7 Worst Matches In WWE Battleground History

4. Curtis Axel Vs. R-Truth (2013)

King Barrett R-Truth Battleground 2015
WWE.com

Likely feeling the manager could enhance anyone he was associated with, WWE decided to put Paul Heyman with Curtis Axel in 2013. Rebranded from the terrible Michael McGillicutty name he had been using for a few years, Axel had a new lease of life, but he still wasn't especially entertaining to some.

Matters were made worse when, after winning the WWE Intercontinental Title at Payback, he wasn't handed anything meaningful with the belt. That came across loud and clear at October's Battleground, when Curtis defended the championship against R-Truth in the mid card. Much like some others on this list, it felt inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

There was nothing glaringly wrong with Axel vs. Truth, but it was another that just didn't feel like it belonged on pay-per-view. The only issue between both men seemed to be that Truth had gained a flukey win over Axel on television, and was thus granted a shot at the Intercontinental gold.

Just a month later, WWE decided to give up on the Axel experiment, packaging him with Ryback as the uninspiring RybAxel.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.