The draw of this show was its main event - CM Punk vs. Triple H - but a case could be made that even though the WWE bungled their Summer of Punk storyline, there were also quite a few other really good storylines going on that fans were excited about, including the formation of Awesome Truth, who challenge Air Boom (Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne) in the opening contest. The Miz would become a more dependable in-ring worker in due time but he's not terrible here and the crowd certainly hates him. Kofi and Bourne were a solid team too and the fans are definitely behind them. I like the little twists they added to this match as it was Air Boom who actually ended up bending the rules a bit to try to hold onto their Tag Team Championships and it was the heels who got screwed (this played into their on-going storyline about being the victims of a conspiracy). A perfectly fine opener with a surprising ending as I'm guessing Awesome Truth were favored to win the titles here. (2.5/5)
The Intercontinental Champion, Cody Rhodes, defends the title against his former partner, Ted DiBiase Jr., next. Its interesting to watch this 11 years later knowing that DiBiase would fizzle out not too long after this and that Rhodes would be the one who not only enjoyed a lengthy career but ended up helping start the most successful non-WWE wrestling promotion of the past 25 years. Anyway, considering how much these two worked together, one would expect them to have remarkable chemistry, but this match never enters a second gear. Rhodes was the better, more fluid worker and maybe this would've worked if DiBiase had more support from the crowd, but this was just kinda there. Not a terrible match, just not one that drew me (or the live crowd) in. (2/5)
Christian came out next and cut a promo that was then interrupted by Sheamus. Christian is one of my all-time faves and this was part of his excellent heel run. I'm tempted to give it a +1, but not tempted enough to do it.
Dolph Ziggler defended the United States Championship in a 4-way match involving John Morrison, Jack Swagger, and Alex Riley. Morrison was the most over babyface in the match, though Alex Riley had some support too and was definitely fresher. I'm not surprised that Morrison left the company at the end of 2011 as he really had hit a wall (and, sadly, even when he returned to the company in 2019, Vince seemingly had no desire or interest in pushing him as anything more than a midcarder). Jack Swagger had already been the World Heavyweight Champion by this point, but his most memorable main event run was still a little bit of a ways away (even if he never actually regained a major championship during it). This is the window of time when Swagger still seemed like he could be a big deal but watching this in retrospect makes it clear that he, like a Mr. Kennedy, was never really all that great aside from having some undeniable presence and charisma. Ziggler is the glue that holds this match together and I like Vickie's involvement and the teasing of the Ziggler/Vickie split. Lots of action in a match that only went 8-9 minutes. (2.5/5)
The World Heavyweight Championship is on the line next as Randy Orton defends against Mark Henry. The build-up to this match was all about Mark Henry's winning streak and his desire to finally prove he can "win the big one." Orton was a babyface, but was a cool babyface and didn't really pander to the crowd one bit. This match has a bit of a reputation as being one of the best WWE Matches of the Year and it absolutely delivers, especially if you're at all into "old school" matches that are more based on storytelling and physicality than lots of wild moves or triple-fast sequences. I love how much Orton gives Henry in terms of selling and this might be Orton's best work ever as a babyface fighting from underneath and actually looking vulnerable, an understandable rarity in his lengthy career. Henry, to his credit, puts on arguably the best performance of his career, something that I might imagine stems from knowing that, on this night, he was going to finally be rewarded for his years of effort and that he needed to live up to his new status as the company's resident monster after years of seeing that role given to guys like Kane and Big Show. This is Henry's night and he knows it and is at his most vicious because of it. A match like this could've been all about whether Orton could hit the RKO and it is partially that...but its also about Henry's emotion and focus and whether he is going to actually be able to live up to the moment and when he doesn't get the W with his first World's Strongest Slam, that disappointment is tangible. Just a wonderful match that has aged very well and is absolutely worth checking out if you've ever wondered what the big deal about Henry's "Hall of Pain" run was. (4/5)
In a very surprising turn of events, Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly follow this up with a surprisingly strong match themselves, or at least a match that exceeded any expectations one might've ever had. Phoenix is clearly in the driver's seat, but its not like Kelly didn't have a job to do. In fact, its Kelly's agility and speed that really made this work. "Carry job" or not, its Kelly who executes a solid tarantula on the ropes, takes a hell of a superplex, and then holds her own in a finishing sequence that could've been a disaster. While the match only goes 6 and a half minutes, it is spirited and well-fought from beginning to end and the finish is an upset that not only made Kelly Kelly look like she was actually a formidable talent, but kept Phoenix looking strong-but-overconfident, the Glamazon arguably underestimating Kelly from the very start. (3/5)
The WWE Champion, Alberto Del Rio, defended his title against John Cena next. This was an important match for Del Rio as he had been pushed strongly since joining the WWE's main roster in 2010. While CM Punk was easily the hottest wrestler the company had at the time, Vince was driven to make Del Rio, who had been a fairly big investment, a star. Like the main event (we'll get to it), there were quite a few commentators who feared that this match would curtail Del Rio's chances of being a true top guy and while I wouldn't say that Del Rio was "buried" here, the fact that he wrestles a lengthy, relatively clean match with Cena and loses was not "star-making" booking. Cena makes Del Rio look good, but after the excellent match he had with Punk at Money in the Bank, its clear that the same chemistry and magic isn't there. As was the case throughout the summer of 2011, Del Rio's push just couldn't come out from under the shadow of Punk's organic rise to stardom. Del Rio and Cena get plenty of time and there are some good moments because, as despicable as Del Rio might be as a person, the guy was - at one time - a very capable worker...but this match just didn't deliver what it needed to to cement Del Rio as a main eventer. (3/5)
Main event time - CM Punk vs. Triple H in a No Disqualification match where, if Punk wins, Triple H has to step down from being the company's COO. This is around the time when the "Summer of Punk" storyline became a complete mess that was no longer about CM Punk at all and more about Triple H wanting to maintain his control of the company as John Laurenaitis and Kevin Nash seemed to be plotting against him. Maybe they did because in 2011 Triple H, Kevin Nash, and John Laurenaitis were selling tons of merch? Or getting huge responses for live crowd? Oh? Neither of those things was true? This is the kind of match that works partially because Punk and Triple H clearly had legitimate heat with one another and there is a stiffness to this that serves the stipulation well. There is also a constant upping of the ante, not just in terms of violence, but in the pace as neither Punk or Triple H want to look weak or slow. This match kicks off with brawling and they just don't stop for 20+ minutes. What hurts this match is the added stipulation and the unfortunate inevitability of a screwy finish. Punk should've won here - that is an almost inarguable fact - but Triple H losing his job was seemingly a storyline that Vince (or whoever was in his ear) did not feel like exploring. Its a shame too because, in hindsight, they ended up basically doing the angle anyway just a few weeks later as John Laurenaitis became the RAW GM and Triple H was demoted. There's your proof that Vince's issues with longterm booking didn't just magically start in 2016 or 2018 or 2014. Anyway...The Miz and R-Truth get involved and try to screw Triple H, but after initially being saved by an uncooperative ref, Triple H kicks out. Miz and Truth argue with the ref, beat him up, and then get booted out of the ring leading to Triple H hitting the Pedigree and getting a long visual pin on CM Punk. If you're keeping score at home, Triple H has now kicked out of the Skull-Crushing Finale and has now pinned CM Punk. Laurenaitis comes out and things get even messier as another ref shows up and while Punk does hit the GTS and seemingly have Triple H beat and, moments later, kicks out of a second Pedigree, ultimately it is CM Punk who eats a Kevin Nash powerbomb and a third Pedigree to lose the match. As a match, this starts out red hot but then loses steam as it becomes less and less about CM Punk and more and more about the Awesome Truth angle, the Laurenaitis/Triple H power struggle, and Kevin Nash playing spoiler. (3.5/5)
The summer of 2011 was a good time to be a WWE fan due to the red hot CM Punk angle, Christian and Mark Henry's main event heel runs on SmackDown, and talents like Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and others coming into their own. With a Kwang Score of 2.93-out-of-5, Night of Champions 2011 is a show worth checking out if you may have been...uh...checking out on WWE programming around this time.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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