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411 Roundtable Preview: WWE Battleground 2015

July 18, 2015 | Posted by Sean Garmer
Image Credit: WWE

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Introduction

This year’s WWE Battleground is really all about two big matches. John Cena defending the WWE United States Championship against Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins defending the WWE World Championship against Brock Lesnar. There’s a few other things on this show, but that’s where everyone’s focus will be long after the show is over. Could Kevin Owens win his first main roster championship on Sunday? Will the Beast reign over WWE once again? What’s going to happen when WWE presents Battleground 2015 live at 8ET/5p on PPV and the WWE Network? Let’s go ahead and find out what the 411 staff think could happen.

The Staff

Kevin Pantoja, WWE NXT Reporter, Wrestling Video Reviewer

Wyatt Beougher, Wrestling Article Writer, MMA Fact or Fiction Organizer

Michael Weyer, Shining a Spotlight

Paul Leazar, Wrestling 2 the MAX Podcast

Gary Vaughan, Wrestling 2 the MAX Podcast

Sean Garmer, Wrestling 2 the MAX Podcast, WWE PPV Roundtable Organizer, Games Top 5 Organizer, Host of Co-operative Multiplayer Live Podcast,

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R-Truth vs. King Barrett
Pre-Show Kickoff Singles Match

Kevin Pantoja: It’s really hard to look forward to a match that you’ve seen so many times over the past few weeks, especially when none of them have really been that good. It seems like because the King of the Ring was thrown together at the last minute, there was no plan for what came next and it has led to a meaningless comedy feud. Truth is entertaining in the role, but I guess Barrett wins here to gain back some respectability.

Winner: King Barrett

Wyatt Beougher: This is apparently for the King of the Ring title for the remainder of the year, unless I have horribly misunderstood the stakes somewhere along the way, because they didn’t just have a tournament to crown a rightful winner or anything. Truth is entertaining on the mic when he’s allowed to be insane, and he hasn’t disappointed since the start of the King of the Ring tournament; however, that has probably been the only bright spot of this extended feud. Barrett continues to be booked like a helpless newborn any time he wins something of significance, and Truth matches are so boring that even the commentators can’t be bothered to get his finishing move names correct when they’re calling the matches. If there is one bright spot about this match, it’s that it will hopefully be the end of this nonsense, and both guys can move on to better other things. If Barrett loses here, they might as well just ship him down to NXT, put him under a mask, and let him return to main roster in a few months as Sin Cara, because he’s currently got less momentum than that gimmick at the moment.

Winner and STILL King of the Ring: Wade Barrett (Royal Bullhammer)

Michael Weyer: Sort of hard to care for this much as it’s pre-show and we’ve seen the bout play out before. It should be fair but just shows how the “King” thing isn’t doing much for Barrett, he should just get back to basics soon. It may be a nice kick-off but nothing truly special and just a time waster for Barrett.

Winner: Wade Barrett

Paul Leazar: I can’t say that I am particularly excited to watch this match at all. We’ve seen it fairly often on RAW, Barrett isn’t all that entertaining, and Truth is more entertaining out of the ring then he is in the ring at this point. At any rate, I could care less who wins this match-up, but knowing how WWE books, Barrett will some how win this despite the fact that he can’t ever seem to buy a win at any other point in a feud.

Winner: King Barrett

Gary Vaughan: Yawn… This match couldn’t be less interesting. It’s a feud that should have ended a month ago. Oh well, I think King Barrett should win; if only for the reason that needs a win more.

Winner: King Barrett

Sean Garmer: So, we get the same lame pre-show match two months in a row? Well, that’s certainly the definition of predictable. This feud has literally gone in circles the entire time and hopefully it ends at this PPV. Barrett wins and we move things along.

Winner: King Barrett (via Royal Bullhammer)

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(Champions) Primetime Players vs. New Day
WWE Tag Team Championship Match

Kevin Pantoja: I like the Prime Time Players. I really do. However, I think their Tag Team Title run has come about three years too late. Considering the injuries that have kept the Usos and Tyson Kidd and Cesaro out of the division, the division is running low. I think the Lucha Dragons are the best team in the division, but the New Day has been the most entertaining. I feel like they should absolutely be the champions, but with the fact that the Prime Time Players just won the titles at the last PPV, I can’t see them dropping the titles just yet.

Winner: The Prime Time Players

Wyatt Beougher: Even though they no longer have their championship, New Day continue to be one of the most entertaining parts of any show that they appear, and the Prime Time Players are no slouches either. With the Uppercats in limbo due to Tyson Kidd’s injury (and Cesaro actually getting to show that he’s one of the best professional wrestlers in the world), the New Day are the de facto anchors of the tag division, and since I doubt this match ends the feud with the PTP, I think they win the titles back here to set up a rubber match next month.

Winners and NEW WWE Tag Team Champions: The New Day (Big Ending/Elbow Drop combination)

Michael Weyer: I like the Players and all, happy to see them as champs. But really, the New Day are just hotter with crowds and taking off playing off their hate for good bouts. It’s too soon to break them up so although there can be tension, I see them managing to use the triple teaming to get the belts back. A good match and it should be worth it just to see the New Day’s fun celebration to kick things back up again.

Winners and NEW WWE Tag Team Champions: The New Day

Paul Leazar: Yet another feud that has been iffy on build, but another situation where I dig both teams a lot. Primetime Players are a team that I think has a lot of talent behind them, but the WWE really needs to do more to make us care about them. I think The New Day are a great story of some guys who took some lemons the WWE gave them, and turned them into lemonade, and I can’t say that I’d be completely upset with a title change here, but I don’t see it happening. Primetime Players retain the championships here.

Winners and STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: Primetime Players

Gary Vaughan I like both of these tag teams for many reasons, but most importantly they are entertaining. With both teams being so athletic, we will be treated to a fun match. Sadly, the Prime Time Players most likely will lose their titles to New Day. Tyson Kidd’s injury has caused a ripple in the tag division for sure.
Winner: New Day

Sean Garmer: I like the Primetime Players and I’m happy to see them finally get a reign as Tag Champions, but I think all this losing by the New Day is set for them to get the belts back. WWE was also probably trying to capitalize on the press from Titus’s award and now that it is way past that. It is time for a NEW DAY!!! Once again.

Winners AND NEW WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: New Day

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Sheamus vs. Randy Orton
Singles Match

Kevin Pantoja: The oil and water of the WWE. Randy Orton and Sheamus are two talented Superstars who have wrestled tons of times yet don’t have chemistry at all. I can honestly only remember only one of their matches being any good. I honestly don’t see this one being very good either. I can’t think of a match that I care less about. Normally, I’d pick Sheamus but 1) the WWE loves to have their Money in the Bank winners lose and 2) I need to pick some faces to win on this show.

Winner: Randy Orton

Wyatt Beougher: This will probably be a well-wrestled match, but the fact that it likely won’t break any new ground for the characters and the feud thus far has been lackluster leaves me largely apathetic for it. I would much rather watch Rusev/Cesaro than this match, but WWE knows what its (ever-shrinking) fan base wants, so we’re stuck with this.

Winner: Randy Orton (RKO)

Michael Weyer: I still don’t get the logic of Sheamus winning Money in the Bank. He’s had his shots at the big time belts and made little impact with them, just seems a waste of the briefcase. He and Orton have provided great matches in the past and that should continue but really, no reason to keep them fighting when there are so many better candidates for both and hopefully move to fresh stuff soon.

Winner: Randy Orton

Paul Leazar: Oh boy, well, here’s another match we’ve seen a thousand times, and a match that has no heat to it. I’ve enjoyed Sheamus since his heel turn, and I’m very, very hopeful that the WWE decides to get behind him and have him continuously win until he cashes in as opposed to the classic booking of the MITB briefcase where he is depushed to all hell, outside of Rollins recently. Sheamus gets the win with the Brogue Kick.

Winner: Sheamus

Gary Vaughan This must be match 3,452 between these two hot heads. What’s bad about that is the fact that most fans have little to no interest in the match and will probably find something better to do during it. This match will be so WWE standard formula it will make you sick. To make you throw up, Sheamus will win by causing Orton to get disqualified.

Winner: Sheamus

Sean Garmer: I know WWE usually likes to screw with people wrestling in their hometown, but Orton is facing the MITB winner after all. Not to mention, Sheamus has been getting some wins over Roman Reigns thanks to Bray Wyatt getting involved. Orton is the one returning and I think WWE want him to look strong in victory. Although we’ve seen this match a zillion times at this point, it probably still won’t be the worst thing we’ve ever seen.

Winner: Randy Orton (Via RKO)

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Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
Singles Match

Kevin Pantoja: The idea of Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns is a good move, but the program has lacked. Like most Bray rivalries, what is the real reason for any of this? I get the sense that this is another feud for Bray to cut weird promos before losing to a star that’s bigger than him. While the Royal Rumble backlash seems to have stalled them on Reigns, I think it’s getting very close to the time to pull the trigger on him. I sense Bray wins in some relatively cheap fashion or we get a non-finish so we can have a bigger match at SummerSlam. I’ll go with the non-finish.

Winner: Bray Wyatt

Wyatt Beougher: Last year at this time, Wyatt was in a completely forgettable feud with Chris Jericho that was intended to build him back up after John Cena laid waste to his main roster prospects. It stands to reason that WWE would do the same thing this year after Undertaker destroyed all of his momentum, but he’s already “won” another forgettable feud with Ryback, who went on to bigger and better things, AND he’s up against the guy that WWE wants to be Cena’s replacement. Like Barrett/Truth, the only good that can come from this is that it will hopefully be the end of a feud that has really only served to remind people of how much better the Shield/Wyatt family mini-feud from last year was.

Winner: Roman Reigns (Spear)

Michael Weyer: The feud just doesn’t make much sense to me, nothing but Bray’s wild promos and doesn’t seem to do much to elevate either man. Reigns should be in for a heel turn, it would do wonders for him and having him stuck down with Wyatt is just more of WWE wasting his vast potential. It should be an okay bout but nothing else although Reigns should get the win.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Paul Leazar: Here’s the thing about this match, I desperately want to care about this match. Really, I do! However, the build for it has been more off then on despite me genuinely enjoying both of these guys. Wyatt’s promos have been fine to good, but I just feel like Roman Reigns has all that much to be afraid of. At any rate, I think this match will surprise most of us because I think these two could gel very well together given some time. Reigns gets the victory at the end though with a Spear.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Gary Vaughan This has been a rollercoaster ride with Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns. I think we will see some intense action between these two. The match maybe borderline hardcore, but in the end I expect Roman Reigns to win clean with a spear.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Sean Garmer: I really want to care about Bray Wyatt, but WWE never gives you any reason to at all. We might as well call Bray Wyatt the “feud killer” quite honestly. Once you get into a feud with Wyatt, by the time the match happens, no one cares. Why? Because WWE has booked him inconsistently, he never wins, and he’s basically a walking thesaurus, who no one can identify with either. I don’t know if WWE can save Bray at this point, but they had a good thing going at the beginning of the feud and then slowly made it really uninteresting. WWE seemingly had found a way to humanize Roman Reigns and went away from it because they ran out of ideas. I think we should see Roman put this whole thing out of its misery with a spear on Sunday.

Winner: Roman Reigns

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(Champion) John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
United States Championship Match

Kevin Pantoja: I said it at Elimination Chamber and I said it at Money in the Bank. I totally want Kevin Owens to win and, after losing the NXT Title to Finn Balor, there is no reason for him to lose. Kevin Owens needs to 100% win the United States Title here. The Cena reign has been good to raise the prestige of the title and should be used to put someone majorly over. That should be Owens or he loses all momentum. Hell, have Cena move to the Intercontinental Title picture and make that title relevant. However, with all of that being said, I’m sticking with my prediction from their first two matches. I am not going to pick against John Cena in any feud with a hot heel until he loses one.

Winner: John Cena

Wyatt Beougher: The only angle in WWE right now that both makes sense and is consistently enjoyable, this match could actually elevate this year’s Battleground to a memorable show, unlike the previous two years’ editions. For that to happen, though, Kevin Owens is going to have to win the United States championship; otherwise, it’s just more of the same thing we’ve seen for the past decade-plus. Hopefully WWE realizes what they have in Owens and he picks up the victory here, but at the very least, it should be the Match of the Night.

Winner and NEW WWE United States Champion: Kevin Owens (Lights Out)

Michael Weyer: Ah, now we’re getting good. This feud has been doing quite well, both guys bouncing off each other wonderfully in promos and back and forth in matches. I know the conventional wisdom is “Cena wins” of course but having dropped the NXT title, this provides Owens a great new push and surely even WWE has to see the opportunity at hand. Getting the title and the rub of beating Cena will instantly elevate Owens to big-time status where he belongs and even WWE has to know to do the logical thing now and then.

Winner and NEW US Champion: Kevin Owens

Paul Leazar: One of the very few bright spots for the WWE this year has been this feud. These two have had two match of the year candidates, some of the best promo work on RAW in the longest time, and has just been all around awesome. These past two months, the NXT Title change, and the rumors of Kevin Owens being the #2 heel behind Rollins all leads to what should be a terrific crowning moment for Kevin Owens when he raises that championship high in the air after one hell of a pop up powerbomb to net him the championship.

Winner and NEW WWE United States Champion: Kevin Owens

Gary Vaughan Every match Cena and Owens have had are great and getting better as they come. This will be a highlight match no doubt. I expect a thrilling match with Owens scoring a hard earned win for the US championship.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Sean Garmer: Hopefully these two can find a way to top their other matches, but I don’t know that we are gonna see it. In the end, as long as we get something in the same range and with the right result, it will do just fine. I’m excited to see what the next twist in this feud is and I hope it can deliver that on Sunday.

Winner AND NEW WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPION: Kevin Owens

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(Champion) Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match

Kevin Pantoja: This is the most interesting match on the card by far. Seth Rollins has been champion for a few months now, but Brock Lesnar has been untouchable for over a year now. I don’t believe that they will have Seth beat him because not even John Cena was able to do so. I also cannot see the title going back on Brock due to his part time status. What will happen is Brock will win via disqualification or something like that so he can stay dominant and the title stays on Seth.

Winner: Brock Lesnar via disqualification

Wyatt Beougher: Like the Owens/Cena match, Lesnar’s presence on this card makes it immediately more memorable than any previous version of Battleground, and a win for the Beast Incarnate would help to dispel the notion that the time between Money in the Bank and Summerslam are WWE’s summer doldrums, where nothing of consequence happens. I know a lot of people are unhappy with Rollins’ reign as champion, but in my opinion, he’s been perfect as the cowardly heel who doesn’t always need to have his cronies help him win, but usually does anyway, and with Lesnar having demolished all of Rollins’ reinforcements, we’re going to get one of two things on Sunday night – a surprise debut/return/turn from a wrestler who helps Rollins retain, or a career-making performance against the most overpowered Superstar in today’s WWE. Either way, I’m looking forward to this match, and while I doubt it’ll shake WWE’s status quo to its core, it should be a fun match to watch, and that’s enough for a throwaway PPV main event to make me happy.

Winner and STILL WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Seth Rollins (Phoenix Splash)

Michael Weyer: The build’s been rough but still quite intriguing to see Lesnar get his title back and Rollins face his biggest challenge to date. We should see a fantastic battle that elevates Seth even more, giving as good as he gets and Brock should bring out more of the best in him. It will go around from technical to brawling and expect some interference along the way to add to things. In the end, Rollins gets help for the win and a nice boost to his standing which he and WWE can use.

Winner and still WWE World Champion: Seth Rollins

Paul Leazar: I’ve really enjoyed this feud. Rollins’ whole situation that’s been brewing with The Authority has been a fun ride, Brock Lesnar’s thirst for revenge coupled with Paul Heyman’s brilliance on the microphone, and you have bubbling crock pot full of awesome. Do I think Brock winning the championship again would be cool? Sure. Do I think it’s going to happen? No. I don’t know who in the WWE would be the one to lift the championship off of Brock again. They’ve already back tracked off of Reigns for now, and I think Reigns being the one to dethrone Seth would work best for the WWE. So for me, Rollins somehow, some way will come out of this with the championship in toe.

Winner and STILL WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Seth Rollins

Gary Vaughan i know most would assume this match will be short lived. I
Personally, I think this will be a game of cat and mouse. Look for Rollins to sneak out a win or just get disqualified once Lesnar becomes too much.

Winner: Rollins

Sean Garmer: Even though this match is setup as Rollins by himself against Brock Lesnar, there has to be a catch. Somewhere we will have some kind of interference that changes the tide in Rollins favor. I’m expecting more domination early from Brock and perhaps a big GONG goes off, which distracts Brock and leads to Rollins getting the upperhand. Perhaps even an appearance by Taker will be what finally pushes it over for Rollins. I just can’t see Brock getting the belt back this early. So, Rollins should retain by hook, crook, or Tombstone.

Winner AND STILL WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Seth Rollins (via hitting a distracted Brock with the title)

Overall Thoughts & PPV Interest Level (from 1 being the worst to 5 being the best)

Kevin Pantoja: My interest level for this PPV is a 2: Pretty much every WWE Pay-Per-View this year has ranged from either bad (Royal Rumble) to mediocre (every other one) to pretty good (WrestleMania). This card doesn’t really excite me. Seth/Brock and Cena/Owens should be fun, but that’s all I’m looking forward to. Hopefully this is the first Battleground to actually be good.

Wyatt Beougher: My interest level for this PPV is a 2: It’s Battleground, the WWE’s least important PPV of the past three years – if it weren’t for a potential Owens win, two tag teams that enjoy immensely, and BROCK LESNAR, my interest would probably be a zero. If Owens wins his first main roster WWE title, at least this show will become a historical footnote, and I’m actually excited to see what kind of match Lesnar and Rollins can put together.

Michael Weyer: My interest level for this PPV is a 2 The main event and Owens/Cena are promising but the rest of the show looks pretty forgettable. No real reason for some of these feuds to even exist and this is clearly just the filler until SummerSlam. It has some promise here and there but overall, looks more one to skip than enjoy.

Paul Leazar: My interest level for this PPV is a 3: Outside of the US & WWE Title matches, their isn’t a lot here for us to really get excited about here. I think I’m being generous with a 3, but there are some things to get excited for, plus, I’m hopeful that we get some more Diva’s stuff after this last RAW. Keep the heat going there WWE, and I think you’ll have a fine PPV on your television/computer screens.

Gary Vaughan: My interest in this PPV is a 3: Only two matches on this card excite me. Saying that, I fear this PPV will just be a glorified RAW. My hope is that we get more than an average show.

Sean Garmer: My interest in this PPV is a 3: It is really a two match show, but there’s the possibility we could get something with the NXT Divas on this show and some surprise appearances as well. Hopefully the big two matches deliver and we have something worth talking about at the end of the night.

Well, that is all for this month everyone. Don’t forget to leave us your thoughts and predictions below in the comments and we will see you again in a month for WWE Summerslam.

* Remember to join 411 for our LIVE PPV coverage, starting at 7:00pm ET Sunday night.

* – Promotional note: On Sunday night, 411’s Larry Csonka will be taking over the @411wrestling Twitter feed and will be live Tweeting his thoughts on WWE Battleground. Make sure to join him, and also follow 411 for our usual live coverage. Make sure you follow that account to read my thoughts, and also to be eligible to win a copy of WWE: The Kliq Rules on DVD!