WWE Battleground explained

WWE Battleground
Othernames:NXT Battleground (2023–present)
Promotions:WWE
Brands:SmackDown (2017)
NXT (2023–present)
Firstevent:2013

WWE Battleground, known as NXT Battleground since 2023, is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based promotion. The event was established in 2013 and was held annually until 2017 for WWE's main roster. It was then revived in 2023 as an annual event for the company's developmental brand, NXT.

From 2013 to 2017, the event was broadcast on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) and beginning in 2014, it began to simultaneously be livestreamed on the WWE Network, which was extended to Peacock beginning in 2023. The inaugural 2013 event was held in October and replaced Over the Limit. In 2014, Battleground moved up to the July slot, becoming the promotion's annual July PPV. To coincide with the brand extension that was reintroduced in July 2016, the 2017 event was held exclusively for wrestlers from the SmackDown brand. The event was then discontinued as WWE reduced the amount of yearly PPVs produced after brand-exclusive PPVs were discontinued following WrestleMania 34 in April 2018. After five years, the event was revived in 2023 as an annual event for NXT; it was held in May but was pushed back to June in 2024.

History

On the July 29, 2013, episode of Raw, the American professional wrestling promotion WWE announced a new pay-per-view (PPV) titled Battleground to be held on October 6 that year at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. It replaced Over the Limit, which had been held annually in May from 2010 to 2012, but was going to be held in October 2013 before WWE decided to discontinue Over the Limit.[1] The event returned in 2014, but was moved up to July, thus establishing the event as WWE's annual July PPV. In addition to PPV, the 2014 event was the first Battleground to air on WWE's livestreaming service, the WWE Network, which launched earlier that year in February.

The 2016 event was regarded as the last PPV event featuring wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands, before the newly reinstated brand extension went into full effect; after SummerSlam that year, monthly PPVs became brand-exclusive, excluding the "Big Four" (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series). The 2017 event was in turn a SmackDown-exclusive event. Battleground was expected to return in 2018 for the Raw brand; however, the event was taken off WWE's PPV lineup as after WrestleMania 34 that year, brand-exclusive PPVs were discontinued, resulting in WWE reducing the amount of yearly PPVs produced.[2]

On March 30, 2023, WWE announced that Battleground would be revived for its developmental territory, NXT, scheduled for May 28, 2023.[3] In addition to the WWE Network, the event was livestreamed for the first time on Peacock in the United States due to the American version of the WWE Network merging under Peacock in March 2021[4] —unlike previous Battlegrounds, it did not air on PPV as beginning with the 2022 calendar year, NXT's major events are only available via WWE's livestreaming platforms.[3] NXT Battleground also went head-to-head with Double or Nothing, a PPV event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which is AEW's flagship event, marking the first time since 1989 that two major promotions produced major events head-to-head, after WWE's WrestleMania V and World Championship Wrestling's Clash of the Champions VI.[5] A second NXT Battleground was scheduled for 2024, thus establishing Battleground as an annual livestreaming event for NXT; it was originally scheduled for May 26 but was pushed back to June 9.[6]

Events

SmackDown (WWE brand)SmackDown-branded eventNXT (WWE brand)NXT-branded event
EventDateCityVenueMain EventRef.
1Battleground (2013)October 6, 2013Buffalo, New YorkFirst Niagara CenterRandy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan for the vacant WWE Championship[7] [8]
2Battleground (2014)July 20, 2014Tampa, FloridaTampa Bay Times ForumJohn Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kane vs. Roman Reigns in a fatal four-way match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship[9]
3Battleground (2015)July 19, 2015St. Louis, MissouriScottrade CenterSeth Rollins (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship[10]
4Battleground (2016)July 24, 2016Washington, D.C.Verizon CenterDean Ambrose (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship[11]
5Battleground (2017)July 23, 2017Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaWells Fargo CenterJinder Mahal (c) vs. Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match for the WWE Championship[12]
6NXT Battleground (2023)May 28, 2023Lowell, MassachusettsTsongas CenterCarmelo Hayes (c) vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship
7NXT Battleground: Las VegasJune 9, 2024Enterprise, NevadaUFC ApexTrick Williams (c) vs. Ethan Page for the NXT Championship

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WWE officially announces the Battleground PPV. July 30, 2013. Salgado. Sebastian. Super Luchas. November 24, 2021.
  2. Web site: WWE pay-per-views just got bigger for 2018!. February 17, 2018. WWE.com Staff. WWE.com. February 19, 2018.
  3. News: Defelice . Robert . Shawn Michaels Announces NXT Battleground 2023 Will Emanate From Lowell, Massachusetts . March 30, 2023 . Fightful . March 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230330195611/https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/shawn-michaels-announces-nxt-battleground-2023-will-emanate-lowell-massachusetts . March 30, 2023 . live.
  4. Web site: WWE Network to launch on Peacock March 18. March 8, 2021. WWE.com Staff. WWE. March 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308190052/https://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-network-to-launch-on-peacock-march-18. March 8, 2021. live.
  5. Web site: Shawn Michaels Says NXT Battleground Running Same Day As AEW Double Or Nothing Was A Holiday Thing. Fightful. March 31, 2023. Jeremy. Lambert. April 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230331044207/https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/shawn-michaels-says-nxt-battleground-running-same-day-aew-double-or-nothing-was-holiday-thing. March 31, 2023. live.
  6. Web site: Report: NXT Battleground pushed back to June, moving locations. March 28, 2024. Carey. Ian. Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. March 28, 2024.
  7. Web site: Battleground PPV Results 10/6 (Hour 1): World Title match opens the PPV, plus IC Title & Divas Title matches. October 6, 2013. James. Caldwell. Pro Wrestling Torch.
  8. Web site: Battleground PPV Results 10/6 (Hour 3): WWE Title match, power outage situation, Punk vs. Ryback. October 6, 2013. James. Caldwell. Pro Wrestling Torch.
  9. Web site: WWE Battleground tickets Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, FL Jul 20, 2014 at 07:30pm . . January 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140614142801/https://www.wwe.com/events/wwepresents-battle-tampa . June 14, 2014.
  10. Web site: Johnson. Mike. COMPLETE 2015 WWF PPV SCHEDULE. PWInsider. January 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150109054416/https://www.pwinsider.com/article/90630/complete-2015-wwe-ppv-schedule.html?p=1. January 9, 2015. live. January 7, 2015.
  11. Web site: Get WWE Battleground tickets now. WWE. June 23, 2016.
  12. Web site: WWE Battleground 2017 tickets available now. WWE. April 24, 2017. WWE.com Staff. June 19, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170421024201/https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/article/wwe-battleground-2017-tickets. April 21, 2017. live.