WWE Clash of Champions 2016: Best Moments from Buildup to PPV Event

Following a fantastic Backlash event earlier this month, Raw will have a golden opportunity to top SmackDown Live's excellent effort come WWE Clash of Champions 2016 on Sunday. Although the overall build to the show has been less than stellar, the weeks preceding the pay-per-view have without question featured their fair share of highlights.

The main event will see the WWE Universal Championship being defended for the first time ever in an anticipated encounter between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. Rollins has scratched and clawed his way back to the top in recent weeks and will now have one last shot at super stardom in his championship clash with Owens.

Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Bayley will collide in a blockbuster Triple Threat match for the ages with the Raw Women's Championship up for grabs. In a bout where the champion doesn't need to be pinned to lose her title, the odds will be surely stacked against the Flair family scion.

In other action, Roman Reigns and Rusev will reignite their rivalry over the United States Championship. All it might take is one spear for The Big Dawg to claim the championship, but that is assuming he can outsmart the nefarious Lana, who will be in the corner of The Bulgarian Brute.

Before WWE's ultimate night of champions kicks off Sunday night, we will take a look back at the most memorable moments that have occurred on the rocky road to Clash of Champions.

Bayley Makes an Immediate Impact Upon Arrival: Raw, Aug. 22, 2016

It was nearly one year ago that Charlotte reached the mountaintop of WWE's then-Divas division to claim her first championship in the company. In that time, she has obliterated her competition, setting back challenges from the likes of Becky Lynch, Paige and Natalya.

Her most recent triumph came at SummerSlam when she shockingly conquered Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship, and with Banks presumably out with an injury, it was unknown who would step up to contend for the championship.

Charlotte appeared on Raw the next night to proclaim her dominance over the division before being interrupted by Raw general manager Mick Foley. He noted there was indeed someone ready and willing to go for the gold and that he had just signed the hottest free agent in women's wrestling.

When Bayley's theme music hit, Barclays Center came unglued, and a concerned look came over Charlotte's face. As soon as NXT's resident hugger made her entrance, the champ knew her title reign was in jepoardy.

Bayley had long been earmarked for the main roster, and at long last, she had finally arrived. And what better way to debut than to confront the champion and make an immediate impact?

Sami Zayn Receives the 'Gift of Jericho': Raw, Sept. 12, 2016

Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho initially joined forces earlier in the summer and have been a cohesive unit ever since. With a victory over Enzo Amore and Big Cass at SummerSlam, nothing has been able to hinder the momentum of the dynamic duo.

Although Owens has rejoined the singles ranks and become WWE universal champion, he and Jericho have remained best friends with Y2J taking the spot Sami Zayn once occupied. To further rub Zayn's recent failures in his face, he invited him on the The Highlight Reel on the Sept. 12 edition of Raw.

Jericho desperately tried to get under Sami's skin, but to no avail. Instead, The Underdog from the Underground successfully rattled Jericho, saying he has been living in Owens' shadow during his reign as world champion.

With that striking a nerve within the six-time world champion, Jericho blasted Owens' former friend in the face with his phone and proceeded to lay him out with a Codebreaker. Jericho sent a message that he can still be as vicious as ever when a fire is lit underneath him.

It was an intense war of words between the two world-renowned wrestlers that perfectly set up their Clash of Champions encounter, which was confirmed for the card later in the show.

Rusev Resurfaces and Targets Roman Reigns: Raw, Sept. 12, 2016

Roman Reigns and Rusev had been on a collision course for weeks heading into SummerSlam, where their ruthless rivalry came to a head in a brutal brawl. Their scheduled United States Championship match never came to fruition, but Reigns did leave Rusev with several bumps and bruises that put The Bulgarian Brute on the sidelines for a few weeks.

In his absence, Reigns shifted his focus back to the WWE Universal Championship, contending for the gold on the Aug. 29 edition of Raw. He likely would have reigned supreme had it not been for the returning Triple H, so he was given another shot at glory two weeks later on the flagship show.

He met newly crowned champion Kevin Owens in the main event, and if he could come out on top with a victory, he would have been added to WWE Universal Championship match at Clash of Champions. Reigns wasn't going to allow this opportunity to pass him by, so he gave it a valiant effort and was on the verge of victory at various points.

Before he could close in on the win, Rusev resurfaced and distracted The Big Dawg long enough to cost him the matchup. Afterward, he continued to inflict pain on his longtime rival by locking him in the Accolade and refusing to let go.

This came after it was revealed Rusev and his wife, Lana, were on their honeymoon, so his status for the show was put into question. But he cleared up the controversy by returning to Raw and reigniting his rivalry with Reigns.

Brian Kendrick Victorious in Raw Return: Raw, Sept. 19, 2016

WWE announced on the first Raw of the New Era on July 25 that the cruiserweight division was returning to Raw, and excitement immediately ensued from the WWE Universe. Rumors ran rampant as to who would take part in the resurrected division and who, if anyone, would hold the distinction of being the first cruiserweight champion.

The more time passed, the more fans anxiously wanted to see them in action on Raw, especially after all the instant classics that were held on the Cruiserweight Classic over the summer. On Sept. 14, T.J. Perkins was crowned the inaugural champ with a win in the finals of the tournament, cementing his spot on the Raw roster.

Five days later, the cruiserweights arrived on Raw in a major way with an official reintroduction from general manager Mick Foley. Once Brian Kendrick, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann and Gran Metalik were all in the ring, Foley confirmed they would face off in a Fatal 4-Way to determine a new No. 1 contender to the title.

Needless to say, the four exceptional athletes contested an amazing match where there never seemed to be a dull moment. Perhaps the best part was that any one of them could have emerged victorious, so the ending outcome wasn't predictable in the slightest.

However, despite a fantastic effort from each of the competitors, it was Brian Kendrick who emerged victorious by forcing Cedric Alexander to submit. It was an emotional win for the former WWE tag team champion given he had to earn his way back into the company, and now he's going for the gold on one of WWE's biggest stages.

Kevin Owens Captures the WWE Universal Championship: Raw, Aug. 29, 2016

Finn Balor ushered in the New Era at SummerSlam when he toppled Seth Rollins to become the inaugural WWE universal champion. But his Cinderella story ended abruptly when he suffered a serious shoulder injury and was forced to vacate the gold the very next night on Raw.

WWE wasted no time in announcing how it would crown a new champion, and thus four men qualified for a Fatal 4-Way match on the subsequent show. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and Big Cass all vied for the opportunity to become the second WWE universal champion.

Big Cass put forth a valiant effort before being swiftly eliminated from the bout at the hands of Owens. And then there were three, with Reigns dominating the field and taking the fight to Owens and Rollins.

Out of nowhere, however, Triple H resurfaced following a near five-month absence from WWE programming. He aided Rollins in his elimination of Reigns and then set his sights on Owens, only to turn on his protege and allow the prizefighter to score the championship.

It was one of the most shocking moments in recent Raw history that laid the groundwork for The Kevin Owens Show to take center stage on Monday nights. The WWE Universe is still awaiting answers from Triple H, and perhaps we will receive them at Clash of Champions.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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