A quick word before I start. I was scrolling through my Twitter timeline and saw hashtags of #RIPChester and Linkin Park was trending. I was hoping it was another internet hoax, but apparently, the lead singer of the famous band Linkin Park took his own life and died at the age of 41. Linkin Park was a huge part of my childhood growing up, and would always go on YouTube and listen to AMV’s with their music playing. Songs like Numb, In The End and What I’ve Done remain with me to this day. Talk to your friends and tell them that you care. Life is far too short and too fragile.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin
I honestly have no idea what the beef is with each other. All I remember is Corbin taking out Nakamura before their Money In The Bank Ladder match, and perhaps I missed it, but there was no adequate reason for their feud. It just seems like these two NXT alumni are facing off against each other just for the sake of feuding. They were also supposed to have a match on Smackdown but it never got started as they just brawled some more. Nakamura’s run on Smackdown hasn’t nearly been as impressive or noteworthy as I thought it would be after his first night. Perhaps WWE is biding their time and waiting until the summer to put him into the prime time but it just seems like they’ve been going through the motions with him. Meanwhile, Baron Corbin holds the Money In The Bank briefcase, and while logic would dictate he wins BECAUSE he has the briefcase, history has shown that Mr. Money In The Bank, whoever that may be, typically loses often before cashing the contract in for the shock factor. So, I’ll go with Strong Style to go over here.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
The Usos (C) vs. The New Day – Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The only two serious teams on Smackdown feuding up until now gives me a reason to believe that this will go into the summer unless WWE goes the easy way out and does a multi-tag team turmoil match. While these two have shown chemistry in the ring, it’s their antics outside the ring that have sold this feud, particularly the rap battle that these two sides had two weeks ago. Shots as The Usos’ subservience to Roman Reigns and Xavier’s….er…rendevouz with former NXT Women’s Champion, Paige were taken, and if you were a new viewer to WWE television, one could say that this feud has gotten personal. While it is two on 3, The new Day hasn’t been able to use the number games to their advantage to take the titles off of them yet, and The Usos are the only thing that has saved the Smackdown tag team division from completely capitulating. They really haven’t had any serious competition, and The New Day is eventually going to take the titles. It’s inevitable. But I do not believe that it will take place at Battleground.
Winner: The Usos
Fatal Five Way Elimination Match: Tamina vs. Lana vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natayla
Because of the fact that WWE hasn’t really been able to give anything of value to any of the Smackdown women individually, it’s just easier for them to stick all of them in one match and see if they could do something. Meanwhile, Naomi surpassed the 100-day threshold on her reign as Smackdown Women’s Champion, but she has faced little competition outside of Charlotte on her first night on Smackdown. Deciphering who will face Naomi at Summerslam shouldn’t be too hard to carve, so let’s see who will be fortunate to win the match. Natayla hasn’t been doing anything in, like, forever, and I see no reason for her to go over here. She’s served her role well as the veteran of the group, but she hasn’t been placed in a position to seriously contend for titles at this moment, so there’s no reason for her to go over here.
Lana has gotten not one, not two, but three shots as Naomi, and she has lost all of them in embarrassing fashion. Giving her a fourth chance would just be a troll job, so she’s out (though I wouldn’t put it past WWE to do it). Becky Lynch got herself a huge pick me up with a convincing, clean win over Charlotte on Smackdown, but WWE logic dictates that whoever wins and looks strong going into the PPV typically loses, so I can’t pick her. So that leaves us with Charlotte and Tamina. There seems to be an underlying story going on with Tamina, so it looks like she’s being built as a serious contender. However, Charlotte and Naomi’s match for the SD Women’s Title didn’t have a definitive finish, and I’m inclined to believe she wants to finish what she started. I think Tamina will get a shot down the road, but I think Charlotte is the way to go going into Summerslam.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
John Cena vs. Rusev – Flag Match
I was actually interested to see what Rusev was going to return as after a long layoff to dust the cobwebs. However, when he returned, he reverted right back to what he was doing with Cena two years ago. There’s literally no difference. Rusev just came back with his Anti-American vitriol, and Cena came back with his “America this, WWII that, USA!, USA!, rah, rah, rah” speel. It’s just gotten repetitive and it’s clear they didn’t think of an interesting and different feud for Rusev to return to. Matches such as I Quit matches and Flag Matches are matches typically won by the faces, and Rusev just so happened to face another superstar who is returning, being John Cena. I cannot see Rusev winning this match, and I don’t see him being relatively important on Smackdown going into the future considering this is what they brought him back, after all, this time to do.
Winner: John Cena
AJ Styles (C) vs. Kevin Owens – United States Championship
WWE kept true to the “anything can happen” ideal when AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens for the United States Championship at an untelevised house show event at Madison Square Garden that really should have been a WWE Network special if you ask me. Kevin Owens’ new gimmick as the new Face of America and his new shaven look isn’t something that I have completely been a fan of, but it hasn’t done any real damage to his character, so I didn’t mind it. Meanwhile, it’s been a while since AJ Styles has had a performance that reminds me why he is one of the best talents to ever a grace a wrestling ring. His match against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania was very good, but it was a far cry from the performances he was putting on last year. This isn’t to say that he has been bad, but so many times last year we just sat back and said “WOW” when AJ was in the ring, whether on PPV or on Smackdown. He’s tailed off a little bit since then, and that’s no doubt due to his change as a heel to a face.
Seeing as how WWE didn’t find it suitable to televise Kevin Owens’ title loss, I can’t see how he regains it from AJ. I hope these two have a great match as they are the creme of the crop when it comes to performance in the ring. If this match doesn’t deliver, I’m inclined to believe Battleground will be a stinker. It also appears that AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura are teasing a match for Summerslam, which is even more reason as to why Styles would retain here.
Winner: AJ Styles
Jinder Mahal (C) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship (Punjabi Prison Match)
Someone is going to have to pull up the history books and tell me when the last time Randy Orton lost three singles matches on PPV in a row with the WWE Title on the line. Jinder, to the surprise of many, defeated Orton at Backlash to become the new WWE Champion. His title reign hasn’t been anything to write home about, and it has been different, but it should have been painfully obvious that this was the match that was going to culminate the feud between these two. We haven’t seen a Punjabi Prison match since No Mercy 2007, and I didn’t even watch that match start to finish. Apparently, you have to win by escape. Now, being the huge Orton mark I am, I’m hoping he wins. But before I’m an Orton mark, I’m a realist. It appears that Jinder Mahal vs. John Cena on his anti-American cleansing spree is the plan at Summerslam, and that can’t happen if Orton wins.
Randy Orton just hasn’t looked motivated these days, even when he’s in the WWE Title picture. I hope Jinder gets a convincing win here for his sake, and I hope that Randy Orton puts him over strongly, because that’s the only thing that will justify having to see these two fight for two months straight and on three straight PPV’s. If this is just a slow, plodding match that sees Jinder win like a coward again, this will have all been a waste. The only thing that’s missing for Jinder right now is the legitamacy of him as champion. Baron Corbin holds the MITB briefcase, and I believe he will cash in on a face, and not a heel. However, can we rule out him coming down the ramp after a grueling match between these two, and cash in on whoever wins, and then have Corbin face Cena at Summerslam? I’m not going to rule it out, because it’s entirely feasible, but I say WWE will get cold feet and not pull the trigger. I say Jinder gets a third straight victory over Orton and the Modern Day Maharaja continues to reign.
Winner: Jinder Mahal
What’re your predictions? Do you even care? Let me know. Rest in peace, Chester.
