Randy Orton def. Sheamus at WWE Battle Ground 2015

Randy Orton def. Sheamus at WWE Battle Ground 2015

ST. LOUIS – The very physical rivalry between Sheamus and Randy Orton came to a head at WWE Battleground in The Viper’s hometown. There was no love lost between the two former WWE World Heavyweight Champions – leading to a very offense-heavy contest – but the unpredictability of WWE’s Apex Predator reigned supreme.

View photo of the brutal battle

Feeling the energy of his hometown crowd inside the Scottrade Center, Orton was relentless early in the contest both in and out of the ring. Although he struggled early on, The Celtic Warrior was able to stop his opponent’s momentum by executing three consecutive Irish Curse backbreakers. Managing to slow the pace of the match, Sheamus took control and quickly dispelled any offense by The Viper.

The experience of Orton – and the knowledge of his bitter rival – eventually helped him egain momentum, diving away from an attack that resulted in Sheamus hitting the steel ring post. Maintaining the physical strategy of the bout, Orton continued to attack outside the ring, tossing his opponent onto the announce table.

An exchange of near-falls ultimately led to Sheamus countering an RKO and leveling The Viper with a devastating Brogue Kick. Rather than attempt a pinfall, The Celtic Warrior mercilessly applied more punishment in the form of a Cloverleaf. Despite writhing in pain, Orton refused to submit, and eventually reached the ropes to break the hold.

Sheamus pulled Orton to his feet – a decision that proved to be The Celtic Warrior’s undoing. Seemingly with everything he had left, The Viper hit an RKO out of nowhere to secure the victory.

Home field advantage was certainly in Orton’s favor, but the very physical battle left no doubt that when Sheamus decides to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is in for a very brutal encounter.

Breaking News: The Undertaker Returns at WWE Battleground, Sets Up Big SummerSlam Match

As seen at WWE Battleground tonight,The Undertaker returned and involved himself in the main event match between Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins.

The Undertaker appeared during the main event match, interrupted the bout, and attacked Lesnar.

Undertaker left Lesnar laying with a Tombstone Piledriver and a Chokeslam.

As noted, The Undertaker is expected to be wrestling a match at WWE SummerSlam, and after tonight it appears as if ‘Taker vs Leasnar will take place at the big event.

The Undertaker's Return at WWE Battleground is All About the WWE Network

Seth Rollins left WWE Battleground as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but he owes a massive “thank you” to The Undertaker.

The Undertaker made his first appearance on WWE TV since WrestleMania 31 in March, laying out Brock Lesnar in the main event of Sunday’s pay-per-view as he attempted to win back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Rollins. To the casual fan, the return of the legend known as “The Deadman” sure seemed like a monumental surprise, but to the diehard fan who reads about wrestling on the Internet? Not so much.

Rumors were swirling all week that The Undertaker and/or fellow wrestling legend Sting was set to return to the WWE soon, and is it turns out, WWE officials decided to bring The Undertaker out of the bullpen first. The longest-tenured superstar currently in the WWE returned to exact his revenge on Lesnar, who ended his historic WrestleMania winning streak at WrestleMania 30 last year in New Orleans.

The Undertaker’s return and subsequent attack on the former UFC Champion is a perfectly set-up dramatic storyline that WWE fans will undoubtedly enjoy: The legend’s famous streak ends at the hands of the incredible athlete, and now, the legend wants retribution.

With a likely match between Lesnar and The Undertaker at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view, the WWE now has a powerful story and sensible feud that features two of the biggest stars in company history.

But as much as The Undertaker’s return is about him seeking (and probably getting) his revenge on Lesnar, it’s more about business—and specifically, the WWE Network—than anything else.

The WWE product, to put it nicely, is in a rut. Despite having an extremely talented roster that features some of the best professional wrestlers on the planet, lackluster planning and storyline development by the creative team have made for a stagnant WWE product that has continually worsened in recent years. With that creative struggle has come a noticeable dip in the WWE’s recent TV ratings for both its flagship show, Monday Night Raw, and it’s so-called “B-show,” Thursday Night SmackDown.