5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE Battleground 2016

5. Winners - The WWE Universe

wwe battleground
WWE.com

WWE fans haven’t had much to cheer about this year. WrestleMania was a rank disappointment, and while Money in the Bank and Extreme Rules had their moments, the company’s pay-per-views and weekly TV shows have been patchy at best.

The Brand Split should’ve provided the shake-up fans had been waiting for, but the Draft’s outcome did little to placate the masses. Raw and SmackDown were split into two barely-distinguishable groups of superstars, the already-thin Women’s and Tag divisions were cut in half, and the six NXT callups failed to generate the excitement that Bayley or Shinesuke Nakamura would have.

Expectations were low going into Battleground, but WWE came-out swinging. The PPV section kicked-off with an excellent women’s tag team match, and peaked mid-show when Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens delivered one of the finest matches of their storied rivalry, and a surefire MOTY candidate.

The Intercontinental Title was a damp squib, but everything else was good-to-great, and Battleground finished on a high.

Battleground was one of WWE’s most exciting shows in a long time, and the WWE Universe now goes into this week’s Raw and SmackDown broadcasts with a renewed sense of excitement.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.