Battleground 2017: One Great Tag Match Could Not Save the Rest

Aiden English and Tye Dillinger get enough time to assemble a real match, but almost none of it feels urgent. Dillinger’s crowd connection produces the best reactions, while English works deliberately and keeps the pace grounded. The structure never develops beyond a competent television-style opener, and the near falls do little to suggest the result matters. English catching Dillinger and finishing with the Director’s Cut at least gives the heel a clean victory. As a Kickoff bout, it is functional rather than offensive, yet the lack of stakes and energy makes it a weak first impression for a pay-per-view that badly needed momentum.

The New Day and The Usos immediately provide the pace and escalation the rest of Battleground rarely matches. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods sell prolonged punishment well, and the Usos keep finding believable counters whenever the champions seem close to breaking through. The final stretch is packed with superkicks, tags, saves, and near falls without completely losing its shape. Kingston’s Trouble in Paradise followed by Woods’ ropewalk elbow gives the title change a clean, emphatic finish. The bout benefits from an invested Philadelphia crowd and from two teams that already understand each other’s timing, making it the clear in-ring peak of the night.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Baron Corbin have a physical matchup that should feel like a meaningful collision, but the booking keeps it from becoming one. Corbin’s size and Deep Six give Nakamura something substantial to overcome, while Nakamura’s strikes create brief flashes of momentum. Just as the match begins to settle into a useful rhythm, Corbin uses a low blow and takes the disqualification. The post-match briefcase attack reinforces Corbin’s aggression but cannot rescue the unsatisfying finish. For two wrestlers positioned near the top of SmackDown’s future plans, this feels less like a pay-per-view chapter than an advertisement for a rematch.

The five-way elimination match has a useful purpose and enough talent to remain watchable, but the layout compresses too much into the final few minutes. Becky Lynch submitting Tamina and Lana in quick succession gives her a burst of momentum, only for Natalya to eliminate her almost immediately with a roll-up. Charlotte Flair’s elimination follows soon after, leaving Natalya as the challenger for SummerSlam. The result is logical and gives Natalya a needed spotlight, yet the rapid eliminations make several wrestlers feel more like pieces in a bracket than individual threats. It is competent connective booking without the sustained drama an elimination stipulation should create.

AJ Styles and Kevin Owens produce the card’s second-best wrestling match even though the finish damages the entire presentation. Their counters are crisp, the pace builds naturally, and both men work with the familiarity of opponents who know how to create believable reversals. Styles’ crossface gives the closing sequence a strong submission threat before Owens shifts his weight into the pin. The awkward three-count, later described as a botched ending, leaves the title change feeling accidental rather than decisive. Everything before that point is solid enough to recommend, but a championship match this prominent cannot fully escape a finish that looks wrong in real time.

John Cena and Rusev work hard to make the Flag Match feel larger than its dated patriotic premise, and the final stretch contains real spectacle. Rusev’s control segments are physical, Cena’s comebacks are easy for the crowd to follow, and the stage setup gives the match a clear visual objective. The problem is length: more than twenty minutes of repeated flag attempts creates long stretches in which the stipulation feels mechanical. Cena’s Attitude Adjustment through the tables is a strong climax before he plants the American flag. The execution is competent, but the match asks for far more emotional investment than the feud or stipulation can sustain.

Sami Zayn and Mike Kanellis are placed in a difficult spot after several longer matches, and the seven-minute runtime gives them little room to build. Maria Kanellis provides the expected distraction, while Zayn’s movement and selling keep the action from becoming completely flat. The bout mostly exists to reverse Mike’s television victory and restore a measure of credibility to Zayn. An exploder into the turnbuckles and the Helluva Kick finish the match cleanly enough. Nothing is technically disastrous, but the rivalry feels secondary and the audience has already spent much of its energy, leaving the match to pass without a memorable hook.

The Punjabi Prison match is a visual obstacle course that repeatedly works against the wrestlers and the audience. Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal spend long stretches navigating doors and climbing structures instead of creating direct conflict, while the layered bamboo cages obstruct clear sightlines. The Singh Brothers add interference, including Samir Singh’s dramatic fall through the announce table, but every new complication makes the match feel more cumbersome. The Great Khali’s surprise return produces a momentary reaction before another outside assist decides the championship. At nearly twenty-eight minutes, the match is exhausting rather than epic and closes the event with its weakest combination of pacing, presentation, and booking.