WWE Battleground 2017.

Battleground, from an in-ring perspective, was a step down from Great Balls of Fire. However, this SmackDown PPV was arguably more newsworthy. Two championship changes and a surprise return, were the high points of a hit and miss show.

 

The first title switch, occurred during the lively opening contest between New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) and the Uso’s. The tag moves and false finishes were excellent, but they didn’t go overboard. Eventually, Woods hit a top rope elbow drop for the win. Will New Day hold the Smackdown Tag Team Championship as long as their record breaking run on RAW?

 

Shinsuke Nakamura faced Baron Corbin. Their fight was getting interesting, but then The Lone Wolf got intentionally disqualified with a low blow and hit End of Days after the bell. This made sense because neither man should be losing right now. Their feud will hopefully continue.

 

The ladies five way elimination was disappointing. Lana lowered the in-ring quality, but it got better after her elimination. Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Natalya hurried their mini-match, probably due to time constraints. Natalya winning was a welcome surprise; she now faces champion Naomi at SummerSlam. Carmella has the money in the bank briefcase, so she’ll probably cash in afterwards.

 

Kevin Owens surprisingly regained the United States Championship from A.J. Styles. The Phenomenal One recently won the championship from Owens at a Madison Square Garden house show. Some fans hate hot potato changes, but it made sense here. Both men looked very competitive; grappling, submissions and a ref bump raised the tension. Owens won via roll up, so the victory wasn’t emphatic. Match of the night, even if it could’ve gone longer.

 

John Cena and Rusev’s flag match was overlong and extremely tedious in places. Flag matches aren’t the most exciting concept, but it helps when the wrestlers act intelligently. Both patriots repeatedly locked in submissions (in a flag match!) and occasionally forgot how to climb and run. After 20 minutes of stop-start action, Cena climbed the podium steps with Rusev on his back and hit AA through two tables. I never want to see another flag match again after this debacle.

 

Sami Zayn got revenge over Mike Kanellis; that better be the end of it. Mike and Maria Kanellis have a dreadful gimmick and I can’t wait until they are gone.

 

Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal had a championship bout inside a Punjabi Prison. Firstly, this exceeded expectations. Secondly, it was the best of the three Punjabi Prison matches to date (the bar was low before this one). Thirdly, there was interference from The Great Kahli! Great Kahli featuring in the main event in 2017 is just bizarre. The Singh brothers got involved from under the ring. One of them took a bump off the cage through a table. Jinder’s reign reminds me of JBL, who had a nine-month-run filled with gimmick matches and tainted victories.

 

If you’re catching up, watch the three championship matches and skip the rest.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Philip.

WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017.

Which name is worse for a WWE pay-per-view in the modern era; Great Balls of Fire or December 2016’s Roadblock: End of the Line? I’d probably go for the first option. Thankfully, the Jerry Lee Lewis theme song is far superior to A Different Kind of Dynamite by Thousand Foot Crutch. Drive-in cinema effects during the introductory hype video showed extra attention to detail.

 

GBOF was a solid B-card from top to bottom but nothing got close to match of the year quality.

 

The opening contest between Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins had decent in-ring action and interesting moves, but it didn’t matter because the story has been uninspiring on Raw. Rollins lost his temper. Wyatt took advantage with an eye poke and hit Sister Abigail for the pin. Wyatt needed the win more; they’ll probably go again at SummerSlam.

 

Enzo Amore delivered a brilliant promo before his showdown with former tag team partner Big Cass. Mic skills and being a scrappy underdog are undoubtedly his major strengths. The 7-footer pinned Enzo after hitting a big boot in an elongated squash.

 

The Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus & Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Championship was my favourite match of the evening and a satisfying end to their rivalry.  I love the slow burning drama of Iron Man matches and their 30 minute effort was entertaining throughout. The Hardy Boyz went behind, made their comeback and then suffered a last minute defeat. The final score was higher than expected but all falls were believable.

Sasha Banks challenged Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship. Bliss used the hypermobility in her arm as a memorable distraction and worked over Banks’ previously injured back. They went back and forth until Bliss refused to enter the ring so Banks won via count out. My partner hated the screwy finish and has no desire to watch the rematch, even after the post-bell brawl. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

In the third championship bout, Miz successfully defended his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose. Miz had plenty of help from Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas and his wife Maryse. He worked Ambrose’s knee thoroughly and The Lunatic Fringe sold the pain convincingly. Little touches like that help the fans suspend their disbelief. After a false finish, Miz hit Ambrose with Skull-Crushing Finale for the win.

The Ambulance match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns exceeded my expectations. They fought Hardcore-style and used steps, chairs and equipment from the ambulance. Strowman fell through the stage barrier. Eventually, Strowman sidestepped Reign’s spear attempt and closed the door.

The post-match events were gloriously ridiculous and felt like a throwback to the unpredictable backstage segments of the Attitude Era. Roman locked Braun into the ambulance, then reversed backwards into a production truck. The Fire Brigade used the Jaws of Life whilst general manager Kurt Angle played his concern to perfection. Braun stumbled out of the ambulance, bloodied and battered and refused medical help. Roman and Braun both now look like badass characters and one of them will surely face Lesnar at SummerSlam.

Speaking of The Conqueror, his Universal Championship main event with Samoa Joe was tense but may divide fans. They broke the formula immediately; Joe slammed Lesnar through the announcers table before the bell. Not many wrestlers manhandle The Beast! Lesnar hit multiple German Suplexes and Joe kept trying for the Coquina Clutch. Lesnar predictably won with an F-5 but it lasted longer than Lesnar’s WrestleMania 33 match against Goldberg. Personally, I think Joe looked strong in defeat but others might disagree.

Thanks for reading,

Philip.