Best and Worst Booking Decisions of WWE Clash in Italy 2026 Results

WWE took the roster to Turin for the Clash in Italy premium live event, and the lineup made it one of the more interesting B-level shows in 2026.

The only non-title match on the card was a huge WrestleMania rematch between Brock Lesnar and the man who beat him at The Show of Shows, Oba Femi.

We also saw four titles defended with Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns putting their respective championships on the line.

Let's take a look at the best and worst booking decisions from Sunday's event.

Worst: Not Enough Time for Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

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With both men's world titles on the line at the Inalpi Arena, WWE opted to have Rhodes vs. Gunther for the Undisputed WWE Championship open the PLE, which got the show off to a good start.

This feud has been steadily built in recent weeks with several verbal and physical altercations. In some ways, this was the most unpredictable bout on the card because either man winning seemed like a viable option. In fact, Fightful reported that a betting site had them listed at even odds.

Rhodes and Gunther both embody a lot of old-school qualities, so they were perfect opponents for each other. This was the only match on the card where the result didn't really matter because both options were equally good.

Their only previous singles match ended with The American Nightmare getting the win at Crown Jewel 2024. Unfortunately for The Ring General, this match ended the same way. Rhodes got the win, but Gunther has a legit gripe because his foot was under the bottom rope outside of the referee's field of view.

The only thing wrong with this match was that it barely lasted over 10 minutes. This is the kind of bout you would normally expect to get over 20, so it felt like it ended right when it was getting good.

At a time when WWE is being criticized for having too many ads and not enough wrestling, having your top title defended in a match that was under 12 minutes long is not a good look.

Best: Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill

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We went from the men's WWE title to the women's WWE title when Ripley battled Jade Cargill in the second match of the night.

This was a rematch from WrestleMania, which is where The Eradicator won the belt from The Storm in the first place, so Cargill was hoping to regain her belt and momentum heading into the summer.

The challenger was in control most of the time and seemed to have the champion's number, but it didn't seem likely that WWE would book Ripley to lose the title a month after winning it.

Michin and B-Fab showed up to insert themselves into the action in an attempt to help Cargill, but Charlotte Flair showed up to ensure the fight stayed even. The Eradicator retained thanks to Flair's assistance.

This was a predictable outcome, but not in a bad way. Ripley's win made sense, and her feud with Cargill will probably be done for the time being while other opponents step up to challenge her.

Worst: More 50-50 Booking

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The only non-title match on the card saw Lesnar and Femi battle in a rematch from WrestleMania.

The Ruler defeated Lesnar in about five minutes the first time they met, and The Beast Incarnate immediately followed up by faking his retirement so he could return and catch Femi off guard.

The Italian crowd gave Lesnar a good reception, but it paled in comparison to the ovation Femi received. The Beast exploded out of the corner when the bell rang and immediately hit four F-5s in a row. When that didn't get the pin, he attempted a Kimura Lock.

This was much more competitive than their previous match. Lesnar ended up getting the win to even the score at 1-1, which is yet another example of WWE's pattern of 50-50 booking.

This sets up a third encounter down the line, but just imagine how much more over Femi would be had he beaten one of the most dominant WWE Superstars of all time twice in a row. He would have been a made man, but instead, WWE went the safe route.

If WWE gives them a third match and Femi wins, it will keep The Ruler looking strong, but not as strong as he would have looked had he survived seven F-5s to win this one.

Best: Sol Ruca Wins Women's IC Title

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The Women's Intercontinental Championship was on the line when Sol Ruca challenged Lynch for the title. This bout was booked after The Man got herself disqualified in their non-title match at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Ruca was a standout in NXT and a lot of fans expected her success to carry over to the main roster, but her initial run hasn't gone the way she had hoped. She lost to Zaria in her final NXT match and then to Iyo Sky in her first main roster bout.

This was a make-or-break situation for Ruca. If she didn't win, she was in danger of losing every bit of momentum she carried over from NXT.

They put on a good, competitive fight that helped make up for their two-minute encounter last weekend. After both women survived a few close calls, Ruca was able to get the pin and win her first title on the main roster.

While this doesn't erase what happened last weekend, it does correct it. This was the best decision for all involved.

Best and Worst: Roman Reigns Retains

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The main event of the night was the Tribal Combat match between Reigns and Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight Championship.

The Tribal Chief won the previous encounter between the two at Backlash, so he added the stipulation that if Fatu lost again, he would have to serve Reigns in The Bloodline.

This may have been a Tribal Combat match, but it didn't seem like they were in too much of a hurry to amp things up. The first couple of minutes were a standard exchange before they took the fight out of the ring and into the crowd.

The physicality of this match lived up to the build, and both men put on a good performance, but someone was always going to leave disappointed. Sadly, it was Fatu who ended up with his shoulders on the mat for the three-count.

This was probably the right call from a business standpoint because Reigns has barely had the title more than a month, but having Fatu lose two PLE matches in a row is going to hurt his character a bit. He is no longer the unstoppable wild card.

This story obviously isn't over and could eventually lead to Fatu dethroning The Tribal Chief in the near future, so let's hope WWE has a plan in place and doesn't just wing it.

Solo Sikoa and the MFTs showed up in the crowd, so we may get another Bloodline vs. Bloodline feud heading into the summer.