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WWE Stomping Grounds took place last night inside the Tacoma Dome in Washington. It was a decent event, it wasn't the best of this year but certainly wasn't the worst either. The event has garnered a mixed response from fans and critics alike.
The event saw Becky Lynch defeat Lacey Evans in the opening match of the night to retain her Raw Women's title. Ricochet and Samoa Joe put on a classic, but the high-flyer was able to win the US title as he defeated Joe. Kofi Kingston went to hell and back to retain his WWE title as he leaped over Dolph Ziggler to retain his title. In the main event. Baron Corbin chose Lacey Evans as his special guest referee in his match against Seth Rollins, but Corbin was unsuccessful as Becky Lynch got involved towards the end of the match.
Overall, Stomping Grounds wasn't necessarily a bad show, it had its good moments and bad moments. Having said that, let's take a look at the ups and downs from the inaugural edition of WWE Stomping Grounds.
#1 Up: The overall match quality of the pay-per-view
WWE Stomping Grounds might have played host to a few underwhelming moments and questionable booking decisions, but the in-ring match quality was amazing almost throughout the night. This goes to show just how talented WWE's roster is today.
Ricochet and Samoa Joe put on one of the best matches in recent memory and proved to the WWE Universe why they are some of the best WWE currently has to offer. The cruiserweights were as spectacular and stunning as always, putting on yet another classic and proving that they deserve to be on the main card. Bayley and Alexa Bliss worked a decent match and the same can be said about the tag-team match between the New Day and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler's match was also great and the ending was one of the best that I have ever seen to a steel cage match. Much to the surprise of WWE fans, Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin put on a very good match that was filled with fine in-ring action and great drama, which was provided by Lacey Evans and Becky Lynch.
#1 Down: The low crowd attendance
Recent reports suggested that ticket sales for WWE Stomping Grounds were low and fans weren't eager to watch the event live. There were some empty seats in the crowd, yet the crowd was incredibly loud and boisterous, behavior that has become typical of most crowds in WWE today.
According to a report, the attendance for WWE Stomping Grounds was one of the lowest WWE has seen for a pay-per-view in recent history, with many sources claiming it to be between 4000 and 6000. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter claimed that the paid attendance was only about 4000-4500.
The Tacoma Dome can hold more than 18,000 fans, yet only a fraction of that amount was present inside the arena for WWE Stomping Grounds. The small crowd though was pretty much alive throughout the night, even though a much bigger crowd would have made more noise.
#2 Up: Ricochet becomes United States Champion
One of the biggest highlights and talking points coming out of WWE Stomping Grounds was Ricochet's awesome victory over Samoa Joe. Ricochet won the United States title from Joe at WWE Stomping Grounds in a match that was praised by many fans in attendance and on social media.
When Ricochet hit the Codebreaker and downed the champion, we all knew what was next as the high-flyer climbed the top rope and took flight to hit a devastating 630. He pinned Joe clean in the ring and Joe did a pretty good job to put the youngster over.
Midway through Ricochet's title photoshoot, The Club accompanied by AJ Styles faced off Ricochet and Styles made his intentions clear after he challenged Ricochet to a match on Raw, the next day.
Joe was a great champion, but I believe that Ricochet has the potential to be one of the best champions in the modern era.
#2 Down: Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre
Roman Reigns took on Drew McIntyre at WWE Stomping Grounds with absolutely nothing at stake, it was just a placeholder feud that was done to extend the feud between Roman Reigns and the boastful Shane McMahon. There was something off about the whole rivalry between Roman and McIntyre and no one seemed to care much about the saga.
What was even frustrating was the fact that Drew McIntyre lost to Roman Reigns in yet another high-profile match. Drew hasn't won a single match on pay-per-view in 2019, which is underwhelming for a star of his caliber. Shane McMahon defeated Reigns, yet Drew still can't get the job done even though he has had two opportunities to vanquish Reigns.
The finish of the match made it clear that the rivalry between Shane McMahon and Roman Reigns had just escalated. The two are going to feud over the next few weeks of television, no matter how much fans despise it.
#3 Up: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn finally gain some momentum
Thus far, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn's victory over the New Day has been overlooked as many didn't give much attention to the match. However, I certainly think that this match did great favors for Kevin and Sami.
Owens and Zayn have been teaming up a lot recently, but in spite of all the talent that they possess, they just don't get to win the big ones. That changed at Stomping Grounds when the duo defeated the New Day when Owens hit the stunner on Xavier Woods to walk away with a much needed and well-deserved victory.
This may mark a change of fortunes for the two best friends, even though I wouldn't get my hopes too up due to WWE's frustrating 50/50 booking. Owens and Zayn have limitless potential as a team and their work at Stomping Grounds should prove that they are one of the best tag-teams in wrestling today.
#3 Down: Dolph Ziggler's loss
The WWE Championship match was a pretty good affair. Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler worked a great match from an in-ring perspective, the storytelling was great, and the drama towards the end was very interesting too. However, I still feel that Ziggler should have come out looking stronger.
Ziggler attacked Kingston viciously a month ago, he repeatedly taunted and attacked Kingston and his friend, Xavier Woods to gain an advantage, yet The Showoff failed on two separate occasions, first at WWE Super ShowDown and then at Stomping Grounds. This has been no new story for Ziggler as he has always struggled to reach the top of the mountain.
The WWE Universe has lost nearly all hope for the former Intercontinental Champion. His stop-start pushes have done him no favors and have damaged his credibility as a challenger. Ziggler may have to settle in the mid-card once again, and that too, if WWE has something worthwhile to do for him.
