WWE Clash of Champions 2016: Latest Card Predictions Including Owens vs. Rollins
For over nine years, WCW put on an event known as Clash of the Champions with pay-per-view quality contests including such classics as Ric Flair vs. Sting, Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat, Flair vs. Terry Funk and The Midnight Express vs. The Fantastics.
Now that legacy lives on in WWE as Clash of Champions becomes the first Raw-branded pay-per-view in over nine years, replacing Night of Champions as the event where every championship must be defended. Including several first-time matches as well as a host of culminating rivalries, this show has the chance to be a massive success.
As of Thursday morning, this is how the Clash of Champions card stands:
- Kickoff: Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox
- T.J. Perkins (c) vs. The Brian Kendrick for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
- Sheamus vs. Cesaro in match 7 of the best-of-seven series
- Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn
- The New Day (c) vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
- Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley for the WWE Raw Women's Championship
- Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE United States Championship
- Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship
The match card is so packed with clashes that many stars are on the outside looking in, including Enzo and Cass, Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. With present and future title shots at stake, every single performer that who made it on the card will be wrestling at their absolute best.
The following are predictions for every match at Clash of Champions based upon how the matches have been built up over the past month of Monday Night Raw and potential future plans for these performers.
Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox
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Nia Jax has been built up as an unstoppable monster since she was the fourth woman drafted in the 2016 WWE draft. However, she has been paired up against only local talent rather than women on the current Raw roster. That was until Jax took liberties against Alicia Fox's friend Ann Esposito.
When Ann put up an actual fight against Jax, Jax lost it, putting extra emphasis on the pain she inflicted. Afterward, Jax found Fox and made fun of Ann, which caused Fox to lose it on Jax, challenging her to a match for the following week.
When Fox also put up a fight against Jax, Jax gave up trying to win and chose to punish Fox, swinging her into the steel barricade repeatedly then spearing her right into the timekeeper's area. Now Fox wants a second shot at Jax, though it may have been better to just let it go. Jax is on a roll toward the top of the division, while Fox has rarely been seen up to this point on weekly episodes of Raw.
Kickoff matches rarely are set to surprise. At best, they are strong matches that convince people to watch the PPV. This is more about giving Jax a bigger spotlight as she grows into a top role in Raw's women's division.
Hopefully we get a reasonably solid match where Fox gives Jax her toughest test to date on the main roster, but I wouldn't even expect that.
Prediction: Jax wins in a dominant showing.
T.J. Perkins (c) vs. the Brian Kendrick (Cruiserweight Championship)
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The cruiserweight division has arrived on Raw. After T.J. Perkins won the 32-man Cruiserweight Classic tournament and became the WWE cruiserweight champion, a select group of new cruiserweights were brought up to compete every week on WWE television.
Four wrestled this Monday to decide on the No. 1 contender to TJP's Crusierweight Championship. While Rich Swann, Gran Metalik and Cedric Alexander gave it their all, it was the veteran of the group, The Brian Kendrick, who walked out the victor, earning a shot at gold at Clash of Champions.
Kendrick has stated that this is his last opportunity to do what he loves, and he will not have anyone stand in his way. TJP has finally reached the mountaintop after a long road to success and has no intention of leaving. Neither man wants to lose, and both men want to represent the cruiserweight division at the top.
You can expect an exciting clash between these two men, but it won't just be a series of high spots. Both Kendrick and TJP have been more focused on mat wrestling as of late, using vicious submission finishers. They're explosive but not often the type to waste motion for a moment.
This will be about two wrestlers proving the cruiserweights deserve recognition every week from now on. TJP will almost certainly come out on top as he was crowned champion in the first place for a reason. He's a veteran performer who can lead the division for a while, and Kendrick is a great veteran foil for him while younger talent ready themselves to take the next step.
Prediction: TJP retains the Cruiserweight Championship.
Sheamus vs. Cesaro (Match 7 of Best-of-Seven Series)
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For months now, Sheamus and Cesaro have competed to show who among them deserves more recognition on Raw. Mick Foley has pitted them against each other in a battle to showcase physical dominance, leading to the announcement of this best-of-seven series which began at SummerSlam.
Sheamus used dirty tactics to get up to an early lead against Cesaro, but it was his back body drop into the steel post in Match 2 that changed the complexion of the series. The move caused Cesaro to suffer multiple contusions to his lumbar spine. From that point on, every match has been a struggle for Cesaro, who was dominated in Match 3.
Somehow, though, Cesaro found a way to come back, using some dirty tactics and showing intense endurance in the face of noticeable pain. He marched all the way back to a three-to-three tie against Sheamus to set up this final bout at Clash of Champions.
While WWE has been rather nondescript about what the reward at the end of this best-of-seven series is, the only way to truly sell this series for all the time spent is to have the winner face Kevin Owens at the next Raw PPV, Hell in a Cell. That makes a Cesaro win far more likely than Sheamus.
This whole series has been building up Cesaro as an underdog who works best when the chips are down. The story of the final match is simple: Cesaro has survived his injuries and made this about just one match, while Sheamus is losing control of the series and becoming uncertain about the little advantage he had. Cesaro winning almost makes too much sense.
Prediction: Cesaro wins the best-of-seven series.
Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn
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When Owens became champion, Chris Jericho found himself on the outside looking in. His best friend was fighting a battle against overwhelming unfairness, and Jericho could not see a way to help him. Then Jericho thought of the ultimate plan: He would go after the man who originally wronged Owens.
Therefore, Jericho called out Sami Zayn for the Highlight Reel and belittled him. When Zayn got on Jericho's nerves, he clocked him with a cellphone and hit the Codebreaker for good measure. He put down Zayn as a sign of respect for his friend and for his own personal amusement. Now Zayn is done playing Jericho's games, and the two are ready to truly go to war.
Zayn has been on fire lately in WWE with two classic matches already in 2016. While Owens was always going to make it to the top, it was surprising how little Zayn did after winning his feud with Owens while Owens became the new Universal Champion.
Luckily now he's got a veteran who has also been on fire at least in terms of performances on the microphone. Jericho has been getting over more catchphrases in the past four months than most people have gotten over in their entire careers. He's been hilarious and done a great job molding with the changing roster.
It is hard to say how long this new feud will last. However, even with Jericho getting more wins lately than he has in past runs, it would be surprising to see him come out on top against Zayn, who should be on the rise on Raw's roster. If this is a three-match feud, Zayn will win the opening bout, and if it is a one-time affair, Zayn will absolutely come out victorious.
Prediction: Zayn wins a closely contested affair.
The New Day (c) vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (Raw Tag Team Championships)
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Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson dominated Japan then came to WWE, hoping to do the same. At SummerSlam, they got their chance to take down the record-setting tag team title reign of The New Day, but antics with Jon Stewart and Big E caused a disqualification, throwing out the match.
Since then, Gallows and Anderson have taken on an even more aggressive stance, sending out the legendary Dudley Boyz by putting them through a table and then putting down The New Day at every turn. They even scored a non-title victory over the champions on Raw.
The problem that has plagued this feud is the odd dynamic. Beginning as no-nonsense heavyweights, Gallows and Anderson have devolved into jokey characters who seem more interested in playing doctor than causing destruction. Luckily, they have shown signs of returning to their destructive tendencies just before the big match.
When you look at this feud from a pure in-ring perspective, it's exciting. Gallows and Anderson are fast-moving, kick-throwing monsters who pair extremely well with the explosive offense of The New Day. If this match can avoid the build and just focus upon that dynamic, it could steal the show for the night.
The New Day has been champions now for 396 days, and the reign has gotten a bit stale. Gallows and Anderson are perfect heels to ruin The New Day's long reign. They are really the only choice beyond Enzo and Cass, and this may be the last chance to move the championships over to Gallows and Anderson.
Prediction: Gallows and Anderson win and become the new Raw Tag Team Champions.
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banksvs. Bayley (Raw Women's Championship)
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The evolution of the women's division began in NXT with the introduction of four women. The Four Horsewomen of WWE have since taken over. Becky Lynch is the current SmackDown women's champion. Charlotte is the current Raw women's champion, and Sasha Banks and Bayley are both after Charlotte's title.
While Charlotte has been dominant since debuting on Raw, not losing even one singles match on PPV, her competition seems to finally be getting to her, putting her on edge. After putting Banks' career in jeopardy in their match at SummerSlam, Charlotte has seemed to be avoiding Banks only for Bayley to make her main roster debut and defeat the champion in one-on-one action.
Now Banks and Bayley both have claims to the Raw Women's Championship, and they're both getting a shot in a triple threat match that leaves Charlotte without a champion's advantage. Her only asset is her protege, Dana Brooke, who could play a factor if Brooke doesn't just turn on Charlotte as well, given the abuse she has taken from her mentor.
The last time we got a triple threat between members of the Four Horsewomen, it stole the show at WrestleMania. Now Bayley is taking the place of Lynch, and this match could be just as good. Banks and Charlotte have been putting on fantastic matches on repeat together lately, and Bayley was putting on great matches in NXT for months before she got the call-up.
Since debuting in July 2015, Charlotte has been champion 342 days, which shows how much confidence WWE has in her to lead Raw. While eventually the championship will go over to Banks or Bayley, Charlotte just won back her championship at SummerSlam. It is unlikely she'll be immediately dethroned. More likely, she'll let Bayley or Banks do the heavy lifting then steal the victory.
Prediction: Charlotte retains the Raw Women's Championship.
Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns (United States Championship)
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When Roman Reigns first stood up to Rusev, it was all about the United States Championship. Reigns had lost a shot at the Universal Championship, and he wanted to still be fighting for gold. The way he convinced Rusev to fight him, though, made this a much more personal affair.
Reigns insulted and embarrassed Rusev and Lana by belittling their marriage. This led to a brawl at SummerSlam where both men seemed more concerned with hurting each other than ever wrestling in a match. Two Mondays ago, after Rusev and Lana took their honeymoon, Rusev returned and cost Reigns another shot at the Universal Championship then locked him in The Accolade for good measure.
While a championship is on the line, this is really a brutal war between two men who hate each other. It's not clear if Reigns is more concerned with gaining the title or just revenge. While Rusev is not happy about fighting Reigns with his title on the line, he seems fairly comfortable beating down on Reigns again.
This should be a brutally physical affair with both men throwing punches and kicks that may just leave welts. We saw what these two could do together just before SummerSlam in a Raw main event, and now they have even more of a spotlight on their clash. In the end, Reigns needs to gain some measure of retribution on Rusev, but WWE doesn't seem concerned with putting the U.S. Championship on Reigns.
Rusev has shown himself to be both a fighter and a coward against Reigns, so it would make sense for him to fight until he thinks he's in true danger of losing. Having Rusev walk out on the contest and Reigns unable to get him back in time would set up one definitive clash perhaps inside Hell in a Cell at the next PPV.
Prediction: Reigns wins by count out; Rusev retains the United States Championship.
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Championship)
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Who has power on Monday Night Raw? Since The Authority was officially broken up after WrestleMania this year, that question has been difficult to answer. Raw seems to be run right now by general manager Mick Foley, but commissioner Stephanie McMahon has occasionally undermined her GM by making rash decisions.
The real worry is that Triple H has his own agenda and one that may involve Stephanie. After Finn Balor was forced to vacate the WWE Universal Championship after being injured in his match against Seth Rollins, a tournament was held to crown a new champion with Rollins, Owens and Reigns all standing tall at the end.
Neither man seemed to be able to defeat the other two until Triple H ran in and took out both Reigns and Rollins, giving Owens the win and Raw's top title. Rollins is now on mission to regain what he feels was stolen from him, while Owens seems comfortable at the top where Triple H placed him.
This is a first-time-ever affair in WWE as Owens and Rollins had been almost friends to this point. Now they are at opposite sides at the right time to set up an exciting clash of styles. Both men are among the best in the business, and they should make this a high-octane affair with neither man wanting to lose.
In the end, Owens just won the championship, and he should hold it for a while. Meanwhile, Rollins is probably going to be busy again getting screwed out of a win by Triple H to set up a match between them. This makes this an exciting match with a fairly expected result. There is almost no way that Rollins walks out with the championship, especially if Triple H makes an appearance as he is likely to do.
Prediction: Owens retains the Universal Championship.
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