On Sunday, May 28, 2023, WWE will stream its first Battleground event on Peacock as opposed to its previous pay-per-view format. This will also be the first Battleground crafted under the promotion's developmental NXT banner in place of the reputable brands and stars of Raw and SmackDown. Battleground will differ from previous premium events offered by the developmental brand, as a few of its championships will be absent from the card. Despite this, Battleground has shaped up to include a blend of NXT talent and those acquired in NXT UK's talent transition to the flagship brand.
Due to the latest WWE Draft, the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship will not be featured at Battleground, as the current champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn were drafted to SmackDown. Former NXT Women's Champion Indi Hartwell was also affected by the draft calling her to Raw, and an injury suffered in her previous title defense led her to relinquish the championship. At Battleground, the finals of the NXT Women's Championship tournament will crown a new champion. The NXT Championship, North American Championship, NXT Tag Team Championship, and rebranded NXT Heritage Cup will also be defended at Battleground.
Ilja Dragunov v. Dijak
Ilja Dragunov and Dijak have found themselves in a violent standoff, as Dijak has blindly attacked Dragunov several times over the last few weeks. Dijak recently went as far as torturing Dragunov, and Dragunov's relentlessness inspired a last man standing match between the two at Battleground. At first glance, Dijak's physical dominance over Dragunov makes him the favorite, but Dragunov's resilience over the past few weeks is only a small dose of what he's capable of. Dragunov's previous accolades include ending current Intercontinental Champion Gunther's (formerly known as Walter) historic 870-day reign as the NXT UK Champion. Given the brutality Dragunov has endured at the hands of Dijak as of late, Dragunov will certainly have the motivation to remain the last man standing at Battleground.
NXT North American Championship
At last year's Halloween Havoc, Wes Lee captured the North American Championship in a ladder match, defeating two-time North American champion Carmelo Hayes, Nathan Frazer, Von Wagner, and Oro Mensah. Since then, Lee has successfully defended the championship in a number of physically grueling and violent matches. His impending match with Tyler Bate and Joe Gacy will be no different. Bate is the only NXT UK Triple Crown Champion, having captured the NXT UK Championship twice, the NXT UK Tag Team Championship, and the NXT UK Heritage Cup, along with a sizable number of accolades outside the WWE. Like Bate, Gacy is heavily decorated outside the WWE, though his luck of capturing gold in NXT has not been as fortunate. As a member of the Schism, Gacy may find helpful interference from Ava Raine, Jagger Reid, or Rip Fowler, who may finally help Gacy capture his first bit of gold in WWE.
NXT Heritage Cup
NXT Battleground will be the first time the rebranded NXT Heritage Cup will be defended on American soil. In his two reigns, Noam Dar has proudly held the Heritage Cup for well over 500 days. Since his arrival in NXT, Dar has boastfully toted the cup around, and with the help of Nathan Frazer, Dragon Lee secured himself a match with Dar at Battleground with the Heritage Cup on the line. Dar will be coming off a recent loss to Frazer, either giving him the motivation he needs to retain the Heritage Cup or planting the doubt Lee will need to overthrow him.
NXT Tag Team Championship
Mark Coffey and Wolfgang of Gallus, captured the NXT Tag Team Championship in February, adding to their list of WWE accolades. The former NXT UK Tag Team Champions hope to shatter more records on American soil, continuing their reign following a successful defense against former NXT Tag Team Champions Julius and Brutus Creed. After losing their titles to Pretty Deadly, the Creeds have eagerly fought for an opportunity to recapture tag team gold. This Sunday, the brothers will have the opportunity to regain what they first won nearly a year go.
NXT Women's Championship Tournament Final
Following Hartwell's injury and draft to Raw, the former NXT Women's Champion vacated the championship, announcing a tournament to crown a new one. The final round will take place at Battleground between Lyra Valkyria and Tiffany Stratton. In the first round of the tournament, Valkyria defeated Kiana James while Stratton defeated Gigi Dolin. In the semi-finals, Valkyria defeated Cora Jade and Stratton defeated former NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez. Valkyria was attacked by Jade following their match, who targeted her knee. This Sunday, Valkyria may find herself wrestling less than a hundred percent, which may play into the hands of Stratton, who was the first to set her sights on Hartwell's vacated NXT Women's Championship.
NXT Championship
Carmelo Hayes snapped Bron Breakker's nearly year-long championship reign as NXT Champion at Stand & Deliver. Since then, Breakker has resorted to uncharacteristic measures to get inside the champion's head. After countless attacks on Hayes and his accomplice Trick Williams, Breakker seemingly enters Battleground with all the momentum, though Hayes and his craftiness cannot be ruled out.
As a two-time North American Champion with the longest combined reign of nearly 300 days, Hayes proves himself to be a formidable opponent in and out of the ring. However, Breakker is the second longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time with a combined total of 425 days, falling only behind Finn Bálor, whose two combined reigns total over 500 days. Breakker's second reign as the NXT Champion is the second-longest reign of any NXT Champion, topped only by Adam Cole. Together, Hayes and Breakker's second bout for the NXT Championship will serve as a reminder of the talent both men possess. Hayes will have a lot to stand for in his home state, giving him more than the champion's advantage heading into Battleground.
WWE NXT Battleground 2023 will stream live from Lowell, Massachusetts on May 28, 2023, on Peacock at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.