Battleground 2016 Triple Threat match

Two years removed from the unforgettable rupture of The Shield, newly crowned WWE Champion Dean Ambrose faces his fellow former Hounds of Justice Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat Match at WWE Battleground.

A three-way showdown among Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns seemed inevitable from the moment Rollins stabbed his brothers in the back, dissolving the once-dominant faction. Less expected was that it would be The Lunatic Fringe sitting in the catbird position as defending champion. Yet, Ambrose earned that accolade at WWE Money in the Bank, winning the event’s namesake match and cashing in his guaranteed championship match contract that same night against Rollins, who himself had just pinned Reigns to regain the title.

The cyclonic turn of events turned WWE on its head and underscored what everyone already knew: Competition among the former Shield allies runs deep and is full of parity.

So evenly matched are the Superstars that a single No. 1 contender could not be named the following night on Raw, when The Big Dog and The Architect jockeyed for the right to challenge Ambrose. As the thrilling match reached its crescendo, Reigns Speared Rollins onto the Spanish announce table and neither Superstar could beat the referee’s 10-count.

Even though no decisive winner was declared, Ambrose proved himself to be a fighting champion right away, volunteering to take on both Reigns and Rollins on Sunday, July 24.

With that, the table is now set for one of the most anticipated WWE Championship Triple Threat Matches of all time. Which ex-Hound of Justice will prove his supremacy at WWE Battleground? Will it be the rebuilt and redesigned Architect, eager to win back the title he trained so hard to reclaim, only to lose it moments later? Will The Big Dog use his punishing strength to dismantle both friend (Ambrose) and foe (Rollins)? Or might the match’s Lunatic Fringe remind those who know him best just how dangerous he can be?