WWE Battleground: Big Show Attacks Referees, Randy Orton, and Daniel Bryan To End Pay-Per View

The main event of WWE Battleground was a match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.

The two last competed at Night of Champions when Orton was last champion. Orton lost that night to Bryan, who was temporarily awarded with the WWE championship. On the Monday Night Raw after Night of Champions, Triple H declared that the referee of the match had an inappropriate quick count and stripped the title from Bryan. The same night, Triple H refused to give the title back to Orton. Instead, Triple H insisted that Orton needed to find “The Viper” again if he was going to be the WWE champion again.

The feud between Orton and Bryan began in August and likely is facing its final days. No word on if Sunday’s match will be end for the feud between the two superstars, but Orton is scheduled to feud with the Big Show in the winter months.

This whole feud was meant to take John Cena off the minds of WWE fans as the theme of the feud was finding the face of the WWE. Though, the only thing this feud did was highlight how stale the WWE is without Cena.

The match between Orton and Bryan began with a slow pace. There was an early back and forth between Orton and Bryan as the two worked to their tendencies. Bryan featured more of a technical assault while Orton featured a calculated attack. Bryan gained the advantage over Orton using a variety of different holds. Bryan’s advantage quickly ended when he was clotheslined off the top rope by a diving Orton.

Orton then had Bryan against the turnbuckle and began a series of punches as he was wearing Bryan down. Orton’s methodical attack continued as Bryan was seemingly getting weakened with every blow.

After using his legs to toss Orton out of the ring, Bryan was mounting a charge against Orton. Bryan’s attempt at diving leg-drop was countered and Orton once again had control of the match. Orton then applied the Boston Crab on Bryan. Bryan was eventually able to break out of the hold. Nonetheless, the hold did enough damage on Bryan for Orton to once again be put in the driver’s seat.

After a series of back and forth punches, momentum once again shifted, this time in the favor of Bryan. It was short-lived, however, as Orton managed to suplex Bryan to the outside of the ring. After the two once again exchanged a series of attacks, Bryan hit a flying cross-body onto Orton outside of the ring. Bryan then connected on another diving attack and went for the pin. Though, Orton kicked out at 2.

After a series of dropkicks and kicks by Bryan, Orton managed to counter the assault with a suplex. Orton then delivered a DDT from the top rope and was setting up for the RKO. Bryan countered the RKO and applied the yes lock on Orton. That would be when Big Show made his way down to the ring and knocked out the referee. Big Show then went on to knock out Bryan. After Scott Armstrong, the referee of the Night of Champions match, was called out by Monday Night Raw general manager Brad Maddox; the referee entered the ring to presumably count the pin for Orton, but Big Show knocked out Armstrong before the pin was counted. Big Show continued his series of knockouts by knocking out Orton.

The pay-per view ended with Big Show starting in protest at Maddox, who was at the top of the stage.