FULL WWE BATTLEGROUND PPV BLOG !

As the pre-show started, it was dinner time. The panel was Renee Young, Booker T, Christian and Alex Riley. Renee made Josh Mathews expendable, kind of hard to argue with that decision. They went right to Fandango vs. Adam Rose. I heard that Rose won from the dinner table. Cameron also beat Naomi. I tried to get the pre-game show on my cable (Comcast) but it was an "unless you bought it, you don't see it" deal, so I missed both. Oh well. The show is opening with the best of three falls Tag Title match with the Usos defending against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. The visual when the Wyatts came out was cool.
The match started with both teams getting stuff in early. They didn't go to the quick first fall scenario. I liked that. Oops, I spoke too fast, Harper just pinned Jimmy. Wyatts are up 1-0. The announcers are selling that it will take a miracle for the Usos to win.
Jey is still down so Jimmy is fighting for his life. The Wyatts got some near falls on him. ... I love the Wyatts. Harper is such a good worker, and believable. The fans are cheering for him. He and Rowan are destroying Jimmy. Well, until he rolled up Harper out of nowhere. I am not loving how that happened, but the work has been really good. I hope fall three takes some time. We are 16 minutes in right now.
The third fall started with the Wyatts in control. ... Then Jimmy went nuts with big spots, first taking out Rowan and then Harper. A splash from the top got a two on Harper. Then he hit an enzigiri on Harber and followed with dad's big butt in the corner, but Harper came back briefly. Then Harper tossed Jimmy to the floor and went for the tope. Jimmy didn't get all the way up so Luke adjusted and used his hands to nail Jimmy. Cool improvisation. ... Jey came out of nowhere and kicked Harper who then kicked out of a roll up. Harper nailed Jimmy and got a two. After a lot of stuff, Jey hit the splash from the top on Rowan but only got a two. The crowd was chanting this is awesome and they are right. Great stuff. Jey went back up but Harper stopped him, allowing Rowan to go to work on him while he was up top. Jimmy tagged as both were on the second rope but Rowad double suplexed them! Jimmy (I think) kicked out. This stuff is great. ... Rowan sold the superplex and tagged Harper. Jey came in to help his brother. They traded superkicks, and then Harper nailed the clothesline but Jimmy saved the fall. ... The Usos went up to the top together and did a double splash on Harper for the three. Usos retained. The crowd was a little deflated by the finish (they were rooting for the Wyatts) but it was a great match. This feud better not be over. These guys kill it together. In the old days they would work together for a while. I hope WWE has some old days in them. I can watch these guys go all day. Great opener.
Before his match with Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins referred to his opponent as a cockroach. And answering Dean's question from Raw, NO, that is not all Seth has. This better be as good as I think it will be. Oh yeah, after Seth beats Ambrose he will watch the Title match because me just might......get his ass kicked now. Ambrose attacks! The game is on! Well, at least until Triple H came in and told security to get Ambrose out, saying he won't screw this up. The Ambrose-Rollins match is off. This better be the storyline bit that it feels like it is.
Paige vs. AJ is up next.
They were selling the frenemy bit from the start. Paige broke on the ropes with a smile right away. The fans chanted CM Punk while the announcers went into sell the Network mode to the minority that actually bought this on PPV in the US. ... One thing I love about Paige is that she is as pasty white as I am. Tans are overrated. ... Lawler and JBL are mocking Cole for believing they are BFFs. Lawler just mentioned a text from JR. Bizarro. ... Paige was in control early, even pleading for AJ to "come on", as in bring you A game. ... Paige got a two with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb from the top that looked less than pleasant for AJ. The crowd was quiet at times and split at others. ... Out of nowhere AJ locked in the Black Widow. Paige refused to tap, and then powered out. She hit a Paige Turner for a two. They traded spots until AJ got the pin with the Shining Wizard. As she left, Paige clapped slowly for AJ, getting the announcers to wonder if they are still friends. ... They both worked hard and it should have been better received by the crowd. But, WWE hasn't presented the women the way that they should. T and A is fine but if they just add some steak to the sizzle the ladies that can work can be a vital part of the company again. I hope it happens.
In the back, Randy Orton was searching for Kane. He found him. Kane said he is making a mistake looking for him. Orton told him he was sorry for Monday. Are you sorry too? No says Kane. Orton is OK with that. We need to work together so that Roman and Cena don't walk away with the Titles. Kane says no problem, the winner is standing right here, and he didn't mean Randy!
They threw it to the pre-show panel. Christian got a chant. Renee asked for predictions. They did this earlier. Alex Riley said it's Roman Reigns' time. Christian picked reigns too. Booker picked Orton. Renee then threw us back to the Rusev-Swagger Detente segment from Raw. Rusev came out first. He is from Russia. Given what is going on in the Ukraine I hope they don't mention Vladimir Putin. Lana has the mic, let's see if Vince will do it. ... Fans chant against them, Lana says shut up. Jesus, she said that you blame Russia for recent events and brings up US war mongering in Afghanistan and Iraq. She said we should be ashamed for the US jamming democracy down everyone's throats. We are leaderless. Our president is a wuss. And their leader is Putin. I hope this doesn't have A "we have to move WrestleMania into a smaller building" feeling in the end. She said that Rusev will kill Jack Swagger. Since they used Putin, the finish will be interesting here, considering that the guy is tied to the murder of almost 300 innocent people. ... Zeb came out and called Lana "Natasha" and she slapped him. Swagger attacked Rusev, who bailed to the floor. It's on.


Swagger was in control early, as the fans chanted "USA" but Rusev came right back. And he dominated the early part of the match. ... We were told that HHH just tweeted that Dean Ambrose will not be returning at tonight's Battleground PPV. That better, and should, mean that he will.
Finally, Jack got fired up and made him comeback.
The crowd is behind Swagger. He got a two with the Swagger Bomb. And then a two with a slam. It's getting competitive. ... Rusev hit a kick and Zeb got the fans to chant USA. Rusev went for the big kick but Swagger caught him and put on the Patriot Lock. Rusev almost got to the ropes but Swagger pulled him back. Rusev tried again and got to the ropes. Swagger broke the hold and Rusev went to the floor. Swagger went right after him and put the Lock on while they were down on the floor. Somehow, Rusev powered him into the ring post as the count was at six. Rusev got back into the ring at 9 to win by countout, selling the leg. ... This felt like a first match in a feud. It was solid and very storyline driven. ... While Swagger was out on the floor, Lana sicced Rusev on him and he dragged him back in the ring and put on The Accolade. Yep, this is the beginning of a feud. If WWE really wants to make Swagger, they could definitely do it with a big win down the road on Rusev. ... Good match.
They continued the Cosmic Key stuff they are doing with the Rhodes brothers. They did a promo and the fans popped for it.
Seth Rollins then came out for his match, which wasn't going to happen, with Dean Ambrose. If Ambrose doesn't appear, how will the crowd react? ... They showed us HHH's tweet as the fans chanted to Rollins that he sold out. Rollins said that since Ambrose got himself ejected from the building, he was there to accept his victory via forfeit. He wants to be announced as winner and have his hand raised. They announced him as the winner. But you know better than that! Crazy brawl time as Ambrose attacked Rollins as he left. Triple H was pissed and finally came out and had security take Ambrose away, but Rollins attacked him as they did it. Twice! Finally, told him to go to the back. Rollins said he was the winner and did. ... If I paid 50 bucks for this, I would be pissed that I didn't get the match but I didn't so I am fine with them using this as a way to continue the feud. It was good in that vein.
Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt is up next.
Bray was out first. Lots of lights in the crowd. Rowan and Harper are with him. The eye still looks fugly. ... The crowd was chanting for Jericho, well here he comes. ... Bray was in control early but then Jericho came back. Well, until Bray creamed him with a clothesline. The crowd is kind of quiet, which sucks in my opinion. Then a "Let's Go Wyatt" chant got countered with "Y2J". ... The story early is that the family is there for Bray. ... Jericho came back and tossed Bray to the floor and then did a splash off of the top on all three of them. ... He threw Wyatt in the ring and as he went in behind him, Harper grabbed his leg. Mike Chioda then tossed Rowan and Harper from ringside. Bray sold it like he was scared, then quickly dusted Jericho off of the apron and went to work on him down on the floor.
Back in the ring, Wyatt used a knee to the gut for a two but then Y2J got his knees up when Wyatt went for a senton splash. He got a two with a kick to the head and then dropped a knee on Wyatt's head. Jericho went to the top but Wyatt met him. They fought as they stood on the second rope until Jericho pushed him off. Wyatt came back and dumped him down and got a two. He played to the crowd and got a decent face pop. Jericho hit a running bulldog but as he went for the Lionsault, Wyatt got the knees up. Bray did the upside down walk bit and then hit a chokeslam. He asked Jericho how much he could take. Then he did a running splash in the corner. He tried it again but Jericho fired back by taking out Wyatt's knee. ... Wyatt nailed Jericho's head on the apron and almost got a three. ... Bray went for Sister Abigail but Jericho countered by trying for the Walls. He didn't get it and Wyatt nailed him with a running double chop to the throat from a two. Then Jericho his the Codebreaker out of nowhere for the pin. Yes, you read that correctly. Wyatt is now on a losing streak. The loss to John Cena last month looks even worse to me now. Don't get me wrong, I love Jericho and all but he is old and Bray is young, I don't see how this helps WWE going forward. ... As for the match itself, it was definitely solid. The fans weren't really into it, probably because they felt it was an enhancement match. If so, well they were wrong.
Seth Rollins was getting help out of the building by security. Why, I ask, since he is supposed to be plan B. How can he win the WWE Title from the hotel? Anyway, as he was about to get to his car Dean Ambrose popped out of the trunk of his car. They brawled briefly before Rollins got in the car and left.
So, we just had a situation where an up and comer lost to a part timer, and an up and comer who was ready to pick the carcass of a vulnerable champion chose to leave the building instead. I guess they are setting up for Brock Lesnar's return. Even at that, I don't get either of those moves. 


The Battle Royal for the IC Title is up now. The entrants are being announced.
Unofficially, it sounded like Sheamus got the biggest pop. Then Bad News came out to address them. Much like people that retire in Florida, it's great until you die. And that means he will Bullhammer your ass when he comes back and take his Title.
They all went after Khali at the start and he powered out. Khali was gone pretty quickly, after X Woods and before Sin Cara. ... They have Damien Sandow dressed as an old person from Florida with garters on his socks. I swear, I am not lying. ... R-Truth got tossed. Axel too. Then Sandow and his garter. That poor dude. See ya Diego. ... Sheamus faced off with Ryback and he got a Brogue to the floor. ... Miz is hiding and attacked Sheamus. It didn't work so he is hiding again on the floor. Bo dumbed Titus, but then got nailed by Cesaro. Kofi almost dusted Cesaro but then got backdropped. Guess what Kofi did? Yes, cheated death yet again. ... ADR had Zig but he got out of the way and then eliminated ADR. Miz is back and tried to get rid of Zig. It didn't work so Miz hit the floor again. Cesaro eliminated Big E. He threw Kofi out but he landed on Big E. That is two Kofi saves. Finally Cesaro drops him and then, out of nowhere gets tossed by Heath Slater (you read that right) who then got dumped by Sheamus. Bo tried to dump Sheamus but it didn't work. Sheamus pounded his chest and then Ziggler ot him off of the apron. It came down to Sheamus and Zig (unless you remembner Miz is still legal, which apparently the announcers don't). Zig and Sheamus went back and forth until Ziggler eliminated him. Guess what happened next? Yep, Miz came out of nowhere and eliminated Ziggler. Yep. He is your new IC champion tha only the announcers forgot about. Oh wait, JBL just said he knew it all along and didn't want to say anything.
Main Event time. I hope they can bring my mood back. This show started really, really well. Since then, ugh (and it's all because of the booking).
Randy Orton came out first. He is JBL's pick. Kane is next. Then Roman. Good pop as he came out of the crowd. And finally, the champ. He got his standard reaction.
Main Event time. I hope they can bring my mood back. This show started really, really well. Since then, ugh (and it's all because of the booking).
Randy Orton came out first. He is JBL's pick. Kane is next. Then Roman. Good pop as he came out of the crowd. And finally, the champ.
They announced them. Orton, decent pop. Kane, almost none. Reigns, babyface. Cena, a Cena pop but more good than bad.
Cena was tossed out early which left Kane and Orton to work on Reigns. Then they tossed Reigns and went to work on Cena. The story is Kane and Orton are working together. ... When it was Reigns' turn to come in and get beat up, Kane went for a cover. That made Orton mad and the went after each other. Cena and Reigns used it to go after the heels. They took them off which let Roman and Cena face off. But then Kane popped up, so the worked together on him again. But that allowed Orton to take out Reigns from behind, and then Cena. Then it was Orton against Kane. They were selling that Triple H was going nuts about this.
After every man for himself mode, it ended up with Cena and Reigns. Cena was in oversell mode, which is OK in this case. Reigns hit the Samoan Drop and went for the Superman Punch but Superman himself countered. As Cena went for the Five Knuckle, he ran into the Superman punch. Reigns hit the Spear and had him but Kane broke it up. ... Roman then went to work on Kane, but also nailed Cena and Orton for good measure. He then speared Orton through the barricade and the fans chanted This Is Awesome. Reigns got back in the ring and went for Kane, but met a chokeslam. Reigns powered out and hit a spear. Cena broke it up. Cena went for Kane's carcass but Reigns stopped him twice. Then Cena stopped him from doing it again. Cena hit the AA on Reigns but Kane made the save. Then Kane his a chokeslam on Roman for a two. Kane did a throat slash and went for the tombstone but Reigns countered with a Spear for a two. Orton broke it up. Then Cena came in and picked Kane's butt and retained the Title. The work was really good. The finish was what it was.
And then Brock Lesnar......didn't appear. But there will be a Battleground Post Game show, unlike after Money In The Bank.
I will probably do a hotline tomorrow. I can't say for sure. I don't know if I see the point honestly. The opener was great. I loved it. And then, things trended down. All of the younger talent I wanted to see elevated before the main event? Nope. Cesaro? Nope. Wyatt? Nope. But hey, those young kids Chris Jericho and The Miz went over. And so did "three men are nothing to me" Cena. If I paid PPV prices for this, I would be ticked.
On the post game show, John Cena just said that is was a Battleground of change. He really did. Oh and the post show just ended, at 10:58 ET. Not much of a show!
On the plus side, I had no problems with the feed, unlike others I have heard from.