The WWE Universal Champion didn’t have much time to celebrate after defeating ‘The Monster Among Men’ Braun Strowman at Clash of Champions before another monster struck.
As Rollins held up the belt, saluting the Spectrum Center audience in Charlotte, North Carolina, the lights went out. When a spotlight hit the area, The Fiend spiked Rollins with Sister Abigail on the stage.
Holding Rollins’ body up by the hair, The Fiend posed with his prey as he debated whether to “Hurt” or “Heal” the champion. The Fiend locked on the Mandible Claw. Rollins choked and sputtered as The Fiend cackled manically. The show ended with Wyatt’s demoniac laughter echoing throughout the Spectrum Center.
 |
The Fiend isn’t done with Rollins. Photo: WWE. |
It has been rumoured that The Fiend will face either just Rollins or Rollins and Strowman in a Hell in a Cell match for the Universal Championship at the October 6th Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
It was a chilling ending to a night full of ups and downs for Rollins. While he and Strowman did lose the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships to Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler, he fended off the challenge to the WWE Universal Championship by Strowman.
Before their match, Rollins gave a fearless interview backstage.
“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Braun Strowman. I would even consider him a friend but it is not his time. Tonight, is not his night. I slayed me a Beast at SummerSlam. Tonight, I am going to add a monster to my collection,” he said.
Like many of the matches at Clash of Champions for some reason, Strowman versus Rollins began with a jumpstart. Once the bell rung, Strowman charged like a tiger taken off its leash. He shoulder tackled and splashed Rollins in a corner. Rollins returned fire concentrating on Strowman’s knee with some kicks. It took three super kicks to knock Strowman down. Strowman kicked out of Rollins’ Frog Splash from the top rope before the official count even make a one count.
 |
Rollins tries to put the big man to sleep. Photo: WWE. |
Strowman heaved Rollins across the ring twice like a bag of laundry.
“Come on Seth, you are tougher than this!” Strowman growled.
Strowman charged full-steam ahead but Rollins eluded the runaway freight train. Strowman struck a steel post hard. Rollins botched a flying knee from the top rope so they had a do-over.
The match moved to the floor where the Strowman Express mowed down Rollins twice before he was thrown into the ringside barricade. The next time Strowman came charging, Rollins side-stepped and the Monster flew over the announce table.
From the ring, Rollins gave Strowman two suicide dives. The second one knocked Strowman over. He fell on the announce table and it disintegrated.
Rollins and Strowman jockeyed for position on the top rope. Strowman slammed Rollins down to the mat. With really unsteady feet Strowman climbed to the top rope splashing Rollins. In doing do, Strowman hurt his knee when he landed.
Strowman kicked out of three Stomps. Strowman caught Rollins as he made his first attempt at a fourth stomp. He attempted to Powerslam him but his injured knee gave out. A Pedigree, a Stomp and Rollins retained the Universal Championship.
 |
Air Strowman takes off. Photo: WWE. |
On the whole Clash of Champion was a decent show despite half the matches being ten minutes or less and the peculiar finishes to the women’s championship matches. Despite their limited skill set, Lynch and the returning Banks put on a fantastic match as did Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Erick Rowan in their grudge matches.
Rowan was reunited with his Wyatt Family and The Bludgeon Brothers’ partner Luke Harper who made a surprise return to lend a helping hand (boot) to Rowan in his No Disqualification match against Roman Reigns.
Clash of Champions proved though that the WWE needs to pare down its roster and make some other changes, possibly review their championships. Champions was another pay-per-view with so many short matches that most of them had that Raw or Smackdown feel to them not the marque status they should have. There just seems to be too many superstars on the roster that need to be shuffled out of the company even if WWE’s competitors will snatch them up. It was a regular thing in the WCW, ECW, WWE era and business was as competitive and as lucrative as could be. Quality of superstars and matches not quantity should be the WWE approach.
The WWE also announced that on October 11th on Smackdown and October 14th on Raw, there will be another draft.
Clash of Champions Results
Drew Gulak (c) vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado – Triple threat match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Gulak attempts to take out Carrillo right away. Carrillo and Dorado team up on Gulak. Gulak stuns Carrillo by pulling him off the top rope, slamming him to the mat for a two count. Gulak’s mouth is busted open at about four minutes in as he grounds Dorado whose high flying is countered for much of this match as he ducks in and out leaving Gulak and Carrillo to carry the match. Gulak lifts Dorado in an Electric Chair on the floor. Carrillo leaps over the ropes taking out Dorado. That one move sparks a weak “This is awesome!” chant. Carrillo splashes Dorado with his split-legged moonsault. Gulak throws Carrillo out of the ring and rolls up Dorado. The official alerts Dorado and Gulak to the fact that Dorado’s shoulders aren’t down on the mat. Gulak adjusts the hold. The official counts one, two and three. A satisfactory opener but not “awesome”. It was missing the high spots one would expect from Dorado and Carrillo.
Winner: …and still Cruiserweight Champion, Drew Gulak at 10:06.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
…
AJ Styles (c) vs. Cedric Alexander – match for the WWE United States Championship
AJ Styles, one of the very best wrestlers in the world today is on the pre-show? I just don’t get it. It is no different than what they are doing to The Club as a whole making them look less of a threat and more like the Three Stooges each and every week. We are in Charlotte, North Carolina, Alexander’s hometown.
AJ comes down with Gallows and Anderson. As they reach the ring, he sends them to the back to the locker room so he can face Alexander alone. Alexander gets a rousing welcome when introduced. Styles is roundly booed. Alexander catches him in a Michinoku Driver right out of the gate. He almost pins Styles. Styles is dazed and confused as Alexander splashes, kicks and overruns him.
Styles turns things around by giving Alexander a brainbuster on the apron and a Styles Clash on the floor. Styles pulls up a defenseless Alexander up instead of just pinning him. The crowd cheers Alexander on as he is caught in a Calf Crusher. Alexander makes it to the ropes. Styles works over Alexander’s legs hoping to take away his high flying ability.
A Phenomenal Forearm and another Styles Clash pins Alexander. Styles stomps away on Alexander after the bell. Gallows and Anderson join in on the attack just beating Alexander senseless. Although there was some high energy this wasn’t much of a match coming in at just five minutes. Styles and Alexander could have put on a better showcase if they had been given the time they deserve. A missed opportunity.
Winner: …and still Unites States Champion, AJ Styles at 5:15.
Match Rating: 5 / 10
…
Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman (c) vs. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler – Tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
The champs don’t come out together. Rollins comes out first which has the crowd pumped immediately. Strowman follows. The champs bump their belts together seemingly on the same page in the ring. Ziggler and Roode enter together. Strowman smirks at them both as they enter the ring. Strowman has a new and weird looking tattoo of a man lifting weights? It looks like one of my nephews drew it with a marker. Roode begins against Strowman. The crowd chants “Get these hands!”.
Roode cannot mount any offence against Strowman. Roode needs to confer with Ziggler and then decides to tag out. The crowd gets on Roode’s case about that. Strowman and Rollins double team Ziggler who doesn’t have much luck either. Roode distracts the official as Ziggler DDTs Rollins on the floor.
Ziggler and Roode go on a run punishing Rollins relentlessly. Rollins is almost pinned by Ziggler’s Famouser. Strowman almost loses it on the apron when Ziggler sucker punches Rollins. Strowman and the fans cheer Rollins in while Ziggler slaps on a sleeper.
Strowman hot tags in. He rampages through everyone inside and outside of the ring. He later storms the ring again but this time to prevent Roode from hitting the Glorious DDT. He mows down Rollins in the process and carreens out of the ring. Roode pins Rollins with the Glorious DDT. In an interview backstage, Strowman blames Rollins for the loss and claims it is the beginning of Rollins’ losing streak.
Winners: …and new WWE Raw Tag Team Champions at 9:24, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
…
Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair – match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
As expected, Charlotte is given a hero’s welcome. A fan’s sign reads: SLEEPY CHARLOTTE FLAIR. She does have that dazed look in her face here and there for sure. As soon as Charlotte’s music ends the boos begin for Bayley, who hasn’t changed in any way, not her music, not her entrance and some little kids at ringside are still cheering her on. This is truly bizarre. Be better, parents.
Another jump start with Charlotte giving Bayley a big boot in the face sending her stumbling out of the ring. Bayley is in trouble early on having to scramble out of the ring often. Charlotte follows Bayley outside throwing her into barrier after barrier.
Byron is the only one on the announce team to say “respite” correctly. It is “res-spite” not “res-spit”. You don’t pronounce “despite” as “des-spit” do you? Ugh.
Bayley is being mauled, stomped, punched and bounced around by Charlotte. While the ref is tied up with Charlotte, she pulls off a turnbuckle. When Charlotte draws near she rams Charlotte into the steel, rolls her up and pins her. Bayley immediately snatches up the championship belt and runs to the back. I say to the parents who were coaching their kids to cheer on Bayley, I say…Do you get it NOW? She’s a heel, a cheater and a coward in her new persona.
Winner: …and still WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship at 3:43, Bayley.
Match Rating: 3 / 10
…
The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) – Tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
 |
The Revival on their way to winning the belts. Photo: WWE. |
We are reminded that the finals of the King of the Ring tournament are on Raw tomorrow night. The Revival focus their attacks on Xavier’s injured knee. Dawson yanks Xavier off the apron, he cracks his skull on the way down and doesn’t get back up until a long time later.
The Revival double-teams the big man on and on for quite some time. The fans become impatient booing and booing. Xavier finally stirs and is hot-tagged in. Xavier cleans house but he cannot fend off both Revival members. Wilder splashes Xavier’s knee for the top rope damaging it even more.
The Revival gives Big E a Shatter Machine on the floor that sends him into the land of unicorns and rainbows for the rest of the match.
Xavier does his best to fight off the Revival until his knee is clipped from behind. Xavier cannot even stand up after that. The Revival give him a Shatter Machine too.
Instead of pinning Woods they rip his knee brace and part of his pants off. Dawson forces Woods to submit to the Inverted Figure Four as Wilder laughs on the floor.
The Revival go off on a rant about them and Randy Orton bringing back the old school to the WWE. There is a promo for Hell in a Cell. It features The Fiend.
Winners: …and new WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions at 10:15, The Revival.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
…
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (c) vs. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville – Tag team match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Fire and Desire have their own theme song now. Alexa Bliss is doing her best Harley Quinn cosplay once again. Cross mocks Rose by gyrating her hips. The announcers, except for Cory, act as if Cross cured cancer or something for daring to be sexy. Please, WWE. Stop patronizing the female superstars, patting them on the heads as if they are children.
Alexa punches Rose in the face despite Rose trying to protect it. That annoying 24/7 title chase nonsense interrupts the match. Fire and Desire beat down Bliss until Alexa and Mandy knock each other out. Cross hot-tags in getting the better of Deville. Cross pins Rose with a neckbreaker off the ropes even though Rose is technically under the bottom rope.
Winners: …and still WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions at 8:46, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
…
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. The Miz- match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Zayn comes out with a brace around his neck. He whines about The Undertaker attacking him on Smackdown. Funny how NXT used exactly the same angle between Johnny Gargano and Shane Thorne during the same week. Reduce, reuse and recycle, WWE?
Nakamura is wearing a red cape. Zayn calls Miz the “King of Softstyle”. Miz, like us, is sick of Zayn’s live commentary so he snatches his microphone throwing it all the way back to the locker room. Nakamura takes advantage of the distraction.
Nakamura makes it to the ropes to break the Figure Four in Flair Country. The Mix counters the Kinshasa with the Skull Crushing Finale but Zayn distracts the official. The Miz goes after Zayn. Nakamura kicks him in the face, Kinshasa and The Miz is pinned. The WWE has a new commercial hyping Smackdown moving to Fox. It features someone jumping off of a car through a table. So much for “Don’t Try This At Home”.
Winners: …and still the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura at 9:39.
Match Rating: 7.5 / 10
…
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sasha Banks – match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Lynch takes it to Banks right away. As Banks is playing to the crowd, Lynch drop kicks her from behind. Lynch huffs and puffs, stomping around as if she hasn’t gone to the bathroom in three weeks as per usual. It is her hilarious over-acting we are all used to now.
As Banks strangles Lynch over the ropes, the crowd is divided chanting for them both. Cory claims that Banks spent her time off training in Japan. You are more and more of a disappointment every day, Cory.
Lynch says : “It is my time now!” as she puts Banks on the top rope. Banks hits Lynch with double knees, doesn’t get the pin and has a temper tantrum.
Banks shifts her weight to escape the Dis-arm-her. Banks kicks out of a missile drop kick. Two Backstabbers and a Bank Statement has Lynch scrambling. What is not clear is why Banks just didn’t pin her after two Backstabbers.
On the floor, Banks get an idea. She slides a steel chair into the ring. The official doesn’t see Banks hit Lynch with a steel chair and a Shining Wizard. Banks goes for the chair again. The official pulls the chair out of her hands. Lynch swings, Banks ducks and Lynch hits the official knocking him out.
Lynch waffles on Banks with the chair. The match goes into the crowd and up the stairs of the arena. Lynch puts Banks’ arm through a handrail and then puts on the Dis-arm-her. The fight goes to the concourse where condiments become involved.
Lynch drags Banks by the hair back to the ring. Banks spears Lynch into the barricade. The official remains down and the announcers finally tell use that Lynch was disqualified, like minutes ago.
Lynch batters Banks some more with a chair in the middle of the ring, slamming her face into it over and over. Lynch uses the chair to put on another Dis-arm-her. Officials finally come down to break things up. Lynch leaves the ring receiving more boos than usual.
Winner: Sasha Banks via disqualification at 20 minutes.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
…
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton – match for the WWE Championship
Kofi smiles at the cheers he is receiving. Orton ignores them and stays focused. Orton grounds Kofi with a headlock and shoulder tackles. Kofi stuns Orton with a flying back elbow and a running forearm smash. Orton ducks out heading up the rampway. Back in the ring, Kofi mocks Orton with his own signature pose.
Orton catches Kofi in the ropes then knocks him off the apron and into the ringside barrier. The fight heads to the floor with Orton bouncing Kofi’s head off the announce table, suplexing him over the barricade and slamming him on the announce table twice.
Back in the ring, Kofi gets posted and falls to the floor. Kofi has his face smashed off the steel steps. The crowd starts chanting..Kofi! and Randy! Orton counters a Trouble in Paradise with a backbreaker. He stops an SOS with a drop kick.
Orton and Kofi do a lot of move set-up jibber jabbering before engaging in a slugfest. Kofi surprises Orton with an SOS for a two count.
Someone has a sign reading: Stop killing alligators to make Gatorade.
Orton catches Kofi with a nasty powerslam for a two count. Kofi rolls to the apron. Orton DDTs Kofi off the ropes, walks around to soak in the adulation.
Orton drops down to prepare for an RKO. Kofi avoids it with a roll-up and a kick to the skull. Orton turns around and RKOs Kofi. Kofi drapes his foot over the ropes. There are some loud boos from the crowd.
With his hands on his hips, Orton smirks down on Kofi. Orton readies a Punt. He misses. Trouble in Paradise pins Orton out of the blue.
Winner: …and still WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston at 20:52.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
…
Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan – No Disqualification Match
 |
Luke Harper returns. Photo: WWE. |
Reigns leaves the ring, jumpstarting the match. He rains down punches on Rowan on the rampway. Rowan labels him with a nasty elbow. On the floor, Rowan heaves Reigns into the barricade, drops him face-first into the announce desk. Rowan charges. Reigns moves out of the way. Rowan crashes into the steel steps. Reigns has a kendo stick. Ring steps beat kendo stick. Rowan bashes Reigns with the ring steps and the stick goes flying.
The fight goes into the crowd. Rowan bashes Reigns with a trash can yelling…How does that feel? It is a slugfest in the crowd until Reigns hits Rowan with a massive drive-by. Reigns clears off an announce table. Rowan mows him down with a charge before he can do anything though.
A splash has Reigns gasping for air. Rowan climbs to the second rope, begging Reigns to stand up. Rowan flies with a spinning back elbow. Rowan removes the top of the LD board surrounding the ring. He slams Reigns face-first on the exposed metal.
Rowan throws the steel stairs into the ring. Rowan misses with the stairs and gets Samoan Dropped. Rowan charges. Reigns dodges. Rowan runs into the steel post, takes the steel stairs to the face and a Superman Punch. Reigns gets a two count.
Rowan catches Reigns in the air powerbombing him through an announce table for a two count. Rowan takes the time-keepers’ bell smashing Reigns in the back of the head as they fight in the crowd again. Rowan takes a microphone to the head but he Iron Claw chokeslams Reigns through some equipment crates.
Rowan carries Reigns to the entrance way. Reigns picks up a spiked mace hitting Rowan in the face and a camera gig. What? Was The Outpost filming there earlier in the day? What the heck was that all about?
A Superman Punch sends Rowan down the entry ramp. Reigns charges down the ramp only to meet a boot from…Luke Harper! They double-team Reigns as the crowd loses their collective minds. Another Claw pins Reigns. The crowd chants “Welcome back!” to Harper.
Winner: Erik Rowan at 17:30.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
…
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Braun Strowman – match for the WWE Universal Championship
Winner: …and still WWE Universal Champion, Seth Rollins at 9:45.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
…
Event Rating: 8 / 10
…
