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Typically, WWE uses its free pay-per-view (PPV) pre-shows to showcase a match that wasn't good enough to make the show but would set the tone for the event before it goes live to hundreds of thousands of paying customers.
This is much more like it.
During tonight's (Sept. 10, 2012) episode of Monday Night Raw, it was announced that a battle royal will take place on the pre-show for the Night of Champions event this coming Sunday night. This time, however, it will have implications for the actual PPV, as the winner will receive a United States title shot against Antonio Cesaro.
This is a great way to get as many guys on the card as possible, for a match universally loved, that will actually have an impact on the PPV which fans are supposed to want to purchase by watching the pre-show, free.
Win, win, and win.
As always, the Night of Champions free pre-show will stream live on YouTube, WWE.com, and Facebook at 7:30 p.m. ET.