The Great Khali
File photo of Indian wrestler The Great KhaliMANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images

Philadelphia on Sunday, July 23, witnessed quite a lot of action as SmackDown's WWE Battleground pay-per-view was filled with drama.

Three title matches were part of the PPV event and both of them lived up to the expectations. However, there were other fights that stole the show.

Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles - United States Championship

Owens and Styles were involved in a long tussle for the United States Championships. At one point of the fight, the referee was knocked out as Owens threw Styles at the referee.

Quite a few submission attempts followed, but both of them struggled to get the desired result until Owens turned a crossface cradle into a pin.

John Cena vs Rusev - Flag Match

This was another long fight and the crowd found it hard to keep its voice up for through the match that extended to a little over than 13 minutes.

As the action moved to outside the ring Cena drove Rusev through two tables before planting the American flag on the stage.

Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton - Punjabi Prison Match

All the spotlight was on this high-octane encounter, which went down to the wire. Mahal was at the receiving, but the Indian wrestler came back into the fight when Singh brothers interrupted the match.

Orton suffered a cut in the left arm, but he kept continuing with the help of a chair and kendo stick to survive the onslaught.

As Orton climbs the cage and was about to claim the win, The Great Khali, who made a surprise comeback after being out of the sport for three years on Sunday, choked the American wrestler.

Mahal then escaped the ring through the fourth gate at the end of a 26-minute-long battle.

The New Day vs The Usos - Tag Team Championships

The New Day created history by becoming the first team to win both Raw and Smackdown titles. The combination of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods won the latter Tag Team title with a pinfall against Jimmy and Jey Uso.

Kingston suffered a huge setback after being on the receiving end of a double-powerbomb early in the match.

However, Kingston made the lethal move towards the end when he hit a Trouble in Paradise on Jimmy, after which Woods used a flying elbow on the latter, before pinning him down.

Other results

  • Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Baron Corbin (disqualification)
  • Alden English defeated Tye Dillinger (pinfall)
  • Natalya defeated Charlotte Flair, Natalya Lana, Tamina Snuka and Becky Lynch to win Women's No.1 Contendership -- Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match
  • Sami Zayn defeated Mike Kanellis (pinfall)
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