The following is from WWE.com:
On Monday night, absolutely everything changed. Not only did some of sports-entertainment’s biggest stars like WWE Champion Triple H, Batista and ECW Champion Kane switch brands, but Mr. McMahon was the victim of an exploding set, which collapsed on the WWE Chairman during the final moments of Raw. Though Superstars and medical personnel alike rushed to Mr. McMahon’s aide, was it enough to prevent permanent damage to the Chairman, who was pinned underneath multiple stage lights and scaffolding?
Prior to Mr. McMahon’s injury, the biggest story of the night was easily WWE Champion Triple H being drafted to SmackDown. As announced earlier in the night, champions retain their titles when moving to other brands, which means that SmackDown is now the home of both the WWE Champion and the World Heavyweight Champion Edge. However, the Raw roster contains both of those men’s Night of Champions challengers: No. 1 contender for the WWE Title John Cena, and new Raw draftee Batista, who will face Edge for the World Heavyweight Title. Will Cena and Batista come away from Night of Champions victorious, bringing two titles home to Monday nights, or might SmackDown remain the home of both prestigious championships?
Monday night also saw ECW Champion Kane, Mr. Money in the Bank CM Punk, and Rey Mysterio drafted to Raw. Kane brings the ECW Championship with him, but must still defend it against Big Show at Night of Champions. Punk doesn’t have a championship title, but the former ECW Champion carries a briefcase that allows him to challenge any titleholder at a time of his choosing. With these two powerful ECW Superstars joining Raw, what titles can we expect to see change hands? And when will Rey Mysterio’s arm be fully healed, allowing him to make his in-ring debut as a Raw Superstar?
A title that currently remains on Raw is Chris Jericho’s Intercontinental Championship. In the midst of the WWE Draft, Monday night saw Y2J continue his verbal tirade against Shawn Michaels. When the injured HBK came down to the ring to confront Jericho, the two fought with Y2J further damaging Michaels’ eye. Every title, including the Intercontinental Championship, is to be defended at Night of Champions, but who will step forward to compete against Chris Jericho?
The Intercontinental Title Match is not the only Night of Champions contest with a question mark in it. World Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes will face Ted DiBiase, but his mystery partner will not be revealed until Sunday night. Who does DiBiase have in the wings that makes him so confident, and will it be enough to unseat Holly & Rhodes as champions?
For the answers to these questions and more, be sure to tune into Night of Champions this Sunday night at 8/5 PT on pay-per-view, and before the show starts, be sure to check out John Cena’s Night of Champions Live Blog.
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