The main event match is Daniel Bryan v Randy Orton for
the vacant WWE championship. Technically this will be the third PPV in a row
where they've faced each other but the first, at SummerSlam, was more angle
than match. However you look at it we're well into Bryan versus Orton as a
feud. The matches and the majority of their interactions have been very good.
Crowds have bought into 'The Viper's' heel turn and continued to back 'The
Dazzler'. Which is exactly what WWE wanted.
There's been a definite pattern to the programme so far.
While Bryan's championship victory at Night of Champions disrupted the standard
formula and came as a surprise the weekly stuff has been more predictable.
Bryan has found himself beaten down by 'The Apex Predator' and-or The Shield and-or
Big Show but refused to give in. It's a fine, effective approach but I can't
help but think WWE are going to need to do something new with all parties after
Battleground. The method will have run its course.
This probably won't be an issue. While Bryan and Orton
could easily do another pay-per-view match or two before people are sick of
them together I suspect they'll be going their separate ways after
Battleground. The Big Show swerve turn I predicted for NOC (you know, the one
that never happened) could just as easily happen at Battleground.
'The World's Largest Athlete' could cost Bryan the title
and then wrestle him at Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series before Bryan
gravitates back towards the title. That was the approach WWE took with Punk in
2011: he lost the gold and then had some matches against and alongside Triple H
(he never faced Kevin Nash, sadly) before regaining the belt three months
later.
Should Show’s turn happen Orton would be left free for a
feud with... ummmm... pass. There's no obvious challenger for 'The Apex
Predator' but I'm sure WWE could cobble something together. Perhaps Cody Rhodes
could get the nod. He's likely to "have a job again" by the time we
reach HIAC.
I'm going to predict a Daniel Bryan loss. Orton winning
and continuing to work as a placeholder for Bryan, Cena or Punk makes far more
sense than putting the title on Bryan again.
Another short reign would harm his credibility and turn people off of him. At
this point he’s more effective as an underdog chasing the gold.
A strange tie-in to Bryan v Orton is the Divas
championship match between AJ Lee and Brie Bella. Newly single Randy Orton took
a leaf out of Ric Flair's play book on RAW and hit on (a term I despise that
feels apt here) Brie. She is, of course, the fiancé of Bryan and so turned Orty
down. The show ended with Bryan being duffed up by Orton and Brie running out
to help, only to stop when she remembered how ineffective her efforts would be.
Linking the Bellas (more Brie than Nikki) to Bryan on
Total Divas is one thing. It's a largely scripted reality show but it's still
based on what's real, and what's real is that Bryan and Brie are in a relationship.
WWE had little choice but to acknowledge that there. Linking them on RAW is
quite another thing. The shows are effectively two separate worlds and the
company could quite easily have downplayed or ignored aspects of Total Divas,
the Bryan-Brie relationship among them. By linking them in such a meaningful
way on RAW WWE have made it clear that Brie is to be considered a face.
What this means for her title prospects (and her sister)
is anyone's guess. WWE may be determined to present Brie as a good gal, and
some fans may go with it, but the majority are still going to cheer for AJ Lee.
She's the one we want at the top of the division. She's earned it. Brie is
never going to be seen in the same light because she does not come across as
someone with as much passion for wrestling as AJ.
My prediction is that the ladies will get their usual
crowd reactions at Battleground and that Brie will go down in defeat. There's a
chance she'll win to set up the predictable "your girlfriend won but you
didn't" routine but I'd like to think WWE has more faith in and respect
for AJ and what she's trying to do with and for the division than to
shortchange her like that.
Also towards the top of the card is the Goldust and Cody
Rhodes v Shield match. The tag team titles aren't being defended, instead this
match has been given some stips depending on who wins. If Rollins and Reigns
are victorious the Rhodes boys will be banished from WWE "forever"
and Dusty Rhodes will lose his job as an NXT trainer (he's already been placed on
sabbatical as the general manager, replaced by Stetson-wearing, hot stepping
Texan John Bradshaw Layfield). If the brothers are the winners then they'll get
jobs with WWE.
Given that WWE has been pretty good at honouring
stipulations recently and that Cody has at no point stopped being employed I
find it hard to imagine the Rhodes brothers losing here. There's also the fact
that Goldust has only been offered a
job, the inference being it will be something we don't expect. Also, a Shield
loss would probably setup a rematch for the belts, which is something I can
imagine filling time on the post-Battleground RAW. The story of the Rhodes
versus the McMahons could continue whoever wins but the good guys going over
makes far more sense as it would set up so much.
The World Heavyweight championship will also be defended
in a rematch from Night of Champions. On that show challenger Van Dam won by
disqualification after uber-macho Alberto Del Rio refused to release his cross
arm breaker submission hold because he's just so manly. The DQ finish was WWE's
way of not burying RVD in front of his home state fans as well as setting up a
rematch.
Frankly either man could win. ADR has either been the WHC
or the lead challenger since the start of the year. I wouldn't be surprised to
see him distanced from the title soon. Nor would I be surprised if Van Dam were
given a run as champ to make the most of his popularity. I don't feel strongly
enough about the situation to argue that a title change will definitely happen
but I also can't deny the time doesn't feel right. This being a hardcore match
also favours ‘Mr Pay-Per-View’.
Another screwy finish with 'The Essence of Excellence'
leaving as champ would set up a Hell in a Cell collision though, so bear that
in mind. I'm going with a Van Dam victory. It's nice to have a world
championship match that's tough to predict. Hopefully they'll give us something
worthwhile to watch.
Intercontinental champion Curtis Axel will go from
wrestling the second most important match on the last pay-per-view (admittedly
as a passenger) to the least important on this one. He'll defend his prize
against R-Truth. The best we can hope for is something inoffensive that's used
to lead into Ryback v Punk. Axel to retain. What's up, Truth? Your eyes as they
stare at the lights.
On the subject of filler there’s been talk of Bray Wyatt
v Kofi Kingston happening. If it’s going to happen I expect it to be confirmed
after this week’s SmackDown. If it goes ahead I think we’ll see Wyatt win. Kofi’s
role is to make guys like the Wyatt Family look good.
Four months ago Dolph Ziggler was one of the two hottest guys
in the company. Since then he's lost the WHC and slipped down into a spot lower
than the one he was in at the start of the year. Three months ago Damien Sandow
won a Money in the Bank briefcase. Since then he's made one further supershow
appearance losing to Cody Rhodes. These spirals of disappointment will entwine
at Battleground when the two men wrestle one another in the pre-show match.
Yep, the pre-show match.
There's nothing wrong with being on the pre-show. It's
better than not appearing at all and WWE seem to have picked up on the fact
that it's an advert for their pay-per-views so it's probably best to include a
good match. As such being placed on the pre-show can be taken as a vote of
confidence. That said there's still a stigma attached to the position. It stems
from the days of guys not over enough to be used on the main show being tossed
out there to warm up the crowd.
I'm sure 'The Intellectual Saviour' and 'The Show Off'
will put on a cracking match. Hopefully they'll get to do so, in a rematch or
with others, on the Hell in a Cell show later this month. Either could win but
I'll pick Ziggler. A face win would set a good tone for the evening.
Paul Heyman gets his guys on posters
Punk has been pinned on the last two pay-per-views and
WWE has made it incredibly clear that protecting 'The Big Guy' is not a priority
for them anymore. And ‘The Second City
Saint’ has lost or failed to win in his last three supershow outings. So on the
surface a CM Punk victory seems inevitable. But it may not be.
Wins and losses don't mean a great deal in WWE once
someone has reached a certain point. Punk has reached that level and doesn't
come across as someone who has a problem with losing on pay-per-views (a
medical condition known as Michaelsaphobia). It's easy enough to imagine Heyman
interfering on his client's behalf to cost Punk a win. There's been no
indication that their feud is going to end soon and a Punk loss is a solid way
of maintaining the status quo.
I've not been the biggest fan of their rivalry, which
started in July and has felt like it’s dragging for much of its time, but the
fact that Heyman has various clients for Punk to battle has at least kept
matches fresh. I wouldn't be surprised to see another handicap match inside a
HIAC, this time putting Ryback and Heyman against Punk, followed by some sort
of team outing at Survivor Series. The latter match could be a nice way of
showing us the next Paul Heyman guy: they could defect from Team Punk
mid-match.
The long and the short of this is that I think Ryback
will defeat Punk. As with ADR v RVD this one could go to either guy but I like
The Ryback's chances slightly more.
Predictions summary:
Randy Orton to defeat Daniel BryanRyback to defeat CM Punk
Goldust and Cody Rhodes to defeat The Shield
AJ Lee to defeat Brie Bella
Rob Van Dam to defeat Alberto Del Rio
Dolph Ziggler to defeat Damien Sandow
Curtis Axel to defeat R-Truth
Bray Wyatt to defeat Kofi Kingston (if the match happens)
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