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This year's WWE Clash of Champions PPV is officially in the books, and the show featured a stacked card of title matches which resulted in several unpredictable and several predictable moves as the company turns its focus to Hell in a Cell taking place next month.
The 2019 Clash of Champions PPV saw the crowning of new tag team Champions in WWE when both Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode, and The Revival, won the RAW and SmackDown tag team titles, respectively.
Additionally, The Fiend made an appearance following the Universal title match at the PPV, attacking Seth Rollins and setting up a possible future title shot.
Given the above, let's take a look at five things WWE did right at this year's Clash of Champions PPV.
#5 Both tag team titles changed hands
The WWE tag team division has been on somewhat of a rise in recent months, as the RAW tag team title scene was largely in despair after Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder won the titles at WrestleMania 35, and were rarely used on TV following the win.
However, at Clash of Champions, WWE made two smart moves in crowning new tag team Champions for both RAW and SmackDown Live, as the company nears SmackDown debuting on FOX Sports next month.
In the case of Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, it was smart of WWE to pull the titles from Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman, as the two top stars of the RAW brand do not need tag titles in WWE. The titles are better served for stars like Ziggler and Roode, who can help boost the division on RAW.
As for The Revival, it's great to see a top tier tag team earn gold on PPV, as The New Day's reign as tag team Champions was growing stale.
#4 The Fiend attacks Seth Rollins following Universal title match
Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman pulled double duty at this year's WWE Clash of Champions PPV, as the two men defended and lost the Raw tag team titles to open the PPV, and went on to battle for the Universal title in the main event of the evening.
Following the main event match, The Fiend made a surprise appearance at the PPV and laid waste to Seth Rollins after applying The Mandible Claw.
The move made sense from a booking standpoint, as The Fiend is one of WWE's hottest new heels, and Bray Wyatt has been an underused talent in the company for years.
With Rollins successfully defeating Braun Strowman, it's likely the big man will be kept out of the title picture for the time being, leaving Rollins to do battle with Bray Wyatt in singles competition.
The next WWE PPV is the Hell in a Cell event, and a Hell in a Cell match featuring The Fiend vs Seth Rollins for the Universal title seems like a great concept for the devilish Fiend, who will feel at home in the confines of Hell in a Cell.
#3 The Women's titles did not change hands
WWE's Four Horsewomen are on a roll right now, with Sasha Banks' return pumping new life into the women's division.
Since WrestleMania 35 and Ronda Rousey's exit from WWE TV, the Women's Division has found itself with a thin roster of credible challengers to both the RAW and SmackDown Women's titles, and with Sasha Banks' return, The Four Horsewomen of WWE have reclaimed their positions at the top of the Women's Division and the RAW and SmackDown rosters as a whole.
At Clash of Champions on Sunday, Becky Lynch lost her match to Sasha Banks when Lynch got herself disqualified after an errant chair shot connected with the referee instead of Sasha Banks. The match finish was expertly booked, as it gave Sasha Banks the needed win, but kept the title on The Man, setting up a possible rematch at Hell in a Cell.
As for Bayley vs Charlotte Flair, Bayley took a page right out of Ric Flair's book to retain her SmackDown Women's title, and the heel move will surely help in the slow babyface turn of Charlotte Flair, and setup a rematch between Flair and Bayley, possibly at Hell in a Cell.
#2 Shinsuke Nakamura retained the Intercontinental Championship
This year's Clash of Champions PPV featured The Miz vying for his ninth WWE Intercontinental title win, however, Miz was unsuccessful in his attempt to win gold, and his next IC title reign will have to wait.
Interestingly, the current record holder for the most amount of IC title wins in WWE is All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho, and Jericho's name oddly was never mentioned during the IC title match at Clash of Champions, likely because Jericho now works for WWE's competition.
Despite the above, the booking of the IC title match at the PPV was great, as it allows Shinsuke Nakamura to extend his title reign along with his newfound ally Sami Zayn.
The pairing of Nakamura and Zayn has been fun, albeit short lived, so Nakamura's title retention at Clash of Champions will allow him to continue to shine alongside Zayn, who will no doubt provide some relief for Nakamura on the microphone.
As for The Miz, WWE should make a much bigger deal out of Miz's ninth IC title win, and the company will no doubt eventually give Miz the win so as to take the honor away from Chris Jericho, but it will be fun to watch Miz chase the win a bit longer.
#1 Luke Harper finally returns to WWE TV
The ongoing saga of who attacked Roman Reigns has become confusing and altogether dumbfounded in the past few weeks, and it seems to have culminated in the match pitting Reigns against Erick Rowan at WWE Clash of Champions on Sunday night.
The bout was planned after Rowan snapped on both Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns on SmackDown Live before Clash of Champions and laid waste to both Reigns and his former partner Bryan as SmackDown went off the air.
In a surprise move during Clash of Champions, Rowan's former Bludgeon Brothers and Wyatt Family partner Luke Harper made his return to WWE TV and assisted Rowan in defeating Roman Reigns in a No DQ match. The PPV match was contested mainly on the outside of the ring, and saw Rowan hit Reigns with a massive Iron Claw through a table on the outside.
Following Harper's return to WWE TV, it's possible Daniel Bryan could turn babyface once again and team up with Roman Reigns against a newly reunited Rowan and Harper.
How would you like to see Luke Harper used on WWE TV going forward? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow SK on Twitter and Facebook!
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