WWE Battleground 2017 Live Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

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Baron Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Result: Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Baron Corbin via disqualification.

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

A heated rivalry between Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura culminated at Battleground. These two took their tensions backstage for most of this rivalry, with beatdowns and promos cut on each other. Who gained momentum toward SummerSlam, though?

To start, it was Corbin’s match, with the slow pace and lengthy holds on Nakamura. The King of Strong Style barely mustered any offense for the first half of the bout but began coming back in spades and a handful of knees to the gut.

At one point, Corbin just came in like a wrecking ball (pun very much intended) and demolished Nakamura with a clothesline that nearly landed him on his neck. Ouch.

The match ended in a disqualification when Corbin played possum and hit Nakamura below the belt.

This had a much slower pace than the opener, which is fine. Not everything can have the chaos of New Day vs. The Usos. However, this didn’t do much to stand out in the 10-plus minutes given to this. No marquee moments or things that will help either men in the immediate future.

As for the post-match antics, it looks like WWE will give the fans more of Corbin vs. Nakamura. Nothing is guaranteed, but is it an option for SummerSlam? That goes against the recent teases with AJ Styles, so it’s possible that was only a way to fool the fans or WWE changed their minds. Let’s wait and see.