United States Champion Sheamus def. Cesaro

United States Champion Sheamus loves a good fight. The Celtic Warrior found his perfect opponent in Cesaro when the he successfully defended the stars-and-stripes title in a battle at Night of Champions

In the weeks leading into Night of Champions, Cesaro lurked at ringside during The Celtic Warrior’s non-title matches, disrupting his rhythm and slowing his momentum before their showdown. Cesaro’s biggest offense came when Sheamus faced Seth Rollins on Sept. 8’s Raw. After helping Rollins eke out a victory with a timely distraction, Cesaro stood over the weakened Sheamus and screamed “Fella!” before adding injury to insult with a Neutralizer and proudly raising the U.S. Title.

The combatants wasted little time in dishing out punishment to one another at Night of Champions, exchanging brawling blows and reversing one another’s best moves. Cesaro slowed Sheamus significantly with a sleeper hold that threw off  The Celtic Warrior’s equilibrium. Sheamus tried to regain momentum with a suplex, but Cesaro continued to reverse or counter whatever Sheamus threw his way. He even powered out of Sheamus’ signature 10 Beats of the Bodhran, a WWE first.

Cesaro was backed off Sheamus by the referee, creating a short window of opportunity for the U.S. Champion. Sheamus unleashed a brutal Brogue Kick to Cesaro’s face to barely retain his United States Championship.

Rusev def. Mark Henry

Mark Henry had the support of an entire country behind him in his clash with Rusev, but it was just not enough to help defeat the Russian juggernaut, who forced the American to tap out and remain undefeated.

Emotions were running high from the start, when Henry was brought to tears during Lilian Garcia’s pre-match singing of America’s national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.

Weighing over 400 pounds, The red, white and blue clad World’s Strongest Man came out swinging against the powerful Russian, who he promised to defeat and induct into the international wing of his Hall of Pain. With Henry dominating him, Rusev became visibly frustrated.

The former Olympian tried to regain momentum, but Rusev continued to target his injured back. Although Henry managed to retaliate with a World’s Strongest Slam, hoisting Rusev’s massive frame took its toll on Henry’s injured back and he could not capitalize and pin Rusev.

Rusev struck Henry with a leaping side kick to the face, leaving him vulnerable on the canvas. Seizing the opportunity, Rusev locked in The Accolade, forcing Henry to tap out.

The result was a disappointment for The World’s Strongest Man and the entire WWE Universe (except maybe those in Russia), but it was a familiar outcome for Rusev and Lana, who celebrated the continued winning streak as the Russian flag hung above the ring.

Randy Orton def. Chris Jericho

Putting to rest any doubt that The Viper has lost his bite, Orton prevailed against Y2J in a highly personal battle between two of WWE’s most decorated Superstars. The Face of WWE punctuated his victory, sealing the win not just with an RKO, but with an RKO executed in mid-air!

The match took a dark turn when Jericho, having been run shoulder-first into the corner, crumpled in the corner. Sinisterly, Orton tapped his earlobe, almost mocking the Jerichoholics in attendance, before slinking back in the opposite corner in preparation for the feared punt. The veteran Y2J, however, sensed the attack coming and countered with a schoolboy for a near-fall.

 

More fisticuffs ensued, followed by chants of “Y2J,” and yet another momentum swing. When it looked likeOrton was readying for the RKO, Jericho wisely escaped again, this time hitting the Codebreaker for atwo-count. So in disbelief was Jericho that he let out an incredulous “Are you serious?” in response.

 Choosing to take to the air in a last-ditch effort, Jericho perched himself on the top rope. This strategy would prove to be a fatal misstep: As he sprang off the top, Jericho was caught by surprise with a remarkable RKO, followed by the pin.

Cold and calculating as ever, and knowing he had just topped an incredibly accomplished competitor, Orton smirked in contentment as Justin Roberts announced him the victor. Who will The Viper sink his fangs into next?

AJ Lee def. Divas Champion Paige and Nikki Bella

As the old saying goes, keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and your “frenemies” locked in a Black Widow … or something like that. But where does that leave a pair of quarrelling sisters?

The surprises continued as the unorthodox Paige requested that AJ kiss her hand, but the veteran responded by smashing her frenemy’s face into the canvas instead. Despite the denied request, Paige continued to show sympathy for AJ. After becoming the victim of an attack by Nikki, Paige consoled her rival with an embrace, followed by a swift kick to the gut. “Why don’t you love me?” Paige screamed out, as AJ lay on the mat.

The arrogant Bella twin — who earned a title opportunity by assisting Stephanie McMahon at SummerSlam — overpowered AJ with tremendous strength. AJ somehow managed to briefly lock in the Black Widow, which was broken up by Paige to save the match and the title.

With Nikki out of the equation, AJ was finally able to focus squarely on her frenemy and the title. She wrapped Paige in the Black Widow, and while the champion had found a way to squirm out of the hold in the past, not on this night. The “English crumpet” — as AJ had called her — was forced to tap as AJ reclaimed the Divas Championship.

But with two sisters at odds and AJ and Paige’s rivalry becoming more fascinating with every encounter, the Divas Title is as coveted as it’s ever been.

John Cena def. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar by disqualification

John Cena brought the fight to WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar like never before at Night of Champions. Yet despite the Cenation leader’s near-superhuman tenacity against The Beast Incarnate in this massive SummerSlam rematch, redemption slipped through his fingers. Shockingly, it wasn’t Lesnar that would be his undoing.

 Since Cena’s crushing defeat at SummerSlam that saw him fall victim to 16 suplexes and two F-5s, the indomitable Superstar has gone into overdrive, determined to match WWE’s most dominant force with some newfound intensity of his own. Shortly after the opening bell of this titanic Night of Champions main event, it was almost hard to believe that the muscled juggernaut pummeling Lesnar was the same guy who could be found smiling at us from the Fruity Pebbles box or solving animated mysteries with Scooby-Doo. Cena had become a destroyer, and if you looked close enough at Lesnar’s face during Cena’s early Attitude Adjustment, you might have noticed something that resembled doubt in The Conqueror’s eyes.