WWE Clash in Italy 2026 Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

WWE rolled into Turin for Clash in Italy, the company's latest premium live event, headlined by world championship matches featuring Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes and bolstered by two WrestleMania 42 rematches.

Who emerged victorious from each of Sunday night's matchups, and how did they grade out?

Find out now in this recap of the May 31 extravaganza, including analysis for each of the five bouts on the star-studded card.

Lineup

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Announced for Clash in Italy:

Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship: Jacob Fatu vs. Roman Reigns (c)

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther

WWE Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Jade Cargill

Women's Intercontinental Championship: Sol Ruca vs. Becky Lynch (c)

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

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Last Time in Action: Cody Rhodes defeated Sami Zayn (SmackDown, May 22); Gunther defeated Royce Keys (SmackDown, May 15)

The top prize in the industry was at stake in Sunday's opening match, as Gunther sought to do the one thing he has proved incapable of so far in his career: defeat Cody Rhodes.

The action was back and forth early, with each man trading blows and neither being able to gain a sustained advantage. At one point, the champion delivered the Pedigree to no avail, and the challenger answered moments later with a powerbomb that also failed to net him the win.

Gunther kicked out of the Cross Rhodes as commentator Michael Cole questioned whether it was too early for The American Nightmare to try to put his opponent away.

Rhodes followed with a Cody Cutter attempt, but Gunther caught him with a sleeper, which the champion countered into a roll-up for two.

The Ring General reapplied the sleeper, rolled over and put his full body weight on top of Rhodes, but the babyface showed grit and determination in fighting out of it.

However, the relentless villain reapplied the hold, forcing the champion to look to the ropes for sanctuary and a mandated break.

An exchange of chops, then clotheslines, a Cody Cutter, and Cross Rhodes earned the champion the victory, despite a controversial finish that saw the official miss Gunther's foot under the rope.

Result

Rhodes defeated Gunther to retain the title

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

The crowd was extremely pro-Gunther, initiating several "we want Gunther" chants throughout the early portion of the match. Perhaps that is further indicative of Rhodes fatigue or a reflection of the European crowd's desire to see The Ring General win the gold. Whatever the case, it made for a hot setting.

This felt like a rushed, greatest hits version of some of the excellent in-ring content we have seen out of Rhodes and Gunther in their previous matches together. The finish was not executed spectacularly, either. It left fans confused and booing loudly at the outcome. Still, even a lesser Rhodes-Gunther match is still very good and had the fans at the Inalpi Arena red-hot and invested from the beginning.

Gunther sold his outrage well, and that should earn him a rematch, while Rhodes flashed an unlikable smile as he embraced his championship, another small heel tendency to go along with what we saw at WrestleMania 42.

WWE Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill

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Last Time in Action: Rhea Ripley lost a Six-Woman Tag Team Match (Saturday Night's Main Event, May 23); Jade Cargill defeated Alexa Bliss (SmackDown, May 29)

The first of two WrestleMania 42 rematches pitted WWE women's champion Rhea Ripley against Jade Cargill.

The challenger controlled early, preventing Ripley from building momentum by taking her down with a fallaway slam at ringside to a chorus of boos. Cargill leaned into her strength advantage, clubbing Mami with forearms to the chest, then whipping her hard into the corner.

Cargill maintained control, grounding Ripley and working a headlock. When the champion fought back to her feet, The Storm forced her back to the mat. A missed elbow drop and a failed charge into the corner allowed The Eradicator to mount her comeback.

Ripley broke out a missile dropkick, a Razor's Edge and a Shining Wizard, but she was unable to keep her opponent down as frustration and exhaustion set in.

Cargill countered Riptide into a DDT, but the champion kicked out at two. A sit-down powerbomb followed for another near-fall. Ripley recovered and followed up with a side superplex for a two-count of her own, her face painted with disbelief after the near-fall.

B-Fab and Charlotte Flair took turns breaking up pinfall attempts by putting their ally's foot on the bottom ropes and ensuring the match would continue.

The Queen's distraction allowed Ripley to catch Cargill with the second Riptide of the match for the win.

Result

Ripley defeated Cargill to retain the title

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

Cargill looked great here. There was some hesitation early, but she got comfortable quick and this may have been her best individual performance to date.

B-Fab was late in grabbing Cargill's foot to break up the one pinfall, but the appearance of Flair seconds later and that exchange helped make up for the mistimed spot.

This was at least as good as WrestleMania, with the competitors again proving to have strong in-ring chemistry. They work well together and because of their size, their offense looks even more impressive than it normally does.

The finish would suggest that Flair vs. Cargill is the direction moving forward and if so, the in-ring evolution of the latter will only continue.

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

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Last Time in Action: Oba Femi defeated Los Garza (Raw, May 11); Brock Lesnar lost to Oba Femi (WrestleMania, April 19)

Brock Lesnar entered the Inalpi Arena to a thunderous ovation from the crowd as he sought to right the wrong that was Oba Femi's swift, dominant victory at WrestleMania 42.

The Ruler entered to a camera-shaking ovation of his own in what felt like the final moments before a titanic, main event-level matchup.

Lesnar attacked before the opening bell, bull-rushing the former NXT champion and delivering an F-5. He added a second, then a third, and a fourth. He covered, but Femi kicked out, much to the disbelief of The Beast Incarnate.

Lesnar applied the Kimura, but Femi fought out and slammed him to the mat, forcing him to break the hold. The Ruler tried for a chokeslam, but the heel escaped and delivered a fifth F-5, only for the babyface to kick out again.

The Beast kicked out of a chokeslam before the action spilled to the floor. There, Lesnar delivered an F-5 through the announce table. Femi stood up, showing no ill effects of the bump, and reentered the ring, where he manhandled Lesnar.

One last F-5, seven in total, felled Femi and earned Lesnar the win.

Result

Lesnar defeated Femi

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

There will be plenty of arguments in the wake of Sunday's match as to whether Lesnar should have beaten Femi. The answer, in short, is "no." With that said, Femi was booked as strongly as one can be on the losing side. He absorbed everything thrown at him and continued tossing The Beast around until he could not muster another kick out. The match was longer than at 'Mania and effective, given the story being told.

With that said, the moment Femi rose from the table spot and reentered the ring was the opportunity to definitively put him over and tell the wrestling world that this is an unstoppable force. He could, and should, have defeated The Beast and moved to 2-0, forcing Lesnar to put his career on the line at SummerSlam. Instead, the creative team opted for the formulaic 50-50 booking. While the match was good and the booking worked, hence the positive grade, it was not the most ideal outcome.

Women's Intercontinental Championship: Sol Ruca vs. Becky Lynch

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Last Time in Action: Sol Ruca defeated Becky Lynch via disqualification (Saturday Night's Main Event, May 23)

In a rematch from their Saturday Night's Main Event encounter, Becky Lynch defended the Women's Intercontinental Championship against Sol Ruca, with referee Jessika Carr again assigned to the contest.

Ruca utilized her athleticism and creative offensive arsenal to keep Big Time Becks off-guard early. Lynch turned the tide, though, and worked over her opponent, using her own momentum as the fight spilled to the arena floor.

Back in the ring, the competitors threw uppercuts, and Ruca leaned on her speed to quicken the pace and put Lynch on the defensive. A missile dropkick sent the champion across the ring, and a running knee earned the challenger a near-fall.

Ruca tried for the Sol Snatcher, but The Man caught her in the Disarmer, which the babyface countered out of and into an STF. Counters and reversals continued until Carr was forced to jump out of the ring to avoid a collision. The inevitable confrontation with Lynch followed, allowing Ruca to fight her way back into the match.

Ruca delivered an X-Factor from the top rope, but the champion kicked out at two. Lynch cut off her momentum, shoving Carr into the ropes, which caused the challenger to lose her balance. It did not matter as the babyface blocked a DDT by getting her hands up and rocking Lynch with a superkick.

Later in the match, Lynch sought the second Manhandle Slam of the match, but Ruca escaped, delivered the Sol Snatcher and scored the win and the title in a big upset.

Result

Ruca defeated Lynch to win the title

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

If Raw general manager Adam Pearce is tired of hearing Lynch complain about Carr not being impartial, or coming up with excuses because of the referee's involvement in her matches, why doesn't he just not assign her to The Man's matches?

Ruca nearly ate it on a cartwheel moonsault attempt as her feet hit the bottom rope. She is very lucky the spot did not end badly.

Oh, look. Lynch put over another young star of the future. So much for those "Becky Hogan" complaints.

This was another strong match in a string of them on Sunday night, even if the finish was a bit abrupt and not as polished as Ruca and Lynch probably wanted. She rose to the occasion against one of the greatest women's wrestlers in WWE history, and earned the first of what will likely be many main roster championships.

Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship: Jacob Fatu vs. Roman Reigns

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Last Time in Action: Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu (Backlash, May 9)

No disqualifications. No count-outs. Victory would be attained by pinfall or submission only. Those were the stipulations facing Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu as they battled in Sunday's main event: Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship.

It did not take long for the action to spill out of the ring and into the crowd. The combatants pummeled each other around the arena before Reigns sent Fatu into the ring steps and seized momentary control of the match.

The Samoan Werewolf fired up following an ineffective kick to the head by The OTC, and built momentum. An ill-fated pop-up, though, resulted in Reigns catching him with a Superman Punch for a two-count.

A second halted another Fatu offensive as the action returned to the floor. Reigns pulled a toolbox out from underneath the ring and repeatedly bashed his opponent's right hand with it in an attempt to take away the Tongan Death Grip.

When the challenger attempted to drive the champion through the guardrail, Reigns caught him with a Superman Punch, then added a spear through a different guardrail. Back in the ring, he delivered another spear, but Fatu kicked out before the three.

"I do this because I love you guys," Reigns said, embracing his inner gaslighter, then exposing the corner turnbuckles in defiance of claims that he needed one to win their Backlash clash. Fatu capitalized on his cousin's hubris and delivered a spear of his own for a near-fall.

The challenger delivered a moonsault and made the cover, only for the champion to deliver a low blow during his kick out, a la The Tribal Chief of years gone by. Reigns recovered, repeatedly slammed his cousin face-first into an exposed turnbuckle, and speared Fatu through a table in the corner.

One final spear earned The OTC the win.

After the match, as Reigns, The Usos and Fatu exited the ring, Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga and Tama Tonga appeared in the crowd as interested onlookers.

Result

Reigns defeated Fatu to retain the title

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

Fresh off an all-time performance on the headset during Saturday's AAA Noche de Los Grandes, Corey Graves did a great job of reminding the audience of the stakes here, noting that Reigns could be entering the arena for the last time as the Tribal Chief. He has risen head and shoulders above the rest of the WWE commentary team of late.

Reigns again relied on the turnbuckle, moments after exclaiming he did not need it, to win the match. The Tribal Chief as we knew him during his heel run is back, regardless of how hard the fans want to cheer him. He is a clear heel, and it will be interesting to see how this character is presented in the coming weeks.

The match was the hardcore, chaotic brawl we thought it would be. It was hard-hitting, had a lot of story packed into it, and the result was a strong main event with an outcome that was never in doubt. Reigns won, as expected, and now Fatu will have to fall in line with The Bloodline, with a potential showdown with The MFTs on the horizon.

MVP/Overall Grade

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MVP: Roman Reigns

The Tribal Chief put his working boots on for the third PLE in a row, delivering arguably the night's best match. Whether it is in response to his critics or he is motivated to prove a point, Reigns has been on fire in 2026, delivering some of his finest work between the ropes in years.

That Sunday's match was wholly unlike the WrestleMania 42 contest against CM Punk or his Backlash win over Fatu, only magnified how great The Head of the Table has been in big-match situations this year.

Overall Grade: B+

The show was a strong effort from WWE, with very-good-to-great matches up and down the card, even if some of the booking decisions left something to be desired.

Rhodes vs. Gunther's finish landed with a thud, and a large portion of the fans will be justifiably upset that Lesnar defeated Femi.

Overall, though, the show was a fun watch that set up rematches in some cases and propelled others into new and fresh chapters.

There were still too many commercials and dead time, but that is the nature of the beast with WWE PLEs in 2026.