Battleground was the final 'B' PPV with cross branding and the WWE certainly went out with a bang, putting on a very solid show with several fun surprises and some quality wrestling. So let's take a look at the 5 things we learned from Battleground.

5. A hype debut falls flat?

Zack Ryder was defeated by Rusev in his United States Championship match in pretty convincing fashion as the Bulgarian Brute continued his dominant run as champion, but it was what happened after the match that was fans may remember. After forcing Ryder to tap out to the Accolade the United States Champion continued his attack post-match to make a clear statement, until a friend of Ryder's made his debut to help him.

Former NXT star, Mojo Rawley made his official main roster debut to come to Ryder's aid as he sprinted down to the ring to confront Rusev, forcing the champion to back away. It was a moment that should have helped establish Rawley, but instead the lack of reaction by the fans showed exactly why the WWE Universe were so shocked he was drafted in the first place.

It also provided a potential glimpse into the future as it would appear the Hype Bros could be about to try take SmackDown Live by storm, a team that should work with Ryder's popularity, but the WWE will be hoping fans give Rawley a better reception in the future.

4. Welcome to Viperville

Battleground didn't just see debuts of several stars, but it also saw the return of the Viper, Randy Orton. The veteran joined Chris Jericho in the Highlight Reel to discuss his return and his upcoming match with Brock Lesnar and it's fair to say that Orton made an impact on his return.

After taking a cheap shot at Y2J by claiming he wouldn't want to return after a 9 month absence just to face Fandango, he went on to take a shot at the Beast too. Orton told Jericho that he may visit suplex city but it only takes one RKO to visit Viperville and no enhancement is necessary, a sentence alluding to Lesnar's recent USADA violations during his UFC run.

It was an emphatic statement by Orton which showed he is prepared to get heat to the feud and he appeared to be genuinely happy to be back in a WWE ring, finishing off the segment with an RKO to the gift of Jericho.

The RKO out of nowhere returned. Photo- WWE.com
The RKO out of nowhere returned. Photo- WWE.com

3. Fight forever

In the latest continuation of the feud between former best friends; Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn the two former NXT Champions put on another incredible match that was without doubt the best of the night, showing once again the star power that they both have.

Both men stole the show. Photo - WWE.com
Both men stole the show. Photo - WWE.com

Sami Zayn walked away with the victory in this one, finally proving he has what it takes to defeat his arch nemesis, but it took a huge effort to get that done and the WWE Universe showed their respect with standing ovations and "Fight Forever" chants and now they're on the same brand that is exactly what we might see.

2. An incredible debut

Whilst the debut of Mojo Rawley might have fallen flat, he wasn't the only NXT star to make his main roster debut at Battleground. Everyone's favorite hugster, Bayley finally made her long awaited debut as she appeared as Sasha Banks' tag team partner to take on Charlotte and Dana Brooke.

The show opened with this match and it set the tone for the entire event as Bayley made her debut to a thunderous ovation from the nations capital, showing just how loved she is by the fans. Bayley would go on to help the Boss defeat their opponents with Banks forcing Charlotte to tap out in the middle of the ring, surely earning her a future title shot in the process.

1. A lunatic stands tall

In the long awaited Shield triple threat the stakes were high as both brands were desperate to have the WWE Championship on their shows, with the commissioners and general managers at ringside there was a big fight feel about the match.

Despite the best efforts of Seth Rollins and the returning Roman Reigns it would be the Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose who successfully retained his championship and won the main event,proving once and for all he is a main event player in the WWE. The WWE Championship now heads back to SmackDown Live as the battle lines are drawn between the two brands with the blue side claiming the main title, for now.

Ambrose retained the WWE Championship. Photo- WWE.com
Ambrose retained the WWE Championship. Photo- WWE.com
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About the author
Matthew Wilkinson
Huddersfield University in Sports Journalism. Twitter- MC_Wilkinson1