Yet another WWE pay-per-view (PPV) has come and gone, this one the Clash of Champions event from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, and if there was worry before that running extra shows would water down the product that should be a full blown panic now. This didn't feel like it was up to the standards of the show we already get every Monday night on USA.
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Let's take a quick look at what played out, because nothing was worth really diving into:
- I don't mind the story they're telling with Stephanie McMahon pulling strings and subtly exerting her influence over the main event matches and who she wants to be champion. The idea here, apparently, was that she absolutely assisted Kevin Owens in retaining the Universal championship but wasn't so obvious about it that Seth Rollins can point the finger without at least some doubt. That's fine, but it feels stale considering literally every other main event story in the history of Monday Night Raw. I would also they rather not use the Universal championship as the way to get to Rollins vs. Triple H, but whatever. I'm far more interested in the idea of Chris Jericho helping his friend stay champion and where they could go with a possible turn there.
- Roman Reigns vs. Rusev was enjoyable for what it was, just two big bastards beating on each other before the heel got his manager thrown out and lost his title after. Without even considering the story itself, Rusev is so clearly head and shoulders above everyone else as a performer it's embarrassing he doesn't play a bigger role on television.
- If it wasn't clear before it's absolutely clear now: WWE sees Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke as the big program in the women's division while Sasha Banks and Bayley will take a back seat. That's disappointing for a number of reasons and maybe harmful for the future. After all, can we count on them to give the appropriate time to both programs on upcoming PPV shows while pushing the undercard program as a feud on the level of the title program? The match was fine but certainly nothing on the level of any of their NXT work, and nothing that felt like it was taking women in WWE to a new level.
- Chris Jericho beat Sami Zayn. It was fine for what it was and what it could be setting up.
- Match 7 in the series between Sheamus and Cesaro may have been their best. Cesaro damn near killed himself for it and while the finish was unsatisfactory, it's worth applauding going with something different. All we could ever expect with this program was great work in the ring and that's what they gave us. The finish dictates giving us a little more.
- TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick wasn't anything close to what I expected when they set this up. Considering it was the first title defense on a PPV, you'd think they would go out and give us so much more than what they did. I'm assuming they went with Kendrick here for name value but they didn't make nearly enough impact to think the cruiserweights will stand out in the future.
- The tag team title match looked like it was going to be interesting when The Club showed a vicious streak with a relentless pursuit of their opponents. It was as though they knew they needed that something extra to get the job done. In the end, however, it didn't matter because Xavier Woods got involved and New Day cheated their way to victory. That will surely lead into the next match but it's a strange decision considering the story it looked like they were telling going into this.
- Nia Jax wins again. Alicia Fox got some offense in but was no match and the slow build continues.
There was some good on this show, but it felt more like an episode of Raw than a PPV worth taking up so much of my time on a Sunday night with other, far more desirable viewing options.
Grade: C-
Your turn.