WWE Battleground 2015 results: John Cena defeats Kevin Owens (Video)
John Cena won the rubber match with Kevin Owens at WWE Battleground to retain his United States Championship.
Kevin Owens and John Cena already have two “Match of the Year” caliber contests under their belts in the past two months. WWE Battleground held their third encounter in the rubber match in the series as Owens won the first and Cena won the second. This one had much higher stakes as Cena’s United States Championship was on the line.
Owens got on top of the action early, firmly getting control with a nasty right hand that caught Cena off guard and left him on his back. Amidst the blows and heavy hitting, Owens unleashed an inverted fireman’s carry maneuver that was something to behold:
And @FightOwensFight is already breaking out the innovative offense! #WWEBattleground #USTitle pic.twitter.com/rPbtO2TnmR
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 20, 2015
Owens, as he’s prone to doing, tauntingly got his offense in on Cena and was verbal about his success, looking to the official for approval:
"C'mon, that was pretty damn GOOD!" - @FightOwensFight to referee.#WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/tPvDXnGlZp
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 20, 2015
Even when Cena started his infamous shoulder blocks, Owens was there to stifle his comeback. Cena was able to get some sort of momentum going, even countering a top-rope dive from Owens by getting the knees up. However, Owens recovered and was able to hit Cena with the Five-Knuckle Shuffle in a mocking fashion. Ever the hard man to keep down, Cena countered Owens’ next move into the STF, but Owens was able to break free.
Owens rebounded after being dazed and was able to counter some of Cena’s best offense. Cena went for the Springboard Stunner, but Owens had other plans:
Beautiful counter to the #SpringboardStunner by @FightOwensFight! #WWEBattleground @USTitle pic.twitter.com/8h5Uc9lMX3
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 20, 2015
They continued to go back and forth and wow the crowd. Owens caught Cena off the top rope for a powerbomb that led to a two-count. Cena powered up soon after and hit an AA on Owens, but that wasn’t enough to end the match either. After fighting back, Owens pulled out the package sideslam again, this time off of the top rope:
A top-rope suplex by @FightOwensFight!!#WWEBattleground #USTitle pic.twitter.com/ifOXkFmmpX
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 20, 2015
Somehow, Cena wasn’t down for three after and the action continued. An apoplectic Owens tried to hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb, but missed. In a clinical heel performance, Owens landed a superkick and then hit Cena with an AA of his own. Owens then proceeded to lock in the STF. Cena was able to get to the ropes, though.
Cena busted out a tornado DDT in a rush of adrenaline, but that didn’t put Owens away. Cena again went for the springboard stunner as both me got to their feet, but Owens was unaffected and floored Cena with a brutal clothesline. With Owens in control, he tried again for the Pop-Up Powerbomb and missed. He was then met with an AA, which he again kicked out of. Trading finishers being the name of the game, Owens recovered to finally hit his to force another two-count.
A desperate Cena went to the top rope again with Owens. The desperation shined brightly as he tried to hit an AA from the top rope:
TOP-ROPE AA by @JohnCena!!!#USTitle #WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/rDisBcqCBZ
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 20, 2015
Again, Owens wouldn’t go down for the three-count. He then tried to sucker Cena in for a roll-up, but Cena wouldn’t be pinned and countered with the STF. Owens tried to get to the ropes, but Cena pulled him back to the middle of the ring. Owens then tapped out to give Cena the victory.