WWE Battleground 2016 Results: Best and Worst Booking Decisions from Event

From Sami Zayn's gutsy victory to Dean Ambrose's refusal to let his championship slip from his hands, WWE Battleground 2016 was most on fire when it was a showcase of the company's future building blocks.

Sunday's pay-per-view gave Zayn a prime space in the spotlight. The Underdog from the Underground thrived there. Enraged, remorseful, focused, Zayn vanquished his archenemy Kevin Owens.

WWE treated him as the rising star that he is, allowing him to stockpile momentum for the next stage of his journey.

But the night wasn't filled with only deft moves like that one. Battleground provided its baffling moments, too. Twice, WWE stirred up animosity for feuds with no future thanks to the rivals being on two different brands.

The PPV's biggest flaw proved to be its timing. WWE tried to cram too much into the event, refusing to trim down an unwieldy show. 

Battleground's success came in the form of fresh faces and emerging talent making major statements. Bayley's arrival was the first of those statements.

Best: Bringing in Bayley

Sasha Banks had a shot to take on both Charlotte and Dana Brooke, but up until the PPV's opening match, she didn't reveal the identify of her tag team partner. As many fans predicted, it turned out to be The Boss' former rival from NXT—Bayley.

If this one-off appearance as a member of the main roster was a test run, it was a certifiable success. The fans in Washington, D.C., roared as she stepped through the curtains. An electric energy crackled throughout the arena. 

WWE wisely chose to separate Bayley from her fellow NXT stars. Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss were all part of a group of peers to get drafted last week. 

Having Bayley's debut here instead made sure she had her own moment.

Just about any other mystery partner would have disappointed. Instead, Battleground kicked off with a heartwarming arrival, and WWE introduced a future star to its audience. This taste of Bayley effectively set up her eventual full-time move to the main roster.

Worst: Forgetting About the Brand Split

At the end of their Battleground Intercontinental Championship match, The Miz and Darren Young looked ready to tear into each other in a lengthy, personal feud. It's a rivalry, though, that has no legs. Young is headed to Raw; The Miz is a SmackDown-exclusive Superstar. 

It's odd then that WWE scripted the finish to their Intercontinental Championship to feel like it needed a "to be continued..." on the bottom of the screen.

The Miz's wife, Maryse, and Young's life coach, Bob Backlund, fought at ringside. That led to a brawl that sent the challenger over the edge. Young went into protective mode and pounced on The Miz.

But as Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter pointed out, both men are now going their separate ways:

That made this narrative unsatisfying. Fans watched a cliffhanger that won't lead to anything.

WWE made a similar move with the United States title bout. After Rusev defeated Zack Ryder, he attacked him after the bell. Ryder's tag team partner and fellow SmackDown Superstar, Mojo Rawley, rushed out to save him.

The powerhouse stared down Rusev until he retreated.

Whatever WWE has planned for Rusev, however, it won't include Rawley. Raw's head honchos drafted the champ last week.

So, just moments after Rusev was made to look like a fearsome monster, his aura was undercut by a guy he won't be facing any time soon. And if this was meant to highlight Rawley, he didn't do enough here to leave much of an impression.

Nothing was gained here. WWE only planted seeds that we won't see grow in the near future.

Best: Maximizing Sami Zayn

Zayn took everything Owens had and kept finding a way to fight through the pain. The high-flying babyface battled through a shoulder injury. He gritted his teeth and stood on wobbly legs as he finally felled his rival.

This was the version of Zayn that had won fans over when he was at NXT. This is the side of Zayn that can truly generate pathos.

Watching this unfold, PWInsider.com's Dave Scherer wrote, "They are finally booking the real Sami Zayn."

WWE made sure Zayn and Owens had plenty of time to work with. According to CageMatch.net, the bout went over 18 minutes.

The company chose to have Zayn not only win but do so in decisive fashion. He hit his enemy so hard with a Helluva Kick that Zayn had to hold up an out-cold Owens. Zayn then wound up and hit another to put an exclamation point on the victory.

This all allowed Zayn to look like more than an everyday midcarder, more than a plucky, undersized newcomer. Zayn emerged from Battleground a viable contender.

Worst: So Much Filler

Since moving its PPVs to the WWE Network, the company has become lackadaisical in timing out its shows. That trend continued at Battleground, which ran over 30 minutes long.

This wasn't a case of there being so much great stuff that three hours couldn't contain it. There was plenty that dragged. There was plenty that needed some editing.

Enzo Amore killed it on the mic before his six-man tag team match against The Club. WWE's mistake there was letting Colin Cassady have ample mic time after him. Why not just get the action moving along at that point? 

Backstage promos padded the PPV, too.

And during the main event, Daniel Bryan, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley all got entrances. These were all authority figures just watching the match from ringside. It would have been better to just cut to them already in the chairs.

The biggest offender in terms of time management was Randy Orton's appearance on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel. One could argue that WWE should have just saved it for Raw altogether. The company should have at least hurried this along.

Was Battleground really the place to a show a hype video for a SummerSlam match? That's like airing a trailer to a sequel to the movie during the original.

It is hard to maintain an audience's interest for over three hours. Not finding ways to keep the PPV taut hurts the flow of the event.

WWE has to avoid this in the future and remember that quality trumps quantity.

Best: Keeping the Lunatic Champion

Ambrose still holds the WWE Championship, even after Roman Reigns returned from suspension, even after being outnumbered two to one at Battleground. That's an unexpected, exciting reality.

The Lunatic Fringe is nothing like the WWE mold. He's bizarre and unorthodox, and the fact that the company is sticking with him as its top titleholder is a welcome surprise.

The A.V. Club's Kyle Fowle tweeted the day after Ambrose's win, "Woke up thinking about how WWE totally legitimized Dean Ambrose last night and it warms my heart."

Fans have made it clear that they believe in Ambrose. And having him outlast his former brethren from The Shield is recognition of that. It's taking a chance on a guy who felt like a lame-duck champion.

Ambrose is now free to be the centerpiece of SmackDown, to give that show an air of freshness, or taking chances, of the future finally arriving. That's the feeling Battleground stirred up when it hit its high points—the feeling that must permeate the New Era.