Promotion WWE Date September 16, 2012 Venue TD Garden | Sponsor(s) Dredd Attendance 14,886 | |
Theme
song(s) "Champions" by Kevin Rudolf feat. Fred Durst, Birdman and Lil Wayne
"Big Epic Night" by Jim Johnston Cast CM Punk, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler Similar Night of Champions (2009), Night of Champions (2011), Over the Limit 2011 Pay‑Per‑View, SummerSlam (2009), WWE The Bash | ||
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE, which took place on September 16, 2012 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. It was presented by Lions Gate Entertainment's Dredd and was the fifth annual WWE Night of Champions event (sixth including Vengeance: Night of Champions) and the thirteenth in the WWE Vengeance/Night of Champions overall chronology. The theme to the Night of Champions event is that all sanctioned championships are defended on the card. The event managed to gain 189,000 buys. That is up from last year's event, which gained a 169,000 buyrate.
Contents
Background
The professional wrestling matches at Night of Champions featured professional wrestlers performing as characters in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting promotion, WWE. Storylines between the characters played out on WWE's primary television programs, Raw and SmackDown.
Upon losing to Sheamus again at SummerSlam, Alberto Del Rio felt that because the referee didn't see his foot on the bottom rope during the pin, he deserved another title match. Sheamus felt that Del Rio had enough chances to beat him and said that Randy Orton, who just returned from suspension, deserved a title shot. Del Rio defeated Orton to earn a title match at the event.
At Raw 1000, Cena cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase against Punk and failed to win the title due to interference by Big Show that resulted in a disqualification. This led to a triple threat match at SummerSlam featuring Punk, Cena, and Show, which Punk won. The next night on Raw, Punk was given the right to pick his challenger at Night of Champions. He announced that he'd face John Cena on the condition that he would admit on live TV that Punk was the "best in the world" but Cena refused. The next week on Raw, Raw General Manager AJ Lee announced that Punk would defend the title against Cena at the event.
Pre-Show
Prior to the start of the pay-per-view, a 16-man battle royal for a United States Championship match later in the event took place. Zack Ryder won the match by last eliminating Tensai.
Preliminary matches
The event opened with The Miz defending the Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes and Sin Cara in a fatal four-way match. In the end, Sin Cara placed a mask on Miz. Rhodes performed the Cross Rhodes on Cara but The Miz performed the Skull Crushing Finale on Rhodes to retain the title.
Next, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defended the Tag Team Championship against Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan). The match ended when Bryan pushed Kane off the top rope, causing him to fall onto Kingston into a successful pinfall. In result, Team Hell No won the title.
After that, Antonio Cesaro defended the United States Championship against Zack Ryder. Cesaro executed a Neutralizer on Ryder to retain the title.
In the fourth match, Randy Orton wrestled Dolph Ziggler. Orton executed an Elevated DDT off the barricade on Ziggler and attempted to pin Ziggler in the ring but Ziggler placed his foot on the bottom rope, voiding the pinfall. In the end, Orton attempted an RKO but Ziggler countered the move into a Sleeper Hold, which Orton escaped. Orton performed an RKO on a leaping Ziggler for the win.
Next, Layla defended the Divas Championship against Eve. After Kaitlyn was attacked, SmackDown general manager Booker T scheduled Layla to defend against Eve. Eve executed the HeartBreaker on Layla to win the title for a record third time.
After that, Sheamus defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio. Before the match, Booker T relinquished his ban of the Brogue Kick. In the end, Del Rio misses a Step-Up Enziguri on Sheamus, who was in the corner. Sheamus executed a Brogue Kick on Del Rio to retain the title.
Main event
In the main event, CM Punk defended the WWE Championship against John Cena. Punk applied the Anaconda Vice on Cena but Cena countered into the STF, which Punk countered into a crossface, which Cena escaped. Punk executed the diving elbow drop for a near-fall. Punk went for a GTS but Cena countered into the STF, with Punk reaching the ropes to break the hold. Punk executed a Go To Sleep on Cena for a near-fall. Cena executed an Attitude Adjustment for a near-fall. Punk performed a second Go to Sleep on Cena for a near-fall. Punk performed a Rock Bottom on Cena for a near-fall. Cena executed another Attitude Adjustment on Punk for a near-fall. Cena executed a bridging German Suplex off the top rope on Punk to win the match. As Cena was celebrating, the referee declared a draw due to a double pin, thus Punk retaining the title.