Update: Roman Reigns was suspended 30 days by the WWE for violating its wellness policy, so there may be some swift changes coming to the Battleground card.
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The WWE will finally have what formerly was known as The Shield face-off in a Triple Threat Match for the richest prize in the game at Battleground.
Dean Ambrose will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat Match against his former Hounds of Justice stablemates Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns on July 24 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
While such a match probably should have been saved for the likes of WrestleMania or even SummerSlam, everything beyond next month is up in the air thanks to the impending brand split and the shake-ups it is sure to provide.
Ahead of this main event, here is a ranking of each of the three stars and how worthy they are of leaving the nation's capital with their hand raised.
3) Roman Reigns
Sometimes the fans are overly brutal toward the leader of the Roman Empire, but it seems they're booing the WWE's insistence on shoving him down their throats more than the actual "Big Dog" himself. Reigns never should have been force-fed to the WWE Universe and the company should have realized he wasn't ready for the mega push it bestowed upon him. It seems no matter how much he improves on the microphone or in the ring, he won't be able to escape the stigma attached to him.
Reigns is the least desired member of The Shield to leave Battleground as champion and the WWE would be wise to keep the belt off of him or the uproar from the fans will only grow louder. If the promotion would have allowed him to get over organically things could be different, but unfortunately he remains the least popular member of The Shield to the majority of the audience.
2) Seth Rollins
"The Architect's" first run with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship came to an unfortunate end due to his knee injury. His second reign lasted less than five minutes. Rollins is easily the most talented of the former Shield members as he can cut a promo and is amazing in the ring. The former Hounds of Justice leader can put on a good match with just about anybody.
If the WWE decides to run with Rollins as champion, there's no argument from here. He carried the company when Brock Lesnar was a part-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion and then became a show stealer as the No. 1 heel when he won the belt -- even if the WWE tried to cut his legs out from under him by having him feud with Kane.
1) Dean Ambrose
The "Lunatic Fringe" right now is the most desired man to leave Battleground with the title. Though sometimes his zaniness on the microphone is too cartoonish, his unhinged personality makes him interesting and he's a good in-ring performer. The WWE easily booked Ambrose as the loser of The Shield following the split as evidenced by him rarely winning any of his feuds.
Lately, the organization has taken him more seriously, especially after having him go toe-to-toe with Lesnar and Triple H -- though he of course lost both of those programs. Now that the WWE has shown faith in him by giving him a run with the richest prize in the game, there's no reason to have Ambrose falter in his first major defense.
