WWE Battleground 2014 Results: Worst Booking Decisions from PPV

WWE Battleground is officially in the books, and the road to SummerSlam on August 17 has begun.

Sunday night, the top stars in professional wrestling delivered a solid night of action, topped off with a successful WWE World Heavyweight Championship defense by John Cena, who survived the challenge of Randy Orton, Kane and Roman Reigns in a gigantic Fatal 4-Way match.

Elsewhere on the card, Chris Jericho knocked off Bray Wyatt, The Usos retained the WWE Tag Team Championship against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, The Miz won the intercontinental title, AJ defeated Paige to retain the Divas title, and Rusev beat Jack Swagger by count-out.

While the in-ring action was solid throughout the night, there were several booking decisions made that left fans scratching their heads or, in one case, thoroughly disappointed.

What were these decisions, and can any sense be made of them? Are there any redeeming qualities surrounding them?

Take a look for yourself.

Credit: WWE.com

Baiting and Switching Ambrose vs. Rollins

It makes sense that WWE would want to book a scenario in which neither Ambrose nor Rollins had to lose decisively at Battleground so that their rivalry could continue into August, where it would culminate in a huge gimmick match at SummerSlam.

Unfortunately, WWE Creative decided that the best way to advance the story was to rob fans of one of the highest-profile bouts on the card.

Thanks to a backstage attack by Ambrose, the match was called off, and the Lunatic Fringe was banned from the building. That did not stop him from appearing later in the night as he attacked Rollins, brawling around ringside with him until being pulled away by officials.

The parking lot brawl that ensued prior to the main event was well done and showed the lengths to which the two Superstars will go to get at one another.

Still, WWE deliberately advertised a match it likely knew it had no intentions of delivering. That is known as "bait and switch," a booking method in which the company gets fans excited on the promise of one thing, attracts them and then switches it at the last moment.

Regardless of how great the eventual bout between Ambrose and Rollins may be, it will be difficult to wash away the bad taste left by Sunday night's booking.

Credit: WWE.com

Bray Wyatt Loses...Again

Despite turning in outstanding performances on the microphone and in the ring, establishing himself as one of the most entertaining characters in the sport, Bray Wyatt's pay-per-view win-loss record in 2014 is anything but sparkling.

Since beginning his program with Cena at WrestleMania XXX, Wyatt has only managed to score one win to three losses. Worse yet, he is in danger of becoming one of those prototypical heels who does a great job of talking a big game but fails to back it up when the time comes.

Sunday night, he lost a competitive match to Chris Jericho, who is coming off a recent return to WWE following a year-long absence. A Superstar as close to bulletproof as they come, Jericho certainly did not need to beat Wyatt at Battleground to maintain any sort of momentum or heat.

Now, fans are left with a feud in which the returning hero has conquered the evil, diabolical heel and must now pretend to care about anything that goes on between them for another month.

That is, if WWE Creative even opts to continue the mediocre feud heading into SummerSlam.

Credit: WWE.com

The Usos Retain

This is in no way an indictment of the current WWE Tag Team champions, nor is it a knock against what was an absolutely extraordinary match to kick off the Battleground pay-per-view. The Usos, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan stole the show right out of the gate, delivering a legitimate Match of the Year candidate.

The problem with the outcome is that it creates a scenario in which the champions have no challengers left to defend against.

Sure, there is RybAxel, but The Usos have already beaten them. They could always continue their program with Harper and Rowan, but after beating them convincingly in two consecutive months, what do they have left to prove?

The fact is, there were fresher options had Harper and Rowan finally taken the titles. Goldust and Stardust are waiting in the wings, and a feud between The Bizarre Ones and the frightening Wyatt Family would have made for some truly interesting television.

Instead, The Usos continue their banner year but now are left in a situation with no strong contenders outside of teams they have already defeated on numerous occasions.