WWE Battleground Review and Reactions
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| The Undertaker makes he's return at Battleground |
Right, so the night started out with the WWE Battleground kick off show hosted by Renee Young. As usual she was joined on the panel with Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, and Booker T. Once again I have nothing bad to say about the kick off show and how it was presented. Renee did a great job as per usual. They covered all the matches on the card really well really well. It was a good enough show that really got me excited for the main show. I was actually surprised to see just how much I was excited for Battleground last night. Originally I wasn't looking forward to it all but the build up was strong enough for me to be pretty damn excited. The moment the New Day made a little appearance and we saw Byron Saxton clap along to the "new day rocks" chant was honestly one of my favourite moments of the entire night.The kick off show match was announced earlier on in the week and it would see Bad News Barrett who now goes by King Barrett take on R-truth aka King Truth go one on one. I'm sure everyone and their mother knows how I was feeling about this booking decision. I have been moaning like crazy over the past couple of months about the booking of Barrett. I tweeted out last week saying how badly Barrett must of pissed someone off backstage to be booked like Zack Ryder 2.0 and I stick by that one hundred per cent. It makes me so mad that he's been booking in a pathetic feud with the likes of R-truth. Don't get me wrong, Truth makes me laugh more than any other superstar on the roster but Barrett is a top class superstar. He has the look, the height, the weight, the experience, the wresting ability, the mic work, and the charisma, why on earth he is getting treated like this I have no freaking idea. I actually have the second part to my "WWE biggest mistakes and miss opportunities of the past year" where I speak even more about Barrett so watch out for that. Anyway, back to last nights match and I wasn't expecting a lot from this at all. The build up was entertaining to say the least but these two don't bring out the best in each other at all so there wasn't much to look forward too. In my opinion there was no questions about it, Barrett had to win this match. There was no doubt about it. If there is one thing this match did have it was character. These are two huge characters and they sure did bring some entertainment to the show. Truth did take early control of this match. No matter how much it kills me to say it, he did. But the viciousness of Barrett took over very quickly and we really saw him take it to Truth at times. Now, I like comedy. I love comedy and it does fit in with wrestling great at times, but Barrett is superstar I take seriously and so I didn't like all the comedy last night in this match. I know I'm being harsh but I just feel like and know that Barrett deserves better. He did have a great showing throughout this match last night. He looked vicious and clean all the way through and had some great spots. As bad as it sounds, I honestly don't really have an opinion on Truth's performance. There was nothing different or that stood out for me but he had a good showing too. I'll be fair, it wasn't a terrible match. It was better than I expected it to be and the fact that Barrett picked up the win left me very very happy. Seriously, if you guys could have seen the smile on my face! I think if Truth had won that match I would have gone straight to bed. But it was a nice win for Barrett and I'm hopeing this is the first step in him making he's way up the ladder.
The first match of the night saw Mr money in the bank, Sheamus go one on one with the home town boy, Randy Orton. I mentioned in my prediction post, witch will be linked bellow, that I wasn't all that happy with the build up the match. There was a decent story but there wasn't a big storyline or big build up and because of that I wasn't as excited for this match as I wish I was or as I was for some of the other matches on the card. I haven't stopped saying however, that because of their chemistry and their history it was okay to still expect a lot from both of these superstars. They are more than capable of putting on a great match it just lacked story to it witch was a real shame. I was backing Sheamus for this one by far. I felt as though he needed the momentum to continue and he needed to stay on a high. I think Orton would have been able to bounce back from a loss better but if the WWE intended on having this feud last up until Summer Slam then it would have been okay for Sheamus to loose this one or have it end in DQ. So I did have some interest in this just not as much as I would have liked. The one thing Sheamus did bring very very early on in this match was character. He does make a great heel and he is working this new character perfectly. We saw him get under the skin of both thee WWE universe (live crowd) and Orton right at the start of the match and we saw that continue throughout this match. The typical, slow the pace of the match, wear the opponent down method from Sheamus took early control last night. As soon as Orton started to take control Mr money in the bank would opt to taking a breather outside of the ring, witch eventually would work against him when Orton sent him right into the barricade. Of course the crowd were one hundred percent behind Orton. There was no hiding the fact that the twelve time champion was in he's home town. The crowd were electric throughout this match. Despite being in he's home town, Orton struggled to get any offence in the first part of this match as it was dominated by Sheamus. I think what was so great about this opening match was that Sheamus and Orton know each other so well. They do have so much history and so there were some great counters and moments in this match you wouldn't get from a match were the two superstars were not as familiar with each other. I really really got into this match. It was very very physical. Great showcase of strength from both superstars but there was a great feel to it. Great way to kick start the night. The match was much much better than I thought it was going to be. The only way it could have been any better is if Sheamus won, because I was backing him but it was a great night and I don't think Sheamus will suffer from the loss at all.
We then was taken back to last weeks Monday night RAW and that divas segment. Now, if you have been living under a rock over the past week then you won't know what I'm talking about but long story short, the divas of the WWE took the fuck over as Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and the current NXT Women's champion Sasha Banks arrived on the scene and we had Team Bella, Team Paige, and Team BAD go to war. Last night at Battleground on the kick off show it was announced that Stephanie McMahon had told all nine divas to be at Battleground. Stephanie then announced that each team had to chose a representative to compete in a triple threat match later on in the night. We found out later on in the night Sasha Banks would be competing for her team, Charlotte for hers and
Brie Bella for team Bella. The crowd were very very behind Sasha last night and it was so great seeing the crowd so into a divas match. All the girls got an amazing reaction from the crowd. Team Paige probably got the biggest pop. Sasha by far brought the most character. She was the true stand of this match from the start and throughout. She showed the main roster what a real viscous diva looks like and does in the rig. She took control, making alliances in the match and proving why she is the NXT Women's champion. You could tell both Charlotte and Sasha were a little nervous. there were a couple of messy moments but this is the first time they have competed at a live pay per view so I'm not going to be too judgey. Brie did get lost in the match a couple of times but she had her
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| The Wyatt family slowly reunite |
Tag team action next as the Prime time players defended their tag team championships against former champions, the New Day. It was back at the Money in the bank pay per view last month that the Prime Time Players knocked off the new day to capture the titles so there was a lot of story in this match and a lot of things that continued on. I'll be honest, I love both of these tag teams and you all know that throughout the year I have been enjoying the work from the tag team division, particularly over the past couple of months but I haven't enjoyed the build up to this at all. At the start it wasn't so bad and I still had quite a bit of interest but as time has gone on it just hasn't really worked for me and my opinions on who should be holding the title had changed and I was actually really backing the new day last night. Darren Young and Kofi Kingston started off the match last night with Young taking early control. We saw great team work from the Prim time players right from the start of this match and throughout. I was actually really impressed with what they put on last night and just how well they worked together. I have to admit I did get distracted a couple of times throughout this match thanks to Xavier Woods. I still don't like the guy but he's growing on me and the things he was shouting last night while the action was going on had be in stitches of laughter. The New Day were very impressive last night also, Big E in particular. I'm telling you, that guy is one heck of an athlete and I cannot wait to see what else he has in store for us in the future because he's an amazing wrestler. The match wasn't the best in the world but I really got into it and I did really enjoy it. It was a well put together match and a great addition to the show. After a great showing from both teams, the Prime Time players retained the championships once again.
One of my favourite feuds we have gotten over the past month has been Roman Reigns VS Bray Wyatt and it was that match that was up next. This all started back at the Money In The Bank pay per view last month when Bray Wyatt cost Roman Reigns the money in the bank ladder match and a future chance at becoming the next WWE World Heavyweight champion. At first I wasn't all that sure on the feud but it didn't long what so ever for me to fall in love with it. The storyline was very very clever and very entertaining. It made it easy to get into and I honestly have had nothing but positive things to say about it throughout. My only problem I have had and I mentioned this in my prediction post is that I felt the WWE had drifted way from the story a little. Roman Reigns has continued to work very closely with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as usual and we haven't had enough from the feud between him and Wyatt. I think there is plenty more that the WWE could have done with the storyline to make it even more gripping, even more entertaining, and even more interesting. What I was hoping for last night way Wyatt was going to get a clean victory so that the feud could go on for a little longer and we could get more out of it. Plus I did feel as though Wyatt need the victory more than Reigns did. I was honestly hooked when it cam to this match. I was honestly taking it way too seriously. Reigns did come into this match with a whole new attitude. There was no smile on he's face and he had he's game face on completely. It meant that the story telling in this match started right at the very start when they were entering. You could see and feel the story being told and I loved that. The match was much much more fast paced than I expected it to be.It was split throughout and it meant that you never knew what was going to happen next and who was going to get the upper hand. I also think this was the perfect match to showcase how far Reigns has come over the past year. Wyatt really pushed him to he's limits last night and Reigns didn't back down. He worked really really hard and stood he's ground perfectly. I also liked how split the crowd was in this match too. There were a couple of predicable moments but they faded out and because I was so into the match I didn't really care. Wyatt's all round performance in this match was just amazing! He was seriously on he's A game last night. But this was also one of the best performances I have seen from Roman Reigns so I have to credit them both. I know a lot of people moaned that this match dragged on but I loved it and thought it was an amazing match. The closing moments saw Roman Reigns get attacked by a man in a hoodie who would later be revealed as Luke Harper. This allowed Wyatt to get a quick victory. I loved the ending to this match. Like honestly cannot tell you how happy this made me.
Up next was one of the matches I was most looking forward to as Kevin Owens and John Cena went one on one for the third time but this time the United States championship was up for grabs and after Kevin Owens last he's NXT championship a couple of weeks ago to Finn Balor in Japan he was coming in all guns blazing for this match. These guys have had so many amazing one on one matches in the past and so they have set the bar so so high for themselves. everyone expecting a lot from these two and the match including myself. I didn't know how they were going to be able to top their last match but then again I said that before and they put one one of the best matches I have ever seen or at least seen in a very very long time. This was the one match I was really going to get into and out of every match on the pretty strong card this was the one I was most looking forward too. It was also great because my mum woke up and came down stairs to watch this match with me, witch by the way was big big freaking deal. Even though I was backing Owens and was one hundred per cent convinced that he was going to be walking away with the victory I was so into this match from the moment the music hit. The popcorn was out, the drink was out and it was time to enjoy it. What I noticed last night, the moment Owens music hit was that he jut brings a whole new feel to the WWE, but at the same time something very old school. It's almost like he brings that ECW feel back to the WWE in a PG era and I love that. The reaction he got was mental and you can't help but be excited for him and for the future. Last night we saw Owens take very early control. He managed the pace of the match and got everyone chanting "Fight Owens Fight". Trust me, I was sitting right in front of my TV chanting like a crazy person. This very early on became a very fast paced match. The guys just carried on delivering amazing move after amazing move after amazing move. They both just bettered themselves so much in this match and delivered to that high standard we all had. I think what was so key in this match and what really made this match even better was their chemistry. We have seen their chemistry in their past matches but we saw it again last night and it gave the match something that the rest in the night didn't have. Throughout this match Owens just brought so much character. He portrayed the perfect heel, using Cena's own moves throughout the match just like he has done in the past. I really thought these two could not impress me any more than they already had done in the past but they just brought it last night and did not disappoint what so ever. They put on yet another phenomenal match and there really was no one true stand out. They both gave it their all and put on one heck of a match. The excitement, the energy in this match was just outstanding. I was literally left speechless half way through this match let alone the end. I was very very surprised to see Cena retain. I was convinced that Owens had it won last night. I do still think it was the wrong move to make but it was a great match.
Finally we had out main event witch saw Seth Rollins defend the WWE World Heavyweight championship against former champ, the beast, Brock Lesnar. Now, I loved the build up to this match. I thought it was clever and really well done. The WWE were able to really change things around for Rollins after a weaker run as champion than expected. He had spent the past month or two showing himself to be the reckless, dangerous superstar that we missed. We finally saw him begin to stop hiding behind the Authority and as a result we got some amazing matches from him. In fact my match of the month last month as the Money in the bank main event between Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Throughout the month we had seen Rollins more dangerous than ever, taking out superstar such as Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and even he's opponent Brock Lesnar with the help of Kane
and J&J Security. Now he may have had some help but it made him look like the dangerous champion we needed him to look like from the start. He's beat down on Lesnar was such a key part of the storyline and build up. Initially it was all about Rollins proving himself to the Authority and to the WWE universe and don't get me wrong that did stay throughout the build up but the attack was an even stronger point. It was the fire in the match. It was something we all knew Lesnar had not forgotten at all and something that Rollins would have to pay for in the match last night. To be fair, both superstars were going into the championship match with a great deal of momentum. Rollins had spent all month picking massive victories and competing in some great matches, while also cutting strong promos and being in good segments, not to mention he's big beat down on Lesnar. Lesnar on the other hand had a completely one sided match against Kofi Kingston at Beast in the east picking up that win while also having a great role in the build up. I do think this was a tough match to call, it could of gone any way and with Sheamus and the money in the bank contract, we could easily expect the unexpected for this main event. The match itself started out with of course Lesnar going straight on the attack and honestly, being so protective of Seth Rollins I literally shouted at my TV "be careful! he's only small". The moment he he hit that first German suplex I felt Rollins pain. In the space of five minutes, Lesnar proved why he really is a beast! Rollins did get some offence. He had to really use he's speed and keep Lesnar down and off he's feet but even though he was taking kick after kick Lesnar just didn't give up and it was like it had no effect. Now, when Rollins did spend he's little time in control he had so really speed things up and that's exactly what he did. We then had the shock of our lives when the lights when out and when heard that dong... okay that sounded strange. Targeting Lesnar he set he arena on fire! I marked out like a mad person. The arena went crazy and it was just the perfect way to end the night. I will admit, I didn't like how weak Seth looked and how they took the spotlight away for him but that was just freaking epic.
All round I thought this was an amazing amazing show. I'd rate it a nine out of ten. I thought every single match was of a high high standard. It was great seeing the divas take over and have an amazing match. The little segment between the Miz and Big Show was pretty decent too. Entertaining to say the least. The matches were all easy to get into and I had nothing but good, positive things to say about them all. I honestly cannot wait to see what goes down tonight on RAW. Let me know know what you thought of last nights show by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.
Top 10 matches of the year so far
Finally we had out main event witch saw Seth Rollins defend the WWE World Heavyweight championship against former champ, the beast, Brock Lesnar. Now, I loved the build up to this match. I thought it was clever and really well done. The WWE were able to really change things around for Rollins after a weaker run as champion than expected. He had spent the past month or two showing himself to be the reckless, dangerous superstar that we missed. We finally saw him begin to stop hiding behind the Authority and as a result we got some amazing matches from him. In fact my match of the month last month as the Money in the bank main event between Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Throughout the month we had seen Rollins more dangerous than ever, taking out superstar such as Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and even he's opponent Brock Lesnar with the help of Kane
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| Sasha Banks has her first PPV Match |
All round I thought this was an amazing amazing show. I'd rate it a nine out of ten. I thought every single match was of a high high standard. It was great seeing the divas take over and have an amazing match. The little segment between the Miz and Big Show was pretty decent too. Entertaining to say the least. The matches were all easy to get into and I had nothing but good, positive things to say about them all. I honestly cannot wait to see what goes down tonight on RAW. Let me know know what you thought of last nights show by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.
Top 10 matches of the year so far
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