UPDATE: The WWE Clash of Champions results and reactions have been added below. It was a solid PPV, albeit with a smaller feel. This is most likely going to be the norm fans will have to get used to with the brand split. The performers helped make up for it, though, as the night featured a some outstanding matches.
Ryan Aday and Matthew Allen both went 6-2 in their predictions, while Henry Gilbert went 5-3 (not counting the no contest result). Full Clash of Champions results are in bold below.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis hosts this Sunday’s Raw-only pay-per-view, Clash of Champions. This event serves as the inaugural PPV for the new Raw brand. Clash of Champions airs Sunday, Sept 25 at 8 p.m. EDT on the WWE Network. As the name indicates, every Raw title will be defended. This event promises to set a new course for the future of Monday Night Raw programming. Executive Games Editor Matthew “The People’s Fan” Allen and Senior Games Editor “Hot Stuff” Henry Gilbert join me to make some bold Clash of Champions predictions for this exciting event.
Alicia Fox vs. Nia Jax (Kickoff Match)
A rematch of a Raw encounter which saw Fox take a huge bump through the barricade. Fox has a grudge against Jax because she has brutalized several divas since her debut, treating many of them with little or no respect.
Ryan Aday: Nia Jax in a squash. Alicia Fox is not the first person who will be any real threat.
Matthew Allen: Nia Jax. WWE has to keep building her up as a monster for a babyface challenger to eventually put in her place. Who that challenger will ultimately be interests me way more than this match.
Henry Gilbert: Nia Jax is definitely going to win, the only question is how fast. No way did they waste all that time with Nia and jobbers to lose to Alicia Fox.
Result: Nia Jax wins via pinfall in a squash match. No surprise here.
Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho
The former best friend of Kevin Owens faces his current bestie. Zayn warned Jericho that Owens will turn on him if it serves his best interests. Jericho insists that Owens is still his best bud despite his elevation to the Universal Champion.
Aday: Chris Jericho wins with the Code Breaker. He is good at putting people over but he is still connected to the champ and needs to keep that strong.
Allen: Sami Zayn. My head tells me Jericho, but my heart wants to believe that he is just serving as a temporary roadblock for Zayn to overcome on his way to confront Owens.
Gilbert: This battle of the Canadians feels like just the start of a long feud, so I’m going with Chris Jericho to win the first round and put Sami on the defensive.
Result: Jericho wins via pinfall after a Code Breaker. Zayn will no doubt give Jericho is comeuppance in a future match (or two), as it looks like these two are just getting started.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins vs. “The” Brian Kendrick
After winning five matches to win the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic and the all-new Cruiserweight Championship, Perkins has an immediate turnaround match against Kendrick. Kendrick, a former WWE tag-team champion, has the experience, edge, and looks to take advantage of such a quick turnaround and win the first ever Cruiserweight Championship match in WWE history.
Aday: T.J. Perkins wins. You didn’t have Perkins win the Cruiserweight title only to have him drop it in his first defense. The tourney needs to mean something.
Allen: Brian Kendrick takes it. Fans who watched the CWC know that Kendrick was one of the breakout stars of the tournament. He deserves the belt, and will be a great heel champion for the other babyface competitors to chase for awhile.
Gilbert: I loved The Brian Kendrick in CWC, but he feels like just the kind of first title defense that Perkins needs to win. If TJ loses his first ever defense he and the title are dead in the water.
Result: Perkins wins via submission. Kendrick embraces — and then headbutts — him after the match. A solid performance from these two, and a great showing for the Cruiserweight division in its first PPV.
Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Match Seven in Best of Seven Series)
After rallying from a 3-0 deficit, Cesaro stands poised to claim victory in this final series match. Sheamus has been in control of almost every match but has not been able to close it out. Cesaro is suffering from a back injury, limiting what he can do in the ring.
Aday: Cesaro wins. His ceiling is so high that WWE has to recognize it. Don’t they?
Allen: Cesaro, I guess? I’ll be honest, I forgot this thing was still going on. Hopefully, they can close out the series with a good match and both move on to a feud fans care about.
Gilbert: Gotta be Cesaro. It’s way past time that he got elevated by something.
Result: The match ends in a not contest after Cesaro hurts his arm. Having the final match of a best-of-seven series end in a no contest is the definition of 50/50 booking. Too bad, as this match was shaping up to be something special, and the crowd was into it. This feud will no doubt continue with a winner-take-all match in the near future.
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
This is a rematch from SummerSlam, but Big E is now healthy and able to officially compete. Gallows and Anderson aren’t just looking to beat the champions, they are looking to beat them up. This bad blood has been on the books for a while and threatens to escalate at the Clash of Champions.
Aday: The New Day. If they don’t win with a healthy Big E I would be shocked. Unless there is some outside interference…
Allen: The New Day. As much as I hate to see the talents of Anderson and Gallows squandered like this, it isn’t the first time competitors from a rival promotion came to WWE only to get beaten again and again.
Gilbert: The New Day have held the belts for way too long. It’s time for a fresh start with The Club.
Result: The New Day wins via pinfall. At least we saw a flash of the Anderson and Gallows we knew from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of that in the future and they will be built as a solid heel tag team. It’s a strange wrestling world we live in when the babyface team cheats to win by using a trombone to hit their opponent, but there you have it.
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
Women’s Champion Charlotte has a tough task ahead of her Sunday. She faces two tough opponents with clean victories over her in the past couple of months on Raw. This is Bayley’s first shot at Raw gold and all three women will need to watch their backs when this one unfolds.
Aday: Charlotte. “Hey, I want some Bailey” as much as the next fan, but she is not there yet. No reason to pass the title back and forth between Charlotte and the Boss.
Allen: Charlotte through some outside interference. Even though she is outnumbered in this match, Charlotte will channel the “dirtiest player in the game,” her dad Ric Flair, and find a way to cheat to win this one.
Gilbert: Sasha Banks. It’s too soon for Bayley to take it, but I think it’s time for Charlotte to move on to the inevitable Dana Brooke feud.
Result: Charlotte wins via pinfall to retain after aid from Dana Brooke. This match was reminiscent of these performers’ best work in NXT. Bayley showed why she belongs in the championship picture, Sasha was Sasha, and Charlotte is proving to be a dominant, physical heel. Great stuff.
United States Champion Rusev vs. Roman Reigns
Two larger than life superstars clash again for the United States Title. Reigns seemed poised to take the title at SummerSlam but he attacked Rusev before the match, rendering him unable to compete. Rusev has held the title since May.
Aday: Rusev. Reigns is the bigger star but he still needs to be in the Universal title picture and available for the Survivor Series Shield reunion.
Allen: Roman Reigns. He has taken his punishment well and served his time for his WWE wellness policy infraction. His time on the midcard also served to take him out of the spotlight and let some of the negative fan sentiment wear off. He will be rewarded with a lower tier belt, which also serves as a litmus test of fan reaction to see if he is ready for an inevitable push to be WWE’s top babyface.
Gilbert: Rusev will win, but in a very cheap way that makes him look weak while Roman looks strong.
Result: Reigns wins via pinfall to take the United States Championship. In its attempt to hit the reset button and once again try to push Reigns as a top babyface, WWE has now given him a title to see how he does. The hope is that putting the belt on Roman can improve the image of both the title and the performer. In reality, unless fans have a change of heart about Reigns or something changes in his presentation, this will do neither much good.
WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
The Authority‘s new golden boy, Kevin Owens, makes his first PPV Universal Title defense against Raw‘s #1 draft pick Seth Rollins. The former Authority front man has been on a rampage ever since HHH took him out at during the inaugural Universal title match. Can the former champion come through and show The Authority that they backed the wrong guy?
Aday: Kevin Owens. He has all the advantages of being the corporate champ. He’ll find a way to win, or The Authority will find one for him.
Allen: Kevin Owens. This match will serve to cement Rollins’ recent babyface turn. He’ll come close to winning, but Owens will take it, giving a babyface Rollins something to chase in the coming months.
Gilbert: Too soon for Owens to lose the belt and it’s too soon for Rollins to win it. My pick is Kevin. The only real question is will Triple H show up?
Result: Owens wins via pinfall after interference from Jericho. WWE went with the more obvious route of interference from Owens’ bestie Jericho, but the Triple H angle will play into this feud somewhere down the line.
Will Bill Goldberg Make an Appearance at Clash of Champions?
WWE 2K17 bonus character Goldberg is supposedly in town for this PPV. With rumors swirling of a WrestleMania match with Brock Lesnar, is there a chance that we see Goldberg here?
Aday: Yes. At least I hope so. Maybe he saves a babyface and cuts a promo on Brock.
Allen: No. Goldberg won’t appear until Lesnar is in the picture.
Gilbert: Nah, Goldberg won’t appear on a B-show like this. Survivor Series at the earliest.
Result: No Goldberg this time. We’ll all have to wait for another big event to see “who’s next.”
There should be some great matches, a handful of surprises, and maybe a title change or two when Clash of Champions airs this Sunday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. EDT on the WWE Network.
We will update this article with full results after the Clash of Champions PPV ends.
