In the most anticipated Triple Threat Match in WWE history, WWE Champion Dean Ambrose clashed with former Shield brothers Seth Rollins and the returning Roman Reigns at WWE Battleground, the first post-Draft pay-per-view of WWE's New Era.
Dean Ambrose celebrates his world title victory
Dean Ambrose retained the WWE world title on a night Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens also put on a classic bout
Dean Ambrose emerged unscathed with his WWE world title after defeating Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in the main event of a fantastic WWE Battleground.
This was WWE's finest pay-per-view of 2016 and the long-awaited clash between the three former Shield members lived up to fans' high expectations.
There had been little in the way of build for the match, due to Reigns' 30 day-suspension for breaching the WWE Wellness Policy, but this bout did not need much hype.
Everyone already knew the history of the three combatants and their rivalry, which has largely defined WWE's main event scene for the past two years.
Roman was booed beyond belief as he made his entrance, with WWE trying to mute the volume again, and a brilliant Matt Hardy-inspired "Reigns must be deleted!" sign in the background.
Clearly his absence has not made the heart grow fonder and the crowd roared their approval when Dean and Seth teamed up to give him the classic Shield powerbomb through a table.
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose powerbomb Roman Reigns
Seth, who had already dazzled with a frog splash on Ambrose after he rolled off Reigns following a pin attempt, recreated the break-up of the faction by smashing Dean with a steel chair.
He and Ambrose combined in style as Rollins attempted a turnbuckle powerbomb, only for the Lunatic Fringe to somehow counter with a hurricanrana-like takedown.
The action was breathtaking in the closing stages as Reigns hit Dean with a Superman Punch, only to have his head driven into the mat with a Pedigree from Rollins.
He practically no-sold a turnbuckle powerbomb and rocked The Architect with another Superman Punch and then connected with a spear for what seemed like the win.
Thankfully it was not to be, as Ambrose grabbed Roman and hit Dirty Deeds to retain his title, which will now be heading with him to SmackDown, in a huge coup for WWE's Blue Brand.
The victory not only cements Dean's title reign and marks him out as the equal of his more-celebrated peers, but it also places WWE's traditional second show firmly in the spotlight.
It raises the possibility of a tournament being held on Raw to determine the show's own world champion, which could potentially be determined at SummerSlam next month.
Dean Ambrose vs Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins WWE Battleground 2016
Good as the main event was, the heated and at times staggeringly hard-hitting clash between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens was even better.
The longtime friends turned sworn enemies produced an incredible performance, beating the living daylights out of each other and writing another chapter in their storied rivalry.
Fans could watch these two wrestle forever, as somehow they keep managing to deliver something different, all with an intensity and backstory that makes you care.
The storytelling, particularly in the facial expressions of Zayn and the constant ranting of Owens for him to quit, was nothing short of fantastic.
Great moments included Zayn trying to fight his way out of a chinlock, the referee asking "Do you want to give up?" and Owens shouting in reply: "He does!”
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