While WWE Clash of Champions provided us with awesome in-ring performances, the lack of solid finishes to stories that needed progression led to a B show feeling. Rather than changing the landscape of the show like Smackdown Live did at Backlash, Raw remained the same. Cesaro and Sheamus’ Best of Seven Series finale was ruined by an odd finish. New Day remained champions, despite a title change feeling essential. Jericho’s involvement in the main event left Triple H’s part of the story empty once again.
But, despite these lacklustre finishes, the in-ring action was splendid, as the Cruiserweights, Cesaro and Sheamus, Owens and Rollins, and the women all delivered inside the squared circle. A good show that could have been great had it consisted of definitive results, let’s Analyse and Grade Each Match from WWE Clash of Champions.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs The New Day (C) (Raw Tag Team Championships)
Grade: 6/10
Gallows and Anderson were presented well from the get-go, ruthlessly attacking all three members of The New Day. Opening the show with a promo (even if it is from The New Day) wasn’t ideal, but the fast-paced beginning to the bout helped the crowd immerse themselves in the match. But, despite solid in-ring action from both teams, the finish left a lot to be desired.
This felt like the time to finally let Gallows and Anderson end the New Day’s run, but instead we got a babyface team cheating to win. The match felt like it was building to a fitting ending, with new champions being crowned, but instead, a strong bout was ended with a lacklustre finish, which was the overall feeling about the majority of the bouts at Clash of Champions.
TJ Perkins (C) vs Brian Kendrick (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Grade: 7.5/10
One of the best matches of the night, Perkins vs Kendrick was exactly the type of bout to help showcase the Cruiserweight scene to casual fans. A high-drama, exciting contest that had the crowd hot despite the lack of build, the integration of submissions along with splendid high flying spots (Perkins’ hurracanrana off the top rope) was excellent.
Despite being one of the bouts with the least amount of build, the story told by the two men outdid a number of the other competitors, and the definitive clean win for Perkins was a great approach for the finish. Perkins was the clear fan favourite here, and Kendrick’s post-match assault cements him as the veteran heel of the division.
Cesaro vs Sheamus (Match Seven of Best of Seven Series, 3-3)
Grade: 8/10
This was probably the best in-ring performance of the night, with Cesaro and Sheamus putting on a wrestling clinic that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The drama and high stakes presented made this an easy bout to engage with, but once again WWE shot themselves in the foot by booking a disappointing finish. The whole match was built on the drama of seeing who would come out on top, but the finish was ruined by a dumb ending rather than an emphatic climax to the long, brutal Series.
Rather than seeing one man gain a huge wave of momentum (most likely Cesaro), we will have to witness yet another bout between these two despite Clash of Champions being the perfect place to crown a winner. This was a huge example of WWE’s unsatisfying booking, which always leaves nobody with momentum. What could have been an incredible contest with a fitting climax ended up being a great match hindered by a poor finish.
Sami Zayn vs Chris Jericho
Grade: 7/10
This was a solid bout that could have used some extra build, as the two-week build-up wasn’t enough to get fans enticed into the rushed story. Despite this, any match between Zayn and Jericho won’t disappoint, and the story of the young, hungry babyface being outsmarted by the cheating and the veteran heel was on point. Jericho’s in-ring awareness and heel tactics were central, as he tried to outsmart the faster-paced Zayn.
The finish came quicker than anyone expected, and although Zayn was in need of a win, Jericho picking up the victory sets this feud up for future bouts in the next few weeks. The crowd wasn’t nearly as hot as they were during Cesaro vs Sheamus, but this was still a fun bout that wasn’t flawed with a screwy finish, unlike others.
Charlotte (C) vs Sasha Banks vs Bayley (Raw Women’s Championship)
Grade: 9/10
In my opinion, the match of the night. Despite the in-ring work of Cesaro and Sheamus, the anticipation of the main event, and the skill of the Cruiserweights, the women once again proved why they should main event a PPV sooner rather than later. All three women’s chemistry was evident, and the sequences between Bayley and Sasha hinted towards a possible high-profile bout in the near future.
Despite Dana Brooke being at ringside, her involvement was limited, and the three women in the match were able to shine. Charlotte’s double moonsault was incredible, and her heel work throughout the bout led the crowd to be even more behind Banks and Bayley. Although a title change here could have made this a classic, this was yet another showcase of the women’s division and arguably the best match of the night.
Rusev (C) vs Roman Reigns (United States Championship)
Grade: 5.5/10
Despite the anticipation for this bout, it never seemed to pick up the pace, but rather remained slow and disengaging until Lana was ejected from ringside. One of the weakest matches of the night, the crowd’s disinterest in the action led to a match that unfortunately plodded until the finish. WWE’s continued portrayal of Reigns as Super Cena 2.0 is only going to lead to more boos for him, as he made a Superman comeback in this match by breaking out of the Accolade and kicking out of about three of Rusev’s head kicks.
Although Reigns’ fans will argue it was a satisfying victory, it will unfortunately, lead to even more boos for the Roman Empire, as WWE continue to portray him as Cena 2.0. despite a large section of the fans rejecting the idea. One of the weakest matches of the night, as WWE continue to ignore the obvious disdain for Roman’s current character among many fans.
Kevin Owens (C) vs Seth Rollins (Universal Championship)
Grade: 8.5/10
Once again, a match that was on the verge of being incredible was tarnished by a poorly booked finish. Owens and Rollins’ chemistry was evident, with the two men putting on an excellent bout that had the crowd hot for the most part. A number of great sequences (especially Owens’ gutbuster and frog splash) had the crowd applauding the two superstars. But, as the match was heating up and looking like it was building to a shocking finish, Chris Jericho came out, despite not being involved in the story whatsoever. His interference felt out of place, and the subsequent referee bump was poor as well.
Then, of course, Stephanie McMahon had to come out with the new referee, with the attention focused on her evil look towards Rollins. These three overbooked decisions led to an extremely flat ending to what was otherwise a wrestling clinic, and rather than booking a bold finish (Triple H interfering?) the WWE decided to once again rob the fans of a climatic ending. These awesome matches being ruined by poorly booked finishes was the main theme of Clash of Champions, and rather than redeeming themselves with a definitive main event, WWE went with a ridiculously overbooked finish. A good PPV that could have been great because of WWE’s lack of credible booking for the major matches, Clash of Champions felt like a B+ show when it was all said and done.
Thanks for reading, I will be writing another one of these for Raw tommorow night. Stay tuned on my profile!
