WWE Stomping Grounds was far from the good pay-per-view it could have been. The entire thing felt more like a Main Event episode than anything else, and even the crowd in attendance was far from impressed. So, what were the match ratings and what happened? Read on to find out!
Stomping Grounds Pre-Show: Cruiserweight Championship: Tony Nese Vs. Drew Gulak Vs. Akira Tozawa
As expected, this match scored far better than the rest of the card during Stomping Grounds. Still, the Cruiserweights were once again stuck on the pre-show, but they delivered greatly.
Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Akira Tozawa all delivered during the match. Even though the crowd barely got seated when this match started, they certainly responded well to the fight itself. This match had everything, from high-flying action to technical ability and strength.
The different angles and frankly good storytelling in the ring leads me to score this match an 8/10.
Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch Vs. Lacey Evans
Even though I love Lacey’s gimmick, she is not ready for a pay-per-view such as Stomping Grounds. The experience between Becky and Lacey was quite evident, not only in pace, but also in the overall originality of the moves.
Because of Lacey’s inexperience, there was certainly a problem where match guidance was concerned. There were a number of botches, despite the attempts of Becky Lynch to guide the match. I hate coming down on any wrestler, but Lacey should get the time to sharpen her wrestling skills. She will be good one day, I have no doubt, but it is way too early for her right now.
The botches were real and suspense could not be built for this match because of it. Unfortunately, that leads me to give a score of 4/10. The only reason I am not flunking this match completely is because of Becky’s contributions and her attempt to make the match stand on its feet.
Xavier Woods And Big E Versus Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcPuFP-vIIs
This was one of the better matches of Stomping Grounds, which certainly benefited Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and their overall standing as wrestlers. This match was non-stop action and came pretty close to the great matches we have seen on NXT lately.
There were a lot of brilliant spots in this match and only one was botched, mainly where Woods could not get Big E on his shoulders. If they didn’t repeat it, it probably would not have stood out. Still, this little miss can be forgiven quite easily when you look at the overall quality of the match. Because of the high-quality of the match, I would give it an 7/10.
United States Championship: Samoa Joe Versus Ricochet
While this was the match I looked forward to the most, it unfortunately disappointed me. Unfortunately, it was Samoa Joe who did the disappointing in this case. Ricochet sold every move Joe did to his maximum ability, but Joe did not seem to be doing the same. Whether it was on purpose or not, it did set quite a weird equilibrium for the match.
Despite the slow pace in the beginning of the match, Ricochet showed an ability to tell a story inside the ring unlike any other wrestler on the roster. Because of Ricochet’s efforts, I would actually say the match was saved. I don’t know if it was an off day for Samoa Joe, because this is unlike him. Even though the match could have better, it was still one of the stronger ones on the card. Therefore, I give this match 6/10.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: Daniel Bryan And Rowan Versus Heavy Machinery
A great match from Heavy Machinery and the team of Daniel Bryan and Rowan; however, it did feel a little weird as Daniel Bryan was the home favorite. As he was supposed to be the heel in this match, Heavy Machinery were booed throughout the match.
Some of the top spots of the match can be attributed to Daniel Bryan and Otis. Both men showed incredible instincts in the ring and the crowd certainly popped up for this match. However, I did miss some consistent action at times. Therefore, I give this match 7/10.
SmackDown’s Women’s Championship: Bayley Versus Alexa Bliss
This one is a double-edged sword for me where matches at Stomping Grounds are concerned. On one hand, you have Alexa Bliss who is always interesting to watch, despite the lack of different wrestling moves. That being said, Alexa always keeps my attention, so she does not have to try that hard to be honest.
On the other hand, you have Bayley. She did come out reminiscent of the old Bayley from NXT, but she did not maintain it consistently. While it is better than it was before, character-wise she did not deliver for me. That being said, she did deliver from a wrestling perspective. If you were to combine Alexa with Bayley, you would have the ultimate female wrestler. That being said, there was definitely something missing here. Therefore, I give the match 4/10.
Roman Reigns Versus Drew McIntyre
These men work well together in a match, but the overall storyline leading to their match is tired and old. It makes little sense for Roman to go against Shane McMahon and his subsequent stooge Drew McIntyre, so I feel like there is no solid basis there. That being said, this match delivered more than the majority of Roman’s matches in the past.
While the overall action during the match was good, it did get a little slow at some points. They should have reduced the time for the match a little bit and it would have received a higher rating for me. As a result, I give this match a 4/10.
WWE Championship: Kofi Kingston Versus Dolph Ziggler
Even though this match included two of the most successful WWE veterans, the match simply did not deliver in terms of story. Ziggler tried desperately to set the motivation up before the match, but once again the storyline did not hold as much water as it should have.
Because of the lack of build, nobody took the challenge seriously. As such, fans expected Kofi Kingston to come out victorious. They did try their best to sell the match, but unfortunately I have to give it a 5/10.
Stomping Grounds Main Event – The Universal Championship Match
It honestly pains me to do this for a Seth Rollins match. Once again, we were left with a boring Corbin match, followed by Lacey Evans as a special referee. The entire thing was so stupid, especially the special referee bits that broke the match up and tore the entire pace down. I just have no words for how bad this was as a main event.
I would just like to say that Seth was great and he did put in the effort. On the other hand, the actual action coming back from Corbin was abysmal and the input from Lacey was horrendous too. Unfortunately, I have to make this the worst match of the night with a 3/10.
Total pay-per-view score: 5.3/10
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