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Battleground (2016)

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Battleground (2016)
Promotional poster featuring John Cena
PromotionWWE
DateJuly 24, 2016
CityWashington, D.C.
VenueVerizon Center
Attendance15,109
WWE Network event chronology
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Money in the Bank (2016)
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NXT TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn
Battleground chronology
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Battleground (2015)
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Battleground (2016) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event and WWE Network event produced by WWE. It took place on July 24, 2016 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.[2] It was the fourth event under the Battleground chronology, and the final event before the newly reinstated WWE brand extension goes into full effect.

Nine matches were contested at the event, with one match contested on the pre-show. In the main event, Dean Ambrose successfully retained the WWE Championship in a triple threat match against his former Shield teammates, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, thus keeping the championship exclusive to SmackDown. The show is also notable for Randy Orton's first appearance in a WWE ring after a nine-month injury and former NXT Women's Champion Bayley's main roster debut.

Background

At Money in the Bank, Dean Ambrose won the Money in the Bank ladder match and subsequently the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by cashing in his contract on Seth Rollins, who had just won the title from Roman Reigns.[3] After a #1 Contender's match between Reigns and Rollins ended in a double countout the following night on Raw, Ambrose requested to defended the title against both Reigns and Rollins. Accordingly, Shane McMahon scheduled a triple threat match between all three men for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground.[4] On June 21, two days after Money in the Bank, Reigns was suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE's Wellness Program,[5] which uses drug testing to detect substance abuse.[6] Pro Wrestling Torch reported that WWE knew of the violation before Money in the Bank, leading to Reigns losing his world title at the event. With Reigns's suspension ending before Battleground,[7] WWE continued to advertise Reigns as part of the Battleground main event.[8] On the June 27 episode of Raw, both Rollins and Ambrose acknowledged Reigns's suspension on television. However, Stephanie McMahon opted not to remove Reigns from the Battleground match, and instead gave AJ Styles and John Cena the opportunity to qualify for the match by matches against Ambrose and Rollins. Styles and Cena lost, when they each interfered in each other's matches.[9] On June 29, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was renamed as the WWE Championship.[10] On July 18, a match for the WWE Championship between Ambrose and Rollins ended in both men pinning each other simultaneously. While Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon declared Rollins the new champion, the referee ruled the match a draw, with Ambrose retaining the title.[11][12] The next day on SmackDown Live, Ambrose defeated Rollins in a rematch. On the same show, Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown, while Rollins and Reigns were drafted to Raw.[13]

In December 2014, at NXT Takeover: R Evolution, Sami Zayn won the NXT Championship from Neville. After the match, Zayn's friend Kevin Owens, first congratulated and then attacked Zayn.[14] In February 2015, at NXT Takeover: Rival, Owens defeated Zayn to win the NXT Championship.[15] Zayn moved to WWE's main roster at the Royal Rumble and eliminated Owens from the Royal Rumble match.[16] At Payback, Owens defeated Zayn.[17] At Money in the Bank, both men failed to win the Money in the Bank ladder match.[3] Zayn defeated Owens on the June 20 episode of Raw,[4] and challenged Owens to another match a week later during Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel, which Owens accepted.[9]

At Money in the Bank, Natalya and Becky Lynch lost a tag team match. After the match, Natalya turned heel and attacked Becky.[3] Natalya attacked Becky again the following night on Raw, and proclaimed to be solely looking out for herself.[4] On the June 27 episode of Raw, Becky attacked Natalya, who was on commentary, before her match against Summer Rae.[9] On the July 4 episode of Raw, a match between the two was scheduled for Battleground.[18]

At Money in the Bank, AJ Styles defeated John Cena after The Club got involved.[3] The following night on Raw, Styles and Luke Gallows attacked Cena during his match against Karl Anderson.[4] On the June 27 episode of Raw, Cena and Styles costed each other a chance to be involved in the WWE Championship match at Battleground and then Gallows and Anderson delivered a Magic Killer to Cena on the ramp.[9] On the July 4 episode of Raw, The Club again attacked Cena until Enzo Amore and Big Cass saved Cena. Later that night, a six-man tag team match was made between the two teams at Battleground.[18]

On the July 11 episode of Raw, Darren Young won a battle royal to earn a title match against Intercontinental Champion The Miz at Battleground.[19]

On the July 7 episode of SmackDown, Zack Ryder won a match against Sheamus and then challenged Rusev to a WWE United States Championship match.[20] On the July 11 episode of Raw, Rusev attacked Ryder after his match against Sheamus and accepted Ryder's challenge for Battleground.[19]

On the June 20 episode of Raw, The Wyatt Family made their return and was interrupted by WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day.[4] The two teams addressed each other in their promos over the next few weeks. On the July 4 episode of Raw, The Wyatt Family invited The New Day to their family compound, which New Day accepted.[18] On the July 11 episode of Raw, The New Day showed up at The Wyatt Family compound and the two teams brawled until New Day ran away.[19] On July 12, a six-man tag team between the two teams was scheduled for Battleground.[21]

After her return in early June, Sasha Banks reignited her feud with Charlotte, who had formed a tag team with Dana Brooke while Sasha was on hiatus. On the June 20 episode of Raw, Sasha rescued Paige from an attack from Brooke and Charlotte.[4] On the June 27 episode of Raw, Sasha and Paige defeated Dana and Charlotte.[9] Over the following weeks, Charlotte and Dana continued to provoke Sasha.[18] Hoping to earn a title match with Charlotte, Sasha defeated Dana on the July 11 episode of Raw[19] and again on the July 14 episode of Smackdown. Later that night, Charlotte and Dana were scheduled to wrestle Sasha and a mystery partner at Battleground.[22]

After Randy Orton was revealed as Brock Lesnar's opponent for SummerSlam, he was announced as the guest of a special episode of Chris Jericho's The Highlight Reel at Battleground.[23][19]

On July 22, a match pitting The Usos against Breezango was scheduled for the Battleground pre-show.[24]

Event

Pre-Show

During the Pre-Show, The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) faced Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango). At the end of the match, Jimmy attempted to perform a Diving Splash on Breeze but Breeze countered the move and pinned Jimmy with a Small Package to win the match.[25]

Undercard

The actual pay-per-view opened with a Tag Team match between WWE Women's Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke and Sasha Banks and her mystery partner, who was revealed to be Bayley. During the match, Charlotte executed Natural Selection on Sasha but Bayley broke up a pinfall attempt. Later, when Sasha later applied the Banks Statement on Charlotte, Dana Brooke put her partner's foot under the ring ropes, thus saving the champion. The end came when Charlotte submitted to another Banks Statement, resulting in Sasha and Bayley winning the match.[25]

The second match saw The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman) face WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) in a six-man tag team match. Near the end of the match, Big E performed a Spear through the ring ropes on Strowman. Wyatt performed his Spiderwalk, which distracted Woods, and then executed Sister Abigail on him for the pinfall victory.[25]

In the next match, Rusev defended the WWE United States Championship against Zack Ryder. Near the end of the match, Ryder executed a Rough Ryder on Rusev and attempted to perform a Diving Elbow Drop on Rusev but Rusev countered the move and forced Ryder to submit to the Accolade to retain the title. After the match, Rusev continued to attack Ryder until Mojo Rawley, Ryder's tag team partner at NXT, ran in to confront Rusev.[25]

The fourth match saw Sami Zayn face Kevin Owens. During the match, Zayn attempted to perform a Helluva Kick on Owens who rolled onto the ring apron to counter the move, which was followed by Zayn performing a Brainbuster on Owens onto the ring apron. Later, Zayn attempted a Helluva Kick but Owens countered the move into a Pop Up Powerbomb; Zayn put his foot on the ropes to void the pinfall attempt. Owens slapped Zayn and told him to stay down, but Zayn hit Owens with an Exploder Suplex into the Turnbuckles. After a Half and Half Suplex and two Helluva Kicks, Zayn scored the pinfall victory on Owens.[25]

Next, Natalya faced Becky Lynch. Near the end of the match, Natalya applied the Sharpshooter but Becky touched the ropes, forcing Natalya to release the hold. After the referee pulled Becky away from Natalya, Natalya kicked Becky's leg and forced her to submit with a second Sharpshooter to win the match.[25]

In the sixth match, The Miz defended the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Darren Young. Near the end of the match, Maryse slapped Young's manager, Bob Backlund, and claimed that Backlund had pushed her. Miz also pushed Backlund, which led to Young applying the Crossface Chickenwing on Miz until referees separated the two. The match was declared a double disqualification.[25]

The seventh match saw John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass faced The Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) in a six-man Tag Team match. During the match, Cena executed an Attitude Adjustment on Styles but Anderson interrupted the pinfall attempt by pulling Cena out of the ring. Anderson hit Cena with a Spinebuster onto the German broadcast table, but Amore then hit Anderson with a Diving DDT off the Steel Steps. Later, Styles executed a Styles Clash on Cena but Big Cass interrupted the pinfall attempt by pulling Styles out of the ring. Near the end of the match, Cena knocked Gallows out the ring with a Clothesline and then performed an Attitude Adjustment off the top rope on Styles for the pinfall victory.[25]

Chris Jericho hosted The Highlight Reel with Randy Orton as his guest. Orton spoke about his match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and performed an RKO on Jericho.[25]

Main Event

In the main event, Dean Ambrose defended the WWE Championship against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. During the match, Ambrose and Rollins performed a Double Powerbomb on Reigns through the Spanish broadcast table. Immediately afterwards, Rollins hit Ambrose and Reigns with a chair. Rolling then executed a Superplex followed by a Sitout Suplex Slam on Ambrose, who kicked out at a two count. Ambrose attempted a Rebound Lariat on Reigns who however countered with a Superman Punch. Rollins took advantage with a Pedigree on Reigns, who kicked out at a two count. Rollins executed a Turnbuckle Powerbomb on Reigns, who retaliated with a Superman Punch and a Spear on Rollins. Ambrose performed Dirty Deeds on Reigns for a pinfall to retain the title.[25]

Aftermath

With Dean Ambrose retaining the title at the event, left Raw without a world title. On the following night's episode of Raw, commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General manager Mick Foley announced a new world title for Raw, the WWE Universal Championship. Since Roman Reigns was pinned by Ambrose, Seth Rollins was named the first number one contender to the title and will face Finn Bálor, who became the second number one contender by defeating Roman Reigns, for the title at SummerSlam.

After Sasha Banks and Bayley defeated Charlotte and Dana Brooke at the event, Banks faced Charlotte for the WWE Women's Championship on the following night's episode of Raw and defeated Charlotte to win her first Women's Championship.

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[25]
1Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) defeated The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso)Tag team match[26]5:26
2Sasha Banks and Bayley defeated Charlotte and Dana Brooke by submissionTag team match[27]7:25
3The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman) defeated The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)Six-man tag team match[28]8:47
4Rusev (c) (with Lana) defeated Zack Ryder by submissionSingles match for the WWE United States Championship[29]7:01
5Sami Zayn defeated Kevin OwensSingles match[30]18:22
6Natalya defeated Becky Lynch by submissionSingles match[31]9:04
7The Miz (c) (with Maryse) vs. Darren Young (with Bob Backlund) ended in a double disqualificationSingles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship[32]8:41
8John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass defeated The Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows)Six-man tag team match[33]14:30
9Dean Ambrose (c) defeated Roman Reigns and Seth RollinsTriple threat match for the WWE Championship[34]18:03
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Other on-screen talent

English Commentators
Spanish Commentators
German Commentators
  • Carsten Schaefer
  • Sebastian Hackl
Ring Announcers
Backstage interviews
Pre-show panel

The event also included live commentary provided in Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Get the music of WWE Battleground". WWE. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Get WWE Battleground tickets now". WWE. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Caldwell, James. "6/19 WWE MITB PPV Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Caldwell, James. "6/20 WWE Raw Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live TV Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  5. ^ "Roman Reigns suspended". WWE. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. ^ "Talent Wellness Program Summary". WWE. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  7. ^ Caldwell, James. "Roman Reigns suspended for Wellness Violation". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  8. ^ Clapp, John (June 20, 2016). "WWE Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (Triple Threat Match)". WWE. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e Caldwell, James. "6/27 WWE Raw Results – CALDWELL'S Complete TV Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  10. ^ "WWE Championship". WWE. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  11. ^ Caldwell, James (July 18, 2016). "7/18 WWE Raw Results – Caldwell's Complete Live TV Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  12. ^ "WWE Title match Update – WWE rules on double pin finish". Pro Wrestling Torch. July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  13. ^ Barnett, Jake (July 19, 2016). "7/19 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  14. ^ James, Caldwell. "Caldwell's WWE NXT Takeover results 12/11: Complete virtual-time coverage of Neville vs. Zayn for the NXT Title, Itami & Balor, Charlotte, Kevin Steen/Owens's debut, Corey Graves retires". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  15. ^ Caldwell, James. "NXT News: Big title changes on "Takeover" special, tournament finals, pre-show dark match, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  16. ^ Caldwell, James. "1/24 WWE Royal Rumble PPV Results – CALDWELL's Complete Live PPV Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  17. ^ Caldwell, James. "5/1 WWE Payback Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  18. ^ a b c d Caldwell, James. "7/4 WWE Raw Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live TV Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  19. ^ a b c d e Caldwell, James. "7/11 WWE Raw Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  20. ^ Parks, Greg (July 7, 2016). "7/7 WWE Smackdown – Parks's Complete, Real-Time Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  21. ^ Martin, Adam. "The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family in a six man tag team match added to the card for WWE Battleground". wrestleview.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  22. ^ Parks, Greg. "7/14 WWE Smackdown – Parks's Complete, Real-Time Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  23. ^ Benigno, Anthony. "'The Highlight Reel' with Randy Orton". WWE. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  24. ^ Caldwell, James. "WWE Battleground Pre-Show match announced; updated PPV line-up". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Caldwell, James (July 24, 2016). "7/24 WWE Battleground Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  26. ^ Clapp, John. "Breezango def. The Usos (Kickoff Match)". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  27. ^ Melok, Bobby. "Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Charlotte & Dana Brooke". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  28. ^ Adkins, Greg. "The Wyatt Family def. The New Day". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  29. ^ Artus, Matthew. "U.S. Champion Rusev def. Zack Ryder". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  30. ^ Taylor, Scott. "Sami Zayn def. Kevin Owens". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  31. ^ Benigno, Anthony. "Natalya def. Becky Lynch". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  32. ^ Burdick, Michael. "Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Darren Young ended in a Double Disqualification". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  33. ^ Powers, Kevin. "John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass def. The Club". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  34. ^ Melok, Bobby. "WWE Champion Dean Ambrose def. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (Triple Threat Match)". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.