WWE Battleground 2016: Titles Most Likely to Change Hands at Event

Money in the Bank was without a doubt an unforgettable night, with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship changing hands not once but twice, and WWE Battleground 2016 is shaping up to be a historic event as well.

As the final stop on the road to SummerSlam, Battleground has traditionally featured many memorable moments, including marquee matchups and unexpected title changes. The Miz won the Intercontinental Championship at the 2014 installment, while Seth Rollins put his gold up for grabs against Brock Lesnar just last year.

Most champions walked out of Money in the Bank with their titles intact, but will that also be the case come Battleground on July 24?

WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Credit: WWE.com

As soon as Dean Ambrose captured the WWE world heavyweight title at Money in the Bank, it immediately became a question of how long he would be champion for. That isn't to say he isn't deserving of a lengthy title reign, but it is fairly likely the belt will be back in the possession of Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins before long.

Rollins made it clear in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view that he would stop at nothing until he had the gold in his grasp once again. As it turned out, he was successful in defeating Reigns for the strap, only to lose it to an opportunistic Ambrose moments later.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see whether Reigns will be in line for a fourth title reign at any time in the near future. Despite being suspended for violating the WWE's wellness policy this past week, he is still advertised for the Triple Threat title match at Battleground.

Reigns won't be around on TV to help build up the bout, but he is still technically eligible to appear at the pay-per-view given his suspension will be up by then. Either way, it remains to be seen whether the setback will affect his chances of regaining the gold so soon.

Even if not, Ambrose still has Rollins to deal with, who has beaten Ambrose in every one-on-one encounter they have had on pay-per-view up until Money in the Bank. It is highly probable one of Ambrose's former Shield stablemates takes the title without the champ having to be pinned.

Intercontinental Championship

Credit: WWE.com

No, the Intercontinental Championship has not been retired; rather, current champion The Miz has been off WWE TV for the past month filming for The Marine 5.

He has maintained a presence on programming by sending in videos of himself and his wife, Maryse, while on set each week on Raw, but there has been no indication as to when he will be back. That said, the duo will likely return sooner rather than later with filming scheduled to wrap up in the near future.

The last we saw of Miz, he successfully defended his intercontinental title against Cesaro on the May 24 edition of SmackDown. In his absence, however, Cesaro has emerged as even more of a threat, while Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn still have their sights set on the strap as well.

Miz deserves credit for rejuvenating his once-stagnant character and career since regaining the gold the night after WrestleMania, but his days as champion might be numbered. Again, the WWE has yet to name a new No. 1 contender, but whoever the next challenger will be is bound to be ready to take home the title.

The Awesome One has somehow found a way to maintain his grasp on the gold at every turn over the last three months, but now it might be a matter of time before he passes the belt to a Superstar who could benefit from holding it. A returning Neville, perhaps?

WWE Tag Team Championship

Credit: WWE.com

In this day and age, it's impressive to hold a title for more than a few months, let alone one year. The New Day has not yet reached that historic milestone, but it is quickly closing in on Paul London and Brian Kendrick's 331-day record.

At Money in the Bank, it overcame the odds once again by beating The Club, Enzo Amore and Big Cass, and The Vaudevillians in a Fatal 4-Way match. But New Day was met with the biggest threat to the titles to date the next night on Raw in the form of The Wyatt Family.

Bray Wyatt and his crew have been biding their time for months, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make an impact on the WWE landscape. Chasing the WWE Tag Team Championship probably wasn't in their plans initially, but a lack of respect shown by New Day toward the bearded clan has seemingly ignited a faction war.

Over the past year, New Day has defeated everyone who has challenged it for the titles, and beyond The Wyatt Family, there are few teams left for it to face. By Battleground, it will have already surpassed London and Kendrick's record, so nothing is holding the stable back from dropping the straps at the event.

New Day's record-setting reign as champ will be in serious jeopardy at Battleground if that bout does indeed come to fruition, and needless to say, the tag team division is about to get interesting with the Wyatts joining the ranks.

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.

Follow @WrestleRant