With the summer in full swing, we are officially on the road to SummerSlam. The August pay-per-view is generally WWE’s second biggest show of the year after Wrestlemania, but before we get to the summer showcase we take a pit stop at tonight’s Battleground. Featuring Cena-Owens 3 and Brock Lesnar finally getting his hands on Seth Rollins, Sunday night’s PPV will not be short of star power.
While a few matches like Cesaro vs. Rusev (YES PLEASE) and a Divas match featuring our newest NXT call-ups may be added to the card, we do have six set matches taking place Sunday night. Let’s take a look at the Battleground card and what we can expect to go down.
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Title Match)
Back at Wrestlemania 31, Seth Rollins had what was arguably the greatest Money in the Bank cash-in we’ve ever seen. While all eyes were on the main event of the evening and the expected coronation of Roman Reigns, Rollins ran out and stole the show by pinning Reigns and taking the gold. Oh, and he also happened to take the title off of then-Champion Brock Lesnar, without actually pinning or submitting the Beast Incarnate.
The next night on Raw, Lesnar was mad. And an angry Brock Lesnar is the best (or worst depending on who you ask) kind of Brock Lesnar. After thinking he was going to get a rematch against Rollins, the Champ weaseled his way out of the match and Lesnar blew a gasket. The Beast destroyed everyone and everything in sight (RIP Michael Cole’s shoe) and was indefinitely suspended by Stephanie McMahon.
And suspended he stayed, until a few weeks ago. After Rollins beat Dean Ambrose in an incredible Ladder Match for the WWE title at Money in the Bank, he was feeling cocky and not for no reason. But hey, nobody is allowed to feel cocky but Triple H and he quickly decided to give Rollins a real test. Enter the Beast. Lesnar has returned with a vengeance and destroyed pretty much everything Rollins loves.
Sorry Joey Mercury.
Another cast for Jamie Noble.
Adios J&J’s brand-new car.
See you in a couple of months Kane.
And just in case you weren’t aware, Lesnar has really, really enjoyed all of the destruction he’s caused.
I say pretty much everything Rollins loves because he’s gotten all of it.. except Rollins. The Champ has been able to do what he does best in the past couple of weeks, squirm his way out of trouble. Whether it’s escaping through the crowd or getting help from the entire Authority to slow Lesnar down, Rollins has basically avoided most of the punishment Lesnar has inflicted over the past couple of weeks.
But all of that changes Sunday night, as Rollins FINALLY has to answer to the Mayor of Suplex City. Lesnar comes into the match with a ton of anger to let out, and Rollins really doesn’t have a lot of options in the way of escaping the punishment that comes with it.
So does Lesnar leave Battleground with the title? Well… it’s complicated. Don’t get me wrong, I fully expect a ton of this to happen during the main event.
But I can’t say I expect the Beast to take the gold. While Rollins will definitely take a beating that he so very much deserves, something tells me he’ll find a way to escape with the title still intact.
John Cena vs. Kevin Owens (United States Title Match)
Okay let’s just be blunt here. Lesnar/Rollins has the best storyline of the night, but Owens-Cema 3 is what we’re here for. And if their first two bouts (not to mention their slew of classic matches against Cesaro the past couple of weeks), have taught us anything, it’s that John Cena and Kevin Owens make sweet, sweet magic every time they meet in the center of the ring.
First things first, Kevin Owens is legit. Like, super-duper-star who you can put in the title picture tomorrow legit. Since the day he showed up in NXT and powerbombed Sami Zayn into oblivion, Owens has been on a path of destruction that has led him to (and through) face of the company John Cena. And while most wrestlers have just become a footnote in Cena’s legacy, Owens has used this feud to make JOHN FREAKIN CENA an after-thought. This match may be for the U.S. Title, but the real story of this feud is KO forcing his way into the main event scene.
While Cena may be playing second-fiddle for probably the first time in his career, it’s important to note that the leader of the Cenation has stepped his game up to unimaginable levels in the ring over the past couple of months. Seriously, his feud with Rusev was good, his matches with Owens have been great, but Cena has taken things to a “HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AN ALL-TIME CLASSIC”-level the past couple of weeks with Cesaro. I mean, did you ever expect John Cena do to something like this in the ring?
Or something as innovative as this?
I have never been more interested to see what John Cena is going to do in the ring, and well, that’s a sentence I never thought I’d type up.
For all of those reasons, we know Cena-Owens is going to be an incredible match tomorrow night. Add that to the fact that a title is on the line, one that Owens really wants, and well this thing could be another one of those all-time classics we were talking about. I’m incredibly interested in seeing if Cena puts Owens over, giving him the title and the feud, or if well LOL CENA WINS!
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
Of all the matches on this card, the battle between Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt definitely has me the most curious.
When Wyatt cost Reigns the Money in the Bank ladder match last month, I was legitimately excited to see the two feud for the next couple of months. After all, it’s not often that the future top face of the company gets to feud with the future top heel of the company outside of the spotlight. It’s going to be great to watch these guys battle it out in the WWE title picture for years to come, but a mid-card match allows them to tinker and grow in ways that can lead to an incredible rivalry.
Only, their rivalry kicked off the night after MITB on Raw and it’s been… well less than inspiring. Wyatt has done his part by cutting some of the creepiest promos we’ve seen in years about Reigns and his family. I mean the tea party was downright uncomfortable. And he’s done an even better job of selling the “anybody but you” angle that echoes most of the WWE Universe’s sentiment.
For his part, Reigns has done pretty well with what he’s had to work with. Despite that undeserved resentment from pockets of the WWE Universe, Reigns has really grown into a incredible wrestler since the Royal Rumble.
In fact, Reigns has pretty much been involved in an excellent match at every PPV since January. But he’s been missing something during this feud. While Wyatt has kept things interesting with the psychological warfare, Reigns character just isn’t up to par with his in-ring ability yet. Watching him play the angry/creeped-out superstar every week has been a bit awkward.
Reigns strength comes in.. well his strength. The kid is really freaking strong and an incredible athlete that tells his best stories in the squared circle, not on the mic. Fortunately for all of us, he should be able to do so against the equally impressive Wyatt when they finally lock up in the middle of the ring.
While Reigns will likely get to take out his physical frustrations on Wyatt, expect the Eater of Worlds to find a way to pick up the win.
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
While the Celtic Warrior waits for the right moment to cash-in his Money in the Bank briefcase, he’s got some times on his hand to finish up what has turned into a pretty personal rivalry with the Viper, Randy Orton. This rivalry dates back to the Money in the Bank PPV build up, which saw these two go head to head multiple times before the Celtic Warrior ultimately grabbed the brief case.
The next night on Raw, things escalated quickly between the two. After Orton cost Sheamus his match against Dean Ambrose (remember him?!), Mr. Money in the Bank returned the favor by attacking Orton during his match with Kane. The attack knocked Orton out for a few weeks, but when the Viper made his return it was with a vengeance.
In the weeks that have followed, both men have taken turns beating each other down and it all leads us to Battleground tonight. So which veteran will pick up the win and gain some momentum heading into SummerSlam? For whatever reason, the winner of the MITB brief case tends to immediately begin losing matches following the big ladder match, and something tells me Orton will make sure that Sheamus keeps that trend going with an…
RKO OUTTA NOWHERE!
PrimeTime Players vs. The New Day (WWE Tag Team Title Match)
Way back at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, the PrimeTime Players came within seconds of winning the WWE Tag Team titles before then-Champion New Day escaped with the victory in the first ever Elimination Chamber Tag Title match. Fast-forward a few weeks later, and the PTP was finally able to overcome New Day and take home the gold.
Now, following weeks of six-man tag matches between the two, we get our rubber match for the Tag gold.
In the weeks since MITB, the Champs have clearly had the upper-hand. Whether it’s teaming with Mark Henry, Neville, Dolph Ziggler or a litany of other wrestlers, PTP has continued to score victories over all three members of the New Day. The challengers were able to finally get back on track by picking up a win over the Lucha Dragons (remember when they were the hottest new thing in the division?) on Smackdown! and look to have some momentum heading into Battleground.
Momentum or not, this just feels like the Primetime Players chance to shine and really enjoy a lengthy title run. Champs retain here.
R-Truth vs. Bad News Barrett
What an interesting and surprisingly long feud it’s been between R-Truth and Bad News Barrett. This rivalry dates all the way back to a few pre-Wrestlemania bouts between the two, but things have definitely intensfied in the past couple of weeks.
After Truth eliminated Barrett from the Intercontinental Title Elimination Chamber match (try saying that three times fast), he picked up another win over the King at the Money in the Bank pre-show. Since those victories, Truth has begun to wear a crown and refer to himself as ‘King What’s Up’ and well, Barrett hasn’t taken it too well.
Now after weeks of calling themselves Kings, WWE has announced that the two will face off on the Battleground Kickoff with the winner taking Barrett’s King of the Ring crown. While Truth has been more interesting during this feud than he’s been in years, there is some real potential with Barrett and the King gimmick. The best thing WWE can do for BNB is let him take this match in convincing fashion and move on to a big(ger)-name feud, otherwise we may never see Barrett fulfill the potential he showed leading Nexus all those years ago.
It will be interesting to see where things go from here for each competitor, but expect this to be the final match in their lengthy feud. My guess is that Barrett picks up the victory and finally overcomes his R-Truth issues.