It was hell of a build. Even if you mostly had to follow the former members of Hype Bros on social media to get all, or even most, of it.
Continued failure to get the SmackDown tag titles led to the inevitable split between the partners, with Mojo Rawley attacking Zack Ryder and declaring him “dead weight”. All the talk forced Zack to ask for a match against a guy he once thought had his back, and after their Clash of Champions Kickoff match was booked, the trash talking only escalated online.
In case you missed all that, this was personal. And that’s why Ryder immediately went on the attack, trying to prove he does indeed have the “killer instinct” Rawley claims he lacks. The strategy worked out well, until it didn’t. After the former U.S. and Intercontinental champion controlled the action on the floor, Mojo caught the Long Island Iced Z when he came back into the ring, and the beatdown was on...
This has gotten off to an INTENSE start as @ZackRyder battles @MojoRawleyWWE on #WWEClash of Champions Kickoff! pic.twitter.com/99GdFhFGlO
— WWE (@WWE) December 18, 2017
As the assault continued, Mojo demanded to see Zack’s aggressive streak - the thing that made him call-out his former partner in the first place. He got it, as Ryder fired back and even got a nearfall following a Broski Boot. But Rawley got his foot on the ropes. And when the referee pulled the enraged Long Islander off the Andre The Giant Memorial winner, Mojo chop blocked him back down to the mat.
After that, he made quick work of Ryder, and possibly put the blue brand roster on notice, with a devastating forearm smash in the corner and a cover.
Get complete Clash of Champions results and coverage of every match on the card by clicking here.