Best and Worst of WWE Clash of Champions 2016

In the classic days of WCW, we used to enjoy a series of special wrestling shows called ‘Clash of THE Champions’. More recently, we had gotten used to a pay-per-view entitled ‘Night of Champions’. Clash of Champions was a first time ever show, and the first Raw exclusive pay-per-view since the brand split. From the word go, the matches were explosive and we can only say that we hope this level of action and excitement continues on to Monday Night Raw this week.

Clash of Champions came to us tonight from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, In. Every championship on Raw was defended by the champions, and more often than not, the champions did prevail. Of course, there was one new champion, so let’s talk about him first.

THE GOOD: Here’s what we enjoyed from today’s show

1: The demotion of Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns will make the US Championship more relevant than it is now

It is fashionable in the wrestling world to say ‘Roman Reigns cannot wrestle’. But the fact of the matter is that every time Roman Reigns steps through the ropes, he puts on a great performance. While he hasn’t been really accepted in the main event picture, he’s doing great in the mid card.

And as U.S. Champion, he will make the title as relevant as John Cena’s previous title reign. In fact, while one may say that Roman Reigns is getting demoted with this decision, the championship title is being elevated to a near main event status with the brand new US Champion.

2: The Cesaro and Sheamus slugfest was off the charts

Probably the best match in the Best of 7 series between the two

Cesaro and Sheamus are both great workers. Ever since Summerslam, they’ve been giving us quality wrestling on Raw (and a live event) and were tied at 3-3 heading into the match. Both of the men took each other to the limit and destroyed one another until we were genuinely wondering if they were hurt or not.

It was the best match in a night of great matches.

3: Babyface and heel in the Cruiserweight Division

The Cruiserweight Classic was a huge success on the WWE Network purely because of the fact that the niche hardcore audience prefers non-stop action to what is dubbed ‘sports entertainment’. But Monday Night Raw is a whole different ball game. The veteran Brian Kendrick has been acting heelish in his matches right from the time of the Cruiserweight Classic, but he won major babyface points after his eviction from the tournament and in ring hug fest with Daniel Bryan.

Today, shortly after a hard fought match between T.J. Perkins and Brian Kendrick, Kendrick would appear to be shaking Perkins’ hand, before attacking him. Not only does this establish Brian Kendrick as the top heel in the division, but also established T.J. Perkins as the top babyface by default. Both have personalities that fit better than simply ‘wrestling workers’.

4: Unanswered questions

We head into Raw with questions in our mind

It’s always great to not have all the answers heading into Monday Night Raw. And yes, we certainly do have questions with regard to tomorrow’s show. Did Stephanie McMahon really have anything to do with the attack on Seth Rollins by Triple H?

What’s the fate of Cesaro and Sheamus? Who will challenge Kevin Owens for his title next?

5: The quality of in-ring work

There was not one dull moment throughout the show

From the time the first bell rang to the time the show ended, there wasn’t one dull moment. Each of the wrestlers put their heart and soul to put on a spectacle.

THE BAD: Here’s what we did not like from the show, though

1: Too much interference

Don’t worry mister referee. She’s just pulling your leg.

Interference during matches is what separates ‘sports’ from ‘sports entertainment’. However, when it happens during every single match it is more of an annoyance than a positive. Xavier Woods interfered during the Tag Team Championship match, Lana during the US Championship match, Dana Brooke during the Raw Women’s Championship match and of course, Chris Jericho in the main event.

We had more screwy finishes than clean ones.

2: A no show by Triple H

In an era of short memory spans, this angle may be forgotten soon

WWE needs to strike the iron while it's hot. Triple H interfered during the Fatal 4-way on Raw turning on Seth Rollins. There has been much speculation but absolutely no answers since then.

We fear that when Triple H actually does return, the angle may be ice cold.

3: Michael Cole stars in Botchamania

Michael Cole has been the voice of WWE for many years now. While he's by no means the greatest commentator of all time, he's always been competent. Today, was just a nightmare for him, botching several times, and subsequently either correcting himself or being corrected by Corey Graves.

IN CONCLUSION, Clash of Champions was a good show which deserves a strong 8/10 rating. However, this photo deserves a 10/10 rating.