WWE Stomping Grounds 2019

Today is unusual in that I am closer to watching a WWE PPV live than normal. 'Closer' because I am watching the kick-off match as the PPV proper begins. Ergo, this will be a 'live blog' of sorts in the same vein as past efforts.

Today is also the very first Stomping Grounds PPV as WWE attempts stomp out the bad taste from the Super Showdown PPV two weeks prior. Sorry, had to go there...

Did see the Samoa Joe and Bryan/Rowan promos though. Joe is wasted in his spot. I, too, am with Bryan/Rowan in their quest to make the Smackdown Tag Titles serious again. They've been joke titles for far too long.

Kickoff Match: Akira Tozawa vs Drew Gulak vs Tony Neese (c) for Cruiserweight Championship:

A shame this match wasn't a part of the PPV proper as all three men wrestled a solid match demonstrating the best of 205 Live. Some nice spots. The mat-based Drew Gulak won the championship. Heavily recommend seeing this.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Stomping Grounds PPV

Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs Lacey Evans:

Becky shoving Lacey's sweat cloth down her mouth was hilarious. A decent back and forth match which had the challenger keeping up with the more experienced champion. However, Evans tapping out to Lynch wasn't much of a surprise. A solid match for what it was.

Rating 3 out of 5 stars.

Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods):

Match quickly became a two-on-one when KO took out Big E. Then, it was Zayn and Owens beating down Woods until Woods managed to tag Big E. Bedlam eventually followed. KO got the win with a stunner!

Never got into the match much.

Rating 2.5 out of 5 stars.

United States Championship: Ricochet vs Samoa Joe (c):

If only this match took place a decade ago, both men would have set the arena on fire with high-flying moves! Instead, Joe was the crafty mat-based veteran heel. On the other hand, I liked the mat-based work! Furthermore, Ricochet's acrobatics is enhanced by the contrasting styles. Some nice impact shots. And we've got a new champion as mere months after reaching the main roster Ricochet wins!

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Triple H congratuling Ricochet was a nice touch!

Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Heavy Machinery (Tucker & Otis) vs Daniel Bryan & Rowan (c):

Fans cheered Bryan as a hometown hero. You'd swear he was wrestling as face! Meanwhile, Otis is booed like a heel. Heavy Machinery are certainly athletic. Otis feeding off the Yes Kicks was cool. Bryan rolled up Tucker to retain the belts.

An excellent tag team during which all four men looked good and spotlighted the new team Heavy Machinery.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

Smackdown Women's Championship  Bayley (c) vs Alexa Bliss (w/ Nikki Cross):

This match was about whether Bayley belonged at the top with the likes of Alexa. Despite Alexa dominating, Nikki's intervention, and a banged up arm, Bayley retained.  Their feud is only beginning.

Rating 3 out of 5 stars.

Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre:

Shane McMahon accompanied Drew to the ring. Both Reigns and McIntyre brawl outside of the ring before starting the match. Shane flees pursued by Roman only for Drew to intercept the latter. They both brawl with Shane intervening occasionally. Crowd chanted 'This is awful' at one point. When Drew was trying to submit Roman, Shane kept 'checking for a submission' with the ref.  Reigns later on Superman Punches Shane twice followed by being slammed by McIntyre face-first into the anmounce table. Drew superplexes Reigns! Oh, Shane just dragged out the ref stopping a pin to coast-to-coast... Of course, Roman kicks out... Hey, Roman wins! Thus, mercifully ending the match.

If there was ever the epitome of what's wrong with WWE, it is the match. With that these two big men did in the ring, this should've been a spectacular match. Maybe WWE will end the Reigns vs McMahon/McIntyre feud now?

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

WWE Championship Steel Cage Match - Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston (c):

Always been a fan of steel cage matches. I was not disappointed. Kofi leaping through the doorway was simply amazing!

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

Universal Championship Match with Special Referee - Seth Rollins (c) vs Baron Corbin:

Special guest referee is... Rollin's 'gf' opponent from the beginning of the card... Lacey Evans! Corbin thrown into the Announce Table collapsing was a cool, big spot. Lacey's ref work doea a great job of building heat for her. Rollins is booked too strong for Corbin... Sigh... first, no countout as decreed by Evans then she decreed no DQ. Maybe if this was a main event on Raw... Hey Becky Lynch is attacking Lacey Evans! Whew, new ref counted Seth's successful pin count.

This match was more about furthering the Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch romance; and the Evans-Lynch feud. Really better suited for Raw than a PPV. For that it's not a stinker...

Rating 2 out of 5 stars.



Overall: Stomping Grounds story-wise was about establishing established champions (Sorry, Samoa Joe!), showcase new acts (Heavy Machinery, Ricochet) and be the best day ever for Raw's power couple (Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch). Other than a couple matches that should've been TV matches, most of them were solid PPV quality matches. Ultimately, what helps the PPV is the WWE Network. If you saw it as part of the network, it was an enjoyable enough way to spend a Sunday. However, it is another example of how much wrestling fans need AEW to succeed as a whole Stomping Grounds while being more than filler wasn't quite what I would call a solid PPV.

Rating 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Next time.