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As we enter the final weekend of September, we are all set for WWE’s much-anticipated pay-per-view of the month, Clash of Champions 2020. A total of nine championships will be on the line including the Universal Championship and the WWE Championship.
Both the WWE RAW and SmackDown Women’s titles will also be on the line alongside the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. The last few weeks witnessed several title rivalries shape up, and it involved betrayals, surprise returns, shocking turns, and more.
In this article, we will take a look at seven WWE titles that won’t change hands at Clash of Champions and two WWE titles that might. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#7 Won’t change – WWE Universal Championship
Last month at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns made his return to WWE and immediately set his sights on the Universal Championship. The title changed hands once again next week when the Big Dog defeated ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman to win the Universal Championship – a title that he technically never lost.
In the seven days between the two pay-per-views, it was confirmed that Reigns had formed an unexpected alliance with Paul Heyman. The latter moved to the SmackDown and is currently managing Reigns. To determine his next challenger, WWE booked a Fatal Four-Way match in which Big E, Matt Riddle, Baron Corbin, and Sheamus were supposed to lock horns to become the No. 1 contender for the Universal Championship.
However, Big E couldn’t compete in the match after he was brutally attacked by Sheamus. He was then replaced by Jey Uso who made his return to WWE TV and won this highly-contested battle. Following that, he confronted Reigns and teased him by saying that even if the title changed hands, it would still be in the ‘family’. It was evident that Reigns wasn’t very fond of the idea and he made his stance clear after he attacked Jey on SmackDown’s go-home show before the pay-per-view.
His promo right during the show last night earned him a lot of praise from the fans, and it is now clear that his heel turn is indeed the best decision for the business. WWE will look to continue establishing him as the biggest heel on the Blue brand. Hence, Reigns is expected to beat Jey Uso and retain his title. However, it will be interesting to see if the Big Dog will have any heelish tricks up his sleeve.
#6 Won’t change – WWE Championship
The long-running feud between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre will see its potential end at the pay-per-view tomorrow night. The Scottish Psychopath is set to defend his WWE Championship against Orton once again. Except for this time, there’s an interesting stipulation added to the match – courtesy of the reigning champion.
After Randy Orton forced Drew McIntyre to leave WWE RAW in an ambulance, the champion returned on the Red brand and wasted no time in attacking The Viper. Finally, he stated that their title match at Clash of Champions would be an ambulance match. Therefore, in order to retain the title, McIntyre will have to force Orton into the back of an ambulance and close the door.
Given the narration of this storyline, it is expected that McIntyre will retain his title at the pay-per-view. They are expected to deliver a good match, but it is essential for the WWE Championship to stay with McIntyre so that he can ultimately clash with Roman Reigns two months later. In the meantime, he can be challenged for the title by the likes of Kevin Owens, Aleister Black, and even Keith Lee. Even though Randy Orton is having a great run on RAW, it is highly unlikely that WWE will put a title on him right now.
#5 Won’t change – WWE RAW Women’s Championship
The WWE RAW Women’s Championship match between Asuka and Zelina Vega is probably the strangest booking of this card. This title bout has very little build-up in comparison to other feuds on the pay-per-view match card. That being said, both Superstars are extremely talented and are expected to engage in an interesting encounter.
The WWE fans are excited to see Zelina Vega inside the ring. She has spent most of her main roster run working as a manager for Andrade and Angel Garza. But that shouldn’t distract you from the fact that her in-ring prowess is incredible. There’s a chance that WWE booked this match because Asuka didn’t have any worthy challenger on the Red brand.
Nonetheless, Vega still has a shot at the title – something that she deserves especially after defeating Mickie James to win that chance. However, it is unlikely that Asuka will lose her WWE RAW Women’s Championship at the pay-per-view this month. Asuka should get a compelling title run, and it will be interesting to see how the creative will move forward with The Empress of Tomorrow after this match.
#4 Won’t change – WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Once again, we will see Nikki Cross challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. While Cross has been unsuccessful in all her previous attempts to capture the title, she expects that things will be different this time because Bayley doesn’t have Sasha Banks in her corner. Cross got the opportunity to challenge for the title at the upcoming WWE pay-per-view after defeating Alexa Bliss, Tamina, and Lacey Evans on SmackDown.
Bayley, on the other hand, recently turned on Sasha Banks and brutally attacked her after the duo lost their WWE Women’s Tag Team titles. The tension between the two Superstars had been teased for long enough, and the two best-friends-turned-enemies are expected to engage in a long and brutal title feud. Hence, it makes sense if the creative decides that Bayley should retain the title.
Bayley has been brilliant on SmackDown over the last few weeks, and she cannot look weak when Sasha Banks finally returns and confronts her. Therefore, WWE will probably have Bayley reverting back to her heel tactics. But it would be better if she picks up a clean victory because it will help in both establishing her as a huge threat in her net feud as well as it will put an end to the Cross vs Bayley title matches that we have already seen on numerous occasions.
#3 Won’t change – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are not exactly best friends in WWE, but they make for a good tag team. The duo only aligned forces because they wanted to challenge Sasha Banks and Bayley for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. They managed to get on the same page inside the ring and defeated Banks and Bayley for the titles.
Back on RAW, the Riott Squad reunited after Liv Morgan couldn’t see Ruby Riott being victimized by The IIconics. The two teams eventually locked horns, and that match had two huge stipulations added to it. The winner of the match would get a chance to challenge Baszler and Jax for the tag team titles whereas the losing team will have to split up. Riott Squad came out stronger in this encounter and earned a title opportunity whereas Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were forced to part ways.
Now, Morgan and Riott are on their way to challenge Baszler and Jax for the tag team titles, but the gold will likely remain with the champions. They both account for entertaining segments with their continuous bickering and have started to look good inside the ring. Moreover, it would be too soon for both these Superstars to lose the title, which would ultimately force them to split.
#2 Won’t change – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships
At WWE Clash of Champions 2020, Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro will take on The Lucha House Party as they will look to retain their tag team titles. Given the build-up to their feud so far, it looks like Nakamura and Cesaro might continue their reign as the SmackDown Tag Team Champions after tomorrow night’s WWE pay-per-view.
On the other hand, a loss for Lucha House Party might finally push the members over the line and they could end up turning on each other. Ever since Kalisto returned from his injury, WWE have been teasing a potential split in the faction. It appears that with the titles involved, this might finally prompt the Lucha House Party members to succumb to their instincts.
Cesaro and Nakamura are immensely talented wrestlers who have consistently delivered inside the ring. They can remain the champions for longer than this and deserve to be engaged in a few more interesting feuds before they lose their championships. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for this promising tag team.
#1 Won’t change – WWE United States Championship
Last month at Payback, Bobby Lashley defeated Apollo Crews for the WWE United States Championship. The latter won a chance to face Lashley once again, and the two Superstars are now set to lock horns in a title rematch at Clash of Champions. As good as Crews was during his title reign, it is highly unlikely that WWE will have Lashley lose the United States title.
The latter has been very entertaining on RAW, especially since he joined forces with MVP and became a member of the Hurt Business. Together, Lashley, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and now Cedric Alexander have been great as heels and have been absolute powerhouses on the Red brand (except in their encounters with the RETRIBUTION). To be fair, no one in WWE has managed to overcome the Superstars in the Bane-inspired masks.
Lashley should get to continue his title reign. Before he is made to drop the US title, he could probably have short feuds against the likes of Keith Lee, Ricochet, Mustafa Ali, Aleister Black, and other underutilized WWE Superstars. Moreover, it would only make sense to use his association with the Hurt Business to ensure that Lashley’s United States title reign continues on WWE RAW.
#2 Might change – WWE RAW Tag Team Championships
The Street Profits have held the RAW Tag Team Championships since WrestleMania. While they have had a decent run on the main roster in WWE, it is now time for the tag team gold to find new shoulders on the Red brand. After being involved in an extended ‘cinematic’ feud with the Viking Raiders and sporadic altercations with the team of Andrade and Angel Garza, there’s not much that WWE can do in making this particular title reign more interesting
In addition to that, the Street Profits would be just fine even if they lose the title. But the same can’t be said for Andrade and Angel Garza. Both of them have engaged in several altercations over the last few weeks, and if not for the tag team gold, there wouldn’t really be a point in keeping them together.
Moreover, with heels as the new champions, it would give WWE an opportunity to book the likes of Mustafa Ali and Ricochet, Viking Raiders, and even Street Profits as babyface challengers. The tag team division on WWE’s Red brand has grown stale, and a title change will help the creatives in exploring new opportunities that exist on RAW.
#1 Might change – WWE Intercontinental Championship
Last month, Jeff Hardy defeated AJ Styles to win the Intercontinental Championship, but the Phenomenal One was not ready to let go of the title. But before he could ask for his title rematch, it was a surprise return that made the plot even more interesting. Sami Zayn, who was forced to drop the title earlier this year, returned to WWE and claimed that he was the only legit IC Champion.
Both Styles and Zayn claimed that they deserve to be champions and their constant complaining forced Jeff Hardy to state that he can take on both the ‘former champions’. As a result, a Triple-Threat Ladder Match was booked between Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, and Sami Zayn for Clash of Champions.
Hence, Jeff Hardy’s title reign may come to an end tomorrow night. WWE would want to keep Styles out of the Universal Title picture, and an IC title reign is the best way to go about it. The creative could also feel that Sami Zayn should get the title back and they can have him pick an unexpected victory by quickly capitalising on a rare opportunity.
