Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Reactions: Sami Zayn has the honor of saying he fought in two matches where the crowd chanted “FIGHT FOREVER!” Zayn and Owens’ blood has resulted in some truly awesome matches. This stood out as their best encounter on the main WWE roster. Zayn actually went on a Suplex City rampage throughout as he dished out Exploders and Half-Nelson Suplexes. Owens was no slouch though as he landed nice Superkicks and more dominating maneuvers. The turning point of this match truly came when Zayn took a high risk by landing awkwardly on the outside with an Arabian Moonsault Press. Zayn’s now injured shoulder took a lot of damage, but he still did the unthinkable by landing a Brainbuster on Owens to the ring apron. This match continued to excel over the the matches before it with some jaw dropping back an forth offense. Finishing moves were doled out, but the end truly came after two Helluva Kicks. Zayn overcame his biggest foe in one of the best matches of the evening.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Becky Lynch vs. Natalya
Reactions: Natalya’s a jerk and we love it. She showcased her new mean streak here in the best ways possible: by working over Becky’s injured knee and taunting her at every opportunity. Becky was her usual fired up self as he dropped Natalya with stiff elbow shots and suplexes. This match mainly focused on Natalya focusing all her attention on Becky’s leg, which wasn’t too thrilling to watch. Becky’s comeback offense was fun to watch and both women struggling to lock in their submissions at different intervals was kind of interesting at points. But overall, this was an average Women’s match. At least Natalya got a big win.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
The Miz (c) (with Maryse) vs. Darren Young (with Bob Backlund) (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Reactions: This Darren Young run isn’t doing anything for us since he’s still so bland in the ring. Having an opponent like The Miz doesn’t really help matter much, either. This was just a passable match that the crowd (and us included) weren’t too enamored with. Darren’s fiery comeback offense looked impressive, at least. We truly didn’t care that much until Bob Backlund went nuts outside the ring. This IC Championship bout ended under some disappointing means, which brought down this match’s quality factor even more. It looks like this might be settled in the future, but after watching this match we’re not sure we want to see that again. A blah match with a blah ending.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) (Six-Man Tag Team Match)
Reactions: Both these talented combinations of Superstars have been great on the mic and in the ring during their beef. And the culmination of such a great feud came to a fine close here with this awesome six-man tag. Enzo’s opening monologue (plus Cass’s soccer mom digs at AJ) started things off on a very high note. The match itself stayed intense at all times. Enzo fought tooth and nail against his much larger opponents, AJ was cockier than ever, Cena went nuts during his comeback and The Club went harder than ever. The most hectic point of this bout occurred when everyone exchanged their signature holds. Cena ended up catching Enzo and throwing him into Gallows’ arms, plus AJ mistakenly laid out Gallows with a Phenomenal Elbow. Things got even more hectic when Cena ate a Spinebuster outside the ring. When the ref lost control, we lost our minds because it improved more and more. AJ got bested by a top rope AA from Cena to end this big multi-man matchup. Now we can’t wait for the eventual SummerSlam rematch between both men. Make sure you check this marquee matchup out, folks.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship)
Reactions: The atmosphere surrounding this main event was filled with fan fervor. The three former members of The Shield headed out to engage in war, plus both brand’s representation watched and cheered on their roster members. This triple threat match was a solid close to a decent PPV. All three men harkened back to the stablemate days by using the familiar offense they were once known for. Reigns got torn to shred by the fans who resented him, which made those moments where he got beat down more fun to witness. Ambrose fought like a madman, Rollins intelligently picked his spots and Reigns relied on his unmatched power to cut down his opponents. We have to give this match props for bringing up some nods to the past, like the moment when Rollins used a steel chair to crack Ambrose and Rollins in the back. The closing sequence was packed with fast action and heart stopping near falls. Reigns made sure to put Rollins down with his finishing moves, but Ambrose did the same to Reigns to take the big victory. Ambrose’s victory, the high stakes of the match and the match itself all equaled up into a solid finish to Battleground 2016.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars