WWE Battleground 2016: Biggest Unanswered Questions Going into PPV

Though WWE addressed the elephant in the room via its grand draft Tuesday night, there are still a handful of unanswered questions entering Sunday's Battleground pay-per-view, which will be headlined by the first Triple Threat match pitting former Shield members Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins against each other.

The biggest question of the night revolves around that match and its repercussions on the brand extension. By night's end, the WWE Championship will reside on either Raw or SmackDown, its landing place telling when it comes to the company's seriousness in treating the brands as equals.

The return of Randy Orton is another big selling point on the Battleground show, his arrival to Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel the unofficial kickoff of the road to SummerSlam and a gigantic battle with Brock Lesnar. Having been gone since last September, it should be interesting to see how warmly the WWE Universe welcomes him back.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will wage war in what may or may not be their final battle, while Sasha Banks recruits a special mystery partner to combat Charlotte and Dana Brooke, a partner who could (possibly, maybe) live up to expectations.

The WWE Superstars will descend onto the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., Sunday night for the final pay-per-view of the joint-brand run. These are the burning questions awaiting them and WWE Creative.

How Will the Brand Extension Affect the WWE Championship Match?

The Shield will erupt once more as Ambrose defends the WWE Championship against Reigns and Rollins in a Triple Threat match Sunday night. The Lunatic Fringe's assignment to SmackDown and Reigns and Rollins' placement on Raw have created questions as to the WWE draft's effect on the outcome of the monumental battle.

Raw has always had priority over SmackDown. As WWE's flagship show, it has long been the pet project of company president Vince McMahon, often catching all of the breaks while the blue brand was left to wallow in mediocrity.

A victory for Ambrose Sunday night would serve as one giant announcement to the entire wrestling world that the blue brand is to be taken as seriously as its companion. As the No. 1 pick for SmackDown, Ambrose can return credibility and pride to the longtime B-show with a win Sunday night.

Should Rollins or Reigns leave with the title, though, any legitimacy WWE has tried to lend SmackDown through the draft would be eliminated. Ambrose, consistently treated like the third-most important member of The Hounds of Justice, will have his status confirmed as his championship reign is undermined by the company's insistence in putting Raw over and creating a title program between his former teammates.

Can WWE Creative Deliver on Sasha Banks Partner Hype?

For a relatively meaningless tag team match, the hype for Banks' mystery tag team partner has been immense.

Initially, many speculated that it would be Bayley. After years spent in NXT, the hug-loving competitor would finally get the call to join her friends on Monday nights. That does not appear to be the case, though, as she figures heavily into TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn, the next live-event spectacular produced by NXT.

Banks has fueled speculation as the event nears, even evoking the name of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter founder Dave Meltzer on her official Twitter account. "I found a partner that even Dave Meltzer couldn't guess," she wrote.

The recently drafted Nia Jax would make for a strong choice given the dominance she displayed at times in NXT, but it is another Raw draftee that would make the most sense.

As seen in the above video, Summer Rae was integral in the creation of The Boss persona. She motivated Banks during their time in NXT, and the fact that they never had a heated falling-out makes it a logical step for WWE Creative to take.

That may not qualify to most as "living up to the hype." But it would be logical and could give Banks her own backup as she battles both Charlotte and Brooke over the top prize in women's wrestling.

How Will Randy Orton Be Received Upon His Return?

Orton has not appeared on Raw since September 2015, a shoulder injury sidelining him for 10 months. With the announcement that he will return to the squared circle to battle Lesnar at SummerSlam, though, The Viper is on his way back to WWE.

Sunday night at Battleground, he returns to Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel to discuss the enormous main event. While he has been away for quite some time, and that generally spawns huge pops upon his return, one must wonder if WWE's New Era has passed Orton by.

He was one of the faces of a bygone era, the Ruthless Aggression Era that also spawned John Cena. He was overexposed to such a point that his stories and matches were met with apathy. Has the time away helped freshen him up? And if so, how long does WWE Creative have until it has to evolve the persona before it descends back into one-dimensional mediocrity?

Orton will probably generate a big pop upon his entrance. The question is how long can he maintain it before fans grow disinterested again?

Is This the End of Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens?

The rivalry between Zayn and Owens has been one of the most redeeming elements of a lethargic WWE product thus far in 2016, and Sunday night, they bring their intense rivalry to a close. Or so it seems, which breeds the biggest question: Is this really the end of Zayn vs. Owens?

Both men were drafted to the same brand. After so many brutal battles, fans cannot surely be expected to accept the conclusion of their personal vendetta in a basic wrestling match on some throwaway pay-per-view. Not when there are gimmick matches sprinkled up and down WWE programming on the regular.

No, Zayn and Owens cannot possibly be finished with their critically acclaimed feud. It is nonsensical and illogical.

With the Superstars still in the same general vicinity on Raw after Battleground, expect their feud to continue as SummerSlam approaches, especially if Zayn manages to pull out a victory.

Owens is not the type to let a defeat go unanswered, especially if it is to his former best friend.