The KJR's Battleground Preview

WWE Battleground makes it's debut tomorrow and it's basically a 3-match show. The World and WWE Championship matches most likely won't disappoint and there's a ton of buzz and excitement surrounding the Tag Team match between The Shield and The Rhodes Family. At least WWE took the opportunity to make a mid-card, even if it is a little pisspoor. This is a preview of the matches on the Battleground PPV card, my thoughts on the matches themselves as well as my predictions as to who should and will win.

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH: It's hard to imagine that only 4 short months ago that Dolph Ziggler was on top of the world - the World Heavyweight Championship, that is. How the mighty have fallen. Now he's been wrestling for the United States Championship and has headlined two(!) kickoff shows. It sucks for me because I'm a huge Ziggler fan. Still am. Thankfully, with Ziggler's work ethic and talent, I'm all but certain that he will become a main-eventer again. The cream always rises to the top. And then the other side of the equation is Damien Sandow, who only three months ago was thought to be on the fast-track to the main-event after winning the Money In The Bank Ladder Match. But Sandow has barely won a televised match since earning that Championship opportunity. I am also still a fan of Damien Sandow, but that's falling fast and hard. I'm beginning to think that it was a mistake for Sandow to win that MitB briefcase. This match pits two of the better mid-carders (and it hurts to call Ziggler a mid-carder again) on WWE's roster in what is the definition of a makeshift match. I am glad to see it though, because I know what type of contest both of these superstars are capable of.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: When predicting who should/will win this match, it's important to think about who the win will benefit that most. That superstar is obviously Damien Sandow. Ziggler has at least defeated Dean Ambrose twice in their rivalry, albeit by DQ and in non-title matches - but Ziggler doesn't need the US Title anyway. Ziggler doesn't need a win. Sandow does.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: However with the way WWE has been booking Sandow lately, one more loss won't hurt him at all. Besides, this is the kickoff match and it's best that the babyface wins to get the crowd in the mood. Dolph Ziggler wins the fluffer match.

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH: Brie Bella is the #1 Contender due to having pinned AJ Lee in a tag team contest... but really because she's porking Daniel Bryan. Come on, we all know that's true. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm happy for Daniel Bryan. He's got a Bella Twin on his peen. Not the one with the D-cups, but a solid B+. Just look at far WWE has come with their divas. The two divas competing here aren't blonde, neither has enhanced breasts and one of them can actually wrestle. That, my friend, is progress.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: This isn't the Total Diva that AJ Lee should be facing, but I'm done with that argument. Brie Bella isn't the worst in the ring, but she has a far way to go. With any luck, Daniel Bryan could give her some pointers. I'm not expecting a great match here, but I'm sure AJ Lee can make it decent. 
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: I beg WWE not to succumb to the pressure of making Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella a power couple - complete with matching championships. That would drive me crazy. There's no reason why AJ Lee should drop the title here. There's too many other, better competitors in the division for her to feud with, especially since she has the ire of every other diva on the roster aside from Tamina. And I think it's because of Tamina that AJ Lee wins this match.

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH: I said in the RAW KJR that I hoped R-Truth would get a championship opportunity after he had a pretty solid match against Curtis Axel. Then 10 minutes later it was made official. I can't believe I wasted a wish on this match. I suppose I should be happy that by hook or by crook, WWE isn't just allowing the Intercontinental Championship to be a decoration on the waist of Axel. He's actually defended that title more often than most IC Champs do. Axel suffered at the hands of CM Punk in his previous rivalry and he needs to branch out on his own to re-establish himself as a viable champion. R-Truth isn't exactly the best superstar to face in that right because his list of WWE accomplishments rounds up to 0.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: I'm not exactly chomping at the bit for R-Truth to become Intercontinental Champion, but neither am I hoping that Curtis Axel remains champion either. The way I feel about the result of this match may be the very definition of the word apathetic. But I would like to see both of these talented and underrated superstars get a nice jumpstart.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: This could go either way, with nobody really caring one way or the other. What suffers most from this matchup is the Intercontinental Championship. Since I think that WWE wants to push him better than they have, I figure they'll be looking to give Curtis Axel a solid, clean win.

 

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH: I could be wrong, but this might be the match I'm looking forward to the most. Weird, huh? But I've been really engaged in the storyline with the Rhodes' and the McMahon's. I never really thought of myself as a fan of the Rhodes family, but looking back I was always rooting for Goldust and Dusty Rhodes in their time. And of course I'm a huge fan of Cody Rhodes. That might be the reason why I'm so excited about this match - because it's the start of the push that I've always wanted for Cody Rhodes. This is a crucial match in his career. This is a crucial match alltogether.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: I don't imagine that Goldust will be sticking around after this storyline is done, so it'll be a little odd if he were to gain a WWE contract. That leads me to believe that The Shield will win the match and Cody will have to find another way to regain his job. Plus, the Administration is also in the intermidiary of their reign. I don't know if a loss like this is one that they are willing to take.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: With Triple H and Stephanie McMahon being personally involved in this storyline, I'm expecting a bit of a swerve somehow. They're not going to make it easy. But I think that someway, somehow The Rhodes Family pull out a way to win and stick to the Administration.

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH: I absolutely love CM Punk. Any match he's in automatically gets the benefit of the doubt. But we've seen Punk vs Ryback before... twice. And both times the match sucked balls. I'm not saying this match will suck, though. Punk is a consummate professional and just recently carried Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel to a better-than-expected match at Night of Champions. I have no doubt that he can do the same for Ryback, who in his own right isn't downright horrible. In fact, Ryback is better in the ring as a heel because he doesn't play up to the crowd during the entire match. He's allowed to be ruthless and cocky and that makes for a better match. Plus, his endurance has gotten much better than what it was before. I'm not expecting this to be the Match of the Night, but I wouldn't surprised if it was a sleeper contender.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: I'm a little spoiled by CM Punk. I'm used to his matches being headliners. Lately they haven't been because Punk has been booked to lose. And as such he should be. In order for this storyline to continue, Punk cannot come out on top. Once he gains the upper hand, there's no reason for it to go any further. Some people are already tired of this saga between Punk and Heyman, but I'm not. I know that both of them has enough ammo in their respective arsenal to not only continue this story but make it better. And because of that, I think Punk should lose.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Moreover, I think Ryback should win this match. Punk was the guy who stopped Ryback previous winning streak and threw his meteoric rise off track. Sure, it was the creative team who booked him into a corner, but Punk was the opponent and I think it'd be good for Ryback to defeat the man that defeated him. Besides, they can't possibly derail Ryback again, can they? And with Punk again, no less.

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH: Only because this match is hardcore am I giving it any consideration. The Buffalo fans aren't too far removed from Philadelphia, so I know there will be some diehard ECW fans egging RVD on. If WWE takes off the PG handcuffs, this match could be something special. And it's not just because of RVD. Alberto Del Rio has a well-defined mean streak in him as well and I'm sure he could be just as hardcore as RVD, if not more. This match has potential.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: RVD's contract allows him to work only 90 days at a time before taking a break. I'm not sure if the break is 90 days too. I like how the contract is setup because it allows him to stay fresh. For what WWE & the fans expect from him on a nightly basis, it's good for him to get some rest. Due to the upcoming rest, It's hard to think that RVD will win the World Title.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: And yet, I think RVD will win the World Title. How, you ask? Well, there is the matter of the Money in the Bank briefcase and a huge X-factor in Ricardo Rodriguez. Everyone is expecting for Ricardo to betray RVD and go back to Del Rio's side, but I think he'll actually betray RVD in favor of Damien Sandow. It'll give RVD a short title win, plus setup a rivalry for him when he returns.

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH: Controversy, thy name is the WWE Championship. I really liked the first title win by Daniel Bryan and the subsequent cash-in by Randy Orton. That fit a storyline that is status quo in WWE. Heel turns happen. MITB briefcases get cashed in at least twice a year. That was natural. But the last twist was a stretch. I withheld judgment at the time so I could see where this was going. It went nowhere. There's been nary a mention of the referree or the controversy since it happened - probably due to how poorly it was received. I understand that Triple H doesn't want Daniel Bryan to be WWE Champion, but it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to come up with that ending. I'd have much better preferred The Shield or Big Show interfere than for that to happen.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN: The WWE fans are getting restless and they really want Daniel Bryan to actually be WWE Champion. I'm getting a little afraid that WWE is blowing this push just like they did with CM Punk. I have to admit that I'm not as excited about this match as I was for the first match between Orton & Bryan or the match between Bryan & Cena. But I know that the two of them can and will put on a spectacular contest and I'll be eating my words willingly.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: I blew the Big Show wad too early, thinking he'd get involved in the match of Night of Champions. I believe he'll definitely get involved in this match. I think the finish comes when Big Show KTFO's Randy Orton, allowing Orton to win by DQ. They'll play it off like he was attacking Orton, but really he'll be helping Triple H. That way this storyline continues and the rubber match happens at Hell in A Cell.