WWE Clash of Champions
Indianapolis, Indiana - September 2016
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Kevin Owens is the WWE Universal Champion, Rusev holds the United States Championship, the World Tag Team Championships are held by The New Day, TJ Perkins is the WWE Cruiserweight Champion, and Charlotte is the RAW Womens' Championship.
COMMENTARY: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
Kicking off the show proper was Gallows and Anderson vs. The New Day for the WWE World Tag Team Championships. Right from the start, the heels took control, Gallows taking out both Big E and Woods on the outside. Big E would come in for a good hot tag sequence, but Anderson and Gallows took back the match via big boots and some impressive offense. This was not a match for the purists looking for a redux of Ciampo/Gargano vs. The Revival, but rather a very good version of the type of match the New Day have mastered, fast-paced and full of crowd-pleasing signature spots building towards a frenzied finish. Things look grim for Gallows and Anderson, even after what I found to be the best match they've had on any Network special. (3/5)
The newly crowned Cruiserweight Champion, TJ Perkins, gave us some words before the match, setting the scene for his first defense against one of my favorites from the 00s, Brian Kendrick. Given maybe just a few minutes more than the fans might've been ready for them to get, Perkins and Kendrick put on a strong back-and-forth battle, but Kendrick getting cheered and the finality of having Perkins withstand TBK's best offense worked against the post-match angle and the overall story of the match for me. I'm not sure that having a "Prince Iaukea-type" as your first Cruiserweight Champion is the best idea when, looking at the best years of WCW's division, things really kicked off much better with a strong heel (Dean Malenko) who could work with practically anyone holding down the strap until a popular babyface (Rey Mysterio) could overtake him. The WWE had a chance to right that wrong here, but opted not to. A disappointment of a match only compared to what we saw in the very tournament that the title originated in. (2/5)
The seventh and final match of the Sheamus/Cesaro Best of Seven series was next. I'll admit that this was the first match between the two that I've watched (from this series), though I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not the only one coming into this series a little cold - I mean, it's not like they hadn't already squared off a half-dozen other times. Despite some highly physical blows, the crowd was indifferent for the first several minutes, barely mustering a "You Look Stupid" chant but popping a bit when Cesaro surprised them with a 619 of all things. Sheamus then connected with a series of Irish Curse backbreakers but could not put Cesaro away, locking in a cloverleaf as well to no avail. The Swiss Superman got the upperhand, though, applying both his signature swing and a sharpshooter, the crowd now fully engaged after a tepid start. In a questionable decision, Cesaro launched himself with a tope through the middle rope that looked like it could've paralyzed him. After hitting a Neutralizer to put himself back in the game, the crowd erupted in a "This is Awesome" chant, the war waging on through an incredible sequence that saw both men showing off their underrated agility. Every time the match seemed to be entering its final stretch, or I thought I'd seen them bust out everything they had, they pulled out another trick from their bag and, when that didn't work, they simply just slugged each other harder. Still, there's no talking around the non-finish. I've seen some call it "well earned," but I just can't agree - it was a cop-out ending to prevent either guy from looking bad when a victory, even a dirty one, would've been a big feather in the cap for one guy or the other. Instead, this match, and both men's incredible work in it, will be forgotten come December. (3.5/5)
Chris Jericho took on Sami Zayn next in what some might've respectably seen as the Match of the Night. Personally, I found the match (and its conclusion) a bit undercooked, Zayn trying to pull the heartstrings of an audience that really hasn't seen enough of these two feuding to warrant his overdramatic selling. I'd argue this was a match that should've existed as a sequel to a lesser match, not as the first major chapter in what could, by the two men's sheer chemistry, be a solid program. The finish will likely rub people the wrong way, but Jericho has been on fire as of late and Zayn, though I hate to say it, seems like a guy that has yet to find his footing outside of feuds with Owens. If Reigns going after the United States Champion seemed like an illogical step down, Zayn challenging Rusev would've come off as a great natural progression for the guy. Again, solid-but-imperfect action that is still better than average, but questionable overall storytelling kept it within just "pretty good" range. (3/5)
The WWE Women's Championship was on the line with Charlotte defending against Bayley and Sasha Banks. Not as strong as the WrestleMania three-way or the SummerSlam battle between Charlotte and Sasha, but still a Match of the Night contender, Charlotte dominated here, but Bayley and Banks both got opportunities to shine as well. Wrestled noticeably safer than the controversial SummerSlam match, the result remained the same - a very, very good match where winning seemed to matter and competitors attempted more and more of their best maneuvers in logical sequences. Pinfalls were broken up. Finishers were teased. Bayley wrestled as the underdog, Sasha Banks wrestled as the cocky risk-taker, and Charlotte worked as the world-class athlete eager to prove that her spot was as deserved now as it was when she ended Nikki Bella's run a year or so ago. Some will say that Charlotte looked too good, but I didn't find that to be true - if anything, the match pointed to a logical Bayley/Banks split as the Boss certainly has reason to believe she would be champion now if Bayley hadn't of gotten involved, mucking up her plans. (3.5/5)
Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for Rusev's United States Championship bout was next and I'm not sure it shouldn't have been the main event. Reigns may not be popular, but he draws a huge reaction positive and negative, something Rollins and Owens would struggle to do later on. Rusev, meanwhile, has got to be one of the top five workers in the company right now, effortlessly portraying his character in ways I complimentarily liken to a Ted DiBiase or Jake Roberts. Every movement, every facial expression, every piece of offense tells you exactly who this guy is - the Bulgarian Brute, well-trained but ill-tempered, not necessarily the smartest or bravest, but passionate to a fault. This wasn't Reigns best night and, this far into his career, it really is a bit grating that his offense hasn't evolved beyond what it was a year ago (How about a jumping back-elbow instead of the same clothesline? Can we just retire the Spear now?), but I've always found his timing and selling to be quite good. Detractors of the Roman Empire will no doubt dislike the ending, but I felt there were enough twists and turns to keep me entertained and eager for a rematch. (3.5/5)
Main event time - Kevin Owens defending the WWE Universal Championship against Seth Rollins. As one might've expected, the crowd was a bit listless for this, not fully behind either of these two self-identified heels and possibly burnt out from the much more emotional Reigns/Rusev battle. Owens tried to pull them in with trash talk and showboating, but even when he followed up with some of his best offense (including an excellent elbow off the apron onto the arena floor), the crowd barely popped. Even as the intensity escalated and both guys began delivering (or attempting) signature spots, the match seemed flat, the crowd "oohing and aahing" for the bigger strikes and more innovative spots, but not necessarily invested in who would win - which is kind of the whole point of watching wrestling (or at least it should be). Oddly enough, the match picked up once Chris Jericho arrived, his interference signaling a clear "screwing" of one man and an unfair advantage for the other. The fact that its Jericho, who broke many a heart earlier in the night and doesn't have "NXT cred" like Triple H, only helped, the Ayatollah drawing the biggest boos of the match as he beat down the Architect in the corner. The clusterfuckery continued from there and I must admit to being a bit bored with it. I'm not sure where this storyline is heading, but its hard to care about any particular character involved when every one, from Owens, to Rollins, to Stephanie, to Jericho, to Triple H have been booked as unlikeable, vile human beings for the better part of the past 5 years. (3/5)
Overall, Clash of Champions (it really does need that "the") was a good show...but not a great one. Sheamus/Cesaro was heading towards being a true epic, the kind of match that would've landed atop many a Year End Best list, but with such a deflating finish, it may not even be the best match they've had this series (I wouldn't know). In a vacuum, Owens/Rollins was a taut, well-paced battle for most of its running time - but wrestling happens in front of the audience and 50% of the audience couldn't have cared less (they're the Cena/Reigns fans who, understandably, hate Owens and Rollins), while the other 50% had no real reason to cheer one guy over the other because their opponent wasn't Cena/Reigns. The screwy finish got the biggest reaction of the match - which is kind of pitiful when you consider how hard both guys worked for the 15 minutes before it. Elsewhere, one could argue that Gallows and Anderson were buried by the New Day steamroller, Perkins/Kendrick were buried by (ostensibly) road agents that told them not to pull from the much better bag of tricks they used in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, and Sami Zayn was buried by being put in the unenviable spot of having to do the job for a veteran when, not 2 months ago, he scored a career victory over the current World Champion. If you're looking for a show to watch for its wrestling, you could far worse than Clash, which featured not a single match I'd call even remotely deplorable. Look elsewhere, though, if you like your wrestling with clear heroes and villains, clear winners and losers, and clear road signs at why we should bother tuning in next month. Despite a relatively high 3.00-out-of-5 on the ol' Kwang-o-Meter, I'm giving this show a...
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuever
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