WWE Night of Champions 2023: Matches and Predictions

Preview & Predictions: You guys and gals remember when I predicted Asuka was gonna beat Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39? Ya boy is wrong sometimes is off sometimes, so forgive me! I was so sure Asuka was going to get a bone thrown her away on the 'Mania stage for once, especially since she stepped back into her role as a crazed badass that mists her foes and kicks their brains out. But alas, Belair prevailed and is (confusingly...) a member of the SmackDown brand with the WWE Raw Women's Championship in her grasp. We all know Charlotte Flair is gonna run up on Belair at some point, so Belair is just killing time with random challengers until SmackDown's resident Queen pops up. So with all that being said, Belair's totally getting the W here.

Preview & Predictions: I've gotten used to the fact that guys like Mansoor (currently known as mån.sôör) and Mustafa Ali will get a good PLE spot whenever WWE flies to the Middle East. And I'm totally cool with that since both guys are hella talented and never disappoint, no matter who they're paired up with. This match for the Intercontinental Championship should definitely be a fun one thanks to the bruiser vs. high-flyer dynamic between the all-powerful Gunther and the super-agile Ali. I gotta keep it a buck with you good folks reading this right now - y'all know who's winning here. Gunter's not leaving this PLE without his IC Championship around his waist. Ali will put up a good fight, for sure. But he's definitely getting destroyed via a devastating Powerbomb to bring this bout to a close.

Preview & Predictions: I've been ready to get "Stratusfied" again ever since I watched Trish Stratus have her amazing comeback match live against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019. And the fact that Trish is back to heel mode once again makes this dream match with Becky Lynch a far more interesting meeting of the lady superstars. This feud is going to be a months-long deal that'll most likely conclude at Money in the Bank, I presume. I predict a screwy finish here that'll result in Trish sneaking away with the dirty win, which will piss off Becky even more and force her to get some much-needed revenge at a later date.

Preview & Predictions: This match scares the hell outta me! Would WWE actually give Roman Reigns even more titles to haul around by awarding him and Solo Sikoa the win here? They wouldn't they...wouldn't they? Or is WWE willing to keep the babyface duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn the W here to send the crowd home happy? It could really go either way, to be honest. Here's what I'm thinking - the continued dissolution of The Bloodline will begin to really take shape here. I'm placing my bets on Owens and Zayn pulling away with a shocking win here by either man rolling up Sikoa. And with that moment taking place, fans will then be left with a final parting shot of Reigns staring a hole through his stablemate with the angriest expression possible. Reigns ain't taking the losing pinfall here, we all know that!

Preview & Predictions: Really, fam? Rhea Ripley for the win, obviously. Next match...

Preview & Predictions: Cody Rhodes is eventually going to "finish the story." But right now, his biggest speedbump on the road back to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship is "The Beast" himself, Brock Lesnar. Cody managed to sneak away with a win at Backlash 2023, which obviously pisses off Brock to an even higher level than he usually is. I'm pretty shocked that this isn't a Street Fight of some kind since this rematch would have even higher stakes with a stipulation attached to it. But a regular match it is, I guess! I just can't see Cody losing here, people - WWE's clearly in the business of making him look as strong as possible before they throw him back in the ring with Reigns. I'm predicting a way more convincing Cody victory here instead of some half-asses roll-up of some kind. Two major PLE wins in a row for Cody should set him up nicely for some big things by the time SummerSlam 2023 arrives!

Preview & Predictions: Raw's getting its own top championship prize since Reigns is running shop over on the Blue Brand. And while it's pretty confusing that SmackDown talent has been a part of this whole deal, I've been pretty happy with the quality of the Triple Threat Matches and final qualifiers. Now we're getting a runback on that awesome match that went down between Seth Rollins and AJ Styles back at Money in the Bank 2019. I'M HYPE! Seeing as how Seth is the one man Reigns didn't defeat, I can see Rollins being the one chosen to walk away with the World Heavyweight Championship since he's recognized as someone valid enough to run Raw without the stink of a Reigns loss hanging over him. I'd love to see AJ run with the new gold strap here, but common sense tells me Seth is the winning choice to go with here. Raw's finally getting atop champ again and it's the crazy dude with the best drip and the finest Curb Stomp I've ever seen.