19th July 2016

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John Cena def. Luke Gallows; Rollins and Ambrose become first-round draft picks



In the first round of the 2016 WWE Brand Extension Draft, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and her General Manager Mick Foley picked Seth Rollins, Women’s Champion Charlotte and NXT’s Finn Bálor, while SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon and his General Manager Daniel Bryan picked WWE Champion Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles.

John Cena then battled Luke Gallows, looking to pick up speed toward WWE Battleground with Enzo & Big Cass and AJ Styles & Karl Anderson watching at ringside.

But, when each side’s respective partners got involved, Gallows was momentarily distracted.
This paved the way for Cena to hit the Attitude Adjustment for the victory.

Darren Young & Zack Ryder def. Rusev & The Miz; Reigns heads to Raw, Cena to SmackDown Live

In the second round of the WWE Draft, Raw chose Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, while SmackDown selected John Cena and Randy Orton.

WWE Battleground preview: Intercontinental Title Match | United States Title Match
In a subsequent war for WWE Battleground momentum, Darren Young joined forces with Zack Ryder against United States Champion Rusev and Intercontinental Champion The Miz.

In the height of the action, Young made a definitive statement when he made The A-Lister tap out to the Crossface Chicken Wing – a maneuver made famous by his life coach, WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund!

Bray Wyatt def. Xavier Woods

Before The New Day and The Wyatt Family go head-to-head in an explosive Six-Man Tag Team Match at WWE Battleground, Xavier Woods was forced to face his fear of The New Face of Fear.

While Woods fought bravely, in the end, Wyatt would bury him in a shroud of darkness and overcome his opponent with Sister Abigail.

Who will reign supreme this Sunday? Find out on WWE Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Demon Kane vs. Kevin Owens ended in a No Contest

Demon Kane was scheduled to go one-on-one against Kevin Owens on the premiere episode of SmackDown Live.
But, when KO started brawling with Sami Zayn before the contest could even get underway, The Devil’s Favorite Demon took them both out with a double Chokeslam.

WWE Battleground preview: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
The WWE Draft then picked up right where it left off with Raw choosing Zayn, Sasha Banks and Chris Jericho, and SmackDown picking Bray Wyatt and Becky Lynch.

Charlotte & Dana Brooke def. Sasha Banks in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

On the first episode of SmackDown Live, Sasha Banks was forced to take on the Women’s Champion and her powerful protégé Dana Brooke all by herself – a daunting reminder that The Boss still doesn’t have a tag team partner to face her adversaries at this Sunday’s WWE Battleground.

And when Sasha failed to see Charlotte tag into the match, the titleholder took full advantage and finished her opponent off with Natural Selection.

Then, in the fourth round of the WWE Draft, Raw selected United States Champion Rusev with Lana, Kevin Owens and Enzo & Big Cass, while SmackDown Live selected Intercontinental Champion The Miz with Maryse and Baron Corbin.

Chris Jericho def. Cesaro

In a hard-fought showdown, Chris Jericho proved to be the kryptonite to The Swiss Superman when, in the final moments of their showdown, the six-time World Champion hit Cesaro with the Codebreaker as his opponent was propelling himself off the top rope.

Alicia Fox vs. Natalya ends in a No Contest

While Natalya was supposed to face Alicia Fox, a sudden attack by Becky Lynch ended that before it started and quickly threw things into chaos!

The 2016 Brand Extension Draft then continued as Raw broke up The Club by selecting Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Big Show and NXT’s Nia Jax while SmackDown Live picked NXT’s American Alpha and Dolph Ziggler.

Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins – WWE Championship Match

The WWE Draft continued on SmackDown Live, as Raw selected Neville, Cesaro and Sheamus, while the blue brand picked Natalya and Alberto Del Rio.

Then, following a controversial WWE Title Match on Raw, The Lunatic Fringe and his one-time Shield cohort engaged in an absolute knockdown, drag-out free-for-all WWE Championship rematch on the premiere episode of SmackDown Live.

WWE Battleground preview: Triple Threat WWE Title Match
In the height of the action, when Seth Rollins attempted to follow up a Superplex off the top rope, Ambrose broke loose and hit Dirty Deeds to score for the first SmackDown Live main event victory!

As SmackDown went off the air, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan joined The Lunatic Fringe in the ring in celebration of this monumental occasion.