WWE Clash of Champions 2016: Undercard Matches Fans Deserve to See

WWE Clash of Champions 2016 is three weeks away, and the top of the card is already set. 

Currently, there are three matches, all title bouts, scheduled for WWE Clash of Champions:

• WWE Universal Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
• WWE Women's Championship Match: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks

Next week, the WWE Universe will see if Roman Reigns is added to the Universal Championship match , making it a Triple Threat title match. The likely answer is yes, as there's nowhere else to place Reigns on the card. His short-lived feud with Rusev seems to be on hold, as The Bulgarian Brute remains on his honeymoon with Lana. 

Per Rusev's Twitter feed, the United States champion will be off television for the remainder of the month, embarking on a 23-day honeymoon with his new bride (h/t Wrestling Inc.). 

That leaves a lot of card-building over the next few weeks for WWE Raw's creative team. That could be a blessing in disguise, giving the company time to build its midcard to a level befitting the flagship program. 

Here's a look at the undercard matches fans deserve to see at the first Raw-branded pay-per-view of he New Era. 

Sheamus vs. Cesaro (Best-of-Seven Series Finale)

Credit: WWE.com

On Monday, Sheamus took a convincing three-to-zero lead in his Best-of-Seven series against Cesaro. To believe this series will wrap up prior to Clash of Champions, however, would be foolish. 

With the fourth match set to take place on Wednesday at WWE's live event in London's O2 Arena, and two more episodes of Raw before the next pay-per-view, expect The Swiss Superman to even the series and a final showdown to take place at Clash of Champions. 

These two Superstars have surprised WWE audiences with these matches. They've all been entertaining affairs, but the story now being told by WWE is too telegraphed. Once WWE inserted an injury into the narrative, it became apparent that Cesaro would make a Boston Red Sox-like comeback and force a deciding match. 

The stakes are high, too. The winner of this series gets a guaranteed match for a WWE title. In all likelihood, that title will be Rusev's United States Championship, as the main event is already crowded with Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. 

That shouldn't distract fans from the entertaining bouts Sheamus and Cesaro have put forth. Clash of Champions is likely the penultimate bout for these two. It should be given a prominent place on the card, if for nothing more than to reward the duo for their fine work during the series. 

Braun Strowman vs. Big Show

Credit: WWE.com

Since the brand split, fans have seen Braun Strowman plow through a parade of local talent week in and week out. On Monday, Strowman finally faced a main roster talent in Sin Cara, even though the bout was little more than a glorified squash match.

Overpowering smaller foes has helped build the narrative that Strowman is a monster, but it's time for WWE to move forward and give the giant a foe that will test him. 

Still too green to compete against well-rounded Superstars like Sami Zayn or Neville, Strowman needs a veteran who can lead him through a match. Sin Cara was a smart steppingstone for Raw, and another little-used Superstar like Jack Swagger can continue that process on television in the coming weeks. 

At Clash of Champions, WWE Creative should pit its newest giant against its resident giant, Big Show. While it wouldn't be a classic wrestling match, it would give Strowman a credible opponent who could direct the action. 

Big Show is a company man, someone who is willing to job against up-and-coming talent. Matching him with Strowman would allow the former Wyatt Family member to work with a proven veteran that can go toe-to-toe against the massive 6-foot 8-inch, 385-pound Goliath. 

WWE Creative has created an imposing figure in Strowman. Its next task is to make him look the same against main roster talent. 

Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox and Summer Rae (Handicap Match)

Credit: WWE.com

Just like Braun Strowman, Nia Jax has decimated enhancement talent over the last few weeks. On Monday, Jax crossed paths backstage with Alicia Fox—the first run-in Jax has had with a main roster challenger. 

It's time for Jax to make her move up the ranks. 

Unlike her counterpart Strowman, there isn't another woman on the roster who can match Jax physically. In addition, the major players in the women's division on Raw—Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Dana Brooke—have been locked against one another in recent weeks.

That leaves Summer Rae and Fox to team up against Jax. The match would serve the same purpose as Strowman's match against Big Show: put over the young Jax as a dominant player in the division. 

As of now, Summer Rae and Fox aren't doing much of anything. Adding them onto the card, even in a glorified squash match against Jax, would serve to remind fans that the two women are still a part of the division. 

Akira Tozawa vs. Jack Gallagher (Kickoff Show)

Raw's cruiserweight division is set to be introduced on September 19, just one week before Clash of Champions. Over the last few weeks, WWE has introduced casual fans to come of the names who will make up that division through a series of vignettes.

At Clash of Champions, WWE needs to show fans what these newest Superstars can do.

In most situations like this, WWE typically tosses everyone in the ring for multi-man matches, believing a little exposure for everyone is a good thing. The problems is, a multi-man match can get bogged down and become a spot-fest trying to feature too many guys. SmackDown's tag teams recently suffered from such lackadaisical booking at SummerSlam.

That means singles matches, and the $64,000 question: Who receives the coveted pay-per-view spots?

With 10 Superstars already confirmed for Raw's cruiserweight division (h/t WrestleZone), WWE needs to use at least two matches during Clash of Champions to showcase talent.

The first match should feature two new names to WWE audiences: Akira Tozawa and Jack Gallagher. The duo faced off in the Cruiserweight Classic's Round of 16, so they have some history in the ring. It would be a fitting start for the two to begin their WWE main roster journey. 

Having them perform in front of a pay-per-view audience would only help. First, most pay-per-view audiences are more familiar with the WWE product, meaning they're likely to know the CWC competitors. Second, being part of the kickoff show would conceivably give the tandem more time to have a technical bout. 

As for the second match, WWE could go in a number of directions, including using one of its current main roster Superstars. 

Neville vs. Cedric Alexander

For the second cruiserweight match at Clash of Champions, WWE needs to highlight one of its main roster Superstars who will likely anchor the new division. 

Since returning from an ankle injury, Neville has been directionless, possibly by design awaiting the new cruiserweight division to kick off. He's the only main roster talent that fits in the new division, and remains a popular Superstar among both diehard and casual fans. 

The cruiserweight division would give Neville renewed purpose, and pitting him against someone with a similar skillset would make for an entertaining matchup. 

Alexander, one of the stars of the CWC thus far, should get the nod to face The Man That Gravity Forgot. First, the 200-pound Alexander is a better matchup for Neville (195 pounds) than, say, Rich Swann (165 pounds). Other CWC competitors are either not officially signed (Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi) or still involved with NXT (Tommy Ciampa and Johnny Gargano). 

Alexander would be able to match Neville in both strength and speed, and the bout would be a potential dark-horse candidate for Match of the Night. 

Which undercard matches would you like to see? Continue to conversation in the comments section, or hit up James Moffat on Twitter (@jamesmoffat).