WWE Clash of Champions: 3 Superstars who flopped and 3 who didn't

This year's WWE Clash of Champions PPV took place over the weekend, and the event was comprised almost entirely of title matches, featuring a handful of WWE talents succeeding in winning gold, and others failing.

The PPV also saw the surprise return of Luke Harper to WWE TV, while The Fiend made a special appearance at the end of the night, attacking Seth Rollins and possibly setting up a Universal title match inside Hell in a Cell at next month's WWE Hell in a Cell PPV.

Following the events which took place at Clash of Champions, let's take a look at 3 Superstars who flopped at the PPV and 3 Superstars who did not.

#6 Charlotte Flair was a flop

Two of the most hyped matches heading into WWE Clash of Champions this year were the two Women's title matches, featuring Charlotte Flair challenging Bayley, and Sasha Banks challenging Becky Lynch.

In the first Women's title match of the night, Bayley successfully defended her SmackDown Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair, but only after resorting to cheating in order to pick up the win.

Several weeks ago on WWE RAW, Bayley shocked fans by turning on Becky Lynch and aligning herself with Sasha Banks, brutally assaulting The Man with a steel chair to prove once and for all that her friendship with Banks was not on the verge of collapse.

During the title match at Clash of Champions, Bayley used a Ric Flair tactic and removed the turnbuckle cover, allowing her to plant Charlotte Flair's face into the exposed turnbuckle to pick up the win.

While the finish was done to help reinforce Bayley's status as a heel in WWE, capable of cheating to win, the bout did very little for Charlotte Flair, and was not the contest most fans expected it to be.

#5 Luke Harper was not a flop

Just a few days ago, Luke Harper's WWE career was all but written off, as reports suggested that Vince McMahon was not high on bringing him back to television, and the assumption was that the former Wyatt Family member would be sitting at home on the shelf until his current WWE contract expires.

That was not to be the case, however, as Harper made his surprise return to WWE television and realigned himself with his former Bludgeon Brother, Erick Rowan. The two former SmackDown Tag Team Champions destroyed Roman Reigns in Rowan's No DQ match against The Big Dog, and Harper and Rowan look poised to dominate as a tag team once again.

Rumored plans for Harper following his return to TV call for him and Rowan to team up once again as a tag team in WWE, and given Rowan's attack on Daniel Bryan on SmackDown Live prior to Clash of Champions, a Harper and Rowan vs Reigns and Bryan tag team match is very possible.

With Hell in a Cell right around the corner, is it possible we could see the two teams of Rowan, Harper, Bryan and Reigns clash inside Hell in a Cell? Time will tell.

#4 The Miz was a flop

At WWE Clash of Champions, The Miz challenged Shinsuke Nakamura as he looked to win his ninth Intercontinental Championship in WWE, but his bid to win gold was unsuccessful.

The Miz winning a record-tying ninth IC title should have been the story of this PPV match, however, it was not. Instead, the story of the match was more the newfound team of Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura, and Zayn spouting off about The Undertaker leaving him laying on WWE SmackDown Live last week.

The PPV match saw Zayn, as usual, providing live mic commentary during the bout, however, his mic was eventually cut off as the match went on, ending his overbearing rants.

The Miz winning a ninth WWE IC title should be a historic feat for the former WWE Champion, but because Chris Jericho holds the record for the most IC title wins in WWE history, this potential achievement for The Miz was downplayed.

WWE likely did not mention Jericho's name on TV as he currently works for AEW, which is soon to be WWE's competition, so the idea of Miz tying a record for one of WWE's most prestigious titles was not the story of the Clash of Champions match.

#3 Braun Strowman was not a flop

Braun Strowman entered WWE Clash of Champions as one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions, alongside Seth Rollins, and the number one contender to Rollins' Universal title.

However, by the night's end, Strowman found himself on the losing end of both his matches, having been defeated by Seth Rollins in the main event, and also losing the tag gold to Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler.

Despite Strowman finding himself on the losing end of both his PPV matches, the big man was still one of the night's biggest stars, as he looked strong in both of his outings.

The Monster Among Men proved to be not only a good tag team competitor, but also a worthy challenger to the WWE Universal title. When the tag team title match was over, Strowman blamed Rollins for losing the tag team titles, as the latter took the pinfall loss in the match, so The Monster Among Men was protected.

As for the main event, Strowman lost cleanly to Rollins, but looked strong in defeat, proving his time will eventually come to reign as the WWE Universal Champion. It looks like The Fiend is up next to challenge Rollins, so perhaps WWE is working towards a triple threat at some point.

#2 King Booker was not a flop

The 2019 King of the Ring tournament finals will take place on WWE RAW tonight, and either Baron Corbin or Chad Gable will find himself crowned as the new "king" in WWE.

Throughout the illustrious history of the King of the Ring, many top names have reigned as "king", including Bret Hart, Steve Austin and more.

One of the most iconic King of the Ring winners is Booker T, as his reign as "King Booker" morphed itself into one of the most memorable characters the WWE Hall of Famer has ever portrayed in wrestling.

King Booker began his reign as a heel King, and took on a British royalty-type persona, including a hilarious British accent which accompanied his King-like mannerisms.

Booker's real-life wife, Sharmell, accompanied King Booker to the ring as Queen Sharmell, and the two created some of the most lasting moments in the history of WWE TV, as well as the King of the Ring tournament.

Booker T made a surprise appearance at Clash of Champions on Sunday night as King Booker, in a segment with The Street Profits, and the unexpected appearance provided a hilarious moment of comic relief.

#1 AJ Styles and Cedric Alexander flopped

WWE RAW star AJ Styles currently reigns as the United States Champion, but despite holding a mid-card title, Styles has been booked as a top star on the red brand, elevating not only The O.C.'s status, but also the status of the United States title.

Styles and The O.C. most recently appeared in the epic opening segment of RAW last week, which saw Steve Austin nail Styles with a Stunner before the latter went on to compete in a singles match just moments later.

On the other side of the coin is Cedric Alexander, a supposed Paul Heyman favorite who has been enjoying a great push on WWE TV in recent weeks.

Given the above, it was surprising to see AJ Styles vs Cedric Alexander relegated to the WWE Clash of Champions Kickoff show, and the bout placement counted as a flop for both talents. The match itself was solid, but given their recent momentum, they deserve a spot on the main card.

Who else do you think flopped and shined at WWE Clash of Champions? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!

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Edited by Arvind Sriram