8 Things That Must Happen At WWE Battleground 2017
Can SmackDown put on a good show despite the presence of...a certain stipulation...
Battleground is this Sunday, the last brand-exclusive pay-per-view before we hit SummerSlam - but can SmackDown send WWE into August with a surge of momentum?
On paper, the card looks decent. Much has been made of the fact that WWE currently has a better roster of in-ring performers than at any stage in its history. Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles has the potential to be one of the best matches of 2017, while the presence of stars such as Nakamura, Rusev, and Cena could make for a very good show indeed.
On the other hand, Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal's struggling feud could be further impeded by the infamous Punjabi Prison stipulation, while SmackDown's oft-promising women's division has been chained to the restrictions of another multi-person match.
Rest assured, Battleground can be a good pay per view - if WWE find a way to mask the card's weaknesses while giving its stronger matches time to deliver on their potential.
Raw's Great Balls of Fire pay per view was a mixed bag, and in all honesty, Battleground looks to be heading towards similar territory. Here are eight things SmackDown must to do ensure that their show represents the blue brand in the best light possible.
8. Change The Punjabi Prison Match Rules
The Punjabi Prison has 'graced' WWE pay-per-views twice before, both times resulting in terrible, disjointed matches hindered by an obstructive stipulation (both physically and rules-wise).
Not much can really be done about the visually garish nature of the prison itself. An obscured view of the ring seems part and parcel of the stipulation, and not something WWE can easily work around. Of course, they could simply have booked a different match...
However, the match can be improved by altering its nonsensical rules. The door system of the Punjabi Prison makes little sense; each of the inner cage's four doors can be opened just once for a limited amount of time, in theory leaving one superstar trapped inside, forced to climb over the tricky fence.
This opens the door (pun not intended) for all sorts of logical inconsistencies. Once one wrestler escapes, can't his opponent simply choose an unopened door to escape from?
The match would be somewhat saved if WWE reduced the number of doors to just one. Then at least both Orton and Jinder will be fighting over the sole easy method of escape, leaving the other to traverse the tricky fence - a far simpler dynamic.