I have been Joel Lampkin, thank you for following, it has been a pleasure to provide Live text commentary for you and I hope you enjoyed WWE Battleground as much as I did, roll on SummerSlam!
10.Battleground rocked. The typically B-list pay-per-view has cemented itself as one where anything can happen and has been one of the best this year. Rating - 9/10.
9.Dean Ambrose retains his WWE Championship after hitting Dirty Deeds on Roman Reigns and picking up the pinfall victory to reign victorious in the long anticipated Shield triple threat.
8.Randy Orton returns in style on the Highlight Reel and delivers the statement of the night regarding Brock Lesnar's substance abuse and then hits a deserving RKO Outta Nowhere to Chris Jericho.
7. Enzo Amore delivers one of the best promos of the year, and follows it up by being on the winning team as his partners John Cena and Big Cass defeat the team of AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
6.The quest to #MakeDarrenYoungGreatAgain continues as Darren Young sees his chance of becoming Intercontinental Champion ruined thanks to the distraction from the altercation between Bob Backlund and Maryse that The Miz involved himself in to eventually by counted out following Young's submission hold.
5.Natalya keeps her meanstreak alive with a smart victory over Becky Lynch.
4. Sami Zayn defeats Kevin Owens in what may be the match of the night
3. The Wyatt Family who will likely break up following their scattering across RAW and SmackDown defeat the tag-team champions The New Day
2. Rusev defeats Zack Ryder but as the Bulgarian Brute looks to inflict damage Mojo Rawley saves his NXT tag-team partner
1.Bayley makes her main roster debut to team with Sasha Banks to take on Charlotte and Dana Brooke
The Key Events of Tonight's WWE Battleground!
Stephanie McMahon has never looked so angry or annoyed, the RAW commissioner has lost out on the biggest prize in the WWE which remains in the hands of Dean Ambrose!
The entire SmackDown locker room make their way to the ring to celebrate with the reigning WWE Champion Dean Ambrose!
WINNER! DEAN AMBROSE! A spear from Reigns as he looks to cover Rollins but Ambrose hits the Dirty Deeds to Reigns to pick up the victory! The WWE Championship is staying on SmackDown!
NEAR FALL! Reigns goes for a superman punch but Ambrose reverses it before being sent outside of the ring. Rollins takes advantage and hits the pedigree on The Guy, but he kicks out at the closest near fall yet.
NEAR FALL! Reigns delivers a powerbomb to Ambrose and Rollins but the no.1 Draft Pick kicks out at two,
NEAR FALL! A superplex and Falcon Arrow from Rollins almost sees The Man pick up the victory but The Champion kicks out at two.
The no disqualifications factor comes into play as Rollins hits Amrbose with a steelchair, shades of the night The Man betrayed his brothers to side with The Authority.
Both Ambrose and Rollins throw themselves on top of Rollins and continue their partnership and look to deliver a powerbomb to Reigns, shades of The Shield and The Guy has been sent through the Spanish announce table!
The trio are battling it out in the middle of the ring and it seems as though Amrbose and Rollins are working together to take out Reigns!
Reigns is once more showing his dominance with double Superman punches to both Rollins and Ambrose. The Guy goes for the spear but is met by a kick from Rollins and is then taken out by a clothesline from the Champion.
Ambrose has taken control following a dropkick, running bulldog and cross body to Reigns, but a frogsplash from Rollins out of nowhere earns a twofall and forces The Champion to kick out.
The no.1 Draft pick is taking the fight to both of his former Shield members but Reigns send him tubmling into the timekeepers area before Amrbose dives on both men from the announcers table.
All three men have traded momentum but Rollins is currently in control and is relishing it as he delivers a slap to the champion. Reigns gets involved and takes out The Man but Ambrose flies over the top rope taking out The Guy before a running knee from Rollins takes out The Lunatic Fringe.
Reigns is looking as dominant as ever following his month absence but the ever resillient Ambrose is refusing to be kept down, as Seth Rollins shows his aggression to send The Guy crashing on the mat before rolling outside of the ring.
The Guy is battling with The Dude, before an The Man gets involved but is sent tumbling outside of the ring. Ambrose and Reigns trade blows and a crossbody from the champion does little effect as The Lunatic Fringe bounces off Reigns.
An intense staredown between all three men as a collective chant of "Roman sucks" is echoed around the Verizon Center. Reigns goes straight after Rollins and it looks as if Ambrose is looking to do the same.
Or can The Lunatic Fringe Dean Ambrose overcome the odds to take his WWE Championship back to SmackDown Live?
Can Seth Rollins prove what he has known all along that he is "the best" and defeat his former Shield brothers?
In Roman Reigns' first televised appearance since his suspension could he become a three time WWE Champion?
The moment the entire wrestling world has been craving is NEXT! The Shield triple threat match as Dean Ambrose defends his WWE championship against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
The Viper had enough of Y2J and delivers a well deserved RKO Outta Nowhere to the host of The Highlight Reel.
Jericho is testing the limit of Orton with his insults, but it looks like The Viper is managing to keep his anger in check.
Randy Orton with the statement of the night "It only takes one RKO to get to Viperville. No enhancement needed."
Orton says that coming back after "nine months" and "facing Fandango" is "not much of a statement" to which Jericho replied "Brock Lesnar is going to kick your a**" and "take you to Suplex City."
Y2J says that The Viper has always "avoided Lesnar" and believes he is "scared" of The Beast but believes that he has made a "muttohead" decision to go through with his SummerSlam battle.
Jericho says Orton should not be worrying about him, but should worried about Brock Lesnar.
Y2J gives Randy Orton 'the gift of Jericho'. The Viper said he mistook Jericho for Ellen Degeneres.
"Quiet,quiet,quiet,quiet,quiet,quiet,QUIET,QUIET,QUIET!" Y2J demands silence and attention from the WWE Universe while he is speaking.
The Highlight Reel is next, and will see Chris Jericho speak directly to Randy Orton in his first appearance in over nine months, to get The Viper to talk about his impending battle with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
No Finn Balor but that promo and match was more than enough, if Enzo had not proved his worth to Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley now he surely has as his words have stole the show!
WINNER(S): John Cena, Enzo and Cass. An AA from the top rope to AJ Styles sees John Cena pick up the pin-fall victory for his team!
A loud chant of "Enzo Amore" is not enough for the Certifed G to continue his momentum as he runs into a big kick from Gallows, who turns his attention to Cena who manages to move out of the way.
AJ hits the Styles Clash and just when Cena looks beaten Big Cass makes the save. The Club hit a vicious Magic Killer to Cass and it is just Enzo left standing with The Club!
Styles takes out Gallows by mistake and just when it looks like Cena is about to pick the pin-falll following an AA, Anderson makes the save to keep his team in the match.
The Fifteen Time World Champion is in the match and is matching AJ Styles for every move. An Attitude Adjustment into a Pelé kick!
The dominant Luke Gallows is destroying the smaller Enzo who is in desperate need of a tag.
John Cena is loving the electric partnership between Cass and Enzo, but ever the opportunist, Styles looks to take advantage of Cass but it sent flying over the top ropes to the outside of the ring on top of his tag-team partners.
A tag sees Big Cass enter the match up and Styles seeing sense makes the tag to Karl Anderson who is not very effective against the seven foot tall performer.
Enzo Amore is starting things off against AJ Styles, as the fans in the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. scream "Soccer Mom" towards The Phenomenal One.
Big Cass says there is only one word to describe AJ Styles and Club and that is "SAWFT!"
Enzo is without a doubt the best talker in the WWE today, even better than John Cena, and on par with The Rock! (Personal Opinion)
Enzo Amore offers some very important advice for The Club and AJ Styles with the main one being "Do not step into the ring with us three."
We have already witnessed a debut from Bayley this evening, will one of Raw's hottest young talents also be making a surprise appearance?
Next will see a huge six-man tag-team match as John Cena, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady wil square off against AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (The Club).
Maryse delivers a slap to Backlund sending the veteran tumbling to the floor but after Maryse pretended she was assaulted by the Hall of Famer, an incensed Champion pushed the veteran, to which an equally angered Young chocked out The Miz and the match was abandoned as chaos descended.
Darren Young went for the Crossface Chicken Wing but The Miz manages to get to the ropes and shrug Young off of his back.
NEAR FALL! Young with a backslide and The Miz just about manages to kick out at two. The champion delivered multiple stomps to the challenger as frustration sets in.
Bob Backlund bears the brunt of some trash talking from the A-lister as he proceeds to suggest he is "no Hall of Famer, I am."
The Miz quickly recovers from the enslaught from Young to apply a headlock and keep the challenger pinned to the mat.
Darren Young is currently showing the Champion what he is all about, clearly he has learnt a couple of things under the supervision of coach Bob Backlund.
The Miz (w/ Maryse) will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Darren Young (w/ Bob Backlund) a win for Young will surely achieve the goal to #MakeDarrenYoungGreatAgain.
Shane McMahon to Dean Ambrose "You want it more [than Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns] that is why we drafted you as number one"
Winner: Natalya. A second sharp shooter from Natalya was too much for Becky Lynch to handle as she taps out!
More punishment for the legs of Becky Lynch as Natalya locks in the sharpshooter but somehow the Irish Lasskicker manages to crawl to the ropes to break the hold.
The Irish Lasskicker goes for the disarmer but Natalya wiggles her way out before Becky delivers a enzigiri to knock the Canadian off her feet.
The new look of Natalya is proving to be too much for Becky Lynch to handle as the she viciously attacks the legs of the Irishwoman.
Becky Lynch and Natalya are both looking to settle the score between one another! Two women, one goal; inflict as much pain as possible onto the other.
4. Sami Zayn defeats Kevin Owens in what may be the match of the night.
3. The Wyatt Family who will likely break up following their scattering across RAW and SmackDown defeat the tag-team champions The New Day
2. Rusev defeats Zack Ryder but as the Bulgarian Brute looks to inflict damage Mojo Rawley saves his NXT tag-team partner
1. Bayley makes her main roster debut to team with Sasha Banks to take on Charlotte and Dana Brooke
Key Battleground Events so far:
WINNER:Sami Zayn. A hellacious Helluva Kick and Owens is out! But Zayn stands him up and hits his former best friend once more to pick up the pinfall victory!
NEAR FALL! Kevin Owens hits the popup powerbomb but somehow Zayn gets his foot under the bottom rope as K.O. has become enraged as he just cannot put his former best friend away.
Both men are putting on a classic, and the crowd are giving them a standing ovation! The match is not even over yet and a "YES!" chant has already happened!
NEAR FALL! Zayn looks to fly through the middle ropes on the outside of the ring but Owens hits him with a superkick following by a frogsplash; but Zayn kicks out at two!
Sami Zayn goes for the helluva kick but Owens moves out of the way. Zayn seizes his opportunity and drops Owens with a brain buster on the apron| The Underdog from the Underground is impressing in this match.
NEAR FALL! A hellacious superkick from Owens draws a two count and a kick out from Zayn
Sami Zayn with a botched move almost lands on the top of his head, he looks okay and will continue but Kevin Owens is now in control and halted the momentum of his former best friend.
A vicious kick to the back of Zayn following by a kick to the stomach of the former masked performer has put Owens back in control as he keeps his opponent firmly locked in a chinlock.
Destiny seems to keep pulling Zayn and Owens together but the two foes are aiming to tear eachother apart in this match.
The Underdog from the Underground seems to have the number of his former best friend, if he can keep up his momentum it will be tough for K.O to get a look in.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens may both be on RAW; but will this be the culmination of their feud?
Seth Rollins says "The bottom line is" he is going to "wipe the floor" with both Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.
Mojo Rawley comes out to save Zack Ryder from further destruction at the hands of Rusev, and the champion retreats! What an introduction to the main roster from one half of the Hype Bros!
Winner: Rusev. Ryder hits the Rough Rider but after going for the elbow drop Rusev counters, but a superkick from the Bulgarian Brute into the Accolade sees The Long Island Iced Z submit.
Multiple forearms from the former Intercontinental Champion as Rusev retreats back into the turnbuckle.
Zack Ryder has shrugged off the early dominance from Rusev and is causing a real problem for the United States Champion, but the raw strength of The Bulgarian Brute is becoming too much for The Long Island Iced Z to handle!
Lana looks like a princess, for those of you without access to the WWE Network pay-per-view!
Up next is the United States Championship match which pits Zack Ryder against The Bulgarian Brute Rusev!
WINNER: The Wyatt Family. The distraction from Strowman was enough for Bray Wyatt to capitalize and deliver Sister Abigail to Woods to pick up the pinfall victory
Woods saves his partner Kingston but is frozen as he looks into the eyes of Wyatt! After breaking the stare he delivers a beatdown to the Eater of Worlds as he looks to overcome his fear!
Strowman looks for the big boot but misses and is sent over the top rope before Kofi Kingston flies out and takes out the big man, bur now Bray Wyatt is in the match.
Big E gets the hot tag and is currently a one man demolition machine as he takes out Eric Rowan but Strowman interrupts the pinfall.
The staredown between Woods and Wyatt is adding an extra layer to this match as the Eater of Worlds seems to be inside the mind of one third of the tag-team champions.
Eric Rowan really took the fight to Kingston, did he really deserve to lose in such a 'jobber' fashion to The Rock at this years WrestleMania? Head over to @VAVEL_Wrestling on Twitter and tell us your thoughts!
Bray Wyatt and Kofi Kingston will start things off in this six-man tag-team match but the introduction of Brawn Strowman halts the momentum of the former United States Champion.
Xavier Woods is still visibly shaken over The Wyatt Family, but he will have to get his head in the game and fast as The Wyatt Family make their way to the ring accompanied by thousands of 'fireflies'.
CONGRATULATIONS to the New Day who become on Wednesday became this eras longest reigning Tag-team Champions! From a makeshift group to the most popular factions in history!
Wil The New Day continue to "rock" or will Bray Wyatt and his family cause them to "fall?"
The Wyatt Family will take on The New Day NEXT!
WINNER(S): Sasha Banks and Bayley! The Boss manages to get the Women's Champion to tap out via the Bank Statement! A huge win that will surely put Sasha in line for a title shot!
Charlotte with her signature Natural Selection! The Boss is saved by Bayley, who is attacked by Dana Brooke!
JBL's sources say that this will not Bayley's call up! Dissapointing but it is great to finally see her on the main roster in some capacity.
Bayley gives the fans exactly what they are chanting for as she takes the game to Dana Brooke and Charlotte, but a distraction from the Nature Girl allows Brooke to regain control.
Sasha Banks with a flying headscissors the Women's Champion! But Charlotte quickly recovers to send The Boss outside of the ring!
Charlotte and Dana Brooke have had enough of the heartfelt and touching moment between Sasha and Bayley as the Women's Champion attacks the former NXT Women's Champion!
BAYLEY is Sasha Banks' partner to take on Charlotte! What a pick!
The Women's Champion Charlotte makes her way to the ring alongside Dana Brooke as they will take part in tag-team action against The Boss Sasha Banks and a mystery partner!
So many questions will soon be answered; who has Sasha Banks picked as her tag-team partner? Will the WWE Championship remain on SmackDown Live under the ownership of Dean Ambrose or will it make the switch to RAW with either Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns as the new owner? What will Randy Orton say about his SummerSlam opponent Brock Lesnar? As well as much much more!
WINNER: BREEZANGO! Tyler Breeze reverses the splash from Jimmy Uso to roll the Samoan into a small package and pick up the pinfall victory!
A NEAR FALL! A double splash to both Tyler Breeze and Fandango was nearly enough to put Breezango away!
A NEAR FALL! Fandango nearly picks up a shock win over the two time champions but Jimmy Uso kicks out at two!
A superkick to the skulls of both Breeze and Fandango and the momentum has shifted and now The Uso's are firmly in control!
A slingshot elbow from Fandango! Breezango have really stepped up ther game in recent weeks!
A hiptoss from Jimmy Uso sees the Samoan's take the early advantage
Making their way to the ring, the pairing of Tyler Breeze and Fandango, a partnership that has been clicking in recent weeks, can they continue their momentum to defeat the former tag-team champions The Uso's?
The Uso's are making their entrance as they are set to take on Breezango in the Battleground kick-off show!
Daniel Bryan says he would select Shawn Michaels as his Hall of Fame pick for SmackDown Live and believes that he could "still go" if he really wanted to! The heartbreak kid was the mentor of the current general manager.
The RAW general manager Mick Foley says if he could any "hall of famer" to be a part of his brand it would be....
Mick Foley and Daniel Bryan are both intent of making changes to the current product of both RAW and SmackDown Live!
A clearly frustated Cesaro says he "always delivers" and says he would give "anything" to swap his microphone to be inside the squared circle!
Cesaro makes an appearance on the Kick-off show! Clearly the Swiss Superman is frustrated to not be on the match-card tonight! He says he is "sick" of both Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens interfering in his matches!
Sasha Banks has found a partner to team up against the Women's Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke! Will it be Bayley, Nikki Bella. Paige, Lita, Trish Stratus or the favorite Naomi?
Zack Ryder "I think I have a chance [of beating Rusev]. Tonight I bring the United States Championship to SmackDown Live!"
The New Day may have encountered their toughest opposition in The Wyatt Family. The Power of Positivity versus Darkness! With the Wyatt's separating, it is unlikely that they will pick up a win against the WWE's hottest tag-team.
The kick off show sees The Uso's square off against the according to Renee Young "The most handsome tag-team" Fandango and Tyler Breeze; Breezango!
Battleground will feature a number of WWE's top stars such as AJ Styles, John Cena and even the return of the Viper Randy Orton!
Who deserves the win? Well, ultimately all three do, Reigns may have lost clean to Rollins, and Rollins lost clean to Ambrose but The Dude has lost clean to The Guy numerous times, giving each man legitimate reasoning to be WWE Champion at the end of the night. Having Reigns will just after his suspension finished would be cementing his place as heel (something the fans have been crying out for) while Rollins will still enter as favorite, having him lose clean to Ambrose has only set an ambiguous tone, this writer believes that seeing The Lunatic Fringe proudly defeat his arch nemesis on the first edition of SmackDown will stand as the highlight of his reign and Rollins will head back to RAW as the WWE Champion.
The Main Event, the big one, the one the entire WWE Universe has been waiting for; The Shield Triple Threat. Dean Ambrose heads into Battleground as the underdog representing Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan's SmackDownLive, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns both represent Raw- but where till the title be at the end of the night?
WWE Championship Match- Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
#MakeDarrenYoungGreatAgain, who would have thought this would have happened, from all of the cheesy vignettes with Bob Backlund has sprouted a true baby face that the fans have already taken a liking to. Young has done little to claim that he should be the one to put an end to The Miz's "never ending Intercontinental Title reign" but pushing the champion to his limit and earning a rematch would be a step in the right direction.
Intercontinental Championship Match- The Miz (c) vs. Darren Young
Rusev is thankfully back on his dominant streak and his new look accolade is destroying all of his opponents, Zack Ryder may be a popular superstar but having him be the one to dethrone The Bulgarian Brute from his perch would be silly. Ryder may be a great performer but until he receives 'that push' from those in power he will not be higher than a mid card player, even despite the fan approval.
United States Championship match- Rusev (c) - Zack Ryder
The second most highly anticipated match and it features The Face that Runs the Place, John Cena, the Certified G, Enzo Amore, and the Seven Foot tall mammoth Colin Cassady squaring off against the three men that love to "#BeatUpJohnCena" AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson in a rivalry that has been on going for weeks. The Phenomenal One has already scored a pinfall victory over Cena and will be traveling separate paths to The Club as will Cena, Enzo and Cass so despite all of its hype this match will likely see no victor and end in disqualification, possibly by interference..cough...Finn Balor... cough...cough.
John Cena, Enzo Amore, and Colin Cassady vs. AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson
Fight forever, this seems to be exactly what Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are destined to do, their pairing on the same brand was a curveball and turned many people's heads during the draft as this match had been built as being 'the last' but with both performers free to clash every night it seems not. Sami Zayn has lost many of his significant matches and K.O seems to be his stumbling block, if the two are destined to be successes in the WWE with gold around their waists then they must set aside their differences and focus.
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Becky Lynch has been so underutilized it is frightening, she has been the side part of the championship throughout all of her feuds despite being one of if not the best performer on the main roster. Her battle with Natalya is one that has grown from frustration from the Canadian's part and both women have cases for the win, but having two female babyfaces win on the same night is unlikely so Natalya will more than likely pick up the victory via shenanigans.
Becky Lynch vs. Natalya
Charlotte as champion has gaged mixed reviews, while some believe she has held the belt for far too long, others believe she is only getting started and that may partly be why she the title is not on the line at Battleground. Rather than capitalizing on Sasha Banks extreme popularity, The Boss will instead take on The Nature Girl and Dana Brooke in tag-team action with the no.1 contender needing to find a partner to tackle the two feisty females. It is not yet known who her partner will be but the most rumored and obvious would be Naomi while other names such as Alicia Fox, Paige, and even veteran Trish Stratus have been suggested as partnering Banks. Sasha needs the win to continue her momentum and providing she chooses right she may be able to see off the champion and her sidekick and earn a title shot at SummerSlam.
Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks and a mystery partner
The New Day have been on one hell of a run since their makeshift stable was formed over a year ago, nobody would have guessed they would become the most 'over' tag-team in the company today but they have defied the odds and keep entertaining the crowd consistently. The Wyatt Family are also a popular group with the WWE Universe but following their lackluster 'Compound' battle that screamed similarities to Matt and Jeff Hardy's "Final Deletion" coupled with the sinister group split across the two brands, a win for the family would make little sense.
The New Day - The Wyatt Family
Main Card-
Whoever wins this match will gain slight momentum so in a 'booking' way of looking at things, who really needs the win? Well The Uso's have been irrelevant for about two months after their brief partnership with their cousin Roman Reigns and are in need of a win, but with Breezango racking up a number of wins and reportedly attracting some wanted attention from Vince McMahon, expect them to pick up a shock victory over the former tag-team champions.
The pre-show has a reputation for being an irrelevant waste of time with the matches that take place often lacking any significant meaning; that is exactly what the first match of Battleground is as The Uso's take on (for no apparent reason) the team of Tyler Breeze and Fandango to form Breezango.
The Uso's vs. Breezango
Pre-Show
With Dean Ambrose defending his WWE Championship against two of Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley's top choices, where will the biggest piece of silverware be resting come the end of the night? This is just one of the many questions yet to be answered.
The speculation regarding the brand split finally came to a head during last Tuesday's first ever SmackDown Live that saw each superstar (besides Heath Slater) drafted to either RAW or SmackDown and the consequences of each match tonight may have further complications for the future of either brand.
Welcome everyone to VAVEL USA's live coverage for WWE Battleground 2016, my name is Joel Lampkin and I will be providing minute-by-minute updates on all of tonight's highly anticipating pay per view.