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Clash of Champions is the one night of the year where all Championships are on the line, which means that even though AJ Styles has been pushing for a shot at the Universal Championship in recent weeks, he is contractually obligated to defend his United States Championship this weekend.
Styles puts the gold on the line against former Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander, just weeks after Alexander was attacked by The OC backstage on Raw and just days after the high flyer was able to pin The Champion as part of a ten-man tag team match on Raw.
There are a number of combustible elements in play this weekend which could both help and hinder both superstars chances of leaving North Carolina as Champion.
#5 AJ Styles retains the United States Championship without any help
AJ Styles cost Cedric Alexander his place in the King of the Ring tournament when he and The O.C. attacked the former Champion backstage ahead of his match against Baron Corbin a few weeks ago on Raw.
Cedric Alexander has gone on to send a message to Styles in recent weeks, to the point that WWE has pushed him into this Championship match this weekend. The Phenomenal One has proved that he's one of the best in WWE at present many times, which means that he should easily be able to get past Cedric Alexander on his own this weekend.
Alexander isn't a superstar that should be underestimated, but since Styles is a former WWE Champion he should make light work of his latest challenger and should be looking ahead to a shot at the Universal Championship.
#4 The O.C. get involved and help AJ retain
The O.C. shockingly don't have a scheduled match at Clash of Champions, despite only losing their Raw Tag Team Championships to Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman a few weeks ago. Instead, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode have been given a shot at the titles, which has left Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson quite annoyed that they haven't been given a rematch.
The O.C. were on hand to attack Cedric Alexander a few weeks ago on Raw and have been seen multiple times doing AJ's bidding, so it's easy to believe that they could become involved in the march on his behalf and help him to retain his Championship.
Whether or not The O.C. are able to distract the referee so that AJ can resort to his usual tactics of low blowing his opponent in order to get the upper hand remains to be seen. There is also the option that Gallows and Anderson could physically involve themselves in the match since it's Champions advantage and if AJ gets disqualified because of their involvement, he will retain his Championship despite Alexander being handed a victory.
#3 Cedric Alexander becomes United States Champion
Cedric Alexander is being given a push on Monday Night Raw since Paul Heyman is reportedly a huge fan of the former Cruiserweight Champion, which means that the most favored outcome for this match could see Cedric Alexander walking out as Champion.
Alexander has already pinned the Champion once so he's proved that he has what it takes to defeat AJ Styles but he hasn't been tested in a one-on-one match. Styles is a completely different character when he's a heel, which means that even though he's a former WWE Champion, Alexander could still defeat him here if he's able to overcome his dirty tactics.
The O.C. shouldn't be at ringside, but if AJ does bring backup, then it will be interesting to see if Alexander is able to overcome what is essentially a three-on-one match. It's obvious right now that Styles is going to move on to challenge for the Universal Championship following Clash of Champions, which means that he should drop the title here to Alexander so that he's free to push himself into the main event picture.
#2 The O.C. inadvertently cost AJ the United States Championship
The O.C. has worked together on Monday Night Raw before, but it didn't work out well for any of the men involved. So far The O.C. have lost their Tag Team Championships whilst being part of a faction with AJ Styles, so it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson could cost Styles his Championship this weekend too.
Styles has hinted that he wants a rematch against Seth Rollins, even though he already lost a Universal Championship match at Money in the Bank, but now he will be a heel whilst Rollins will be the face. That being said, Styles could go after Braun Strowman since he could be the Champion after this weekend since he goes one-on-one with Rollins in the main event.
Alexander has proved how good he is in the ring a number of times, which means that if Gallows and Anderson inadvertently give him an opening, then he will definitely cash in on the opportunity to become United States Champion and lift his first Championship on the main roster.
#1 Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman interfere
AJ Styles has made a point of being part of the main event picture in recent weeks since he isn't happy that Braun Strowman has been given a shot at the Universal Championship when he didn't have to qualify for it.
Two weeks in a row, Styles interrupted the contract signing for the main event this weekend at Clash of Champions and this past week on Raw he received a Stunner from Stone Cold Steve Austin for his troubles.
Both Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins are pulling double duty this weekend, but it's highly likely that The O.C. will involve themselves in the Raw Tag Team Championship match at the beginning of the show, which means that Rollins and Strowman could be looking to exact some revenge against Styles and The O.C. if they succeed in costing them their Championships.
Styles could go on to face the winner of the Universal Championship match on Sunday night since he's the man who has been pushing for a title shot, so WWE could decide to start the build for this match this weekend as part of Clash of Champions.
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