5 major things you missed from WWE Stomping Grounds 2019

WWE Stomping Grounds turned out to be a PPV that exceeded people's expectations quite a bit. There was only one title change, but that was the only one that was really expected. Unless there was going to be a Brock Lesnar cash-in, people knew that the World titles certainly weren't going to change hands.

We did have a fair share of mistakes as well, but when a show is so good, there really isn't much to criticize. It's easy to forget that Money in the Bank was just a month ago and that was easily the best PPV of 2019.

With new rivalries teased, a fresh direction for certain feuds and more, what WWE Stomping Grounds 2019 achieved was the fact that it got fans all excited about the product again. It's going to make fans tune into RAW tomorrow despite the lack of "big" things happening in the main event.

Here are a few things you may have missed from the PPV.

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#5 The seeds planted for Alexa Bliss vs Nikki Cross

A frustrating night for Bliss

In the latest WWE NEWS, Alexa Bliss failed in her attempt to become a 3-time SmackDown Women's Champion. Nikki Cross got involved after Bayley accidentally hit a suicide dive on her. Cross distracted the referee and indirectly allowed Bayley to land the Bayley-to-Belly on Bliss, effectively getting her revenge from two years ago.

It goes without saying that when an alliance is formed in WWE, it's done with the purpose of an eventual feud down the line. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross have been involved over the last month or so and their alliance has certainly been an interesting one. It seems as though this was the seed being planted for an eventual feud between the two. It may be the one that brings back the psychotic version of Cross, while Bliss turns babyface.

#4 Shane McMahon and the referee botch

Shane McMahon botched it

The Roman Reigns-Drew McIntyre match was very odd in the sense that McIntyre was just a side character despite being in the match. It was clear based on the build, the promo and the match itself that the "bigger" feud is between Roman Reigns and Shane McMahon.

And while the match made it quite clear that the Reigns-McMahon rivalry will continue later on (including a handicap match on RAW), what was interestingly missed was the referee botch with Shane McMahon.

The referee was about to hit a 3-count and Shane McMahon was supposed to pull his legs from outside the ring, a spot that we've seen a countless number of times. However, McMahon botched the pull and the referee's legs got tangled up. Not only did McMahon fall but the referee seemingly took a bad bump on the knee as well. That certainly must not have been fun.

#3 Daniel Bryan gets cheered after a long time

A great night for Daniel Bryan

Despite being SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Daniel Bryan and Rowan haven't really done all too much on SmackDown or RAW. They found their first challengers in Heavy Machinery and it turned out to be a good opportunity for the young up-and-comers.

However, what was interesting to see was the fact that Daniel Bryan got cheered for the first time in a very long time. We always spoke about how brilliant a heel Daniel Bryan is that he managed to get booed so heavily despite being the most popular babyface of this decade.

It worked perfectly with Kofi Kingston because the latter was the ideal babyface challenger to Bryan's antagonist character. However, on the night, Tacoma showed no love to the babyfaces and cheered Bryan heavily. It was a fun turn of events. Hopefully, Heavy Machinery won't be punished the way EC3 was.

#2 The backstage reaction to Ricochet

Triple H looked like a proud father

Ricochet felt like the biggest superstar in WWE during Stomping Grounds 2019. After he defeated Samoa Joe for the United States championship, he was shown in gorilla position and he received a huge ovation backstage.

The likes of Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Heavy Machinery and more were all out to give him an ovation and Triple H even gave him the proud "NXT dad" hug. Usually, we see these clips on WWE 24 or on social media, but we never see it on-screen like this.

The way he was treated (including the great reaction he got when he won) made it seem like WWE is really planning on pushing him big time. They realize that they have an extremely marketable star in Ricochet and not every superstar gets the kind of treatment that he got. WWE clearly has big plans for him and that was shown when he was received backstage.

#1 Kofi Kingston wins his first-ever steel cage match

Another great title defense for Kofi Kingston

We truly believe that Kofi Kingston vs Dolph Ziggler was the most underrated match on the night. While it didn't get the reaction that it should have, that needs to be blamed on the placement of the match rather than the match itself.

It was placed second to last - a spot where fans are guaranteed to be burned out. Despite the great match and great finish, fans didn't fully get into it live. Either way, it marked a huge victory for Kofi Kingston - not only because it was another successful WWE title defense, but it was also the first steel cage match that he ever won.

Granted, he's only had one steel cage match before against The Big Show in 2012, but it was still an interesting fact to note. WWE made it clear to mention that he had never won a steel cage match prior to this.