WWE Battleground 2016 Matches: Full Breakdown, Picks for Entire Card
Coming off a historic WWE draft Tuesday night, fans still have WWE Battleground 2016 to look forward to on Sunday night. From a loaded Triple Threat main event for the WWE Championship to The Club's final stand together, the event has plenty of potential to deliver in phenomenal fashion.
With the draft shaking up the entire landscape of WWE, most of these matches will be contested with brand-extension implications. Several titles could be switching shows by the end of the evening—not to mention everyone is looking to build momentum ahead of SummerSlam.
As the pending pay-per-view draws near, it's time to preview the card and make predictions for every advertised matchup.
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Becky Lynch vs. Natalya
It's been refreshing to have a feud in the women's division that isn't over the Women's Championship—not to mention it has boosted the stock of both Natalya and Becky Lynch. They both ended up on SmackDown Live in the draft, so expect this rivalry to resume after Sunday.
That said, Lynch needs a victory to re-establish herself as a threat in the title picture again after coming off various losses in recent months. Natalya can always bounce back because, as noted, this shouldn't mark the end of the program.
The Miz (c) vs. Darren Young (Intercontinental Championship)
Darren Young re-emerged seemingly out of nowhere with a win in the Battle Royal to determine the No. 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship on the July 11 edition of Raw, and he has stacked up several victories in the weeks since.
Meanwhile, The Miz has done a decent job as intercontinental champion, though his hot streak was cut short when he took time off to film The Marine 5: Battleground in June. With Miz on SmackDown and Young on Raw, now might be the time to pull the trigger on Young's singles push by having him beat the self-proclaimed "must-see" champion to capture the gold.
Young should not be another individual who Miz beats with ease before moving on to his next challenger. Bob Backlund's protege has caught fire in recent weeks and deserves a real run with the title to establish himself as a midcard-caliber competitor.
Rusev (c) vs. Zack Ryder (United States Championship)
Similar to Young, Zack Ryder will be up against the odds at Battleground when he challenges for the United States Championship, and he'll also have to deal with Lana in Rusev's corner. He, too, has successfully rejuvenated his career as of late and has a legitimate shot at upsetting The Bulgarian Brute.
If I'm picking Young to go over Miz and take the title to Raw, it would make sense to predict Ryder doing the same to bring the star-spangled prize to the blue brand. It's unclear how likely it is both belts change hands, but that would be the only way to even out the rosters.
Sasha Banks and a Mystery Partner vs. Charlotte and Dana Brooke
Following a few months away from WWE programming, Sasha Banks returned to Raw with one goal on her mind: to become WWE women's champion. While she won't receive her championship shot at Battleground, she will have a chance to prove a point against the current champion, Charlotte.
Week after week, Banks has been a victim of the numbers game at the hands of Charlotte and Dana Brooke, most recently losing to them in a 2-on-1 Handicap match on SmackDown. She has apparently enlisted the help of a mystery partner, and all signs point to that person being Bayley.
However, WWE should hold off on Bayley's WWE debut until after SummerSlam so that it's Banks vs. Charlotte at the next pay-per-view. Considering Paige is also a part of the flagship show, I expect her to be Banks' partner, and they will emerge victorious.
The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family
This feud has received a ton of storyline support since it started, so it's surprising that it will likely be aborted after Battleground now that The Wyatt Family is no longer on the same show. With that in mind, there is no need for The Wyatt Family to go over if it won't remain a unit much longer.
For those wondering, The New Day's WWE Tag Team Championships will not be defended here unless something changes at the last minute. The trio should get back on the same page with a win at the event before moving on to Enzo Amore and Big Cass or The Club at SummerSlam.
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Originally, this match was made because Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens feared they wouldn't wind up on the same show. Therefore, they needed to settle their score with one last match at Battleground to determine who the superior Superstar was.
As it turned out, both Zayn and Owens will be a part of the Raw roster going forward, though this should still serve as the big culmination to their feud. It would be great to see them have some sort of stipulation match at SummerSlam, but it appears Battleground will be the final chapter in their storied rivalry for the time being.
Regardless, it's almost irrelevant who wins because both men should come out of this feud just fine and will go on to have similar singles success. Zayn finally overcoming Owens would make for the feel-good moment, so he should take home the victory in this bout.
John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Club
The draft had a major impact on this matchup because neither trio will be on the same show beyond Battleground. Cena is loosely aligned with Enzo and Cass, whereas The Club has been a force to be reckoned with for several months.
This match is merely a placeholder in between Cena and AJ Styles' singles matches, and since The Club is no longer a unit, Cena will get his win back by winning at the event. Styles shouldn't be pinned and can have his rematch with the leader of the Cenation at the biggest blockbuster of the summer.
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Championship Triple Threat Match)
Dean Ambrose may have escaped Raw and SmackDown with his title intact following his back-to-back bouts with Seth Rollins, but come Battleground, he won't have to be pinned in order to lose his WWE Championship. Rollins has been in chase mode for weeks, but Roman Reigns is the obvious X-factor in the equation, given his absence over the past month.
It can be argued Reigns doesn't deserve to be competing in the main event of a pay-per-view following his suspension, so to even entertain the idea of putting the strap back on him at this point would be asinine. He will continue to be prominently pushed as a top star, but by no means should he be champion again so soon.
Rollins, on the other hand, has a realistic chance of regaining the gold. It's difficult to see the strap staying on SmackDown in the long term, so expect Rollins to pin Reigns (perhaps as punishment) to kick off his third reign as champ.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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