence of John Cena which causes this show to feel second-rate. Or maybe it's the booking. Or the performances not living up to the reputations set by certain wrestlers. Either way, Night Of Champions is average at best, and while not a terrible event by any means, the show is inconsequential enough that the DVD is entirely skippable.

Overall Rating: 5/10 - Average