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WWE presented the first ever Stomping Grounds event in place of Backlash this year and it was a show that was headlined by Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin.
The show itself seemed as though it was a straight forward affair on paper but actually turned into one of the most solid events of the year. The Cruiserweight Championship changed hands on the kickoff show as Drew Gulak realized his dream of becoming champion before Ricochet lifted his first Championship on the main roster when he was able to defeat Samoa Joe for the United States Championship.
Whilst the show itself was particularly solid, there were a number of botches throughout that obviously brought down the tone of the night, but none of them were big enough to affect the outcome of any of the matches they were part of.
#4 Cruiserweight botches
The Cruiserweight Championship match was once again relegated to the kick-off show as part of Stomping Grounds, but Tony Nese, Akira Tozawa and Drew Gulak put on a fantastic show since their main aim was to steal the kick-off show and prove that 205 Live didn't belong there.
The match was fantastic and showed just how much talent is pushed onto 205 Live but Akira Tozawa then went on to fall off the apron when the spot was obviously for him to stay there to move on to the roll up. Tozawa was then in a roll-up position when Drew Gulak was late for his queue to break up the pin so Tony Nese was forced to let Tozawa out of the pin otherwise he would have accidentally won the match.
#3 Lacey Evans vs Becky Lynch
Lacey Evans challenged Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship and shockingly the women's match actually kicked off the show. Evans put up a good fight, but it was obvious that the wheels came off the match mid-way through and Becky Lynch was then forced to call much of the action as it happened for Evans.
Lynch has become known for the loud calls that she makes in the ring since the Raw Women's Champion often calls spots on the fly, but tonight it was noticeable since she shouted loudly for a back elbow before Lacey forgot the next spot. All Evans had to do was walk forward into the kick from the second rope, but she wasn't there when Lynch delivered the move and so The Man was forced to climb the ropes and go again.
#2 Ricochet's interesting night
Ricochet became the United States Champion for the first time at Stomping Grounds since he was able to defeat Samoa Joe with his 630 finisher, but ahead of the finish, the match itself contained a number of botches.
The issues began the minute Ricochet came into the ring since the former NXT star slipped on his attire as he delivered the flip that usually accompanies his entrance before he then landed on his knees when he looked to land an inside out bump from a clothesline.
This later got worse for him when he looked for a springboard clothesline but it looked as though it was a springboard collision between the two men. The botches weren't enough to put a dampener on the match overall, which was shockingly one of the best matches of the night between two of WWE's best athletes.
#1 Tucker's Moonsault
Tucker and Otis were given their first Championship opportunity of their main roster career at Stomping Grounds, but it wasn't one that they were able to take advantage of against Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan who remain the planet's Tag Team Champions.
Heavy Machinery stepped up their game for the match, but there was still one awkward moment for the team when Tucker headed to the top rope to deliver a Moonsault on Daniel Bryan. Tucker seemingly miscued the move and even though Bryan rolled out of the way and was supposed to miss the move, Tucker still managed to kick the Champion on the back of the legs and make obvious contact.
Luckily, Daniel Bryan was able to recover and continue the match, it was just a small miscue that was easily covered by both stars.
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