WWE Clash of Champions 2017 Report
-The pre-show is littered with the same old recaps and backstage interviews. Some of the women bickered in the back, Naomi had her usual wooden performance, Sam Roberts was annoying as hell and The Fashion Police were golden as usual.
-Mojo Rawley vs. Zack Ryder (Pre-Show Match): Oh, thank God, I don’t have to see Mojo Rawley on the main card. Somehow this guy put on a decent match and took Ryder out with one hell of a punch. Then Sam Roberts has the nerve to compare Mojo turning on Zack to Shawn Michaels throwing Marty Jannetty through a window. Ha, no!
-United States Championship: Baron Corbin © vs. Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler: I’m not sure there has ever been a wrestler I cared less about than Dolph Ziggler. Does anyone still care? Regardless, Corbin/Roode/Ziggler put on a fast-paced, hard hitting match. Roode is a master technician, Ziggler bumps like no other and Corbin is just a bonafide badass. The ending was a non-stop flurry of finishers and near falls and it looked as though Roode was about to win his first main roster championship and even a Dolph Ziggler win (seriously, he still has a job?) can’t ruin a very good opening match. A
-SmackDown Tag Championship: The Usos © vs. New Day vs. American Alpha II vs. Rusev and Aiden English: Rusev and English are national treasures. The fact that these two can make something as ridiculous as Rusev Day one of the most over gimmicks of the year is incredible. This match was good but not as great as it could have been. There were a lot of cool spots and everyone in the ring is talented, but the match seemed out of sync through most of it. Shelton Benjamin’s catch Powerbomb on Kofi Kingston was amazing and the near falls for English and Rusev sent the crowd into a frenzy. Gable hit everyone with some of the most epic German Suplexes I’ve ever seen but in the end the Usos pulled out the win. B+
-SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair © vs. Natalya Niedhart: I don’t get this whole Riott Squad thing. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to have Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan with Paige? Liv Morgan just looks weird next to her. Anyway, Flair and Niedhart have a decent match here. These are probably the two best pure wrestlers on the female roster. Watch closely, they both move eerily like their fathers. The problem occurs when the booking squad realize there are too many cooks in the kitchen and everything starts to unravel when the competitors meet the lumberjacks. After the melee, Nattie taps out to the Figure-8. Then Nattie cries in the ring. K? C+
-Fashion Police vs. Bludgeon Brothers: I know the Fashion Police are going to lose this match, but I can’t help but hold out a little hope. Sure, they’re nothing more than fodder for the former Wyatt members but they are the most entertaining aspect of SmackDown, hands down. Even as a squash, it was a smart squash. It had Breeze’s and Fandango’s humor while also making the Bludgeon Bros. look indestructible. B
-Backstage with KO and SZ. Best heels in the WWE today (with the Miz). These guys are great, and I can’t wait to see the Sami & Kevin Show keep going. Yep! Yep! Yep! Yep! Yep!
-Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura: This was a weird match. On one hand, the wrestling between four great wrestlers was very solid. On the other hand, the weird booking decision to have both referees (Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan) being as part of the match as they were being a hindrance. There were some great spots (KO putting Nakamura through a table and the RKO out of nowhere were amazing). The screwing over of Orton and then Zayn was…interesting to say the least, as it took a lot of precision timing but just dumb, dumb, dumb booking. The match ended with a rollup and Daniel Bryan counting a very fast count to give Sami & KO the win. B-
-WWE World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles © vs. Jinder Mahal: Jinder Mahal is a good wrestler. I don’t care what anyone says. The fact that creative took a chance with a guy who no one thought could ever be WWE Champion is…ahem…phenomenal.
I realize not every guy can be champ or a main eventer but when you take chances on guys like this, it really creates captivating anf unpredictable wrestling. If guys like the incredibly underrated Paul Burchill, Goldust and Tyler Breeze had been given a chance to just main event for a title, the world would be a better place. And yes, this match was very good.
Granted, Styles is one of the best wrestlers of all time and can make anyone look like a million bucks, which he did do here for Jinder, but it took both guys to tango. Jinder dominated. He was ruthless, and Styles played a great victim. I really thought Jinder woild win for a second. A lot of awesome near falls and outside interference that didn’t hinder the match, capped off with a submission win for Styles. This was Jinder’s best match in the main even and I hope he can get a few more opportunities and even some midcard pushes. A-
Clash of Champions was a pretty decent show. Sadly, the women’s match lacked a bit but an awesome opener, a pretty good tag match and the double main events were fun, entertaining and enthralling. Can’t wait for the Royal Rumble!
