With a new Money in the Bank holder, the coming year should be interesting to see who Luke Harper cashes in on. Leading in to Battleground, a few title feuds started. Will Rusev crush his newest challenger, Roman Reigns? Will Randy Orton continue to dominate the Smackdown roster against another veteran, or will he lose his position above his peers? Read on to find out.
Match 1: Randy Savage def. Ryback in a Last Man Standing match to retain the Intercontinental Title
At the last minute, this was determined to be a LMS match. This feud has been ongoing since the start of CSW, and besides Ryback passing the title on, nothing has come from it entertainmentwise. Savage controlled most of the match, but Ryback ended up reversing an elbow drop into a Shellshocked. That was pretty sweet. Savage kicked out, reversed a clothesline into an atomic drop and hit the elbow drop to put Ryback down for the 10 count and retain.
Match 2: Brie Bella def. Paige in a No Holds Barred match to retain the Diva’s Championship
This has been a great story. Last PPV, Paige was nailed with a bat to win by DQ after dominating Brie. So now, anything goes! Sadly, after dominating Brie again, Paige was equalized with a bat. Brie reversed Paige’s finisher, hit her own, and pinned her for the win.
Match 3: Neville def. Bad News Barrett
Neville reversed pretty much every move Barrett got in and overcame the larger adversary to win (with two Red Arrows), and close out their minor feud.
Match 4: Luke Harper/Erik Rowan def. Kingston/Woods to win the Tag Team Championship
Luke Harper is on a role. First, he has the Money in the Bank briefcase, and now, he’s a tag team champion. I didn’t play this match, so all I know is Harper/Rowan won. But that’s kind of awesome, all things considered.
Match 5: Randy Orton def. Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship
Nothing too crazy, but a decent back and forth bout. Jericho almost had it sealed with the Liontamer, but Orton reversed it and hit the RKO. Jericho lost, and shed some blood in the process.
Match 6: Kevin Owns def. Seth Rollins to win the US Championship
Seth Rollins starts our season off by losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Rusev. Now, he has been defeated by another powerhouse, Kevin Owens. Owens kicked out from the Pedigree and hit the popup powerbomb not once, but twice, to overcome Rollins and win the US Championship. I hope this feud continues for a few months.
Match 7: Rusev def. Roman Reigns to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
Rusev destroyed Reigns, making him submit in the middle of the ring. Reigns didn’t get much offense in, either. A very minor comeback towards the middle of the match, but it was abruptly stopped with a powerslam.
Rusev continues to dominate, Luke Harper continues pushing up the card, and Kevin Owens stakes his claim on a title. Summerslam is next, so stay tuned!
World Heavyweight Champion: Rusev (RAW)
WWE Champion: Randy Orton (Smackdown)
United States Champion: Kevin Owens (RAW)
Intercontinental Champion: Randy Savage (Smackdown)
NXT Champion: Finn Balor
Diva’s Champion: Brie Bella
Tag Team Champions: Luke Harper and Erik Rowan
Money in the Bank Holder: Luke Harper
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