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Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our live review of WWE Battleground! We’re live from the Niagara Center in New York, and we’re all set for the pre – show match between Ziggler and Sandow!
Pre – show match: Dolph Ziggler vs Damien Sandow
Sandow came out first and cut a promo about beating Ziggler. He then said he would cash in his brief case soon, and might even do it tonight. He said he’d become a model champion, and that brought out “The show off” Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler and Sandow traded blows to start things off. Sandow gained the upper hand and traded pin attempts. He then started working on Ziggler’s back and grounded him to the mat. Ziggler tried to make a comeback but Sandow stopped him in his tracks. He delivered the Elbow of Disdain for a 2 count. Sandow came off the top rope but Ziggler delivered a drop kick in mid air! Ziggler made a comeback with a neckbreaker. Sandow countered Ziggler’s attempt of a leg drop. Sandow hurt his knee in the process and Ziggler seized the opportunity and dropped him with the Zig Zag for the 3 count!
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Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: **
Analysis: That was a good opening bout, and my prediction was right. Sandow lost the bout clean, and if rumours are to be believed, he will cash in his money in the bank contract tonight! Ziggler needs to get back to the main event scene, and hopefully his road to recovery begins tonight. Main – show: The first match was between RVD and Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight championship.
Rob Van Dam (With Ricardo) vs Alberto Del Rio in a Hardcore match for the World Heavyweight championship
ADR went on the offense early, and went out to search for a weapon, only for RVD to drop him. RVD hit a moonsault off the barricade as the Buffalo fans popped for him. RVD dropped ADR with a DDT on the steel chair for a nearfall! Del Rio came back with a backstabber for a 2 count. Del Rio hit a couple of chair shots for yet another near fall as the Buffalo fans started an “RVD” chant. Del Rio delivered a big boot to the side of Van Dam’s face. RVD made a comeback and brought in a ladder. RVD came down with a thrust kick from the top rope, and whipped ADR onto the ladder in the corner to send ADR to the outside.
RVD missed a monkey flip and ADR came back with a huge enziguri to the back of the head for a nearfall. ADR brought in a trash can and landed some stiff shots to the back of RVD. ADR tried to hit RVD with the can from the top rope, but RVD countered with a drop kick in mid air! RVD came back with a couple of clotheslines and delivered a split legged moonsault with ADR on the ladder for a 2 count! The crowd started a “This is awesome” chant, as RVD went for a rolling thunder on the ladder but ADR moved, resulting in RVD crashing onto the ladder. ADR locked in the cross arm breaker, but Ricardo came in and hit ADR with his sweat bucket! Ricardo landed a couple of more shots before ADR shoved Ricardo into the barricade. RVD threw a ladder onto ADR and delivered a frog splash from the apron! RVD went top the top for the Van Terminator, but ADR moved out of the way! Del Rio side stepped RVD on to a chair and folded it around his arm, going for the cross arm breaker. RVD tapped out at the 20 minute mark to give ADR the victory.
Winner and still the World Heavyweight champion: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: *** ½
Analysis: That was a fantastic way to kick things off. ADR and RVD once again put on a phenomenal match for the World title, and ADR managed to beat RVD cleanly. Although I predicted RVD to pick up the win, ADR defied the odds once again. Sandow didn’t cash in his contract, which was disappointing.
Zeb cut a promo backstage about Canadians and Mexicans being present in Buffalo. He then laid a challenge to Santino and Khali and ended the promo by saying “We the people”.
Santino and Khali then came out for their tag team match against The Real Americans.
The Real Americans (With Zeb) vs Santino and Khali (With Hornswoggle)
Santino and Swagger started things off, with Swagger over powering Santino. Swagger locked in the side headlock and dropped Santino with a shoulder block. The crowd started a “We the people” chant, which was awesome. Santino scooped Swagger and brought out the Cobra. He dropped Swagger with a hip toss, but Swagger rolled out of the ring. Hornswoggle brought out his own little Cobra, but Swagger ripped it off. Back in the ring, The Real Americans isolated Santino and worked on him. Jack dropped him with a Swagger bomb as Antonio came down with a double foot stomp! Swagger came in and clotheslined Santino for a 2 count. Santino dropped Swagger and made the hot tag to Khali. Khali clotheslined Antonio and delivered some chops and right hands in the corner. He dropped Antonio with a huge chop, but Swagger broke the count. Santino threw Swagger out and delivered a cross body from the top rope. In the ring, Cesaro whipped Khali around in the giant swing for nearly 20 seconds before pinning him!
Winner (s): The Real Americans
Rating: **
Analysis: Let’s take a minute out to say ‘Wow’! Cesaro is possibly the strongest athlete in the WWE, and he turned Khali around in the giant swing! The match was nothing special, but the finish was amazing. Cesaro deserves a main event push, and I hope WWE realizes that soon. Time for the Intercontinental championship bout.
Curtis Axel (With Heyman) vs R – Truth for the WWE Intercontinental championship
Truth mounted offense on Axel in the early going, and went for the 10 open fist shots for a nearfall. He threw Axel out and came down with a running clothesline from the top of the apron. Axel gained the upper hand and drove Truth back first into the barricade. Axel took control over the bout and dropped Truth with a picture perfect drop kick for a 2 count. Axel locked in the side headlock, but Truth came back with a spinning heel kick! Truth rolled Axel up for a close count and then delivered the Axe kick for a 2 count! Truth then planted Axel face first for yet another nearfall. Axel planted Truth headfirst on the top turnbuckle and hit the swinging spike DDT to pick up the victory after the 10 minute mark.
Winner and still the WWE Intercontinental champion: Curtis Axel
Rating: **
Analysis: That was a decent match, but the crowd wasn’t interested in the bout. Who could blame them? The IC title has become a joke, and no one cares about the title or the champion anymore. Anyway, Axel retained the title which was the right thing to do.
Brie Bella (With Nikki) vs AJ Lee (With Tamina) for the WWE Divas title
Brie went right after AJ, but Tamina came in between. Brie started off strong and came down with a drop kick from the second rope for a 2 count. AJ sent Brie crashing into the steel post resulting in a near fall. AJ started working on Brie’s left arm and locked in a modified armbreaker. Brie tried to counter, but AJ reversed and planted her shoulder first into the mat. AJ missed a splash in the corner, but got back on the offense. AJ wasted too much time, resulting in Brie coming back with a drop kick. Brie delivered a couple of dropkicks to pick up a nearfall. Tamina distracted Brie by choking Nikki, and this allowed AJ to roll Brie up with her tights to pick up the victory!
Winner and still the WWE Divas champion: AJ Lee
Rating: * ½
Analysis: That wasn’t as bad as I expected. AJ picked up the victory, which wasn’t what I expected. Either way, AJ Lee retaining the championship can only be a good thing. WWE aired a video package about the recent McMahon – Rhodes family drama. A great job done by the WWE team as always.
Backstage, Renee interviewed the Rhodes family. Dusty, Goldust and Cody took turns in speaking their minds. A great segment by the trio.
The Shield (With Ambrose) vs Goldust and Cody Rhodes (With Dusty)
The stipulation for the match was that if the Rhodes won, Cody and Goldust would be offered jobs in the WWE and if The Shield won, Dusty Rhodes would be fired like both his sons. Cody and Rollins started things off as Cody went on the offense. Goldust came in and mounted offense on Rollins. Rollins was sent to the outside as The Shield tried to regroup. Back in the ring, Goldust and Cody worked on Reigns, but Reigns came back and tagged in Rollins. The Buffalo crowd started a “Cody” chant as Cody stomped away on Rollins in the corner. Rollins threw Cody headfirst on to the turnbuckle and tagged in Reigns. Reigns manhandled Cody and tagged Rollins back in. Cody tried to make a comeback, but Rollins stopped him in his tracks. Cody delivered a huge moonsault from the top rope and tagged in Goldust! Goldust mounted offense on Reigns and came down with a beautiful cross body from the top rope for a nearfall. Goldust was then sent crashing on the outside as the momentum shifted back in The Shield’s favour.
Rollins and Reigns worked on Goldust in the corner and Reigns hit a huge clothesline for a nearfall. Rollins tagged himself in and came down with a lariat for a nearfall. Rollins slowed down the pace with a chinlock, but Goldust dropped Rollins with a powerslam! Goldust then delivered the hot tag to Cody and Cody delivered a spinning Alabama Slam for a great nearfall! Cody then delivered a muscle buster for yet another 2 count as Reigns made the save. Cody then hit the disaster kick on Reigns, but Rollins came back from behind. Dusty hit Dean with the belt and the elbow on the outside, while Goldust took care of Roman Reigns. In the ring, Cody hit the Cross Rhodes on Seth Rollins to pick up the victory for his family as the crowd erupted!
Winner (s): The Rhodes brothers
Rating: ***
Analysis: That was an outstanding tag team match, and the crowd was into whatever the guys were doing. The match involved great psychology, and the ending was picture perfect. The crowd absolutely loved everything the Rhodes brothers did, and this would mean we will get to see Goldust and Cody on WWE TV again, which can be nothing but good. Post match, various superstars came out to greet and congratulate the Rhodes family.
Backstage, Brad Maddox was on the phone with what looked like the McMahons. Brad asked for Vickie’s help, and she laughed it off.
Kofi Kingston vs Bray Wyatt (With Luke and Erick)
Kofi started off the match by delivering some kicks to Wyatt, but Bray Wyatt dropped Kofi with a sick sadistic smile. Kofi tried to make a comeback, but Wyatt stopped him in his tracks as the Buffalo crowd started Fandango – ing. Wyatt dropped Kofi with a clothesline and locked him in the abdominal stretch. Kofi tried to fight back, but Wyatt dropped him for a nearfall. Kofi reversed a belly to back drop and splashed Wyatt for a 1 count. Wyatt quickly turned the tables and locked in the rear naked chinlock. Kofi tried to get his offense in, but Wyatt dropped him with a running shoulder to the gut. Kofi hit a running moonsault over the top rope on the three members of the Wyatt family! Kofi went for the cross body and managed to get a nearfall. Kofi went for the SOS but Wyatt reversed it into Sister Abigail to pick up the victory after the 10 minute mark.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Rating: ** ½
Post match, Erick delivered a huge back breaker and sent Kofi crashing into a meathook clothesline from Luke. Bray Wyatt then cut a promo about following the buzzards. Analysis: That was a decent 10 minute match, and at one point, Wyatt did the “Spider walk” which was phenomenal! The crowd loved the bout and the ending made perfect sense. Kofi got his offense in as well, and the ending didn’t hurt him either. A well booked match which saw Bray Wyatt claiming yet another victim.
WWE aired a video package for the Punk – Ryback match, and like always, they did a great job with it.
Ryback (With Heyman) vs CM Punk
Ryback made his way out first along with Heyman. The crowd erupted when Punk’s music hit, as the Second City Saint made his way out to a huge ovation. Ryback and Punk locked up to begin the bout as Ryback over powered Punk. Loud “Goldberg” chants by the Buffalo crowd. The crowd started chanting for Punk as he took Ryback down with stiff kicks. Ryback went to the outside to recuperate, but Punk came back with a suicide dive. Punk drove Ryback into the steel post and managed to get a 2 count. Ryback turned the tables and drove Punk into the turnbuckles. The crowd started a “You can’t wrestle” chant, to which Ryback responded by saying “I know that”. That was funny. Back in the ring, Ryback drove Punk back first into the ring post. Ryback delivered a huge belly to belly throw and whipped Punk into the corner. Ryback continued his assault on Punk with elbow drops as Heyman laughed sadistically at ringside. Ryback hung Punk over the top rope and started working on Punk’s torso. Ryback drove his shoulder into Punk’s gut in the corner and picked up a 2 count. Ryback locked in a rear naked chinlock on Punk, but Punk fought back with elbows to the side of Ryback’s face. Punk took control over the match and delivered some stiff kicks to the side of Ryback, and caught him with a side heel kick. Punk dropped Ryback with a swinging neckbreaker and signaled for the GTS. Heyman distracted Punk by announcing on the mic that he was the best in the world. Ryback capitalized and delivered a powerbomb for a 2 count. Ryback went for another powerbomb, but Punk caught him with a big boot. Punk hit the high running knee in the corner and came down with the big elbow drop for a 2 count! Punk hit a couple of high knees and countered a powerbomb into a Hurricanrana. Ryback reversed a GTS attempt into a powerslam for a nearfall. Heyman tried to hit Punk with a kendo stick but the referee caught him, and this allowed Punk to deliver a lower blow to Ryback and pick up the victory after the 17 minute mark!
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ** ¾
Analysis: As I predicted, Punk picked up the victory over Ryback, and that was the right way to go. Punk came into the PPV banged up, so he somehow managed to put on a good match with Ryback. This will likely lead to the final blow off angle at the next PPV between Punk and Heyman, after which Punk can get back into the main event scene. WWE aired a video package for the main event match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, looking back at the atrocities committed against Daniel Bryan.
Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
There were some technical problems which stalled the main event bout. Orton made his way out first, followed by Daniel Bryan. Bryan started things off with a side headlock and Orton reversed it into a side headlock of his own. Bryan dropped Orton with a drop kick and started working on his left arm. Orton countered with a variation of a back breaker and started working on Bryan’s arm. Bryan came back with a knee to the gut and started working on Orton’s knee. Bryan was crotched over the top rope and Orton brought him down with a clothesline for a 2 count. Bryan tried to fight Orton off, but Orton reversed it into a powerslam for a 2 count.
Midway into the bout, Bryan and Orton traded uppercuts as the crowd started the dueling “Yes” and “No” chants. Bryan finally won the contest and caught Orton in backslide pinning predicament, but Orton kicked out. Bryan then delivered the shining wizard heel kick for a nearfall! Orton managed to shift the momentum in his favour by suplexing Bryan to the outside! Orton then tried to powerbomb Bryan through the Spanish announce table, but Bryan countered with stiff kicks and threw Orton into the steel steps! Bryan then flew on top of Orton with a huge cross body on the outside from the top turnbuckle, and rolled Orton inside the ring. Bryan connected with the swandive head butt for a 2 count! Bryan connected with a couple of running dropkicks in the corner and ended the sequence with a jumping baseball slide! The crowd erupted with a “Yes” chant as Bryan connected with some stiff kicks to Orton’s torso, but Orton caught him in the end with a huge underhook belly to back suplex, throwing Bryan nearly out of the ring!
Orton seized the opportunity with his patented double hook DDT from the second rope and signaled for the RKO! Bryan countered the maneuver into the LaBelle lock and trapped Orton in the middle of the ring! Just as it looked like Orton was about to tap out, The Big Show ran down and took out the referee! Show then knocked out Daniel Bryan as the capacity crowd started a “You sold out” chant! Maddox then appeared at the entrance and brought out Scott Armstrong, the same referee who was “fired” by Triple H! As Orton slithered in and covered an unconscious Bryan, the referee started the count, but was pulled out of the ring by Show who knocked him out! Orton and Maddox looked puzzled as Show entered the ring. Orton started verbally bashing Show and shoved him, which resulted in Show knocking Orton out! Show vented his anger as Maddox looked on in disbelief from the top of the entrance ramp. The show faded with Show staring Maddox down, posing on the turnbuckles as Bryan and Orton lay unconscious in the ring!
Winner: No Contest
Rating: *** ½
Analysis: That was the ending which was circulating on the internet since yesterday. The next PPV will likely be the blow off match between Orton and Bryan, and will then lead to a program between Randy Orton and The Big Show. The main event lived up to the expectations, but yet another indecisive finish will likely hamper the quality of the show.
Over – all rating of the show: *** (Out of 5 stars)
That was a decent PPV, but the ending watered down the quality of the event. The PPV had two to three solid matches, with the World Heavyweight championship match, the Rhodes – Shield bout and the WWE title match delivering the goods. I would’ve liked it better if WWE came out with a decisive winner, but that will likely happen at the next PPV. Anyway, that does it for the live review. Join us tomorrow as we look at the fall out of WWE Battleground on Monday Night RAW!
