WWE Battleground - WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan VS Randy Orton

[Jack-Hammer]

The latest in a series of in story interviews conducted by Michael Cole with Triple H is up at WWE.com. During the interview, Triple H announced that the currently vacant WWE Championship will be on the line in a match between Bryan & Orton at the first Battleground ppv.

As of right now, no special stipulations have been announced for the match, though that could change as things progress forward.

While things could change over the course of the next several weeks, it's looking as though, as of right now, Daniel Bryan finally has allies in the WWE locker room. In the interview, Triple H stated that he's not going to run around "punishing superstars" because it's "juvenile" and "beneath" him as "the C.O.O. of a publicly traded billion dollar company." Rather, he believes that the actions of the locker room were caused by "jealousy" and "bitterness" towards guys like Orton & The Shield due to them being "at the top of the food chain."

It's hard to predict what's going to happen here. Nobody really expected Bryan to beat Orton at NOC, but it happened. I could see Bryan winning the title at Battleground or I can also see WWE deciding to wait until Survivor Series for Bryan to finally get his title run.

 

[HBsam31]

I was thinking possibly that this match could end up a cluster leading to some sort of no contest or dq finish keeping the title vacant and then Orton winning the belt back at the Hell in a Cell Pay per view inside the cell. Then I believe they will separate the two for a while. I really don't think the big payoff of Daniel Bryan getting his true title run will happen until Wrestlemania. That is a long time away I know, and I might be wrong, but as of now that is how I see this one playing out.

 

[vikesfan]

Theres rumors its gonna be an IronMan match.Id love that but I bet they'll end up in a tie and then settle it at HITC.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

They should have had a tournament like Survivor Series 1998 where the Rock became the Corporate Champion. They could have Bryan and Orton face-off in the finals at Battleground only for there to be a double count-out of some sort leaving the title still vacant. Then, at Hell In A Cell insert Big Show into the feud and have Show walk out WWE Champ. Then, at Survivor Series have Shane McMahon return to help D Bryan finally capture the WWE title.

 

[matman8540]

I believe it will be parts of two of the posters here. At Battleground, a regular match that will turn into one giant "clusterf**k" double disqualification. At Survivor Series, Hell In The Cell. Then everyone can start chanting, "YES, YES, YES, YES".

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

They should have had a tournament like Survivor Series 1998 where the Rock became the Corporate Champion. They could have Bryan and Orton face-off in the finals at Battleground only for there to be a double count-out of some sort leaving the title still vacant. Then, at Hell In A Cell insert Big Show into the feud and have Show walk out WWE Champ. Then, at Survivor Series have Shane McMahon return to help D Bryan finally capture the WWE title.

I'd love to see that too. It really wouldn't be too hard to set up. They could have some sort of gimmick match like a iron man, last man standing, or something where the match can end without a winner. Than at HIAC in their match you have a lot of the guys who would feature in the tournament run down and cause the match to be thrown out. This would take us to Survivor Series with the title still vacant and set up the field for the tournament. They could do an 8 man tournament and have it feature:

Bryan
Orton
Ziggler
Show
Rhodes
Rollins
Reigns
Ambrose

Or you can stretch that field to 14 (like at Mania IV and the 98 Survivor Series) and add:

Punk
Del Rio
RVD
Christian
Barrett
Ryback

Either way a tournament opens up the possibilities and can make for an exciting show which is something that Survivor Series desperately needs.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I think we're in for another screwy finish here.

Since WWE already went the route of using the crooked ref, I expect we'll see some outside interference from The Shield or Big Show. The locker room came to Daniel Bryan's aid this past Monday, helping him deliver the feel good moment of triumph we've all been waiting for, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Triple H put a stipulation in place, where anyone, who interferes in the match is fired.

As far as a stipulation goes, maybe Triple H turns this one into a No Holds Barred match at some point? Since Triple H and Stephanie are pushing for the "old Randy Orton" to come back, a No Holds Barred match would give Orton the perfect opportunity to prove himself as a vicious and cold-blooded monster.

A winner is just too hard to call now. I didn't expect Bryan to walk out of NOC as WWE Champion, but he did. Whoever wins this match, I think it'll be a close call to keep the momentum going into Hell In A Cell, or a fluke win to give the loser a legit reason for another rematch.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There's talk right now that this will be some sort of gimmick match or special stipulations applied.

The talk right now is that Bryan vs. Orton at Battleground could be an Iron Man Match. This would allow WWE to do another indecisive or controversial finish to this match, allowing them to go at it at Hell in a Cell. Now the report doesn't state that WWE IS going to do an IMM or that an indecisive finish is planned, but that merely an observation of a possible outcome.

Personally, I'd be pissed if they had an IMM with a screwy finish. If they wanna do some sort of screwy finish, then fine, but not with an IMM. IMM, like HIAC, is supposed to be one of these few matches where a decisive winner is ALWAYS determined. A few years back in TNA, they had a 30 minute IMM between Bobby Roode & AJ Styles on ppv and the match ended in a "draw", only for the match to "continue" on the next episode of Impact in which Roode won about 5 minutes or so into the match. It reportedly pissed off a lot of people who ordered the ppv.

The point of an IMM is to determine a decisive winner but, unfortunately, I could see WWE going down this road. Since it looks as though Randy Orton is back to the Randy Orton "of old", namely by jacking up the ruthlessness of his character, WWE could have this additional aggressiveness as means of "upping" Orton's game to such a point that all Bryan is able to do is wrestle him to a standstill with HIAC, "the devil's playground", being used as the means of truly deciding a decisive winner.

 

[LSN80]

The talk right now is that Bryan vs. Orton at Battleground could be an Iron Man Match. This would allow WWE to do another indecisive or controversial finish to this match, allowing them to go at it at Hell in a Cell.

Personally, I'd be pissed if they had an IMM with a screwy finish. If they wanna do some sort of screwy finish, then fine, but not with an IMM. IMM, like HIAC, is supposed to be one of these few matches where a decisive winner is ALWAYS determined..

What if the screwy finish is Orton trapped in the Yes Lock!, with time expiring just as Orton is tapping out? That's less a screwy finish and more one of luck....for both parties.

Either way, I'd like to see the Ironman match happen. Orton was in the last IronMan match, against Cena, and it was No Holds Barred. What if they did that same match concept again, except for a half hour this time?

I like the idea of the feud continuing, but why does there have to be a screwy finish? What if one wins at Battleground, and they conclude the feud at Hell In A Cell?

I'm going to say Orton wins this, but reluctantly.

Or you can stretch that field to 14 (like at Mania IV and the 98 Survivor Series) and add:

Punk
Del Rio
RVD
Christian
Barrett
Ryback

Why would you devalue the World Championship even more, putting the World Heavyweight Champion and the #1 Contender into a feud for the WWE TItle?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I hate the idea of a tournament, it's good on paper but it almost always fails on execution, just too many matches on a card and it drains the life out of the audience.

As of now I'm going with Orton winning this one. If they just do a regular 1 on 1 match then there is a lot of ways to get that title on Orton without Bryan getting pinned. You could do something along the lines of Bryan has Orton beat when Big Show comes out and decks Orton, leading him to win by DQ with the title in place. Also when its an Iron Man match its also easy to get the title on Orton with Bryan clearly being the better man. There are many ways to go about this but ultimately I think its clear cut that Orton is winning this one.

Right now I think HHH vs. Daniel Bryan will end up on Wrestlemania 30 (maybe even for the title) with Bryan finally getting his big win and ending the feud. It's a long ways away but as of now I'm gonna assume that this feud is going until Wrestlemania which is the right idea. Luckily with WM30 I think a ridiculously stacked card is in the books so this match will be one of the main events with maybe Taker vs. Cena or Taker vs. Lesnar closing the show (fingers crossed). Bryan will get a big match at WM30 no question but by that time it won't be Orton (at least I don't think so). To get to Triple H though he's gonna have to beat Orton first but Battleground is a little too soon for his time with Orton to be over and if he beats Orton there you gotta kill 6 months between the big Triple H/Bryan match.

All in all I'm going with Orton beating Bryan by shady circumstances to win the title and he will hold onto it probably until the Rumble when Bryan finally wins the title and finishes him off for good.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

What if the screwy finish is Orton trapped in the Yes Lock!, with time expiring just as Orton is tapping out? That's less a screwy finish and more one of luck....for both parties.

Either way, I'd like to see the Ironman match happen. Orton was in the last IronMan match, against Cena, and it was No Holds Barred. What if they did that same match concept again, except for a half hour this time?

I like the idea of the feud continuing, but why does there have to be a screwy finish? What if one wins at Battleground, and they conclude the feud at Hell In A Cell?

I'm going to say Orton wins this, but reluctantly.



Why would you devalue the World Championship even more, putting the World Heavyweight Champion and the #1 Contender into a feud for the WWE TItle?

It's kind of tough to have a 14 man tournament without some of the big players. If its a 14 man tournament who am I going to put in their place, R-Truth and Axel?

Who knows, by then Sandow may have cashed in his contract and become WHC.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I actually think an Iron Man match could work within the current storylines. Triple H could always make it a No DQ Iron Man match, similar to Orton/Cena from Bragging Rights 2010. The Orton/Cena Iron Man match was a success, because it wasn't limited to an endless pinfall/submission victory sequence for one hour. You had Rhodes and Dibiase interfering on behalf of Orton, Orton trying to kill Cena with the pyro on the stage, and Kofi (I think?) making the save.

With Bryan and Orton, you could have The Shield run out, Big Show come down on Bryan's behalf for the defense, or some members of the locker room, who support Bryan. No matter the outcome, I still believe Bryan and Orton will meet again in the Cell for another rematch, giving both men the perfect opportunity to really go at it with no outside interference, so they can find out, who the better man is.

 

[The Eighties]

I was hoping they'd clear up the whole "Bryan and Armstrong were in cahoots!" thing before they announced anything regarding the title, since Triple H has no reason to give Bryan another shot if he's of the belief Bryan "Shamed" the business.

I would have liked a tournament that lasted over the 2 Raw's between now and Battleground, with just the Semis and the Final at the PPV. As it stands an Iron Match would be an interesting choice, especially given the next match will probably be in a Cell so they want to hold off the weapons and hardcore stuff until then.

 

[MCMG]

Another dubious finish has its drawbacks, people complained about the nature of the finish at NoC so maybe they will try to avoid that. I personally think that this match will be a draw. Whether it be double count-out or if indeed it is an Iron Man match then they would finish on the same number of falls. Another possibility is for Orton to get disqualified but Bryan doesn't get the belt because he didn't "win".

Extending it to Hell In A Cell is a possibility and a good move. Inside a Hell in a Cell is a logical ending to the feud and it is only a couple weeks after Battleground meaning the feud doesn't get tiresome. Thereafter, they can add more people or go their separate ways.

I was personally disappointed with their match at Night of Champions and I hope this match is better. To be honest, an anything goes Iron Man Match ( Orton/Cena Bragging Rights) would be something to make this match even better. We know these two are great in the ring and adding the No-DQ stipulation as well as an Iron Man match makes it perfect. There is still time on the card for the World Title, Punk and The Shield.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

If the Stipulation is indeed an Iron Man Match, I can see a finish in which Orton wins but wins the deciding fall via DQ. Example is DB dies it but in the dying seconds Triple H, Big Show, or The Shield punches Orton and gets a win via DQ.

If gives Orton the title, but DB still looks strong because the way he lost.

My only problem here is that if they having Orton/Daniel Bryan in consecutive PPV matches could make the crowd sick of this angle. If the rumors are true that they plan this feud to continue until the end of 2013, would it be a good idea to spread their matches out a bit?

 

[Mac Attack]

As of right now I feel that we're guaranteed a screwy finish to the PPV. Not an overturning of the result like NOC but more along the lines of a DQ finish where the title remains vacated. By having a DQ finish not only can the feud continue to take place but it makes more sense as to why the feud will take place in Hell In A Cell rules. I think let Bryan look as if he is going to win have someone cause the DQ and then g from there. Orton and Bryan can make the Cell match work and a scenario where nobody becomes champion just continues to make the feud interesting.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

HHH interferes

Bryan vs HHH Hell In a Cell match

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Vacating the title would've been a good way of having a fresh PPV main event for a month so that people aren't bored of Orton vs. Bryan when they likely clash for the final time at HIAC.

Maybe having Orton & Bryan on opposite teams would work sonsidering the name of the PPV.

If it turns out to be an Iron Man match then I'm out. I've seen lots of good Iron Man Matches, but I've never seen an Iron Man match I've liked more than an excellent 20-30 minute match. Also this is heel Orton. A 60 minute match means 22 minutes of chinlock by my calculations.

 

[ecwsux~!]

Yeah it's so stupid they didn't take advantage of a vacant title situation, I'd have done some kind of tournament similar to the G1 considering there's so much TV weekly and also there are two pay per views this month.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The likely candidate for the best match of the night, as well as the one that should end the night. This feud has been fantastic and certainly what was best for business. While I care very little about this PPV at the moment, the Orton VS Bryan match alone should still make it worth purchasing. No other match would make as much sense in closing the show as this one. It has received the most attention and has the best storyline going into it.

Will the feud end here? It might, but goodness I hope not. It has been nothing short of fantastic. Bryan is bringing out the best in Orton, while facing one of the top guys in the company is helping Bryan in return. I hope it continues into Hell In a Cell honestly. If that is not the plan, then I hope for an epic conclusion here. Bryan deserves to win the title back if the feud is ending. After what has happened at the last two PPV events, I'd say it is time for Bryan to take the WWE Championship. It would be a great way to end the show and the best way to go whether it be for extending the storyline in a new direction or ending it. Bryan closes the show as the new WWE Champion.

DAGGER'S PREDICTION
Daniel Bryan will win the WWE Championship.

 

[The Eighties]

I think they missed a trick here by not doing a 16 man tournament that had the semis and final at Battleground. Plus they still haven't explained why Triple H would even give Bryan another chance if he believes he bought off a ref. I at least hoped it would be an Iron Man match.

As it stands I'm not a fan of adding in the Bella as I don't think that will do anything for Bryan, unless she ends up siding with Orton. As for a winner, the last few weeks have been about Orton finding the "Old Randy Orton" and I think he caps it off by winning the title at Battleground.

 

[LSN80]

The biggest question that keeps running through my head as I consider this match is: "Who is more likely to hold the WWE Championship into Wrestlemania?", as I believe the winner of this feud will. And despite how popular Daniel Bryan is, I believe WWE sees him as a fill-in for John Cena, and Randy Orton a true main-eventer. Despite it coming from a mysoganistic heel, when Randy Orton told Brie Bella, "If you want to be with a real man, I'm around", I can't help but thinking WWE means it. Randy Orton has the look Vince McMahon loves, Daniel Bryan does not.

Then there's referee Scott Armstrong. I doubt WWE ran that angle simply to abandon it altogether, and I could see a scenario where it turns out that HHH paid Armstrong himself, telling him to count fast if it looked like Bryan had a legitimate three count, giving HHH the right to strip Bryan of the title. I was expecting HHH to insert himself as referee here again, using Armstrong's fast count as justification, HHH "can't trust anyone to call the match down the middle" but himself.

The point I'm trying to make I suppose is that it's hard to stay invested in Bryan as it's hard to see a scenario where HHH and Stephanie don't screw Bryan over in the end, as they have at every turn thus far. I could see WWE using the declining ratings as an indicator that Bryan isn't over as a face, discounting the fact they're competing with new network TV programming, Monday Night Football, the World Series playoffs, hockey season beginning, and no John Cena, far and away their biggest draw. Nope, like they did with Punk, they'll blame their current top face, Daniel Bryan.

So having said this, I believe Randy Orton wins this match as Daniel Bryan gets screwed once again.In the issue of "fairness", HHH will grant Daniel Bryan one last shot at Orton inside Hell in A Cell, which should be the best possible blowoff for this feud. But Orton wins here and at Hell In a Cell. With Cena gone, I truly believe WWE sees Randy Orton as the face of the company, and who is "best for business" as champion.

Further, because of the HHH vs. the faces storyline, there have been no real heel challengers built up to face Daniel Bryan, while faces abound that could challenge Orton. I suppose they could do Punk vs. Bryan, but if they see Daniel Bryan as bad for business, wouldn't logic dictate that the tattooed Punk vs. Bryan would be worse?

With some sort of screwjob in the works, Randy Orton becomes an 11 time champion. They've invested in making Orton a ruthless, destructive heel, I can't imagine them going with that shift in character from arrogant to ruthless, unless the plan was to go w Orton as champion.

Unless he's too aggressive of course, and gets himself DQ'd or counted out. They used the logic that a title can't change hands when held in Absentia, where at Judgment Day 2008 Undertaker beat Edge by count-out, yet Vickie held the title up still, because there was no pinfall or submission. No chance Bryan regains the title here, which makes it difficult for me to get excited for what should be another solid match.

Either Orton wins the title, or is DQd and the title is held up until the blowoff feud at Hell In A Cell.

 

[Carlito_Orton]

I also think Randy's going to be walking away with the Championship this Sunday at Battleground it just makes more sense for Orton to win if the feud is going to end at HIAC.

I go into more detail as to why I think Orton will win in the Simulation/Predcition video I just posted.
[youtube]kDcMigWmD_8[/youtube]

 

[Mr. Book This Section]

The next match is Daniel Bryan facing Randy Orton for the Vacent, WWE Championship belt that was stripped of Daniel Bryan at Night of Champions. Daniel Bryan is a Two Time WWE Champion however his two WWE Reigns combined have lasted about 21 Hours in total.

My Prediction: I believe that no one will get the WWE Championship belt here as there will be something such as a Time Limit Draw. I think this because I see the belt being vacant until Survivor Series when Daniel Bryan wins it and then he faces CM Punk for the belt at Wrestlemania 30.

End Prediction: Daniel Bryan v. Randy Orton ends in a No Contest

 

[El Rev sXe]

With this whole "Orton has found again his viciousness", I can totally see a finish where Orton and his anger gets the best out of him and gets himself DQ or something like that. Anyway is going to be a physical one specially with the "return" of the Viper.

Neither man wins the title leading up to a final encounter with no rules at HiaC.