The 2013 Night of Champions was the seventh annual

Night of Champions Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends on ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

(PPV)

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of ev ...

produced by WWE. It took place on September 15, 2013, at the

Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. This was WWE's last pay-per-view event to take place at the Joe Louis Arena before its closure in 2017, and future WWE events in Detroit where held at

Little Caesars Arena Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Opened on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, replaced Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the home of the Detroit Red Wings o ...

. The theme of the event was that every championship promoted on WWE's main roster at the time was defended. The event received 175,000 buys, down from the last year's event of 189,000.

Production

Background

was an annual

(PPV) event produced by WWE since

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

. The 2013 event was the seventh event in the Night of Champions chronology. It was held on September 15, 2013, at the

. As per the theme of the event, every championship promoted on WWE's main roster at the time was defended. These included the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand di ...

, the World Heavyweight Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, the

WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...

, and the

WWE Divas Championship The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extension via a storyline by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie ...

Storylines

The professional wrestling matches at Night of Champions involved professional wrestlers in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

, WWE. Storylines between the characters played out on WWE's primary television programs, '' Raw'' and ''

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...

''. Following his win over

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...

, Daniel Bryan lost the

when special guest referee and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if ...

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...

attacked Bryan, allowing

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. He is widely regarded as one of the grea ...

to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the championship. Triple H and the McMahons stated that it was "best for business" because Bryan did not "fit the mold" to be WWE Champion. Naming Orton the new "face of WWE", they also formed an alliance with

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...

. Leading up to Night of Champions, Bryan was forced to compete in several challenging matches, including a

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

with

Wade Barrett Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a col ...

, a

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

against all three members of The Shield, and a match with

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

. After defeating

Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wres ...

on the September 9 episode of ''Raw'', Bryan was again assaulted by The Shield and Orton. On the August 26 episode of ''Raw'',

AJ Lee April Jeanette Mendez (born March 19, 1987) is an American author and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE under the ring name AJ Lee. She is currently an executive producer and color commentator for WOW – Wo ...

interrupted the celebration over

Brie Bella Brianna Monique Danielson (née Garcia-Colace; born November 21, 1983), known professionally as Brie Bella, is an American professional wrestler and TV personality. She is currently signed to WWE working as an ambassador. She and her twin N ...

's victory in a SummerSlam rematch against Natalya, berating the cast of ''

Total Divas ''Total Divas'' is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their person ...

'', calling them "interchangeable" and "expendable" and stating that they were not good enough to be wrestlers, so they went into

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

. On the September 2 episode of ''Raw'', AJ Lee interfered in a triple threat match between Natalya,

Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bor ...

, and Brie Bella, which was to determine the number one contender for her Divas Championship. As a result,

Stephanie McMahon Stephanie McMahon Levesque (born Stephanie Marie McMahon; ; September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is the current chairwoman and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest prof ...

scheduled AJ to defend her Divas Championship in a fatal four-way match against Natalya, Naomi and Brie Bella at Night of Champions. On August 5 episode of ''Raw'',

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

defeated World Heavyweight Champion

Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...

in a non-title match after Ricardo Rodriguez's interference backfired. After the match, Del Rio attacked Rodriguez for his actions. Two weeks later, Rodriguez returned to inform Del Rio that he was now representing Van Dam. Van Dam continued to attack Del Rio, both on ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'', and on the August 26 episode of ''Raw'', Van Dam won another non-title match over Del Rio due to a distraction by Rodriguez, earning Van Dam a World Heavyweight Championship match against Del Rio at Night of Champions. On the September 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Del Rio cost Van Dam a non-title match against Randy Orton, and attacked him after the match. The following week,

Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968) is an American professional wrestling personality and manager. She is best known for her t ...

forced Rodriguez to face Del Rio. After winning the match, Del Rio put Rodriguez in the cross armbreaker until Van Dam made the save. After being defeated by

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...

at SummerSlam,

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known f ...

continued his feud with Paul Heyman, thus starting another one with Intercontinental Champion

Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...

by attacking him the next night on ''Raw''. Four days later on ''SmackDown'', Axel challenged Punk to a match, which Punk accepted. On the August 26 episode of ''Raw'', Punk defeated Axel and by vote of the WWE Universe, Heyman was forced to face Punk in the ring, but Axel interfered and helped Heyman attack Punk.

Brad Maddox Joshua Tyler Kluttz (born May 4, 1984) is an American retired professional wrestler and former professional wrestling referee. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Brad Maddox. From 2008 to 2012, Maddo ...

granted Punk's wish of facing Heyman by giving him an elimination handicap match at Night of Champions against Axel and Heyman. On the September 9 episode of ''Raw'', a tag team turmoil match was scheduled for the Night of Champions Kickoff pre-show, with the winners challenging champions

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...

and

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns. He is the leader of The B ...

(of

) later in the night. On the September 13 episode of ''SmackDown'',

Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand. After a prolific career in amateur ...

faced

for an opportunity at the United States Championship at Night of Champions. Although Reigns and Rollins interfered when Ziggler was about to win, he was still given the championship match.

Event

Pre-show

During the Night of Champions Kickoff pre-show, a tag team turmoil match was held, which

The Prime Time Players The Prime Time Players were an American professional wrestling tag team performing in the WWE, composed of Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. The two initially competed on ''WWE NXT'', debuting as a team in January 2012 and were later promoted to t ...

won by last eliminating The Real Americans to become the number one contenders for the

later at the event.

Preliminary matches

The pay-per-view started with

promising that there would be no interference in the WWE title match. He was interrupted by

Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweig ...

and the Intercontinental Champion,

, who requested that their handicap match against

be cancelled. Triple H not only refused and but also decided that the first person he sees backstage would receive an immediate title shot at Axel's Intercontinental Championship. Triple H headed to the back and ran into

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-ha ...

, who was sent to the ring to challenge Axel. Axel pinned Kingston after a Hangman's Facebuster to retain the title. After this,

defended her

against Natalya,

and

in a

Fatal 4-Way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. AJ forced Natalya to submit to the Black Widow to retain the title. In the third match,

defended the World Heavyweight Championship against

, who was accompanied by Del Rio's former ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez. Van Dam won by disqualification after Del Rio refused to release the Cross Armbreaker by a 5 count. After the match, Del Rio tried to attack Van Dam with a chair but Rodriguez took the chair, allowing Van Dam to execute a DDT and a Van Daminator on Del Rio. Next,

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...

wrestled

Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...

. Miz forced Fandango to submit to the Figure Four Leglock to win the match. In the fifth match,

faced

and

in a No Disqualification Handicap Elimination Match. Midway through the match, Punk hit Axel with a kendo stick, executed a GTS and forced him to submit to the Anaconda Vise. Punk then chased Heyman, his remaining opponent, through the arena and taunted him. Heyman hugged Punk but was attacked with a kendo stick.

Ryback Ryback Allen Reeves (né Ryan; born November 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Ryback. One of the eight finalists on WWE's '' Tough Enough 4'', Reeves l ...

interfered, tackling Punk through a table positioned in the corner before placing Heyman on top of Punk, allowing Heyman to score a pinfall and win the match. After that,

defended the

WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the ...

against

. Ambrose pinned Ziggler after Dirty Deeds to retain the title. In the penultimate match, the other two members of

and

, defended the

against

Darren Young Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his ...

and Titus O'Neil. In the end, Reigns performed a Spear on O'Neil, allowing Rollins to score a pinfall to retain the title.

Main event

In the main event,

faced Daniel Bryan for the

. Orton attempted an RKO but Bryan countered and performed a Dropkick on Orton, knocking him into the referee. Bryan applied the Yes! Lock but Orton touched the ring ropes, forcing Bryan to release the hold. In the end, Orton attempted an RKO but Bryan countered into a Backslide, which Orton countered. Bryan pinned Orton after a Running Knee to win the title.

Aftermath

The next night on ''Raw'', Daniel Bryan was stripped of the WWE Championship by

, because of a fast count by

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...

Scott Armstrong; Triple H accused Bryan of having conspired with the referee and punished Bryan more by putting him in a match with Roman Reigns; though Bryan won, he was again assaulted by the rest of

and Orton. Orton put Bryan's head in between the folds of a chair, but before he could further injure Bryan, most face wrestlers ran to the ring and attacked Orton and The Shield, with Bryan finishing them off with a high knee to

. On the September 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', Triple H gave Van Dam a rematch with Del Rio at Battleground for the World Heavyweight Championship. Immediately afterwards, Del Rio viciously assaulted Van Dam backstage. Punk continued to feud with Heyman and his newest client

. On the September 23 episode of ''Raw'', a match between the two was scheduled for Battleground.

continued her feud with the members of the Total Divas cast. On the September 23 episode of ''Raw'',

pinned Lee during a 10-diva tag team match, leading to a title match at Battleground. This would be the final Night of Champions event to feature the World Heavyweight Championship, as it was unified with the WWE Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December, with the WWE Championship becoming the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Results

Tag Team Turmoil match

References

External links

Official website
{{WWEPPV, Night of Champions 2013 in Detroit Events in Detroit

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

Professional wrestling in Detroit 2013 WWE pay-per-view events September 2013 events in the United States