WWE Battleground Preview & Predictions
Tonight is Battleground. I finally get the meaning of it. This is the ‘ground’ or foundation to which SummerSlam will likely be based on. Match-by-match, let’s makes some sense of it: King What’s Up vs. King Barret For the first time which I can remember, the actual King of the Ring “Crown” is going to be on the line as Wade Barrett defends it against R-Truth. This whole angle, I thought was dropped two weeks ago after Barrett earned a decisive victory over the rapper, however following a second victory over Zack Ryder, WWE ends Barrett’s winning streak with yet another embarrassing loss to Truth. I’m afraid tonight the Bad News is for Barrett.
Sheamus vs. Randy Orton Good filler match for both. Sheamus and Orton are in main event limbo right now. Two guys normally used to title bouts are in a feud which keeps them relevant. Not in a bad way. They stay on TV without a ridiculous storyline. I expect this to be the “big brawl” of the night, with Orton getting the win. Sheamus as Mr. Money in the Bank is invulnerable, and I believe continues to look menacing in the ring, despite racking up the losses.
Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns See above. An undercard featuring two main eventers, although I feel Reigns is still not ready for main event, while Bray Wyatt needs to be highlighted more. His charisma and genuine draw ability is some of the best since CM Punk. He is hated, feared, and when you think he is not creepy enough, they (Wyatt and WWE writers) manage to up the creep-factor to skin crawling, as evidenced by the recent tease of Bray possibly kidnapping Roman Reign’s daughter. Win or lose, the status of both men will remain the same. Tonight, I feel Wyatt will earn the victory with some sort of interference.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. The Prime Time Players: It is amazing what can change. I once hated the PTP, but I loved Titus O’Neal. I feel he has potential, and can be a big star if given the right push. Darren Young appears to have vastly improved since his NXT days, and the two are a formidable team, and quite funny in their promos. I feel Titus is the big draw here. The New Day’s comically evil gimmick will keep rollin’ along, the question is whether it fizzles if they do not regain the championships. A loss for New Day would hurt, but then again, a loss for the PTP would also hurt, since they have the belts for all of a month. I have to call shenanigans if the New Day retains, as they will use some sort of trickery to regain the titles. It just better not be Kofi and Xavier pulling a switcheroo. WWE got lucky with zero backlash the last time they did that, best not tempt it again. I love the Prime Time Players, so my gut tells me they will retain tonight.
I miss Rufus “Pancake” Patterson
United States Championship: Kevin Owens vs. John Cena This could be match of the night. I would love for Owens to win tonight. Then at SummerSlam, we get a good ol’ Fatal-Four Way for the championship. Cesaro, Rusev, Cena, and Owens. The past few weeks, Cesaro has owned the ring. Hell, this past Monday, the triple threat between Owens, Cesaro, and Rusev was match-of-the-year potential, even with Owens leaving part-way, leaving Cesaro and Rusev to blow the roof off. Tonight’s match between Cena and Owens will likely be on par or better than their previous bouts. I would have expected something major to be saved for SummerSlam, but if it is time for Cena to lose, let it happen. My concern is due to the sudden whiny behavior Owens presented following his loss to Finn Balor, losing the NXT Championship in Japan. Owens is now portrayed as being in a “must-win” situation, which holds true. If he loses, then Cena rides off into the sunset while Owens sulks to either mid-card or back to NXT. Tonight has to be the night of Kevin Owens.
WWE Championship Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins This one is a “a year ago would you have believed…” match. This will be a great match, but the big worry is Brock and his inability to remember his own strength. Rollins will probably take each and every bump and Suplex like a champ. I will bet some out there wonder if Brock will wipe the floor with him, much like he did with John Cena almost a year ago. We are expecting some sort of interference by the Authority, or perhaps a cash-in tease from Sheamus. Whatever the case, this will be a very entertaining match and the finish will likely be shocking. I’m calling Seth Rollins retaining. There are quite a few things missing from this pay-per-view. The Intercontinental Championship match got canned because Ryback got injured. I still would have liked to see Big Show vs. The Miz. Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Rusev, Dolph Ziggler, Adrian Neville, Stardust, Bo Dallas, and the NXT Divas are missing, but would be a welcome bonus match. With the huge debut of three NXT women this past week, WWE would be very smart to feature them on a pay-per-view. Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
