Battleground 2016 - Full Results

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Breezango def. The Usos (Kickoff Match)



WASHINGTON, D.C. — With WWE’s post-Brand Extension New Era not even a week old, a serious (and seriously egotistical) threat has emerged in SmackDown Live’s new-look Tag Team division, and thy name is Breezango.

The arrogant alliance of Tyler Breeze & Fandango — who received a surprisingly positive reaction from the Verizon Center — turned back two-time WWE Tag Team Champions Jimmy & Jey Uso in a thrilling duel on the WWE Battleground Kickoff, perhaps proving once and for all that the comically brash duo means business.

It was The Usos, however, who pushed the action at the outset, connecting with a combination backbreaker/headbutt in the opening minute.
Though less experienced as a team compared to their twin opponents, Breezango nonetheless utilized quick tags and showed off impressive teamwork moments later, dropping Jey with a catapult by Breeze into a slingshot elbow drop by Fandango.

Fandango sought to slow the pace, wearing down Jey with a rear chinlock, but the high-flying Uso turned the momentum with a pair of enzuigiris to both members of Breezango. Once Jimmy tagged in, he continued the onslaught, clotheslining Fandango twice before landing a huge Samoan drop.

Then, paying homage to The Usos’ WWE Hall of Fame father Rikishi, Jimmy launched hip-first into Fandango as the cocky Superstar sat slumped in the corner.
Soon, all four Superstars were in the ring, but after a splash by Jey Uso went awry, Breeze bludgeoned him with a Supermodel Kick as Jey’s head was lodged next to the turnbuckle.

From there, the action came fast and furious, with all four Superstars again finding themselves involved, regardless of which two warriors were actually the legal participants.
Jimmy laid out his egotistical opposition with back-to-back superkicks, and then went up top with visions of a Samoan splash in mind.

Yet, Fandango, who was outside the ring, grabbed Uso’s leg, and the distraction, though momentary, proved costly.
Jimmy Uso shook off Fandango and dove off the top rope, but by then Breeze regained his composure.

As the Samoan Superstar descended from high above, Breeze put up his knees, resulting in a painful landing for Uso.
The self-proclaimed gorgeous Superstar then snared Uso in an inside cradle for the pin.

With every Superstar on the blue brand looking to turn heads of Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan, what will this victory mean for Breeze & Fandango as SmackDown Live’s management contemplates the future of its Tag Team division?

Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Charlotte & Dana Brooke



WASHINGTON, D.C. — The WWE Universe wasn’t sure if Sasha Banks could find a partner to join her at WWE Battleground to square off against WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and her protégé, Dana Brooke.
However, she did, and in the process revealed something about herself.

It turns out that, behind all of the swagger and beneath all the bling, The Boss is a hugger.
Banks asked one of her biggest rivals and fellow Four Horsewoman, NXT Superstar Bayley, to join forces, and the former NXT Women’s Champion answered the call in major fashion.
In the end, Bayley helped The Boss pick up the victory, keeping Dana Brooke occupied while Sasha forced Charlotte to submit to the Bank Statement.

The champion and her enforcer seemed confident that Banks wouldn’t be able to find a partner, but The Boss proved them wrong as the WWE Network event started.
The WWE Universe was ecstatic to see Bayley, erupting in cheers as her trademark wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men soared toward the Verizon Center’s rafters.

The rapturous cheers quickly turned to jeers as Charlotte and Dana ambushed their opponents before the bell.
The WWE Women’s Champion pounced on Bayley, but the resilient NXT Superstar fought out of the corner with a diving elbow and sent Banks into action.

A fired-up Boss charged at Charlotte and unleashed a hurricanrana off the ropes.
However, the steely champion took advantage of her rival’s high energy, trapping Banks in her corner, where she and Brooke worked Sasha over. Banks slipped out of their clutches and tagged Bayley in, but the cheery Superstar was sent neck-first into the turnbuckle, ensuring Charlotte and Dana stayed in control.

Bayley rallied and tagged Sasha back into the match, where The Boss nearly picked up the victory with the Bank Statement, only for Dana Brooke to save her by pulling the WWE Women’s Champion out of the ring.

Bayley neutralized the meddling Brooke at ringside with a dropkick, leaving Sasha alone in the ring with Charlotte.
The Boss took advantage of the situation, locking on the Bank Statement in the center of the ring.
Charlotte had no choice but to tap out, giving Bayley and The Boss a big victory.

Having made the WWE Women’s Champion tap out, Sasha Banks can surely make a case that she’s next in line to challenge Charlotte for the title.
That fact wasn’t lost on Bayley, who celebrated the win with Banks the best way she knows how – with a big hug!

The Wyatt Family def. The New Day



WASHINGTON, D.C. – “New Day falls.” – Bray Wyatt
For weeks, the leader of The Wyatt Family has been predicting the demise of the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions in history.
And although the creepy crusader has been known to speak in riddles, the darkness he and his brethren, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman, brought to bear at WWE Battleground was as clear as could be and led the terrifying trio to prevail over The New Day.

The battle between positivity and fear took a disturbing turn weeks ago when Bray invited Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to his family compound.
Although Big E and Kofi were quick to accept, an apprehensive Xavier wisely expressed reservations.
In the end, the WWE Tag Team Champions would venture into the swampy domain and find themselves at a distinct disadvantage, pummeled under mossy trees and the watchful eyes of hungry gators.

Check out photos of the fear at WWE Battleground
During their Six-Man Tag Team Match at Battleground, The Wyatt Family came on strong – and ruthless.
The three members, who will be split due to the WWE Draft, appeared to take sadistic glee in punishing Kofi for what must have felt like an eternity to The New Day.
At one point, Bray stared down an intimidated Xavier, who hopped off the apron in retreat.

Minutes later, Kofi finally managed to make a desperate tag, which brought in a fiery Big E. The sizable Superstar cleaned house forcing all the action outside the ring until Bray got his hands on Kofi and seemed poised to level him with Sister Abigail.
That’s when Xavier appeared to overcome his fear and intervened.

Like a man possessed, the host of the UpUpDownDown YouTube channel unleashed a flurry of punches on The Wyatt Family patriarch. Overcoming his fear, however, would take Xavier only so far.
Bray would eventually seize hold of Xavier and finish him off with Sister Abigail for the victory.
And though The New Day will retain their championships after the non-title match, the defeat at the hands of The Wyatts may have caused a crack in their veneer of positivity.

Will Big E, Kofi and Xavier be able to recover and defend their titles on Raw?
Or will an emerging torment consume – and ultimately destroy – the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions in history?

U.S. Champion Rusev def. Zack Ryder



WASHINGTON, D.C. — Zack Ryder can now stay hyped for his immediate future in WWE thanks to an unexpected rescue at WWE Battleground by one of SmackDown Live’s newest Superstars.
Ryder barely lost the battle for Rusev’s U.S. Title at WWE Battleground Sunday evening, but a late arrival by Mojo Rawley helped the challenger avoid a more painful fate.

After succumbing to The Accolade, Long Island Iced-Z suffered a post-match assault from The Bulgarian Brute until Rawley arrived to defend his former NXT tag team partner against the defending U.S. Champion.

An emboldened Ryder, who has surged up WWE’s ranks since his upset Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania 32, initially set his sights on the U.S. Championship after leading a patriotic coalition called Team USA to victory on the July 4 edition of Raw.
His continued success after that match led him to demand a U.S. Championship Match against its current titleholder, Rusev.

The Bulgarian Brute accepted days later, but only after humbling the upstart contender with a brutal post-match attack.
Rusev set the tempo for the match immediately after the opening bell, grinding Ryder down to the ring apron with a series of grappling maneuvers.

The challenger tried to respond with timely kicks and flying forearms, all to no avail against Rusev.
The Long Island, N.Y., native, wearing an outfit paying patriotic homage to WWE Hall of Famers Ultimate Warrior, Sting and “Macho Man” Randy Savage, showed substantial American grit, enduring despite the powerful arsenal being employed by Rusev.

A well-timed Rough Ryder put victory within Ryder’s grasp, but a counter of the challenger’s El-Bro Drop from the top rope put momentum behind the U.S. Champion.
Rusev superkicked Ryder in the back of the head and locked in The Accolade, which, despite a final gasp of fight by Ryder, led to The Bulgarian Brute securing victory, and assured Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley that the U.S. Title was staying  with Raw.

What followed likely came as a surprise to Ryder, but not because of what the fiancé of Lana did next.
Rusev decided to make an example to all aspiring U.S. Title contenders by further battering Ryder, resulting in the now-defeated Long Island Iced-Z lying in position for another round of The Accolade.

Before The Bulgarian Brute could apply his signature submission hold, however , Mojo Rawley, Ryder’s Hype Bros.’ tag team partner from NXT , rushed down the aisle to repel Rusev from ringside.
With the defeat, Ryder missed his chance to become just the fifth Superstar to win the star-spangled title in the nation’s capital, a feat most recently accomplished by Dolph Ziggler in 2011. However, the post-match activity ensured that Long Island Iced-Z will have at least one friend by his side when he and Rawley begin to fight their way up the ranks of the newly-assembled SmackDown Live roster.

Sami Zayn def. Kevin Owens



WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sami Zayn toppled Kevin Owens at WWE Battleground as the former best friends turned bitter enemies closed the book on their longstanding conflict once and for all.
The Underdog from the Underground and KO settled their storied rivalry in a fiery final showdown in what may go down as their greatest face-off ever.

While this wasn’t the first friendship gone wrong in sports-entertainment history – and certainly won’t be the last – there are few rivalries in WWE history with as much deep-seated animosity.
Ever since KO callously turned on his closest friend at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution by powerbombing him onto the ring apron, neither Superstar has missed an opportunity to inflict pain on the other.

And their highly anticipated showdown in the nation’s capital continued that trend.
Zayn wasted no time going on the attack, attempting to hit the Helluva Kick as soon as the bell rang, to no avail.

Instead, Owens slid outside the ring, where the fierce foes proceeded to throw one another into the ringside barricade.
Each strike and maneuver delivered by these Superstars seemingly contained just a little more force than usual as each tried to distribute as much agony on his opponent as possible.

Zayn’s high-flying style nearly cost him the contest in the early goings as his attempt to springboard off the top rope onto Owens on the outside backfired as the aerial artist miscalculated and fell onto his right shoulder.
Throughout the match, WWE’s prizefighter seemed to know every move his one-time friend was going to attempt, allowing the trash-talking Canadian grappler to avoid danger on multiple occasions. However, Owens could not stop Zayn from nailing a brutal  suplex on the ring apron, seemingly opening the flood gates for the red-haired dynamo.

But, as was the story for most of the bout, the wily Owens would deny his rival from hitting the knockout blow.
Zayn attempted to hit his trademark tornado DDT through the ropes, only to get hit square in the jaw with a superkick. KO looked to capitalize with a huge frog splash only to have Zayn kick out at two.

WWE fans at The Verizon Center were chanting “Fight Forever!” as these warriors remarkably took the match to an even higher gear.
Zayn’s electric offensive attack soon began to get the best of Owens as the crowd in Washington, D.C., was brought to their feet with every near fall. Emotions began to boil over as Zayn got his foot up on the rope just in time to avoid a pinfall after suffering a Pop-up Powerbomb from Owens.

A frustrated Owens then derided his foe, demanding that he “stay down!” as he slapped him across the face. An undeterred Zayn fired back with a slap of his own that stunned Owens.
The crowd roared as Zayn hit back-to-back exploder suplexes on his embattled opponent.

Zayn stood in the corner for a moment and closed his eyes, as if to envision what was about to happen, before hitting perhaps his most explosive Helluva Kick to date.
As Owens fell motionless into the arms of Zayn, Raw announcer Michael Cole speculated that Owens’ former best friend might have been considering showing some compassion.

Instead, Zayn propped Owens up in the corner and charged one last time, hitting another Helluva Kick to claim the emotionally and physically draining victory.
Now that the dust has settled from this vicious war with Zayn’s hand raised high, what’s next for both of these Superstars?

This match was billed as the final battle between both competitors, but can the brash Owens finally put his differences with Zayn in the past after ending up on the losing side.
Plus, thanks to the WWE Draft, both grapplers are now members of Raw’s roster, so it’s safe to say they will be running into each other in the future.

Natalya def. Becky Lynch




WASHINGTON, D.C. — What a Hart-breaker.
Becky Lynch, the fiery phenom of WWE’s Women’s division, fell short against her rival Natalya at WWE Battleground, leaving The Irish Lass Kicker to suffer her second consecutive pay-per-view punishment at the hands of the former Divas Champion after Natalya’s betrayal at WWE Money in the Bank kick-started their rivalry last month.

Since her fateful about-face, Natalya has embraced a new me-first mantra that paid dividends almost instantly, while Becky has been forced to find her way as a solo Superstar after being betrayed by every WWE partner she has had.

That led Maiden Ireland to hit the ground running against her fellow SmackDown Live draftee, but Natalya was wise to her plan, and fled the ring every time Becky got a few punches in on her.
Natalya’s continuous exits meant Becky never got any momentum going, but her frustration did mount, and with it a degree of sloppiness.

Natalya was quick to capitalize, trapping Lynch’s leg in the apron and hammering it with fists, softening the Irish Superstar’s leg up early for the inevitable Sharpshooter.
Lynch’s evening quickly turned into a nightmarish succession of submissions, each designed to both weaken Becky’s strength and display Natalya’s dominance over the upstart Superstar.

Becky, as the WWE Universe knows, is too good to go quietly, and she did manage to mount a flurry of offense after an enziguiri gave The Irish Lass Kicker a degree of separation.
Not only did she power out of a Sharpshooter, but she also executed a missile dropkick off the top rope to send The Queen of Harts scrambling into the corner.

Again, Becky’s aggression boiled over and her awareness went quickly with it: While the referee attempted to act as a human barrier between the overaggressive Becky and the cowering Natalya, The Queen of Harts delivered one final kick to her opponent’s leg and locked in another Sharpshooter to finally force Becky to submit.

If there’s one thing to be taken away here, it’s that Becky Lynch’s resolve and heart cannot be denied.
However, in Washington D.C., heart didn’t have the final word. Hart did.

Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Darren Young ended in a Double Disqualification




WASHINGTON, D.C. – At WWE Battleground, when Intercontinental Champion The Miz put his hands on WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund and Darren Young refused to release a submission hold  on the A-Lister outside the ring, the referee was forced to disqualify both competitors.

Match photos 
For months now, Darren Young’s Life Coach, Bob Backlund, has aimed to “make Darren Young great again!”
That truly manifested itself when Young triumphed in an Intercontinental Title No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, which, in turn, gained the revitalized athlete enough notoriety for Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and her GM Mick Foley to select him as part of the WWE Extension Draft.

Unfortunately, however, their pick was not destined to bring another championship home to Monday Night Raw.
From the opening bell, Young proved impressive in his WWE Battleground showdown against The Miz, employing a finely-tuned technique to score several near falls on the overconfident titleholder.

That was until Maryse’s distraction allowed Miz to hurl his challenger from the top rope to the ringside floor and seize the advantage. 
The sheer will of Young was not to be denied and the fierce competitor soon regained control.  However, when Miz grew distracted by Backlund, Maryse opted to slap the WWE Hall of Famer, before to making it look like Backlund had knocked her to the floor.

The A-Lister responded to this “appearance” of malice by pushing Backlund to the ground, inciting Young to lose control and lock his opponent into a submission hold  outside the ring.
When he refused to release it, the referee was forced to bring the match to a close.

Regardless of how the contest ended, one thing is undisputed: the Intercontinental Championship is staying with The Miz on SmackDown Live.
With Darren Young on the Raw roster after the WWE Draft , who next will  attempt to take the Miz’s coveted title?
Find out Tuesday night at 8/7 C on USA Network

John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass def. The Club




WASHINGTON, D.C. — Utilizing his alliance with one of the most popular tag teams of WWE’s New Era – Enzo Amore & Big Cass – John Cena proved he was anything but “sawft.”
In a hard-fought Six-Man Tag Team Match at WWE Battleground, the Cenation leader and “The Realest Guys in the Room” bested The Club – AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows – in the nation’s capital.

As the battle began, Enzo Amore & Big Cass displayed their incredible teamwork – a trait matched only by their uncanny ability to intimidate their opponents with the power of the microphone.
John Cena could only watch in awe as “The Realest Guys in the Room” used their size differential to their advantage, taking down Anderson & Gallows when Big Cass turned his partner into a wrecking ball.

However, with the animosity between the members of each respective team brewing for weeks, The Club wasn’t going to go down easy. Anderson, Gallows and Styles took advantage of an opening and demonstrated their own teamwork at the expense of Enzo Amore.

The momentum shifted as Cena was tagged in and immediately took the fight to AJ Styles.
Cena attempted to end the match with an Attitude Adjustment, but Styles reversed with his patented Pelé Kick.
From there, complete pandemonium ensued as every Superstar in the match ended up on the receiving end of an opponent’s maneuver.

As the bedlam subsided, Cena managed to successfully execute the AA on Styles, but the pinfall was quickly broken up by Gallows.
Once again, the bitterness between the trios degraded the contest into an all-out brawl.
Cena and Styles remained the legal men in the contest, but that didn’t stop Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Anderson and Gallows from engaging each other in the center of the squared circle.

With AJ Styles sitting on the top rope and back in his sights, Cena quickly knocked Luke Gallows out of the ring and seized the moment.


The Cenation leader ascended the top rope and managed to send Styles crashing to the mat with a super Attitude Adjustment.
That was finally enough for Cena to secure the pinfall and pick up the victory.

With John Cena and AJ Styles headed to SmackDown Live, Enzo Amore & Big Cass and Gallows & Anderson headed to Raw, the future of each respective rivalry remains to be seen. 
At WWE Battleground, however, it was Cena and "The Realest Guys in the Room" who were on the same page.

Randy Orton RKOs Chris Jericho on “The Highlight Reel”




WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chris Jericho should have known better.
As any sane person can attest, you don’t invite Randy Orton onto your talk show, antagonize the dangerous Superstar and expect to walk away unscathed.

The host of “The Highlight Reel” opened his show by proclaiming the night’s episode at WWE Battleground the biggest in WWE history.
Orton, sidelined for nine months with a shoulder injury, would make his return in a WWE ring to discuss his recovery as well as his match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam on Sunday, Aug. 21.

When he entered the ring, Orton told the audience the one thing he’d been missing over the last nine months was the energy of the WWE Universe, which showered him with appreciation.
As for Jericho, that was an entirely different story.

Check out photos of when things took an ugly turn
WWE’s first Undisputed Champion reveled in antagonizing his guest, even having the audacity to offer Orton “the Gift of Jericho.”
He then called The Viper’s judgment into question after unspooling a montage of Lesnar’s most brutal suplexes.

For his part, Orton dismissed the criticism, saying that although it may take 20 suplexes to go to Lesnar’s infamous “Suplex City,” it only takes one RKO to go to “Viper-ville.”
Apparently, The Viper’s answers weren’t satisfactory enough for the scarf-clad Superstar, who continued to taunt Orton until enough was enough. After his continued provocations, The Viper finally struck, nailing Jericho with an “RKO outta nowhere” to abruptly end ”The Highlight Reel” and send a message to Brock Lesnar.

WWE Champion Dean Ambrose def. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (Triple Threat Match)




WASHINGTON, D.C. — The main event of WWE Battleground was two years in the making, one the WWE Universe had been waiting to see ever since Seth Rollins stabbed his Shield brethren Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in the back.

The stakes could not have been higher, with the WWE Championship hanging in the balance less than 24 hours before a New Era of WWE began, with defending champion  Ambrose heading to SmackDown Live and Reigns and Rollins anchoring Monday Night Raw.

Despite the odds being stacked against SmackDown Live and their top draft pick, the determined Ambrose persevered against his former Shield brothers, eventually hitting Reigns with Dirty Deeds to retain his title and take it to Tuesday nights.

Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and her Raw General Manager, Mick Foley, SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon and his General Manager, Daniel Bryan, all made their way to ringside to get the best view of the match that would shape the future of WWE and determine which brand got control of the WWE Championship.

The three former Shield brothers intensely stared each other down as the bell tolled, signaling the start of the bout WWE fans had been dreaming of. Rollins tried to goad Reigns and Ambrose into bumping fists, as they had for years after they arrived in WWE.

Instead, The Big Dog tackled Rollins to the canvas, forcing The Architect to retreat to the arena floor.
With Rollins incapacitated on the floor, Reigns and The Lunatic Fringe began trading blows, neither man able to gain the upper hand until Ambrose left his feet to try and take Reigns down. Instead, the WWE Champion bounced off his powerful friend’s chest.

Despite the pestering of Rollins, the persistent Ambrose continued the attack on Reigns until The Architect succeededin neutralizing The Big Dog.
With Ambrose weakened from his exchange with the hard-hitting Reigns, Rollins had the perfect opportunity to inflict more damage on Ambrose, and embarrass him with a few slaps to the face.

Though the WWE Champion dove onto his former brothers at ringside, an emboldened Rollins soon grabbed him and recklessly hurled Ambrose into the unforgiving steel steps.
The action was fast and furious as they battled around ringside and back into the ring.

Ambrose dashed across two commentary tables to launch himself at his challengers, then clobbered Reigns with a diving elbow, only for Rollins to fly back into the ring, crashing into Ambrose with a splash off the ropes.
Despite being the target of both of his former Shield brethren’s attacks, Reigns still had enough in him to clock both of them with Superman Punches.

The three battle-worn competitors collapsed to the mat after a particularly hard-hitting exchange, getting a brief respite from the war.
However, the break did not last long, as Ambrose and Rollins dove onto a staggered Reigns on the arena floor.

Then, in a callback to their days as The Hounds of Justice, The Architect and The Lunatic Fringe powerbombed The Big Dog through the Spanish announcers’ table.
However, any fond memories of The Shield were dissipated when Rollins bashed both the WWE Champion and Reigns with a steel chair as he did when he blew up The Shield.

Ambrose and Rollins fought back into the ring and to the top rope, where Rollins superplexed the champion to the canvas, then held on and floated through into a Falcon Arrow, but only got a two-count.
They may have made a mistake in leaving Reigns in the remnants of the table, which gave The Big Dog enough time to recover and get his second wind.

Reigns jumped right back into the battle and took Ambrose out, but turned around into a Pedigree from The Architect.
Reigns managed to kick out at the last second but Rollins stayed on the attack, tossing Reigns into the turnbuckles.

But The Juggernaut bounced off and connected with a Superman Punch and Spear that would have won him the WWE Championship on any other night.
However, the unstable Ambrose slid back into the squared circle and grabbed Reigns, planting him into the canvas with Dirty Deeds to retain his title and bring it to SmackDown Live on Tuesday nights.

As soon as the referee’s hand hit the mat for the third time, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon raced around the ring rejoicing, while Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley seethed, with sports-entertainment’s top prize having just slipped through their fingers.

The party continued in the ring, as the entire SmackDown Live roster joined McMahon, Bryan and their champion, Ambrose, to celebrate SmackDown Live’s supremacy.
Though Ambrose’s victory makes the picture clearer on Tuesday nights, it leaves plenty of questions left to be asked for Monday Night Raw.

How will Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley react to not having WWE’s top prize on Raw?
Find out by tuning into USA Network at 8/7 C!