WWE fans often judge PPV’s based on if they were happy with the results or not.  That tends to blur the effect of a PPV because fans are often upset if the character they enjoy wins or loses.  In reality PPVs need to be judged from the gains the company can make off them.  If the company is able to build an angle, or pay something off they have made a gain.  If the company ignores logic and smothers potential they have made a loss.  So to truly determine if Battleground was a success we need to look at the gains and losses.

King Barrett vs. R-Truth

Barrett looked likely to loss his King moniker in this match because the gimmick wasn’t going anywhere for him.  They had also given him a very cheesy King costume.  Yet, tonight he came out dressed in an improved look.  He gets the win and this is a gain for WWE, albeit a very small one.  If Barrett can continue to be projected as a more serious King and win some matches there is some value gained here.

Result: Small Gain

Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

Sheamus has the MITB briefcase, which doesn’t mean instant push anymore, because Rollins actually lost a match at WM31 the same night he cashed in and won.  That being said Rollins has struggled to get really hot as a heel Champion partly because he’s been so beatable in the past.  Sheamus needs to avoid the same fate.  Orton is like the other solid veteran below Cena in the company that probably can afford to lose any match, but this match was in his hometown. 

WWE painted itself in a corner with this match.  If you wanted to make Orton look good in front of his hometown crowd then pick another opponent.  This is a clear loss for the company as Sheamus takes a perception beating.  It’s going to take rework to get him hot enough to have a viable cash in now.  Orton is going nowhere fast as he’s not really in the mix of any major angles.

Result: Loss

The New Day vs. The PTP’s (c) for the WWE Tag Team Titles

The PTP’s have had zero mic time since getting the belts in a shock win at MITB and it was a shock win considering they had almost zero going for them leading into that match.  The New Day were hot heels and it looked like they should carry the belts for some time.  It seemed natural that The New Day would get their belts back tonight and continue their run, but WWE chose to keep the straps on the PTP’s. 

The PTP’s have a really small following, and the New Day have a big following.  The PTP’s actually might have gained more losing here and then chasing the belts for a few weeks then getting a rematch at Summerslam.  The New Day would have gotten hotter off getting their titles back.  This was a big misstep by WWE.

Result: Loss

Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns

WWE again booked themselves into a major corner here.  Bray is a heel that needs some pushing and Roman is someone they have continued to push as the next big star.  Roman had appeared to be getting more of a positive reaction from crowds lately, but last night the crowd was strongly against him even chanting for Wyatt. 

The tainted win and reunion of Wyatt and Harper was a big gain as it added some life back to Bray in a big way.  Roman was not at all hurt by the loss, but he was hurt by his overall performance.  He fought far too much from underneath, and his move set appears to not be expanding at all making his matches rather routine.  The WWE needs to take stock of the Reigns situation soon and do something to change his direction.

If WWE follows up with a Harper/Wyatt vs. Ambrose/Reigns match at SummerSlam good things will happen.  It might be an opportunity for WWE to flip Roman heel on Ambrose as well.  The end result is if Bray is going to win at Battleground whatever they do with him at Summerslam he should be continued to be pushed.  If they do that this is a big gain for them.

Result: Big Gain

Divas Triple Threat Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Brie

This match was not promoted and likely took the spot of the IC title match that had to be scrapped.  Charlotte and Sasha got to look really good here and probably surprised the crowd with their in ring talent, something most Divas matches have been lacking. With a little bit of story this probably would have been a hotter match, but it was a showcase for the two best Divas in the company and elevated their perception with fans not familiar with them

Result: Big Gain

John Cena (c) vs. Kevin Owens U.S. Title Match

Despite WWE rushing this feud along and this already being their third match in just nine weeks there was still some electricity to the match that separated it from everything else that came before it.  This was the type of big match feel the WWE used to be really good at having for almost every PPV, but has now become rare.  What does a John Cena win mean?  It appeases his fanbase, and keeps the U.S. Open challenge going, which has been the best part of Raw since WM31, and there has been very little good on the show consistently beyond that.

What does a loss mean to John Cena?  Likely Cena would be in line for a rematch at Summerslam that his fanbase would clamor for.  The WWE gets another match in what has been their favorite summer feud.  What does a win for Owens mean?  Owens wins back some of his heat that he lost losing clean to Finn Balor at Beast in the East and being downplayed on Raw the past two weeks.  He also has to be taken seriously by the far more casual fan that WWE covets.  He probably surpasses Rollins in the eyes of many.  What does a loss mean to Owens?  It pretty much curtails the momentum he had the first few weeks after his debut.  It puts him in limbo, and doesn’t give him much of a leg to stand on regarding getting any more matches with Cena. 

The scale seems to tip in favor of Owens because he’s the younger up and coming talent that has the brighter future and with the title can start having a bigger impact on WWE.  If it flops the WWE can quickly give Cena back the belt at Summerslam and have yet another epic between the two.  The WWE did not see it that way at all.  They went with Cena and actually had Owens tap out.  They did everything in their power to protect Owens by having him kick out of finish after finish, but in the end if they were so concerned with protecting him they should have realized he’s the guy who should have won.

The follow up for all this will likely be Owens demanding yet another rematch, which will seem fatiguing to fans and in order to inject something new into the feud the WWE will add Cesaro for the rumored Triple Threat match at Summerslam.  As appealing as that match sounds the luster is off Owens, and the damage has been done.  Owens can recover, but he could have been something far more special if WWE had done what felt like the right thing here.

Result: Big Loss

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title

The rumors of an Undertaker return for this show were overwhelming, but by the time this match started it appeared they were overblown and would probably not happen until the next night.  It was perfectly feasible to assume the Undertaker would exact some revenge on Brock, but Brock is a baby face and at this point the biggest one in the company. 

Rollins got dominated for the eight minutes this match lasted.  He got bounced around the ring like a pinball.  The Undertakers appearance was stunning and the moment it happened many fans had to be jumping out of their chairs, but then the confusion started.  The Taker resorted to a low blow and seemed to be acting very heel like.  Certainly fans would have cause to cheer the Undertaker as he’s the Undertaker, but then again Brock is a face right now. 

The confusing dynamic probably had fans divided.  The Undertaker’s heel tendencies were also a bit baffling, but actually in storyline make more sense if WWE believes they can flip him to heel.  Brock not winning the belt by Undertaker interference is probably not the worst thing in the world, but this match took a toll on Seth Rollins.  Rollins didn’t figure at all in the finish, and kept the title via DQ apparently.  This made Rollins look like a total step down from Brock by a wider margin than needed to be.

Fans were never going to be too thrilled with the non-finish, but they can likely get past it for the Undertaker, but the WWE muddied up the waters.  Did the Undertaker turn heel?  Or is Brock now a heel just because the Undertaker is back?  Is the Undertaker capable of being a heel?  If the WWE can pull this off then the match seems like a major gain, but if they end up having a forgettable rematch at Summerslam then Rollins will have been sacrificed here for no reason.  They could have come up with something more creative and brought back the Taker in a different spot.  In the end the Undertaker coming back is a gain for a company desperately in need of some buzz. 

Result: Gain…for now

So looking at all that was gained and lost on this show it would appear that the WWE made some progress, but likely due to the Owens/Cena result didn’t hit a homerun for this PPV.  Perhaps better telling the Undertaker return story would have helped, but they have 24 hours to clean that up and put things in focus for their fans.  Failing to do so could prove hazardous to their already struggling ratings.

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About the author
James Garner
Avid wrestling fan since the I was kid in the 80's. Also huge follower of all major sports.