Night of Champions 2014: Excellent Wrestling, Transitional Finishes and One Missing Match

Goldust and Stardust open Night of Champions with a sharp tag-title match that pays off several weeks of escalating attacks on The Usos. The champions control much of the early pace through speed and tandem offense, while the challengers slow the match by targeting Jey Uso's injured leg and forcing longer exchanges. The closing stretch stays competitive without drifting into outside interference. Jey attempts a Samoan Splash, Stardust raises his knees and immediately turns the mistake into a roll-up for the pin. The title change feels earned because the challengers had already beaten The Usos in a non-title match and forced a count-out result before the event. It is a good opener with a clean championship payoff and useful divisional momentum.

Sheamus and Cesaro deliver the card's best pure wrestling match by leaning into stiff strikes, power counters and escalating physicality instead of elaborate story devices. Cesaro repeatedly finds ways around Sheamus' strength, while the champion answers with increasingly heavy offense and refuses to let the challenger dictate the pace for long. The match builds through uppercuts, counters and near-falls that feel earned because both wrestlers are presented as unusually durable. The closing sequence keeps that tone intact. Cesaro creates one final opening, Sheamus survives and lands the Brogue Kick for the clean pin. The result is decisive, the title remains credible and the match stands out because it feels more like a fight between peers than a routine secondary-championship defense.

The Miz and Dolph Ziggler continue a rivalry that had already produced a SummerSlam title change and a count-out rematch on television. Damien Mizdow and R-Truth give the match an added character layer at ringside, but their presence also distracts from what should be a straightforward championship contest. Ziggler controls the faster exchanges and appears close to retaining until the finish turns on opportunism rather than superior wrestling. Miz catches Ziggler in a roll-up and grabs the tights for extra leverage to steal the pin and regain the Intercontinental Championship. The shortcut fits Miz's character and keeps the rivalry alive, but it makes the title change feel temporary rather than definitive. The work is solid; the payoff is deliberately slippery.

Seth Rollins versus Roman Reigns never becomes an actual wrestling match because Reigns undergoes emergency surgery for an incarcerated hernia the day before the event. Rollins enters, claims the scheduled victory by forfeit and uses the moment to gloat rather than compete. The segment only gains value when Dean Ambrose returns and attacks Rollins, restarting their rivalry after Ambrose had been written off television. Security eventually restrains Ambrose and removes him from the arena, giving the crowd a meaningful surprise even though the advertised match cannot happen. The score reflects the absence of in-ring competition, not the quality of the Ambrose return. As a result entry, it matters; as a match, there is almost nothing to grade.

Rusev and Mark Henry work a compact heavyweight match built around whether the undefeated Rusev can survive one of WWE's strongest established veterans. Henry creates the clearest threat with the World's Strongest Slam, but he cannot capitalize quickly enough to turn the opening into a pinfall. Rusev gradually takes control, targets Henry's body and forces the pace into shorter, heavier exchanges that favor the Accolade. Once the submission is applied, Henry is unable to escape and eventually gives up. The clean result is more important than the match quality because it pushes Rusev past another credible obstacle on the way to the United States Championship picture. The wrestling is functional, physical and exactly as long as the story needs.

Randy Orton and Chris Jericho produce one of the event's best matches by giving a television-born rivalry enough time to become a serious pay-per-view contest. Jericho attacks with urgency and repeatedly forces Orton into reactive counters, while Orton slows the match whenever he can create room for the RKO. The late stretch is especially effective because both wrestlers hit major offense without relying on outside interference. Jericho lands a Codebreaker for a strong near-fall and then takes one final risk from the top rope. Orton catches him in mid-air with the RKO and scores the clean pin. The finish is spectacular, decisive and perfectly suited to Orton's counter-based style. It is an excellent secondary attraction.

AJ Lee, Paige and Nikki Bella give the Divas Championship a busy triple threat that benefits from three distinct motivations. Paige wants to preserve the title she regained at SummerSlam, AJ wants her rematch and Nikki enters through the wider Bella family storyline. The match moves quickly because no wrestler can control the ring for long, and AJ repeatedly looks for the Black Widow whenever Paige or Nikki creates an opening. The finish is decisive within the format: AJ removes Nikki from the immediate exchange, traps Paige in the Black Widow and forces the champion to submit. AJ wins her third Divas Championship while Nikki remains protected from the deciding fall. The match is energetic and useful, though the rapid title turnover around AJ and Paige still reduces the sense of permanence.

John Cena and Brock Lesnar deliver a far more competitive rematch than their SummerSlam demolition, with Cena repeatedly proving he can survive the champion's most dangerous offense. Lesnar uses the Kimura Lock several times and controls long stretches, while Cena steadily creates better openings for the Attitude Adjustment and STF. The match reaches its strongest point when Cena hits a fourth Attitude Adjustment and appears ready to score the pin. Seth Rollins then attacks Cena with the Money in the Bank briefcase, causing the disqualification before a decisive championship finish can happen. Rollins also attacks Lesnar and teases a cash-in before Cena stops him. The wrestling is excellent; the interference denies the audience the clean resolution the rematch had built toward.