WWE Night of Champions: 10 Best Matches In PPV’s History

Michael Whitlow

Check out what we ranked as the 10 greatest WWE Night of Champions matches ever,

The Night of Champions pay-per-view may not be included in the “big four” of WWE’s pay-per-views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series), but the concept of the pay-per-view is one of the best in the business.

Since the inception of the Night of Champions pay-per-view back in 2007, the format has seen a few tweaks with non-title matches included on the card, but the “every title is on the line” format makes Night of Champions one of the better pay-per-views each calendar year.

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With Night of Champions 2015 approaching a few weeks, we’ll take a look back at some of the best matches in the pay-per-view’s eight-year history.

Notes:

The inaugural Night of Champions pay-per-view in 2007 is actually not available on the WWE Network. That was the show where John Morrison (better known as Johnny Mundo these days) filled in for Chris Benoit in the ECW Championship match against CM Punk, due to Benoit’s tragic double murder-suicide.

Each match chosen on this list is a title match. There have only been five non-title matches in the pay-per-view’s history from 2007-2014.

Personally, I considered making an exception to the “title match” rule for this list. The main even of the Night of Champions pay-per-view in 2011 (CM Punk vs. Triple H in a No DQ Match) was referenced in Punk’s famous podcast with Colt Cabana, where Punk spoke on his reasons for leaving WWE in January 2014.

Check out the greatest Night of Champions matches by clicking below.

Next: 10. Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler, Night of Champions 2009

Photo Credit: WWE.com

10. Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship, 2009

Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio and Dolph Ziggler had a summer to remember back in 2009. The two combatants followed up their fun match at SummerSlam with a 16-minute classic in the rematch for the Intercontinental title.

Although the five men in the two main title matches put on tremendous displays, the Intercontinental title match on the same card was just as good. Mysterio had been in the title picture throughout 2009, winning the gold initially at WrestleMania 25 in John Bradshaw Layfield’s final match in WWE (which turned out to be pretty comical).

Ziggler, accompanied by the lovely Maria, was still a rather fresh name during this time, and this was only his second title program. Both men competed at a quicker-style pace throughout the entire match, which ended with Mysterio hitting a big splash from the top rope to retain the gold.

Next: 9. The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, Night of Champions 2010

9. The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan for the United States Championship, 2010

Before “The Bearded One” took over WWE crowds worldwide with the “YES!” chant, his trials and tribulations began back in the summer of 2010.

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Lesnar throughly decimated Cena and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after a couple F-5s and 16(!) suplexes. The beating kept Cena off Monday Night Raw the next night, but the two would get it on again at Night of Champions.

This time around, the match was much more competitive, as Cena came with in a whisker of winning back the gold, but at the end of the night, it was Lesnar who would stand tall. The match even included a run-in from Seth Rollins, the Money in the Bank winner at the time, and it appeared he would attempt to cash in after getting Lesnar disqualified due to an attack on Cena.

Cena would recover from Rollins’ attack and dispose of Mr. Money in the Bank, but it was Lesnar who would get the final say, as he F-5’d Cena again to close out the show.

Next: 5. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan, Night of Champions 2013

Photo Credit: WWE.com

5. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship, 2013

Before Daniel Bryan pulled off the “Miracle on Bourbon Street” at WrestleMania XXX, he actually won the WWE Championship from Randy Orton at the 2013 Night of Championship pay-per-view.

Bryan was stripped of the title the next night on Raw due to WWE COO Triple H ruling a fast count was made by referee Scott Armstrong. But, regardless of Bryan losing the title, the match he and Orton had at Night of Champions was a fun one.

During this time, Bryan was becoming the hottest superstar in the company, and not only was it exciting to see Bryan in the main event, he actually won the gold from a high-profile name like Randy Orton in the process.

Next: 4. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy, Night of Champions 2009

4. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship, 2009

CM Punk became the first two-time winner of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 25 in 2009, and he wouldn’t hold the briefcase for too long.

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During the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in June, Jeff Hardy defeated Edge to win his second world title (both from Edge) in a grueling 20-minute ladder match … but his night was far from over.

Punk would cash in after Hardy’s thrilling victory and leave Extreme Rules with the gold. Hardy would get his rematch at the next pay-per-view (The Bash), but Punk would get intentionally disqualified to retain the title, which would lead to another rematch between the two at Night of Champions.

The 15-minute rematch closed out the show, and Hardy would finally get his retribution by winning the title back. Their entire feud throughout 2009 was excellent, and this match was a big reason why the feud was so fun to watch.

Next: 3. CM Punk vs. John Cena, Night of Champions 2012

Photo Credit: WWE.com

3. CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, 2012

During CM Punk’s run as one of the top superstars in WWE, his matches with John Cena were some of the best during the time period. The two had great chemistry and were complete opposites of the other. You can definitely make the case that their 2012 encounter at Night of Champions was their best.

Punk was in the midst of his second run as WWE Champion; a run that would last 434 days. During Punk’s run throughout 2012, John Cena added to his résumé and won his first Money in the Bank Ladder Match in his very first appearance in the match. Cena would cash in to face Punk on the 1,000th episode of Monday Night Raw, but was unable to win the gold thanks to Big Show.

Cena would battle back into the title picture and get another shot at Punk’s title. The two stars (along with Paul Heyman by Punk’s side) went on last, and put on a 27-minute clinic, that actually resulted in a draw. Cena hit a bridging German suplex and pinned Punk, but in the process, Cena’s shoulders were on the mat as well.

Sure, it wasn’t the most ideal finish in the books, but the match was tremendous.

Next: 2. Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena, Night of Champions 2009

Photo Credit: YouTube.com

2. Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, 2009

Randy Orton stole the title from Triple H during Raw’s main event of WrestleMania XXIV a year prior, and in the rematch at the 2009 Night of Champions pay-per-view, it was more of the same.

In the WrestleMania XXIV rematch between three of the biggest stars in WWE history, Randy Orton, Triple H and John Cena put on another classic performance together for the WWE title. The match was utter chaos, as Cena at one point would throw Orton into the front row of the crowd and then lock the STF onto Triple H … on the announce table.

The match would completely break down, as Legacy members Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. would make their way down to the ring to help Orton retain the gold. DiBiase would pound The Game on the outside, while Rhodes attacked Cena. For the match’s conclusion, Cena had Rhodes up for an Attitude Adjustment, but Orton hit an amazing version of the RKO with Rhodes on Cena’s shoulders to get the pinfall victory in the rematch.

Next: 1. Triple H vs. John Cena, Night of Champions 2008

Photo Credit: WWE.com

1. Triple H vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, 2008

Technically, the 2007 show was still “Vengeance”, but in the seven-year history of the Night of Champions pay-per-views, no match has been better than the WrestleMania 22 rematch between Triple H and John Cena for the WWE Championship.

Over a year prior to the rematch, The Champ and The Game concluded WrestleMania 22 in front one of the biggest anti-John Cena crowds in history. Cena proved his worth, hung tough with The King of Kings, and left Chicago with a shocking submission victory over Triple H in the main event.

This time around however, it was The Game who came into the match as WWE Champion, and who left the show as champion. The rematch ran a little over 21 minutes long, but by the end of it, you wanted to see the two continue to go at it. Once again, Cena proved his worth in the ring and put on one of his best matches ever, despite the loss.

If you made a list of the best matches in WWE history, this match would certainly be on the list.

(Personally, I’d have their first encounter ahead of this one because of the magnitude of WrestleMania, their infamous entrances (that included CM Punk during Cena’s entrance), the hostile environment in Chicago (at least for Cena), and Jim Ross calling all of the action from bell-to-bell.)

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Michael Whitlow

Michael is a Contributor at FanSided's Netflix Life. When he's not binge-watching the Arrowverse or watching one of the John Mulaney stand-up specials, he works full-time as a sports writer for a small-town newspaper and consumes only the most authentic of Chicago-style hot dogs. You can follow Michael on Twitter (@couldbelikemike).