The 2017 WWE Battleground pay-per-view will take place on Sunday night. A look at our review of the show.
On Sunday night, the 2017 WWE Battleground pay-per-view will take place. It’s the final show before August’s SummerSlam event, which is a co-branded show.
As for Battleground, it’s a show exclusive to SmackDown Live. This is their first since June’s Money in the Bank, that had two Money in the Bank briefcase winners declared and Jinder Mahal retaining the WWE Championship.
In the main event of Sunday’s show, Mahal will defend the WWE Championship. Randy Orton will face him, again, except in a match with a stipulation. This will be the return of the Punjabi Prison match, the first of its kind in 10 years when The Great Khali competed in the WWE.
John Cena will make his return to WWE PPV at Battleground. He will have a Flag match with Rusev, who also came back to programming on July 4. The winner should get some direction toward SummerSlam, potentially in a big-name match or for a championship.
The Usos and The New Day will have their latest matchup for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. After a countout and a rap battle, these two will potentially have their final encounter. Who will walk out with the title?
The full match card for Battleground can be seen below. This includes every title bout that will be featured at the show:
WWE Championship Match
Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Randy Orton
WWE United States Championship Match
AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs. The New Day
No. 1 Contenders Elimination Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Lana vs. Natalya vs. Tamina
Flag Match
John Cena vs. Rusev
Baron Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Sami Zayn vs. Mike Kanellis
More wwe: Ranking All 16 Superstars to Win MITB
Coverage of WWE Battleground will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET. What will happen at the show?
WWE.com
Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger
Result: Aiden English defeats Tye Dillinger via pinfall.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
The latest edition of Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger was scheduled for yet another Kickoff Show on a SmackDown Live PPV. Dillinger walked out successfully every time, given WWE’s desire to get the crowd excited before the main show goes on the air.
In between these matches, English and Dillinger haven’t done anything significant on WWE programming. The latter had a run in the Independence Day Battle Royal, but otherwise struggled to make meaningful appearances on Tuesday nights.
English and Dillinger put on a solid, back and forth match. It wasn’t anything different from their previous encounters, until the finish.
The former Vaudevillain, who rarely gets wins on WWE TV, picked up the surprising victory over Dillinger with his finisher. It came with a thud, an unexpected one, at least.
Will this do anything for English? Probably not. It hasn’t for Dillinger, so look for a continued run at the bottom of the match card. That’s not the worst role for English, but one he won’t be able to get out of.
As for Dillinger, the loss won’t look good for him and is representative of where he’s going, which is not too far. Maybe there’s another plan, but right now, it doesn’t look like it.
WWE.com
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs. The New Day
Result: The New Day defeat The Usos via pinfall to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is the second PPV installment of The Usos vs. New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. At Money in the Bank, Jimmy and Jey walked away for a countout, so would they do this again?
New Day notably left Big E out of the match, who usually plays a part in the team’s title matches. When he’s out, it usually means Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston take the pin.
The match had a quick, frenetic pace to it when Woods and Kingston hit some quick, high-flying offense. It lasted two minutes, though, as the match went back to the slow, WWE style for most of the rest of the in-ring showing.
Things picked up in the final minutes of the match, with The Usos laying out New Day at ringside, only for Woods to rebound with a big comeback. That was until Woods got superkicked to SummerSlam, getting clocked in his face:
Seriously, how did he survive that?
Well, Woods lived long enough to get the successful pinfall, hitting a flying elbow drop across the ring. It gave New Day the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
That was a terrific match out of these teams and an awesome way to start Battleground, a show with arguably little anticipation. They had the crowd red-hot for the action, with plenty of near-falls and finishers kicked out of, to add suspense.
For New Day, they became the first-ever tag team to hold the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships. It only added to their legacy, which was grand with the longest-reigning tag title run in WWE history.
Look for a rematch at SummerSlam between these teams. It may not be head-to-head (that could come on SmackDown Live), but in a multi-team bout.
WWE.com
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.
WWE.com
No. 1 Contenders Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Lana vs. Natalya vs. Tamina
Result: Natalya becomes the new No. 1 contender to the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
It’s all about the battle to face Naomi at SummerSlam. That’s what these five women went for at Battleground, as the winner gets a SmackDown Women’s Championship match — the first one officially made for August’s show.
Lana and Tamina worked together early and often here, something we still have no idea why it exists. They went after Charlotte Flair and knocked her down, limb by limb, for a solid few minutes in the ring. Let’s see if WWE makes any more sense of this in the weeks to come.
Then, the match briefly lost its logic. Lana broke up a Sharpshooter from Natalya and Tamina ended a DisArmHer attempt by Lynch. It’s an Elimination match, folks.
Here’s the elimination order:
- Tamina (via submission by Becky Lynch)
- Lana (via submission by Becky Lynch)
- Becky Lynch (via pinfall by Natalya)
- Charlotte Flair (via pinfall by Natalya)
The first three eliminations came at rapid fire, almost like the women were told to speed up the match. They came within seconds of each other, leaving Charlotte and Natalya.
After Charlotte’s neck hit the turnbuckle, Natalya got the quick and surprising pin. She’ll face Naomi for the title at SummerSlam.
An interesting choice by WWE, going against using the biggest names (Flair and Lynch) on the biggest stage. It’s an opportunity for Natalya, however, to get back into the title picture and add to her legacy. This will be her first opportunity since the spring of 2016.
SummerSlam also has its first match set. This doesn’t usually happen with the Women’s division, but it’s a sign of change.
As for the match, nothing much to see here. It was rushed and never really got off the ground. All four eliminations were fast and felt like the women were short on time.
WWE.com
WWE United States Championship Match
AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens
Result: Kevin Owens defeats AJ Styles via pinfall to win the WWE United States Championship.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
An unexpected title change preceded this match, as AJ Styles won the United States Championship from Kevin Owens at the Madison Square Garden house show. It lengthened the feud and brought it to Battleground.
Owens grounded Styles for most of the first half of the match, including sending the latter’s “phenomenal ones” into the ring post. Not good, AJ. Not good.
It’s amazing watching Styles in the ring, with all the different forms of offense he has. Enjoy it as long as it lasts, folks.
What’s also notable is either Tom Phillips is getting told to not call Styles’ moves or he has no idea what they are. Phillips called the Oshigoroshi a “fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker,” which is what the move is, but the name was called on WWE TV before.
Ring psychology was on display from Owens, who took out Styles at the legs and hurt his shoulder. That will affect his finishing moves and potentially cause a different match ending.
The match ended up seeing Owens win the United States Championship for the third time in as many months. It was via a double pin, which awarded KO the win.
Another matchup is certainly on the way, but after two short reigns for Owens, he’s getting a third opportunity? It’s a strange use of the title, and both Superstars, having things bounce all over the place. Maybe SummerSlam is where this will end, once and for all, unless something happens on SmackDown Live.
Maybe this was a situation where WWE got cold feet and switched the finish at the last second, to “fool” fans who thought the finish was guaranteed to go the other way. Odds for this match notably changed on Sunday evening.
WWE.com
Flag Match
John Cena vs. Rusev
Result: John Cena defeats Rusev.
Rating: 1.75 out of 5 stars
A patriotic match that comes nearly three weeks after America’s most patriotic holiday. Odd timing, but when it comes to John Cena, WWE will always put him in the country-hero role.
For much of the match, Rusev dominated. The only times he struggled were going for the flag. Even when Cena left the ring, the Bulgarian Brute illogically waited around to get the flag and didn’t rush to beat out his opponent. This happens in gimmick matches, with things just not making sense, sometimes.
Rusev became the first Superstar to grab his flag but still had to go to the Bulgarian pedestal. He dropped the flag, however, when Cena hit a dropkick.
The Leader of the Cenation retrieved the American flag and even went up the stage, but failed to get to his destination.
The hardcore-ish aspect worked near the end of the match, using the No Disqualification rules. It got the action out of the ring and away from it being a standard showing.
To no surprise, Cena won by planting the American flag. There was no way he was going to lose this, right?
The match was predictable and boring. Cena’s return to PPV wasn’t going to see him lose, and led to a long, 20 minutes of waiting for the inevitable claim to victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Easily the worst match of the night and something no one will look back on in the Face That Runs the Place’s Hall of Fame speech, or 2017 retrospective.
Breezango Learns Their Attackers
Tyler Breeze and Fandango think they’ve found the people that destroyed their office. The Ascension entered and made it seem like it was them, only to reveal it wasn’t.
Afterward, the lights went out and Breeze was attacked. This was followed by Fandango, whose body was dragged out of the picture. Then, the segment ended.
WWE.com
Mike Kanellis vs. Sami Zayn
Result: Sami Zayn defeats Mike Kanellis via pinfall.
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
A rematch from SmackDown Live, which saw Mike Kanellis defeat Sami Zayn, using his wife, Maria, to assist in the win. So these two got the pre-main event slot at Battleground.
Mostly a standard match here, with nothing of note happening. This could have stayed on SmackDown Live, but clearly got used as a buffer between Cena vs. Rusev and Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton.
Zayn got his win here, ending Kanellis’ win streak at a grand one. It leaves the rivalry at 1-1, with a potential third match to come on SmackDown Live.
Neither of these two seems like they have big things on the horizon for SummerSlam season, especially given the trend of Sunday’s events. Zayn could get a run later this year, but we’ll see how far Kanellis can go.
WWE.com
Punjabi Prison Match for the WWE Championship
Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Randy Orton
Result: Jinder Mahal defeats Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship.
Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars
Well, the Punjabi Prison is here after 10 years away from the WWE. Was it missed? Maybe not, but it’s back and at Battleground.
Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton feuded for the past three months, with a title change at Backlash. It gave Mahal his first WWE Championship win and kept the momentum up at Money in the Bank. Would this continue at Battleground?
For those in attendance, a Punjabi Prison match is difficult to watch and get into. It’s a higher-than-normal structure that’s multicolored, so fans can’t see well into the ring. Watching on a television is even distracting at times.
From start to finish, there was just no life to this match. Mahal and Orton tried, but the rules of this match hindered it and being inside a cage usually doesn’t equate to a great WWE match (unless it’s Hell in a Cell).
So The Singh Brothers showed up, despite their previous words of not being ale to enter. They saved Mahal and brought him through the fourth door before Orton could. So the Viper had to climb up and over the first part of the structure, but hopped to the second part. Mahal met him there, however, the action stayed on the floor between the cages.
As it looked like Orton had a chance to win, Mahal’s music went off, but it turned out to be The Great Khali. He marched to the ring, climbed the cage and choked out Orton. This led to the Maharaja climbing the cage and winning the match.
The Great Khali? What? Random but it worked. He had the ties to the Punjabi Prison and the Indian connection to Mahal. What it leads to will be interesting, though, since Kkahli has been away from the WWE for a few years. Is he part of a stable? Was it just a one-off?
Mahal also gets to walk into SummerSlam as the WWE Champion, which will be his biggest defense to date. His opponent is up in the air, but it should get him away from Orton.