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WWE Clash of Champions had some big title matches scheduled for the night as WWE tried to deliver another great show without any audience in attendance. The kick-off show saw Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura retain their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Lucha House Party in a good contest.
It was all uphill from there, as Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, and Sami Zayn gave us one of the best matches of the year for the Intercontinental Championship.
Bobby Lashley managed to retain his WWE United States Championship against Apollo Crews, while Asuka was able to perform well in not one but two matches.
The RAW Tag Team Championship match ended controversially, while Randy Orton was treated to some surprises during his WWE Championship match against Drew McIntyre.
The family feud between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso for the WWE Universal Championship headlined the event to give fans something to remember for a long time.
In this article, we will look at the five things WWE got right at Clash of Champions.
#5 Zelina Vega impresses in her first big match at WWE Clash of Champions
Zelina Vega competed in her biggest main roster match to date as she challenged Asuka for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship at WWE Clash of Champions. Asuka asserted her dominance early on in the match, but Vega came prepared with some tricks to take the Champion down.
She targetted Asuka’s arm for a great portion of the match, and whenever The Empress got the upper hand, Vega targetted her injured arm.
Asuka countered an armbar and turned it into the Asukalock. However, she was unable to hold on for long as her injured arm gave out. Vega then avoided a hip attack from the RAW Women’s Champion and hit a hurricanrana from the corner.
The two women competed for some time longer before Asuka trapped her in the Asukalock once again, and this time she managed to keep the pressure on to make her submit and retain her RAW Women’s Championship.
After the match, Asuka showed her challenger some respect and offered her hand but Vega attacked her before walking off.
This was a good match that allowed Asuka to compete at the event and gave Vega a chance to showcase her skills a little bit more. Such chances will allow her to grow as an in-ring competitor after her outstanding work as a manager.
While this may be a one-off match between the two women, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if WWE decides to stretch this rivalry for a little longer.
#4 SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley gets a double shock at WWE Clash of Champions
After news broke out about Nikki Cross' injury, Bayley came out with a huge smile as she was ready to take the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship home once again following Clash of Champions. She offered anyone in the back a chance to come out and challenge her for the title, however, she wasn’t ready for Asuka to answer her call.
Bayley tried to take out Asuka, but failed to do so early on and tried to walk away from the competition. However, The Empress of Tomorrow brought her back to the ring and hit her with a hip attack.
The two women had a decent match where Asuka tried to do the best she could following her WWE RAW Women’s Championship defence against Zelina Vega.
The Empress had the upper hand as she tried to become a Double Champion by beating Bayley, but The Role Model grabbed a chair and used it to cause a disqualification.
After the match, Sasha Banks returned and hit her former best friend with a steel chair. She continued to attack Bayley until she retreated.
This was an overall good match and the segment that followed allowed WWE to start building towards the inevitable clash between Banks and Bayley.
#3 Randy Orton pays for his deeds at WWE Clash of Champions
Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton squared off in an Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship at WWE Clash of Champions. Both men tried to take the early advantage, and it was McIntyre who struck early.
The Scottish Psychopath used his size advantage until Orton was able to get him down and set him up for the Punt. That’s when The Big Show appeared to pull Orton out of the ring and chokeslammed him through the announce table.
The two men fought their way to the ambulance where Orton used a red steel chair to target McIntyre’s jaw once again.
The Viper and The Scottsman fought their way into the ambulance but neither could shut the door to win the match. After they headed out again and took the fight backstage, Christian appeared out of nowhere and beat down the man who’d Punted him several months ago.
The two men returned to where the Ambulance was positioned and Orton slammed McIntyre into the windshield of the vehicle to gain some time to recover.
Shawn Michaels soon appeared at the top of the vehicle and Superkicked Orton out of nowhere before pushing him off the ambulance.
Orton took a lot of punishment but refused to stay down, but McIntyre managed to connect with a Claymore Kick later followed by a Punt kick of his own before closing the doors of the ambulance to win the match.
This was a good match that allowed the story between Orton and several of his previous victims to come together perfectly. Ric Flair’s appearance at the end of it all made it even better. While many did not expect Mcintyre to retain the title, he once again managed to keep his WWE Championship.
#2 Sami Zayn becomes the rightful Intercontinental Champion at WWE Clash of Champions
Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, and Sami Zayn competed in a Ladder Match to become the WWE Intercontinental Champion at Clash of Champions. After Zayn talked some trash, the match kicked off with Styles taking a few shots at The Great Liberator.
From there on, the action was nonstop and WWE gave us one of the best matches of the night early on. There were some big spots in the match, and Hardy took a lot of punishment to ensure that the fans would be thoroughly entertained.
A Swanton Bomb from Hardy to Zayn from the top of a ladder onto another ladder nearly ended The Great Liberator’s hopes of winning the title. However, Zayn repaid the favour by using a pair of handcuffs to attack Hardy’s ear to a ladder outside the ring.
Zayn then handcuffed himself to Styles to try and not allow him to climb the ladder. Later, while Styles climbed the ladder with Zayn on his shoulders, The Great Liberator produced a key to unlock himself and cuff Styles to the ladder.
The Great Liberator then climbed the ladder to become the Intercontinental Champion once again. This was a terrific match between three of the best workers in the business today. The veterans gave it all they had and produced a Match of the Year candidate.
This was arguably the match of the night at WWE Clash of Champions.
#1 Roman Reigns makes Jey Uso earn some respect at WWE Clash of Champions
The final match of WWE Clash of Champions saw Roman Reigns defend his Universal Championship against his cousin Jey Uso. Jey, who’s largely competed in tag team matches along with his brother Jimmy Uso, had one of the biggest opportunities of his life ahead of him.
Reigns came out without his trademark vest to show a change in ring attire along with his character. The two cousins started off with some regular exchanges, after which Reigns tossed Jey across the ring.
Reigns soon lost his cool after Jey did a little dance and beat down his cousin without any remorse. Whenever Jey tried to make a comeback, The Tribal Chief would take him down and get more aggressive.
Reigns hit a low-blow on Jey while the referee wa distracted and then took him down with a Spear. Reigns wanted Jey to call him the Tribal Chief, and once Jey refused, he was met with another Spear. Reigns continued to beat his cousin down as Jimmy Uso limped to the ring.
He threw in the towel for his brother to protect him after Jey refused him to do so. This was a great match that was personal and brutal. Reigns has been built as the top heel of SmackDown in no time, and WWE will now have a greater story to tell with him.
WWE could take this rivalry into WWE Hell in a Cell where fans could get an even more personal match between these two men.
