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WWE Stomping Grounds was somewhat an above-average PPV. After a miserable outing with Super ShowDown, WWE was facing some serious issues with the ticket sales of tonight's PPV and fans were complaining about the match card as well.
But WWE did a decent job as most of the matches on the card delivered, and the PPV ended on a high note as well. But that does not mean there were no wrong decisions made. Some superstars had good showings and shined during their match, while some would like to forget the night as it did no good for their careers.
In this article, let's take a look at who got pushed and who got buried at WWE Stomping Grounds. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
#4 Got pushed: Ricochet
Who could have thought a couple of weeks ago that The One and Only Ricochet would walk out of Stomping Grounds as our new United States Champion? After winning a fatal-five-way match on RAW last week to earn himself the title shot, Ricochet walked in tonight as the underdog but ended up overcoming the odds and coming up on top.
Facing a monstrous opponent in the form of Samoa Joe, Ricochet had a great outing at Stomping Grounds. The two had one of the best matches of the night and kept everyone on the edge of their seats. The match had a perfect combination of power and agility as the two competitors performed many amazing maneuvers throughout the bout.
The ending of the match saw Ricochet hit a beautiful 630 from the top rope to get a clean pin over Samoa Joe and win his first championship on the main roster. The impressive showing combined with a title victory hints towards a bright future for the high-flying superstar and it would be interesting to see where does Ricochet go next. Also, I loved how Triple H got on camera to congratulate the new champion backstage (NXT! NXT! NXT!). The United States Title picture has definitely improved a lot as compared to last year.
Will the Swiss Superman, Cesaro challenge Ricochet for his title and continue the series of matches that these two had? Or will we see the return of the US Title Open Challenge? How about that AJ Styles tease during the backstage photoshoot? The possibilities are endless.
#3 Got buried: Lacey Evans
Firstly, I don't think it was a good idea to open the PPV with the RAW Women's Championship match. Nothing two take away from the competitors, who tried their best, but there were many better options to start the PPV with a high-paced match to set things for the whole night.
While the crowd was hot for Becky Lynch, the same can't be said for Lacey Evans. As much as I understand that she is a heel, I believe WWE rushed in getting her up to the main roster.
There were many instances in the match in which it was made clear that Evans was not a big threat for The Man. The spot of Becky stuffing the used handkerchief of Lacey in her mouth was one such instance. In the end, it was quite a comfortable victory for the RAW Women's Champion.
Later that night, Lacey Evans was revealed to be the special guest referee for the Universal Championship match. No surprises for guessing, she did her best to not be fair to Rollins and almost cost her the championship before The Man made her way out to help her man and took out Evans, helping Seth retain his title.
I just hope we do not see yet another Becky-Lacey rematch at Extreme Rules. It's time to move on to a fresh feud and give us a new #1 contender for the RAW Women's Championship.
#2 Got pushed: Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
WWE has been openly acknowledging the relationship between the Universal Champion, Seth Rollins and the RAW Women's Champion, Becky Lynch on screen. For the last many weeks, these two have been seen on-screen together in some way or the other, and it all got to a whole new level at Stomping Grounds.
Corbin revealed the Sassy Southern Belle Lacey Evans as the special guest referee for the match, and fans immediately started chanting the name of Becky Lynch. After the many cheap tricks from Evans and Corbin, Becky finally came out to even the odds and took her out.
Seth then capitalized and hit the Stomp on Baron Corbin to retain his Universal title. The smile on his face after the match was very genuine as the couple celebrated in the ring. much to the delight of the WWE Universe.
There were many jokes out there as to who "the man" is in Seth and Becky's relationship and Becky hilariously acted like "the boyfriend" in the relationship during the victory celebration tonight.
Nonetheless, these two are emerging to be quite a power couple in WWE, and it would be interesting to see where are they headed next.
#1 Got buried: Drew McIntyre
If you have read my other articles, you would know that I have strongly raised my opinions about Drew McIntyre being wasted in the feud by being presented as the side-kick of Shane McMahon, someone way less powerful than him.
Not long ago, McIntyre was a monster who used to run to through his opponents and mercilessly attack them to prove his dominance. But that Scottish Psychopath has been lost somewhere for the last couple of months.
If losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania in a one-on-one match was not enough, McIntyre lost to him at Stomping Grounds again in a match that essentially turned into a handicap bout in the end. Even despite the many interferences from Shane McMahon, Reigns overcome the odds and defeated McIntyre after hitting a spear.
This loss was a huge blow to the momentum of Drew, and WWE needs to get done with this feud to further bury the Scottish Psychopath. After disappointing showings like this, it doesn't look like McIntyre will get back in the Universal Title picture anytime soon.
How much would you rate tonight's PPV out of 10? Let us know in the comments section below.
