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A look at our predictions for WWE Clash of Champions.
Clash of Champions will take place from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana Sunday night. The Kickoff show starts at 7:00 PM ET eastern with the main portion of the pay-per-view starting at 8pm ET/5pm PT. This is the first Raw-exclusive event since the 2016 brand extension.
Clash of Champions features eight matches with every Raw championship being defended. The main event features Kevin Owens defending the WWE Universal Championship against Seth Rollins. Also, the new Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins will be defending his title against The Brian Kendrick.
Clash of Champions replaces the former Night of Champions event, and is the first time the name is used by the WWE. The original Clash of Champions was a WCW event that went head to head on TBS with WrestleMania starting in 1988. It is good to see WWE bring back some of the old WCW event names.
Clash of Champions should be a very good show especially with all the championships on the line. I would expect to see some championship changes, and storylines that will continue to build towards Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series.
Before we get into our predictions lets take a look at the card, which is always subject to change.
Singles Match:
Alisha Fox vs. Nia Jax
Singles Match:
Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn
WWE Cruiserweight Championship:
TJ Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick
Best of Seven Series Finale:
Cesaro vs. Sheamus
Raw Tag Team Championship:
The New Day (c) vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Raw Women’s Championship:
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
United States Championship:
Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Universal Championship:
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins
Source: WWE.com
Alicia Fox vs. Nia Jax
This match will take place on the Kickoff Show that starts at 7pm on the WWE Network. It features what should be a very entertaining women’s match. The feud between these Alica Fox and Nia Jax dates back to the September 5th Raw where Nia destroyed Fox’s friend Ann Esposito.
On the September 12 edition of Raw, Fox took on Jax. However, she was not very successful as the former NXT star absolutely steamrolled over her. Nia threw Alicia around into the barriers that surrounded the ring like a rag doll, finishing with her throwing Fox through the barrier near the timekeeper area.
This match should be very entertaining. Although it is being featured on the Kickoff Show, it still should provide some exciting action. Fox is still being presented as slightly unhinged, so there is a possibility that she will get some offense in despite the beating she took on Raw. However, in the end, I don’t see the WWE ending Nia Jax’s path of destruction. Not now and not on the pre-show.
Winner: Nia Jax
Source: WWE.com
Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho
This match may steal the show. Both are incredibly talented in the ring, and Chris Jericho has done nothing but help build the new era of stars all year long. Hopefully, this match will kick off the show as it should be fast paced and action packed.
The story between Sami Zayn and Jericho has one thing in common, WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens. Zayn was Owens’ long-time friend who he defeated at Battleground to supposedly end their rivalry. Jericho became friends with Owens as part of a tag team Jeri-KO. However, once Owens won the championship, they have seemingly moved in different directions. Zayn was quick to point this out on the Highlight Reel.
This match gives The Likeable One the opportunity to grow as a top face in the company. Jericho is one of the best heels in wrestling. As a bad guy, he knows that his job is to get over the up and coming face. However, that does not guarantee that Zayn will win, especially if WWE wants to extend this rivalry. This potential match of the night candidate is very tough to pick a winner. However, I think in the end Jericho will pull out the victory as this could be the beginning of a great feud.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Source: WWE.com
Cruiserweight Championship: TJ Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick
The WWE Network has brought a number of awesome new shows that expanded the WWE Brand. There are the entertainment-oriented shows like NXT and Camp WWE. Also, it brought a bigger audience to their developmental brand. However, the best original programming to come to the WWE Network was the Cruiserweight Classic.
The Cruiserweight Classic featured 32 performers from all over the world. It had a tournament format that featured various styles. Six of those performers now make up the Cruiserweight Division on WWE Raw. TJ Perkins won the tournament and was presented with the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, which Triple H announced before the last match begun.
This will be the first time the Cruiserweight Championship will be defended. To determine the No. 1 Contender on this past week’s Raw, a Fatal 4-way match was held. Brian Kendrick won the match and will now take on Perkins at Clash of Champions.
If this match is anything like the Cruiserweight Classic, it will be extremely entertaining. TJP’s style is basically an all around technique. He can wrestle from a technical standpoint while also being a high flyer. Kendrick is on what will likely be his last run in the WWE. His style should compliment Perkins, as the former WWE Tag Team Champion now has an aggressive style in his matches, featuring submissions.
In the end, I don’t think WWE is going to have a title change this quickly. Kendrick will likely get another shot in the future at the championship but now is not the time. Perkins needs to keep the title for the time being.
Winner: TJ Perkins
Source: WWE.com
Best-of-Seven Series Final: Cesaro vs. Sheamus
One of the best ways to tell a story between two competitors is to have a series of matches between the two. The most memorable may be the Best of Seven Series between Booker T and Chris Benoit for the WCW Television Championship and later for the WWE United States Championship.
This series has also been very exciting. While they aren’t fighting for a championship, Mick Foley has said that the winner will receive a championship opportunity. Sheamus looked to run away with the series when he won the first three matches, and WWE even promoted the possibility of this at their London live event match.
However, that did not happen. Cesaro won that match and went on to win two more, tying the series up at three. The rubber match is set for Clash of Champions.
In a bout that features two evenly matched competitors, it is difficult to choose a winner. Sheamus is a former WWE Champion, last winning the championship last year at Survivor Series. Cesaro, on the other hand, was starting to rise last year prior to being injured. However, since his return, he has a new look, and hopefully will get his chance to truly be a main event talent. The Swiss Superman needs to win this match and series.
Winner: Cesaro
Source: WWE.com
Raw Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
The New Day has been Tag Team Champions for what has seemingly been an eternity. In fact, they have held the championships since August 23, 2015. However, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson came to the WWE for one reason, and that was to win the tag team championships.
Leading up to Clash of Champions, Gallows and Anderson have been a tale of two characters. First, they came in and absolutely destroyed The Dudley Boys on the night they were saying goodbye to the WWE fans. On the other end, there was the awful attempt at comedy with their “Old Day” skit.
WWE really should have just kept Gallows and Anderson as tough guys versus the attempt to mock the New Day. It just doesn’t fit their characters and it seemed very forced. The New Day, however, is the opposite and needs to have promos that are more comedy than toughness.
Regardless of how poor the build-up to this match was, it should be entertaining. Will the New Day continue their run as champions and challenge Demolition’s overall tag team championship record? Or will the former IWGP Tag Team Champions finally get their first title in WWE?
While I think Anderson and Gallows really need a win here to legitimize the team, I am not sure WWE is ready to let go of the New Day as one of the most marketable tag team groups they have had since DX. So, the championship run will continue.
Winners: The New Day
Source: WWE.com
Raw Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
One could argue that WWE’s “New Era” was sparked by the Women’s Revolution, with this following match featuring three key parts of that movement.
Charlotte was the last Diva’s Champion and the first to hold this version of the WWE Women’s Championship. Sasha Banks and Bayley had a groundbreaking match, as they were the main event of the 2015 NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. Now, all three of these great competitors will be facing each other for the Raw Women’s Championship.
The setup to this match was made when Dana Brooke, Banks, and Bayley faced each other on the September 12 episode of Raw to decide who would take on Charlotte at Clash of Champions. It originally appeared that The Boss won the match, but after Mick Foley reviewed the tape, he saw that both women’s shoulders were down for the three count. He thus made the match at Clash of Champions a triple threat.
Women’s matches have come a long way over the past few decades. At one time, these contests seemed almost like a throw-in. Today, they are often something fans look forward to the most. This match is definitely in the latter.
Charlotte has done very well as champion. Banks’ reign as champion was cut short at less than a month when she lost the championship to Charlotte at SummerSlam. Bayley is a former NXT champion and is one of the most popular women superstars in WWE history. This is a difficult match to predict, however, I think Charlotte will somehow retain her championship.
Winner: Charlotte
United States Championship: Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns
This is technically a rematch from their SummerSlam matchup. In that bout, Roman Reigns injured Rusev before the match could begin. While that cost him a chance at the US Championship, it did set things up very nicely headed into Clash of Champions.
It has been a crazy year for Reigns. Despite being booked as WWE’s top face, he failed to win the crowd over, often being booed loudly. His WWE Championship run ended at Money in the Bank, and got suspended for a Wellness Policy violation days later. Since returning from suspension, Reigns has been trying to regain his standing in the company.
Rusev has also had an interesting year. He recently married Lana, and also won the United States Championship on May 22nd at Extreme Rules.
This match is likely to be an old fashion slug fest. The build up for this has featured both competitors attacking the other. At SummerSlam, the beatdown led to a non-match as Rusev was unable to compete. This time, Mick Foley has promised there will be a winner.
Considering that The Bulgarian Brute has already had a long run with the title and that Roman Reigns seems ready to move on from his suspension, it is likely this could end in a title change. However, the question is has Reigns been made to step back far enough after failing the Wellness Policy as WWE World Champion?
In the end, I think it is time to give Reigns the redemption that is needed.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Source: WWE.com
WWE Universal Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins
The WWE Universal Championship has had a lot of controversy in its short history. The first champion, Finn Balor could only hold on to it for one day as he had to vacate the belt due to injury. On the August 29th episode of Raw, Kevin Owens won the championship after Triple H interfered in the match, effectively making KO the new chosen one.
While the question of why Triple H decided to become involved in the match remains unanswered, it was clear that Seth Rollins wasn’t going to accept the snub. On the following Raw, Rollins made it clear to Stephanie McMahon and Owens that he wanted his shot to reclaim his spot as a top champion. In doing so, he was suspended by Stephanie but reinstated by Mick Foley and given a match at Clash of Champions.
This match should be excellent. The Architect has been near the top of the card, and even winning the WWE World Championship for a brief moment at Money in the Bank. Owens’ meteoric rise has continued as well as Universal Champion.
However, it is time for Rollins to finally reclaim his spot at the top and in doing so, win the Universal Championship. He is on the way to becoming the top face on Raw, and would bring top name legitimacy to the new Universal Championship. Regardless of what happens in this match, it is doubtful that it will be the final match in their rivalry. I also expect Triple H to somehow be involved. In the end, I do believe there will be a new champion.
Winner: Seth Rollins
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