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Post by Evil Abed on Jul 23, 2017 23:11:03 GMT -5
Wow, I was not impressed with Nakamura at all tonight. The NXT brand did well to hide his flaws, but Vince and the WWE is really doing well on showing that Nakamura isn't as great as he is perceived. I know a lot of people like him, but his match with Ziggler two months ago put me to sleep, and his match with Corbin tonight did the exact same thing. I am not sure where the hype is with him, but so far on the main roster he hasn't lived up to it whatsoever. Nakamura isn't motivated at all and it's showing. It's not so much about hiding flaws as it is him just not showing up. Agree, he went out there and had awesome matches in his first few months, but everything he's done since late 2016/early 2017 has just been a dud. Idk if its because he's not getting the push he expected or what. But his feud with Roode in NXT was abysmal, those two did not click at all. And Roode has gone on to have great matches with Roddy and Hideo, and had a great feud with Dillinger before that. Where as Nakamura hasn't really done anything of note since debuting. Would have (in a perfect world) loved to have had AJ vs. Nakamura for the US Title at Summerslam and let them tear the house down. But it seems like we're heading towards Styles/Owens IV and Nakamura/Corbin II. On a side note Smackdown has really plummeted since the draft. How in the world do you have guys like AJ, Owens, Zayn, Cena, Orton, Charlotte, Becky, etc... and your part of the Summerslam card is looking like this? Cena vs. Jinder — WWE Title Orton vs. Khali Corbin vs. Nakamura II Styles vs. Owens IV — US Title Natalya vs. Naomi — Womens Title
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Post by ARUN on Jul 23, 2017 23:22:19 GMT -5
Better ppv than I expected. Nice to see Nattie win. I'm glad the New Day won the belts. I'm not big on the Usos. Khali was a cool surprise. Also hopefully the one Singh brother is ok. Looks like he took a pretty bad bump on that table.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to break out my old jakks Punjabi prison playset!
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Post by TurboEddie on Jul 23, 2017 23:29:06 GMT -5
I liked Battleground. Sue me.
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Post by Jonathan Karate on Jul 23, 2017 23:37:39 GMT -5
WWE managed to do the impossible and kill the Philly crowd. I'm so glad I didn't go to this show. Dude i was there live....that Khali return got one of the craziest reactions I've ever experienced live. Far from a killed crowd IMO. We were quiet during the PO match but once Orton went full on "Murder The Singh Brothers" the crowd was right back into it.
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Post by Matt on Jul 23, 2017 23:48:42 GMT -5
Went to BattleGround tonight and I gotta say it was really good. The New Day winning was such a strong start! Corbin/Nakamura is a good story building. Natalya winning was nice to see. She deserves it. The only disappointing match was Styles/Owens. Expected so much more from them. Cena/Rusev was by far my favorite match of the night! Awesome spots. Great chemistry. Great ending. Jinder/Orton had their best encounter. People tend to crap on the match just because it's a Punjabi Prison Match, but no, it was a solid match. Good wrestling and great moments. Khali returning was honestly so ing cool because it was so unexpected! I enjoyed tonight a lot!
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Post by â„Ťđť•’đť•Łđť•• đť•‹đť• đť•‚đť•šđť•ťđť•ť on Jul 24, 2017 0:04:45 GMT -5
Nakamura isn't motivated at all and it's showing. It's not so much about hiding flaws as it is him just not showing up. Agree, he went out there and had awesome matches in his first few months, but everything he's done since late 2016/early 2017 has just been a dud. Idk if its because he's not getting the push he expected or what. But his feud with Roode in NXT was abysmal, those two did not click at all. And Roode has gone on to have great matches with Roddy and Hideo, and had a great feud with Dillinger before that. Where as Nakamura hasn't really done anything of note since debuting. Would have (in a perfect world) loved to have had AJ vs. Nakamura for the US Title at Summerslam and let them tear the house down. But it seems like we're heading towards Styles/Owens IV and Nakamura/Corbin II. On a side note Smackdown has really plummeted since the draft. How in the world do you have guys like AJ, Owens, Zayn, Cena, Orton, Charlotte, Becky, etc... and your part of the Summerslam card is looking like this? Cena vs. Jinder — WWE Title Orton vs. Khali Corbin vs. Nakamura II Styles vs. Owens IV — US Title Natalya vs. Naomi — Womens Title How horrible of a SummerSlam would that be from a SD side? I wouldn't even watch a SmackDown special episode with a card like that. I wonder why AJ and Owens has been so disappointing. Those are two guys I imagine would tear it up with each other each time they're in the ring but their match at Backlash was what it was and then this mess of a match tonight put me to sleep. Corbin Vs Nakamura isn't clicking for me, either. Cena Vs Jinder sounds alright with me but Orton Vs Khali has got to be one of the worst combinations to ever happen. I really hope SummerSlam doesn't suck as bad as you predict it to!
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Post by Rob on Jul 24, 2017 0:12:40 GMT -5
This is 3-4 PPVs in a row that have damn near put me to sleep. These separate brand PPV's have got to go, WWE just doesnt have the talent to do this and its been shown over and over again. This crapis just flat out unwatchable. No wonder their ratings are tanking.
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hbkowns
Main Eventer
Joined on: Aug 15, 2011 23:33:52 GMT -5
Posts: 4,275
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Post by hbkowns on Jul 24, 2017 0:18:13 GMT -5
Not sure why you guys think Shinsuke isn't motivated. You guys think he's going to put a 5 star classic on with Corbin of all people? The dude put in effort tonight.
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Post by tylerbreezee on Jul 24, 2017 0:20:37 GMT -5
Battleground has a history of being a mediocre PPV with one or two stand out matches/moments
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jul 24, 2017 0:21:40 GMT -5
WWE Battleground July 23rd, 2017 | Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kickoff Match: Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger I wish this feud had more TV time. Aiden English is great in his singing role, while Tye Dillinger is the perfect guy for these Kickoff matches. The crowd loves him. Their Kickoff match at Backlash was nowhere near as good as this. They had some strong back and forth throughout this, with a crowd that was hotter than expected. English mocked Tye’s “ten” taunt after countering the Tye Breaker into a DDT. Tye fired up, but was hit with a Flatliner as English picked up a surprising win at 9:41. Like the crowd, this was better than expected. Two solid hands, having a solid match in front of a good audience, without overdoing anything. I hope both guys go on to do more. [***]
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs. The New Day w/ Big E Putting Xavier Woods in there with Kofi Kingston instead of Big E was a great move. I do like what Big E brings to the table, with Woods and Kofi are capable of going full throttle with the Usos. This match moved at a wild pace and was the best straight tag I’ve seen all year outside of British Strong Style vs. The South Pacific Power Trip. Kofi took a sick powerbomb outside and was out of it for most of the match. That left Xavier in big trouble, but he was resilient and survived the best the Usos threw at him. One of the best spots of the year in ANY COMPANY came when Woods did his rope walk elbow, only to get caught with a masterfully timed superkick. It was the best superkick since HBK made Shelton Benjamin a Pez dispenser. Yes, I’m including all people who do superkicks. Unfortunately, once that didn’t end it and a superfly splash didn’t either, New Day winning was rather clear. Trouble in Paradise and the Woods elbow gave us new champions at 13:46. I’d have preferred if the Usos retained, but I can’t be upset after that match. Fantastic work from both teams, having their best match against each other. Awesome pace, great tag team wrestling and hot near falls. I loved it. [****¼]
Baron Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura The WWE kind of booked themselves into a corner here. Nakamura can’t lose yet and Corbin shouldn’t either, though that never stopped them before with MITB holders. Corbin was in full dick mode, talking smack to Nakamura and the fans at every opportunity. It was weird for commentary to spend time hyping Corbin’s striking ability, when that isn’t his strong suit. It’s Nakamura’s. Their strike exchange didn’t look good, which hurt that build. Nothing about this match made Nakamura look like the star he should look like. It felt like Corbin killed time, Nakamura sold a bit and then we got a cheap finish where Corbin kicked Nakamura in the balls, giving us a DQ at 12:22. Nakamura is now 2-2 in lackluster singles PPV matches. The finish protected both somewhat. This felt like something I’d see as the first hour main event on Smackdown. [**¼]
Number One Contender’s Fatal Five Way Elimination Match: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Lana vs. Natalya vs. Tamina Smackdown Women’s Champion Naomi joined commentary for this and added next to nothing. She sounded uncomfortable. This went almost exactly the way you’d expect. It reminded me of the Six Pack Challenge at Backlash, but a lot worse. I enjoyed Lana and Tamina teaming up, as well as Lana’s personal vendetta in wanting to be the one to eliminate Charlotte. Lana nearly beating Becky Lynch was great too, before Becky countered into the Dis-Arm-Her. Tamina saved her, only to get eliminated herself by Becky. Then Becky made Lana tap about 15 seconds later, only to get rolled up by Natalya ten seconds later. Charlotte and Natalya had an alright back and forth, highlighted by a Charlotte powerbomb. Natalya got knees up on a moonsault and slammed Charlotte into the buckles to win at 10:55. It wasn’t terrible, but the rapid fire elimination stuff is a terrible move and I hate that they always do it to the women. It all felt rushed and didn’t give viewers enough time to get invested in much. Also, Natalya is a bad choice as her vs. Naomi sounds incredibly dull at the second biggest show of the year. [**]
WWE United States Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens Owens beat AJ via countout at Backlash before AJ took the US Title from him at an MSG house show. They went through some early exchanges, feeling like two guys who knew each other and didn’t want to make the first mistake. The slow start made sense, but wasn’t executed as well as it could’ve been. That’s unexpected, because these are two of the best in the business. The crowd was flat, which is unusual for Philadelphia. When commentary wasn’t talking, it was either silent, or you could hear random conversations from uninterested fans. It picked up late and seemed to be heading towards something bigger. Instead, they went a different route. We got a ref bump and the two began trading submissions. As the referee stirred, they moved into a weird cradle position for about five seconds before the referee started his slow count. He made it to three and Owens won his third US Title at 17:44. What the hell was that? That was one of the flattest finishes in recent memory, which is saying something. The referee had his timing wrong or something, because they were down for so long that it made AJ look like a chump. Just let them wrestle without this bullcrap. AJ’s worst PPV match since coming to WWE and their worst match together. [**¾]
Flag Match: John Cena vs. Rusev I hate everything about this feud. Rusev is only evil because he’s from another country. That’s hardly the best message to send, especially as a global company. This wasn’t just a typical Flag match, because you had to get your flag, take it up the ramp and place it on your country’s pedestal. But why? Rusev/Cena was solid in their first match in 2015. The second was lackluster and the final two were dire, because of stipulations like this. The guys did their standard stuff and kept cutting each other off from winning. They brawled by the entrance, reminding me of their crapty I Quit Match. Rusev trapped Cena in the Accolade, before taking his flag and looking to win. Cena fought back, escaped another Accolade and delivered an Attitude Adjustment through a table. He planted his flag and won in a ridiculous 21:10. In what world did this need to go over 20 minutes? It was a giant waste of time, with an outdated feud and stipulation. There was no drama or reason to care, the crowd was dead and the match was hokey. They went through the motions like this was a house show where they had to kill time and I didn’t like any of it. The worst WWE match since the House of Horrors. [DUD]
The Fashion Police looked to solve the case of who trashed their office. These segments have been great. The Ascension entered the office to say it was them the whole time. Tyler Breeze called it a disappointment like other season finales. Fandango claimed it couldn’t have been them because they were at an Eddie Money concert, which they denied. After they left, the lights went out and Breeze was jumped. Fandango was attacked as well, and dragged out of the office. So, no resolution.
Mike Kanellis w/ Maria Kanellis vs. Sami Zayn This has been a harmless little midcard feud. In their first match, Sami dominated until Maria got involved and helped her husband steal it. This wasn’t as one-sided, with a lot of back and forth early on. It was all average work, with nothing sticking out but nothing being bad. After getting worn down, Sami rallied when Mike stopped to kiss Maria. He hit a tope con hilo and looked for the corner exploder. Maria jumped in and we almost got a repeat of the Smackdown finish, but Sami escaped Mike’s grasp. He hit the exploder and Helluva Kick to win in 7:16. Nothing special here. Like the feud, it was harmless and didn’t go too long. [**½]
WWE Championship Punjabi Prison Match: Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Randy Orton The explanation for this match sounds ridiculous. It’s not that hard to understand, but hearing the ring announcer go over it made it seem convoluted. The first half of this match saw them stay in the ring, which isn’t a good thing. Jinder’s offense isn’t interesting and Orton at a methodical pace is like watching paint dry. It was mostly a standard match, with almost no use of the cage except for trying to escape here and there. They took 10 minutes to get to the third exit door being locked, but it felt like 25. We got some dull “Let’s go Jinder” chants and a shot of a dejected Orton. Jinder escaped the final door because the Singh Brothers pulled him out after hiding under the ring. THE POINT OF CAGE MATCHES IS TO PREVENT INTERFERENCE! How does the WWE manage to have interference in almost every cage match. Orton made it over the first structure and moved to the second one to stop Jinder from escaping. I can’t complain about interference too much, since the Singh Brothers have been the best part of Orton/Jinder matches. They were again here, with Samir taking a wild bump off the cage through a table. It was one of the craziest and hardest bumps I’ve ever seen. In the end, just when Orton looked to have it won, the ing Great Khali came out. He choked Orton and held him in place, while Jinder climbed over and out to retain at 27:38. Under no circumstances should Jinder be working 27 minute matches. Hell, unmotivated Orton shouldn’t either. The first half of this was dire, while the Singh Brothers made the back half watchable. It’s not a good sign when the Singh Brothers were the only highlights of this entire feud. There were a few entertaining bits, but it went far too long. [**]
Overall: 4.5/10. I think this was the worst Smackdown PPV since the brand split. The only match that you should spend your time on is the Usos/New Day stuff. Kanellis/Zayn and Tye/Aiden were both solid. Styles/Owens was a huge disappointment, as was Corbin/Nakamura. The women’s match was kind of just there. The Flag match was complete and utter crap and should be avoided at all costs. The main event went on for way too long and wasn’t very engaging. An easy skip outside of one match.
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Post by #DI-WHY? on Jul 24, 2017 0:23:04 GMT -5
Smackdown Live needs Bobby Roode, SAnitY, Asuka, and Kassius Ohno pronto. They also need to make Tye Dillinger, Sami Zayn, and Breezango more prominent.
Get that damn title of Jinder. I like Jinder but jeez get it off him. Also, have Owens and Styles stop feuding for the US title ASAP. When main eventers hold up a mid-card title, it creates a HUGE talent back up.
Also, make smarter match ups. Orton and Jinder sounded terrible, as does Naomi and Natalya. Why make match ups when you know the matches are going suck? If you want to be interesting, then make fresh match ups people actually want.
They also need to know when to abandon a fued. For example, Corbin vs Nakamura was absolutely miserable. If I was booking, I'd end the rivalry with a main event match this Tuesday, Naka winning clean over Corbin, done and done. This would avoid a second terrible match on PPV.
There's probably a bunch of other stuff but I can't think of it right now.
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Post by Edge618 on Jul 24, 2017 0:58:19 GMT -5
Why does Khali look like a giant meth head
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Post by A-Rob on Jul 24, 2017 1:04:35 GMT -5
What a horrible show, worst show of the year. I was so bored during the main event.
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Deleted
Joined on: Sept 27, 2024 18:40:21 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2017 1:10:52 GMT -5
Still not as bad as Fastlane this year.
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Post by Joey Cush on Jul 24, 2017 1:28:40 GMT -5
So many questions I had after that main event.
Why didnt Orton just climb down when he saw it was Khali? What, you arent fast enough to climb down the wall faster than Khali can walk down the ramp, Randy?
If one of the Singh's literally walked through a hole in the wall, why did they need to even be underneath the ring?
How is this "Jinders match" or have home field advantage when he never participated in a Punjabi Prison match before?
And why did Khali shaking the wall cause Orton to backflip off the top?
All questions that need answering Vince!
Like I said previously, once the match got started the crowd remembered why this match is terrible and should never be done again.
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Post by hbkjason on Jul 24, 2017 1:30:17 GMT -5
Ugh, The Great Khali!!! How can anyone actually be excited for this? I know the WWE is all about expanding into India, but they are doing it at the expense of the fans they have already got. I could not be any more checked out of this storyline. Jinder just flat out sucks in the ring and now they throw the Great Khali in there. Not because they think it will add to anything, just so they can say "hey look we have another Indian guy here too, come buy our merch"
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Quazimoto
Superstar
Joined on: Feb 4, 2014 12:37:37 GMT -5
Posts: 997
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Post by Quazimoto on Jul 24, 2017 2:53:39 GMT -5
Just finished BattleGround. Some thoughts...
- New Day vs The Usos was very good. These two teams just have great chemistry together. Easily match of the night.
- Nakamura vs Corbin was okay. I wouldn't call it good, but it wasn't really bad either. Just sort of there. Nakamura seems to be one of those guys that really brings it for the big matches, but sort of phones it in and goes through the motions when it doesn't mean much.
- The women's match was pretty good as well. I would have liked to see the eliminations paced out a little more because it seems like every time they do and elimination style woman's match the falls come in quick succession. But, despite that, I thought all five ladies worked well and overall really enjoyed the contest.
- I liked Styles vs Owens for the most part, but do have to question the ending a bit. I just find it hard to believe that a wrestler with the experience and talent such as AJ Styles doesn't hear the count happening and realize his shoulders are down. I'm all for somewhat cheap wins for heals. I'm all for matches sometimes ending abruptly and without the involvement of multiple finishing moves. And I totally believe that you don't have to go all out balls to the wall style to have a great match. I'm just baffled that we're supposed to believe AJ Styles wouldn't have rolled out or broken the hold when he's clearly able to hear the referee's hand slapping the mat.
- Rusev vs Cena was awful. Just dull, boring, and painfully predicable. It's a shame because Rusev and Cena have great chemistry with each other and both are capable of far more than what they showed here. What's more, and maybe this is just me, did it seem to anyone else like Cena just didn't give two craps during the match? Seemed sort of like he was hamming it up a bit extra whenever he could, like he knew the whole concept of the match was just ridiculous so he didn't feel like trying too hard.
- Zayn vs Kanellis was there. It happened and that's about all you can say about it.
- The Punjabi Prison is a terrible gimmick and in three attempts has yet to produce a match that wasn't dull, overly long, and totally nonsensical at times. I actually like Jinder as champions. Dude's been busting his ass lately. No, he's not the best on the roster, but he's putting in a lot more effort than most of them lately. Fully expected him to win and hope he can move on to someone new soon. Smart money is on that being John Cena and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Jinder Mahal defeats John Cena at SummerSlam.
Overall, it wasn't a terrible show. One great match and two that were pretty good. The rest was either just okay or far too silly, dull, and uneventful.
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Deleted
Joined on: Sept 27, 2024 18:40:21 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2017 3:44:23 GMT -5
Ugh, The Great Khali!!! How can anyone actually be excited for this? I know the WWE is all about expanding into India, but they are doing it at the expense of the fans they have already got. I could not be any more checked out of this storyline. Jinder just flat out sucks in the ring and now they throw the Great Khali in there. Not because they think it will add to anything, just so they can say "hey look we have another Indian guy here too, come buy our merch" Obviously Jinder is Flair, Khali is Tully, and the Bollywood boys are the Andersons. Praise be the Punjabi Four Horsemen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2017 3:52:00 GMT -5
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grandmasterPRA
Main Eventer
WF 10 Year Member
Rise Above Being Boring
Joined on: Jun 12, 2002 17:51:32 GMT -5
Posts: 1,121
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Post by grandmasterPRA on Jul 24, 2017 4:00:33 GMT -5
I'm a little dumbfounded by the amount of Jinder Mahal defenders I hear from. I mean we have been ripping Roman Reigns for years now for getting opportunities he didn't deserve. Now here comes Jinder who is just as terrible on the mic and worse in the ring, yet is main eventing over guys like Styles, Nakamura, Owens, and Zayn. It's been a joke from day one yet people continue to try really hard to find positives in it. He's horrible
And is it just me, or is the WWE completely focused on their total divas women right now? Alexa and Naomi are champions. Natalya is challenging for the title. Charlotte and Becky are just wasting away and it has to have something to do with total divas. I mean it's SUMMERSLAM!!!! and Naomi vs. Natalya is what you come up with?
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