Check out the results and grades below for the WWE Stomping Grounds pay per view.
Stomping Grounds Review
Drew Gulak def Tony Nese (C) and Akira Tozawa via pinfall to win cruiserweight championship
This was a stereotypical triple threat, cruiserweight, kickoff match; not in a bad way. It was fun, well-paced, and filled with false endings. There was a lot of high flying moves, the match never got slow, and there were many pin breakups; it was believable that all three could win. In the end, Gulak pinned Tozowa to win his first championship in WWE.
Grade: A-
Becky Lynch (C) defeated via submission Lacey Evans to retain Raw women’s championship
Almost all of Lacey Evans’ offense was targeting the injured ribs of Lynch. The match was slow, but it did get the point across. It was the classic injured babyface overcoming a monster heel to win the match. The most exciting part of the match was both Evans and Lynch being on the top rope which led to Lynch grabbing the arm of the challenger and locking in the disarmher. Evans rolled through into a pin, then the champion countered and locked in the disarmher again. The finale of the match came when Lacey Evans was on the top rope and Becky pulled her off and locked in the disarmher, which warranted a quick tap.
Grade: C+
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens def Xavier Woods and Big E via pinfall
The match began with Big E getting knocked off the apron and Owens and Zayn trying to end off Woods quickly. Woods was left in the ring to rot for the beginning and the match slowed down. Woods eventually connected with Big E on the hot tag and the New Day gained momentum while the match picked up in pace. The New Day eventually fell when Owens hit Woods with a stunner to pick up the win
Grade: B-
Ricochet def Samoa Joe (C) via pinfall to win United States championship
Samoa Joe had all the momentum during the beginning of the match. Ricochet could not execute any of his fancy high flying moves. Then, he connected with two step-up enziguri’s to take momentum. He connected with some high flying moves and the match became very well paced. Ricochet went for the 450 splash twice, one time Joe rolled through and the other Ricochet connected to win his first title on the main roster. The match probably could have gone on longer because it ended when it was still fast-paced and easily could have better, but it was still great
Grade: B
Daniel Bryan and Rowan (C) defeated Heavy Machinery via pinfall to retain the Smackdown tag team championships
Bryan and Rowan dominated at the beginning, but the challengers eventually picked up momentum and the match got evener. Otis and Rowan had a mini power contest but Heavy Machinery never realized that Daniel Bryan was legal. The match went back and forth quickly until Daniel Bryan rolled up Tucker to pick up the win. Like the previous one, this match probably could have gone longer and ended while the match was nearing its peak. After the match, we saw a commercial for Extreme Rules, which is the pay per view next month in Philly.
Grade: B-
Bayley (C) defeats Alexa Bliss via pinfall to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
The match was fairly well-paced throughout, it never very fast or very slow. Bliss controlled the match for the most part, but Bayley ultimately prevailed. The final moments came when Bayley dove through the ropes and hit Nikki Cross, who was in the corner of Bliss. Alexa Bliss looked like she was closing in on the championship, but Cross strangely went up on the ring apron which allowed Bayley to capitalize and retain. After the match, there was a backstage segment teasing an AJ Styles vs Ricochet feud surrounding the United States championship
Grade: C+
Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre via pinfall
First of all, can we please get Shane McMahon off of TV? The “Best in the world” thing has gotten really annoying, really quickly. It’s not even heel heat, it’s just annoying. Before the bell even rang, McIntyre attacked Reigns and ceased momentum at the beginning of the match. The “numbers game” was the theme throughout the match, with McMahon being in the corner of McIntyre. Reigns eventually gained control until McMahon distracted Reigns and McIntyre regained momentum. After Reigns regained momentum, he went for a cover but McMahon dragged the official out of the ring and hit a coast-to-coast on Regins. Reigns overcame the adversity and picked up the win with a spear. The match was slow, and Reigns overcoming the authority figure got old a long time ago.
Grade: C-
Kofi Kingston (C) defeats Dolph Ziggler via escaping the cage to retain the WWE Championship
The contest started off sluggish and turned into a fun slugfest inside the steel cage. The final minutes of the match were both Ziggler and Kingston trying to escape the cage but being pulled back. Both struggled to get closer to the floor, and right when you thought one of them would escape, the other would counter. The final moment of the match came when Ziggler was about to escape the cage but Kofi jumped over him and both of his feet hit the floor. After the match, Shane McMahon announced a two on one handicap match, pitting Roman Reigns against Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon. Can’t wait.
Grade: B+
Seth Rollins (C) defeated Baron Corbin to retain Universal Championship
Before the bell, Corbin announced Lacey Evans as the special guest referee and Corbin attacked Seth Rollins with a steel chair. Lacey Evans lost to Becky Lynch earlier in the night, and Becky is the boyfriend of Seth Rollins. The crowd was not pleased, to say the least. Corbin dominated the early portion of the match and it was extremely slow at first. When Rollins pinned Corbin for the first time, Evans had an extremely slow count. Also, when Corbin was counted out, Evans changed the rules and made it a no count out match. Evans being an awful referee was the theme of the match, despite Corey Graves trying to defend it with his awful commentary. Becky Lynch came out to save the day, and Seth eventually won.
Grade: F
Overall Grade: C+
There you have it. The final grades for the WWE Stomping Grounds pay-per view. What did you think of Stomping Grounds? Feel free to share you thoughts.
