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Despite the obvious flaw of not pitting any currently reigning champions against each other as the title would suggest, all in all, Clash of Champions is shaping up to be a pretty decent pay per view for the WWE. With a healthy mix of singles, tag team and women's action all backed up by relatively well-structured storylines, it could end up becoming the catalyst that gets the ball rolling for many potential angles towards the Royal Rumble, eventually culminating at Wrestlemania.
As a consequence, at this crucial moment in time on the wrestling calendar, it's important to take a look forward at the potential movement caused by one of Smackdown's biggest events.
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With an eye to the future, here are five potential consequences of Clash of Champions.
#5 Bobby Roode enters the Royal Rumble as U.S. Champion
Since debuting on Smackdown Live, Bobby Roode has offered audiences pretty good bang for their buck. Everything from his persona to his in-ring ability has all been of a consistently high standard and, considering his popularity amongst WWE fans, allowing him to transition away from being a full-time heel as we saw in NXT was clearly the right move.
Now, at Clash of Champions, Roode has the chance to pick up his first major championship in mainstream WWE. Although Baron Corbin is expected to remain in the eyes of many, considering his lacklustre performances as of late, I'm expecting a changing of the guard and for Roode to pick up the gold. This will surely lead to 'The Glorious One' walking into the Royal Rumble as United States champion.
#4 Zack Ryder gets his Mojo Back
Since teaming up with Mojo Rawley to form The Hype Bros Zack Ryder has been enjoying more television time that he's seen in a good while. But, it' still a far cry from his entrancing win at Wrestlemania a couple of years ago when he sensationally snatched the intercontinental title.
One could argue that despite his success in tag team competition, Ryder's popularity demands more of him as a superstar. This Sunday, he's finally back in singles competition, against his former partner no-less. A good showing could set him up for decent singles run heading towards the Royal Rumble and 2018 as a whole.
#3 The First Ever Women's Royal Rumble
Charlotte is set to defend her Smackdown Women's championship against Natalya this Sunday and, considering what we've seen from when these two competitors when they've shared the ring in the past, we're in for a pretty good match.
But, what makes this match so interesting is that it will be a lumberjack match. If we choose to listen to the online buzz surrounding the possibility of the first-ever women's royal rumble taking place in 2018, having all these women in the same place at the same time might prove to be the spark that lights the flame.
#2 Shinsuke Nakamura Wins the 2018 Royal Rumble
He broke boundaries and made history in NXT with some of the finest matches the company had ever seen, which is why Shinsuke Nakamura's main roster run thus far has failed to live up the hype. He's been stuck in the tentative ground since his losses to Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin, but now finds himself rejuvenated, teaming with Randy Orton this weekend.
The pair makes a formidable force, but some people can't help but feel this tag team placement is to lull fans into a false sense of security for what would surely be one of the biggest Royal Rumble wins in history. In a rare turn of events, he's both the dark horse and the favourite. Could the King of Strong-Style really pull it off?
#1 The Implosion of Owens & Zayn
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been inseparable since Zayn interfered with a match on Owen's behalf, saving him from a death-defying suicide dive from Shane McMahon.
Now, they seem to be joined at the hip, which is why so many fans are recalling a similar situation twelve months ago when KO and Chris Jericho were 'best pals.' Given the success of that feud, could WWE be planning a similar move with the two former NXT favourites?
They know each other inside and out and could produce a cracker of a match at Wrestlemania.
