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From Bayley's open challenge for the SmackDown Women's Title to Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton's entertaining ambulance match, WWE Clash of Champions 2020 featured many contrasting moments.
Sunday's Pay-Per-View peaked during several instances. Just before the event kicked off, there were some last-minute changes made to the card. As a result, this year's Clash of Champions Pay-Per-View suffered a bit in the middle portion of the event's proceedings.
However, Clash of Champions excelled in terms of storytelling and in-ring action when it came to a few matches, which will be discussed further in this column.
What are your thoughts on this year's WWE Clash of Champions PPV? Leave your opinions in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE Clash of Champions 2020.
#5: Street Profits retained their RAW Tag Team Titles following a confusing finish
At WWE Clash of Champions 2020, The Street Profits defended their RAW tag team titles against the team of Andrade and Angel Garza. What made this confrontation different than all of their frequent clashes in recent memory was that Andrade and Angel Garza somehow became a stronger unit after Zelina Vega's departure.
Angel Garza suffered a hip injury, which stalled the challenging team's momentum for good. Towards the end, Angelo Dawkins pinned Andrade to the mat. The latter kicked out, however, the referee still called for the bell.
If Garza is legitimately injured in the foreseeable future, it would be a huge blow to an already deficient tag team division in WWE. Otherwise, fans could be in a for a rematch during the upcoming edition of WWE RAW.
Either way, it sounds like bad news for the RAW tag team division. Given the state of tag team wrestling on both major brands, the best route for WWE would be to unify the RAW and SmackDown tag team titles in the long run.
#4: Sami Zayn creatively restrained AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy with handcuffs to become the new Intercontinental Champion
Sami Zayn vs Jeff Hardy vs AJ Styles at WWE Clash of Champions went exactly as fans had hoped, and more.
Although viewers got a preview of this Triple Threat Match on WWE SmackDown, the inclusion of ladders changed the creative flow of last Sunday's match to a huge extent.
Not only were bodies smashed through ladders, but there was a grueling and realistic nature to the bout's hardcore spots.
Towards the end, Sami Zayn outsmarted everyone by introducing handcuffs. He cuffed Hardy's ear to a small ladder, which took The Charismatic Enigma out of the equation. Zayn then handcuffed Styles to himself, only to later cuff him to the ladder on which he was climbing up to secure the titles.
After the match was over, Sami Zayn clarified that he didn't become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion, instead, he just retained the gold that he "never lost" in the first place.
The Triple Threat Ladder Match was a great example of how a long-running stipulation contest can be executed in advanced and imaginative ways with three veterans of the game at the helm of the ship.
#3: Bayley received two surprises in one night in the form of Asuka and Sasha Banks
Nikki Cross wasn't medically cleared to wrestle for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WWE Clash of Champions, which is why Bayley chose to host an open challenge for her title.
The RAW Women's Champion, Asuka, answered this call. Asuka had defeated Zelina Vega earlier in the night as well.
The Empress of Tomorrow seemed one step ahead of Bayley, which is why the WWE SmackDown Women's Champion cut corners by attacking her opponent with a chair.
The match ended in a disqualification, but this is what everyone should have expected for an impromptu WWE match of such high caliber.
Bayley wasn't done for the night though, as her blood-thirsty rival, Sasha Banks, entered the scene. Banks did a good job in selling the fact that she still wasn't up to her full strength. The Legit Boss still managed to beat up Bayley for a while before the latter escaped.
Sasha's post-match appearance might have still happened if Nikki Cross wrestled last night. This is because Sasha vs. Bayley is the premier feud for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship right now, so their aforementioned confrontation was bound to happen sooner than later.
#2: Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, Christian, and Ric Flair got revenge against Randy Orton at WWE Clash of Champions
Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton's Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship was an entertaining affair for several reasons. Drew and Randy were involved in some creative spots surrounding the ambulance itself. However, The Legend Killer got overwhelmed when The Big Show, Christian, and Shawn Michaels attacked Randy Orton during different instances in this match.
Big Show choke-slammed Orton at the beginning of the bout. Christian attacked The Viper when the match transitioned into the backstage area. Shawn Michaels delivered the Sweet Chin Music to Orton at the top of the ambulance.
Towards the end of the match, a battered version of McIntyre earned the advantage with an impromptu Claymore. But to rub salt into Orton's wounds, the WWE Champion punted Orton on the head before closing the ambulance doors for the victory.
On top of that, it was revealed that Ric Flair was driving this ambulance at the end.
Some fans may have felt that Randy Orton was at a disadvantage here. But from a storytelling perspective, The Viper got what he deserved for all the reprehensible actions the character has committed since the beginning of 2020.
#1: Roman Reigns brutalized Jey Uso in a slow-burn match that featured the best storytelling of the night
Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso was certainly not a pretty match to watch. Then again, that was supposed to be the point all along. Everyone knew Reigns was going to retain the Universal Title at WWE Clash of Champions.
But to maximize the effect of Reigns attacking his cousin on WWE SmackDown, The Tribal Chief went all out in terms of teaching Jey Uso an important lesson at Clash of Champions.
Although Jey did get some offense in, Roman dominated most of this bout. Towards the end, Reigns wanted Jey Uso to call him 'The Tribal Chief' of the Anoa'i family. When Jey refused, the WWE Universal Champion launched a relentless assault on his own cousin.
Jimmy Uso had to come out at one point. Although Jey said he didn't want his brother to call the shots, Jimmy had to throw in the towel when it became clear that there was no way his twin brother would be getting up on his feet.
Undoubtedly, Roman Reigns is a heel now. The way he brutalized Jey Uso conveyed that even 'family' is an afterthought when it comes to defending the Universal Championship on any WWE event.
The slow-burn approach towards this bout's somber conclusion was the perfect way to paint the portrait of a broken family, and WWE fans can't wait to see what's next in store for The Tribal Chief's Universal Title reign.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
