WWE Night of Champions news and notes via F4WOnline.com:
— As has been noted extensively, the going plan for WWE Summerslam as of last week was to feature John Cena vs. Triple H. Though that would imply one of the two winning the WWE Championship tonight, there has also been talk of keeping the belt on Randy Orton–his character benefits the most from the title right now and he would be in position to serve as a top heel opponent for a returning Shawn Michaels. Consequently, none of the outcomes would surprise industry sources.
— The outcome of the World Championship match hinges on whether Jeff Hardy agreed to work through Summerslam. If tonight is his last major match, which was the plan earlier this summer, he will undoubtedly lose to CM Punk to end the feud. If Hardy has decided to stay, however, the match will likely conclude with a disputed finish–or even end with Hardy on top–to keep the rivalry going for an extra month.
— A lot of pressure is on Dolph Ziggler tonight, as his performance against Rey Mysterio will determine what kind of opportunity he gets at the top of SmackDown. Ziggler, along with Morrison, has been eyed as a potential candidate for joining the upper ranks of the talent-thin SmackDown! roster, but a terrible match with Mysterio would make WWE think twice about giving him a featured role.