WWE Battleground 2016: Date, Start Time, Matches, Live Stream, PPV Info

Following Tuesday night's draft, WWE Battleground 2016 has become a collision of two brands. Superstars from Raw will look to dethrone wrestlers from SmackDown, adding brand pride to the list of things for WWE's rivals to fight over.

On Sunday, July 24 at 8 p.m. ET, the fifth edition of the Battleground PPV kicks off inside Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

More than the standard pay-per-view, this year's Battleground will have an air of finality. The event marks the last show before Raw and SmackDown go their separate ways and each become distinctive brands. 

SmackDown's new centerpiece Dean Ambrose will defend the WWE Championship against two Raw Superstars (and former fellow members of The Shield) in Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. 

Darren Young from Raw has his eyes set on the Intercontinental Championship, a trophy SmackDown's The Miz has held tight to since April. The blue brand could end up claiming the United States Championship as Zack Ryder takes on Rusev, who was drafted to Raw.

All the recent roster movement, the NXT call-ups and speculation about each show's future has overshadowed Battleground to a degree. It will be up to Ambrose, Rusev, The Miz and others to force fans to start talking about Battleground instead. 

Randy Orton will join the party, but not in an actual match. Chris Jericho is set to host The Viper on The Highlight Reel, marking Orton's first WWE appearance since last fall.

Now fully recovered from shoulder surgery, Orton (drafted to SmackDown) will surely be hyping his upcoming showdown with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

That segment joins a strong collection of bouts on a Battleground card poised to outdo everything else in the PPV's short history. 

Live Stream, PPV Info

Before Battleground begins in earnest, a pre-show will air starting at 7 p.m. ET.

A panel of experts will break down the night's biggest matches. Predictions, promo videos and interviews will comprise this preview, as always.

As of this writing, there has been no word on who will meet in the ring during the Battleground kickoff. There is usually at least one match during the proceedings.

The WWE Network (subscription required) will air the pre-show, and it will also stream for free on WWE.com, the WWE App, Facebook,YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

Fans can stream the PPV itself on Apple TV, Roku, Xbox and a number of other devices via the WWE Network. Visit WWE.com's help section for a full list of compatible gadgets.

WWE's streaming service is available in just about every country now, but one can check availability around the world on WWE.com to make sure.

For those without access to high-speed internet, traditional pay-per-view is still an option. Cable companies like Suddenlink and Comcast are among those still carrying WWE PPVs.

Match Card

• Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
• Becky Lynch vs. Natalya
• John Cena, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. The Club
• The Miz vs. Darren Young (Intercontinental Championship)
• Rusev vs. Zack Ryder (United States Championship)
• The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family 
• Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks and a mystery partner
• Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Championship)

Match Previews

Owens vs. Zayn

A feud that stretches back to these enemies' days at NXT and before that, as members of the Ring of Honor roster, is supposed to come to an end at Battleground.

Zayn and Owens began as friends, but the powerhouse betrayed The Underdog from the Underground. In Owens' NXT debut in 2014, he attacked Zayn, slamming his head onto the entrance ramp.

The animosity between them has only ballooned since. 

They have battled so intensely and so frequently that it's hard to believe that this matchup will be the story's true climax, as WWE has hinted at. Whether it's the final chapter of their long feud or not, it promises to be one of the night's best matches.

Owens and Zayn simply share a special kind of chemistry.

Lynch vs. Natalya

Both women had their eyes on Charlotte's Women's Championship earlier in the year, but frustration with not being able to seize the gold changed Natalya. She turned on her tag team partner at Money in the Bank and become a cold predator.

The issues between these two have become increasingly intense. A brawl breaks out every time they are in the same room at this point.

With both Natalya and Lynch part of SmackDown, this doesn't have to be their last battle. WWE would be smart to have these rivals tear each other apart and follow up with a Steel Cage match down the road.

They are two of the top performers in the women's division and, if given ample time, will be one of the best bets to steal the show.

Team Cena vs. The Club

AJ Styles will fight alongside Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, allies from their days at New Japan Pro Wrestling. But this may be the last time. Gallows and Anderson are headed to Raw, while Styles is moving to SmackDown.

Cena and his partners were drafted to two different shows, too. So their partnership is set to dissolve, as well.

But this is really about Cena and Styles. The Phenomenal One has made a habit of ambushing Cena as he looks to prove his status as WWE's alpha male. Styles defeated Cena in a tremendous matchup at Money in the Bank, albeit with The Club's help.

This is likely a placeholder before Styles vs. Cena II, a showdown fit for near the top of SummerSlam's card.

Young's Search for Greatness

With Hall of Famer Bob Backlund in his corner, Young has drawn inspiration from Donald Trump, as he has looked to "make Darren Young great again."

Young lucked into two wins recently, one in a Battle Royal to determine the No. 1 contender to the IC title. That has him a three-count away from claiming his first singles title.

The Miz, often with his wife Maryse's help, has managed to keep hold of the IC crown since the night after WrestleMania. He has been a revelation as a narcissistic D-list actor who believes he's among the cream of the crop in Hollywood.

As one of SmackDown's two titleholders, The Miz will have extra incentive to retain. Should he lose on Sunday, Raw would add another champion in Young.

U.S. Title Fight

Ryder will play the ultimate underdog here, despite being a former U.S. champ. He is now much lower on the food chain than he was back in 2013, and Rusev is the monster set to devour him. When Rusev accepted the babyface's challenge, he did so while bending him in half.

Rusev sounded confident of his chances at Battleground in a recent tweet:

Rusev, representing Raw, is in a similar situation to The Miz. An upset loss to Ryder would have the U.S. title move from Monday nights to the blue brand. 

Not to mention, it would leave Rusev quite short of his goal to hold the belt for seven years.

The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family

SmackDown drafted Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan, but Raw selecting Braun Strowman will force him to leave the crew behind.

That puts an interesting spin on this battle. Will this be Strowman's coming-out party before a singles push? Does Wyatt have something big planned before his cult is splintered?

What began as two teams trading insults got weird last week when The New Day visited the Wyatt Family compound and caught a beatdown in the swamp.

As for the actual sanctioned matchup between the trios, Xavier Woods will be the X-factor. Wyatt's rants have seemingly caught hold of him. If he's not able to shake off the heel's hypnotic ways, he could cost The New Day the win, or it could even lead to cracks forming within the group.

Who Will Join Forces With The Boss?

In what looks like a prelude to the expected Banks vs. Charlotte match at SummerSlam, The Boss is set to face both the women's champ and her protege. She won't go it alone as she has so many times of late. But we won't find out who her partner is until Battleground.

Many fans believe it to will be Bayley from NXT who comes to Banks' aid. The two were rivals last year, but they have also shared a mutual respect for each other. And the WWE draft strangely ended with one pick remaining. Could that be an opening for the master of the Bayley-to-Belly Suplex? 

Wrestling Inc doesn't think it's going to be Bayley:

Another option would be for Banks to team up with Naomi, her former stablemate as part of Team B.A.D. Naomi has been out for months, and Battleground could be where she makes her surprise return.

The Shield Collides

Reigns' suspension for violating the company wellness policy hurt this match's momentum. Rather than it make this the story of three former brothers-in-arms, WWE has had to focus more on Rollins and Ambrose.

As The Shield, these three men were a dominant force. Rollins ended that in 2014 when he took a chair to Ambrose's and Reigns' backs. They have since become three of WWE's top stars, and each has had at least one run with the world title.

Ambrose wants to make sure he takes that leather and gold strap back with him to SmackDown. His rivals are headed for Raw instead.

A match that would be worthy of a top spot at WrestleMania is happening at Battleground, a surprising move that has the potential to up the newer PPV's prestige. Each time these men clash, they manage to thrill the audience. Expect that once again.

And savor the sight of Ambrose clotheslining Reigns and Rollins. With The Lunatic Fringe venturing off to the blue brand, that's something we won't see for a long while.