Three wrestlers, two promotions and one common goal. After WWE held it’s Draft on Tuesday night, wrestling fans got a better feel for how the rest of 2016 will shape up. The last thing this company needs is a dud of a Battleground pay-per-view on the heels of the most important event in recent memory.
While there is a chance the two mid card title matches might fail to deliver, the main event – featuring Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns – has to be “WrestleMania” quality and have to send a message about the dawn of a new chapter in WWE history.
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We know both Ambrose, the current company champion, and Rollins, the man who should still be champion, can deliver. The X-factor in all of this is Reigns, who has been on hiatus because of suspension.
WWE’s Draft made wrestling matter once again, but it did not answer some of the questions still left at the feet of both Stephanie and Shane McMahon. Can Battleground set the stage for a very exciting SummerSlam?
Let’s all hope so.
Because of this new “era” and given the fact there must be a “wow” factor heading toward the second most important pay-per-view on WWE’s calendar, expect there to be a few curveballs we don’t see coming.
What would WWE be without the element of surprise or suspended animation? Here are five twists that could happen on Sunday night.
Roman Reigns wins WWE’s World Title
The 30 days away from the ring may have done the former company champion some good. How the creative team plans to rebuilt his character is unknown. Reigns lost valuable promotion time while he was serving his suspension.
In the meantime, Ambrose and Rollins tore up the squared-circle and made us all remember why we love this business.
Can Reigns, even with a crowd that has been clearly against him, beat both of his former brothers in crime and become the face of the company Vince McMahon has wanted all along?
Winning the title would certainly be a shocker, but winning it as a heel champion wouldn’t surprise any of us.
Because he was drafted to Smackdown, there is no way Ambrose can retain this title. Since Raw is still the lead show despite moving Smackdown to Tuesdays, he doesn’t have the stroke to remain the face of the company.
Finn Balor moves up to the main roster
This is an inevitable move, especially since he was a top 5 selection by Raw on Tuesday night. Everyone awaits Balor’s appearance, but how he makes himself known on the main roster could be shown to all of us on Sunday night.
I suspect it will have something to do with the AJ Styles and the six-man tag match between The Club and John Cena and Enzo and Cass.
Do consider this scenario.
The Club is beating the hell out of Cena with Enzo and Cass on the outside. Balor comes out from the back and begins to pummel Cena with his former friends from Japan. In a swerve move, Balor – with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson – turn on Styles and walk out of the arena together.
The move makes sense since Styles moves to Smackdown after Sunday and The Club will need a new leader of the band. Styles once again becomes a babyface.
Brock Lesnar confronts Randy Orton
Orton will make his triumphant return to WWE on the Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho. We all know what an antagonist Jericho is and how he can manipulate the best in the business. But that’s what Orton should expect.
As with anyone coming back from injury, Orton takes the opportunity to firmly establish his dominance again with the fans and spins a great yarn about how he will take down The Beast. Then out from the back, fans hear Lesnar’s music, and the baddest man on the planet moves toward the ring to confront Orton.
The move is brilliant, as both men start their road to SummerSlam in grand style and promote their match as one of unfinished business.
The only thing missing is Paul Heyman, who won’t be by Lesnar’s side. And the only thing wrong with this picture is the fact that neither Lesnar nor Orton are stellar in promos. Let’s hope the match and buildup can make us all forget that while we long for Heyman’s brilliance.
The division of The New Day
While we wonder what will happen once The Wyatt Family becomes a faded memory after Sunday night, what if the confrontation with The New Day leads to a division of the World Tag Team Champions?
The current script is perfect for separation of the best tag team to come along in some time. While it would seem Xavier Woods is the logical candidate for the “jump”, I don’t think it is as defined as it looks.
What would happen if Kofi Kingston was the one who was brought over to the dark side? What if losing the match causes dissension in the ranks?
This is a solid angle that will immediately lose steam once the pay-per-view ends. Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman are set to move on. Wyatt will either add new members to his family or take a shot at a singles career.
Bayley is Sasha Banks’ tag team partner
Not like we don’t see this one coming a mile away. There is a lot of bad blood between Banks and the current WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte. Of course, WWE does not want these two to meet for the title until SummerSlam, so a tag team match is the only thing that makes sense.
We all know Charlotte will have Dana Brooke in her corner, but Banks is still without a partner. The fact Bayley wasn’t drafted on Tuesday night left us all wondering why and when the babyface will make her WWE debut.
You know it’s coming, and like every other fan, you are as excited as you can be about it.
Bayley is WWE’s closest thing to a female version of John Cena. She adds a great dimension to the Women’s Division. On a night where plenty of surprises are needed, this “known” secret is well worth it.
