Which titles are likely to change hands at Stomping Grounds?

Tonight is WWE's Stomping Grounds pay per view, though you'd be forgiven for not remembering this fact. There are nine matches on the show, seven of which will with a title up for grabs. The championships that will be on the line in a match tonight are as follows:

1. Universal Championship (Seth Rollins)
2. WWE Championship (Kofi Kingston)
3. Raw Women's Championship (Becky Lynch)
4. SmackDown Women's Championship (Bayley)
5. United States Championship (Samoa Joe)
6. SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Daniel Bryan and Rowan)
7. Cruiserweight Championship (Tony Nese)

Let's now take a look at each of these title matches in depth and try to determine which belts are the likeliest to change hands. We'll be logical - WWE isn't always that, to say the least - but it's all we have.

The company usually likes to have at least one title change hands on a pay per view, even a minor one such as this. Which of the seven is likeliest to fall into that spot? Will tonight be the exception to the rule and have no championships change hands at all?

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#7 WWE Championship

Put simply, there's zero chance that Dolph Ziggler is winning tonight. The first reason is that he's Dolph Ziggler. The second reason is that he probably isn't back on a full-time schedule and he's just there to be a filler opponent. The third reason is that there's still mileage left in Kofi Kingston's title reign, which has been the most uplifting in a long, long time, given the company's propensity to favor cheap heat.

Dolph Ziggler of all people isn't going to end that run. It looks certain to continue at least until SummerSlam. This is simply a pitstop for the WWE Champion en route to a much more consequential opponent. Who that opponent will be, remains to be determined.

#6 Cruiserweight Championship

A couple of months ago, Tony Nese ended Buddy Murphy's dominant Cruiserweight Championship reign. Now he'll be defending his title in a triple threat match against Drew Gulak and Akira Tozawa - undoubtedly on the pre-show, but that's alright. This is going to be one of the better matches on the night. I suppose it's better to preview things to come with a better match than most of the rest of the card, and being on the pre-show probably means that they'll get time.

For all its quality, a title change probably won't be the reason. There's little chance that Tony Nese loses the purple strap in a multi-man match. Instead, this is probably a warm-up to an extended rivalry with Drew Gulak that will culminate at SummerSlam. As such, Tony Nese will retain his championship tonight, and probably pin Akira Tozawa in the process of doing so.

#5 SmackDown Tag Team Championships

There's very little chance that Daniel Bryan and Rowan lose their titles to Heavy Machinery tonight. It still feels like they just won them and their being champions opens up more exciting possibilities than Heavy Machinery does. Now that Big E is back, a clash with the New Day at SummerSlam is obviously the first thing that comes to mind. There's little chance that such a match will be sacrificed so that Heavy Machinery can get a run with the tag team titles for no discernible purpose.

WWE might always try to throw a curveball and have these titles land on the change slot on the roulette wheel. The tag team titles, whether on Raw or SmackDown, often fall into that category, but it's likelier that other titles are going to get that treatment this time around. There's simply more mileage in Daniel Bryan and Rowan as champions.

#4 Universal Championship

The constant featuring of Baron Corbin means that his chances of winning the Universal Championship are always higher than you might ordinarily believe. The chance he takes the title tonight are small, especially considering that he held the belt up on this week's Raw, but it will always exist. WWE always loves to troll its own fanbase. Never underestimate this instinct in Vince McMahon.

Still, the far more likely outcome is that Seth Rollins will retain his championship against Baron Corbin. He might one day be champion, but not now.

The bigger threat instead comes from the Money in the Bank holder, Brock Lesnar. Him showing up and cashing in is always possible. I still believe he's going to wind up cashing in on Kofi Kingston later this summer, but there's always a strong chance he'll do what's being teased and become Universal Champion for the third time. Ugh.

#3 Raw Women's Championship

While it is unlikely that Becky Lynch will lose her championship at such a minor pay per view after winning it at WrestleMania, it is curious that Lacey Evans is getting another title shot after tapping out cleanly at Money in the Bank last month.

Vince McMahon is reportedly higher on Lacey Evans than any other recent NXT call up due to her look and background in the military. Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to live up to those expectations so far. That doesn't mean Vince McMahon will let the results stop him, though. He never does when he has his mind set on something.

It's for this reason that while a Becky Lynch win is likelier than a title change, we can't discount the possibility of one happening. That would be a bad move, but when has that ever stopped Vince McMahon when he has a push in mind?

#2 SmackDown Women's Championship

It's a sequel of one of the worst feuds of the decade. Duck and cover.

Thankfully, it's not the atrocity it was in 2017, but we all know which of these two competitors is more favored backstage. There is every possibility that Vince McMahon will elect to do the title change on behalf of one of his favorites at the expense of someone who is decidedly not. Alexa Bliss taking the title off Bayley wouldn't be as revolting to fans as her doing it to Becky Lynch.

Bayley will still be more likely to win tonight than Alexa Bliss, who is still nominally a Raw superstar, after all, but the "wild card" idiocy makes this much less relevant. Brand-specific championships mean little when superstars jump at will for ad hoc purposes, after all, which means Alexa Bliss winning a sixth championship reign is a real possibility.

#1 United States Championship

The midcard titles, especially the United States Championship, often fall into the "one title must change hands on a pay per view" trope. Samoa Joe has already dropped the title once in the past month for little reason, so there's nothing stopping him from doing so again. WWE has never given the Samoan Submission Machine a major, extended push with a string of big victories.

Ricochet has been the surprise success story of the NXT call ups this year. It's entirely possible that WWE will want to keep that momentum going and give Ricochet the title. While it still feels early for Samoa Joe to lose it, dropping it to Ricochet wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

The odds of this title changing hands are higher than any other on the pay per view. We'll consider the chances of a title change tonight at about 50/50.