WWE Clash of Champions 2017: Predicting Full Match Card and Results
WWE Clash of Champions 2017 will be sorely lacking in coronations.
The Dec. 17 pay-per-view will feature all of SmackDown's champions in action, but there's little chance any of them leave Boston's TD Garden sans gold. AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair, Baron Corbin will enter their bouts as clear favorites.
Their reigns appear to be just getting rolling.
The card is not yet complete, but the blue brand's champs all have bouts on tap. Per WWE.com, this is how Clash of Champions' lineup looks so far:
- The Usos vs. The New Day vs. Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin (Tag Team Championship)
- Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Roode (U.S. Championship)
- Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya (Women's Championship)
- AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship)
What midcard action will get tacked on? What stories will find a stage at the PPV?
Let's dive into how the rest of the card is poised to take shape and look ahead to who will claim victory in the matches confirmed to this point.
Projected Additional Matches
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- Mojo Rawley vs. Zack Ryder
- The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Breezango
- Ruby Riott vs. Naomi
Months of simmering animosity between Rawley and Ryder finally boiled over last week. The Hype Bros' struggles led to Rawley attacking his own tag team partner. And now a feud between the former friends is on the way.
Clash of Champions will showcase this rivalry and give Rawley his first taste of a PPV solo spotlight.
The Bludgeon Brothers have been an unstoppable force since their re-debut. WWE will likely look to keep them rolling with an impressive win over the popular duo of Tyler Breeze and Fandango. The babyface options other than Breezango are limited.
And SmackDown will round out the event with the leader of The Riott Squad facing a woman the new faction recently attacked.
Riott is the most polished member of the recently arrived trio. She'll represent the group as Naomi seeks revenge. Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan can play the sidekicks for the moment.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, meanwhile, promise to not make the card thanks to storyline issues. The pair has defied and angered SmackDown management time and time again. Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan may hold the heels out of action during this event, in part to set up a big match down the road.
KO and Zayn will remain outsiders for the moment.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
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Prediction: The Usos outlast their opponents.
SmackDown has seen the tag titles change hands several times this year. Seven to be exact. The Usos are likely to hold on here to give the title scene a bit of stability heading into 2018.
It's a bit early for Gable and Benjamin to win the belts. Their current issues with The Usos mark their first feud as a pair. SmackDown has only begun to really introduce them to the audience.
And it would be odd to go back to The New Day as the titleholders again.
The action should be hot here with suplexes and superkickers filling the screen. The bout will somehow advance the rivalry between The Usos and Gable and Benjamin, but the climax of their battle isn't yet upon us.
Baron Corbin vs. Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler (United States Championship)
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Prediction: Corbin hangs on in a chaotic bout.
The Corbin vs. Roode tale is only beginning. The two Superstars took issue with each other during a lumberjack match a few weeks back where they brawled at ringside. They followed up with a tense backstage exchange more recently.
To jump from that to a title change so soon would be jarring.
And Corbin is going to get a longer crack to prove he's a worthy champion. This bout will mark only the third title defense for The Lone Wolf. Expect the company to be patient with him and let him grow into his role.
He's a highly touted prospect and emerging talent, and WWE isn't about to yank the gold from him just yet.
Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya (SmackDown Women's Championship)
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Prediction: Flair beats Natalya in a show-stealer.
The SmackDown women's division is set to be built around Flair.
The Queen is the biggest star of that group. She has the highest ceiling. She's going to be on top heading into WrestleMania.
This will be a tough test, but WWE isn't going back to Natalya, who was always a placeholder champ.
As of now, Flair vs. Natalya is the favorite to be Clash of Champions' best match. Every time these two warriors clash, they bring out the best in each other. They have strong chemistry, and their styles mesh well together.
If Natalya senses that she's poised to leave the title picture, she's bound to pour everything of herself into this contest, lighting up the TD Garden in the process.
AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship)
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Prediction: Styles wins.
Mahal's chance to reclaim the WWE Championship won't end in celebration for The Maharaja. Styles will be the one carrying gold heading into WrestleMania season.
SmackDown stuck to its guns and kept Mahal on top for longer than most expected. Along the way, the company elevated the former midcarder's stock, likely increased buzz about WWE in India and reminded us that anything can and will happen. There's no need to begin a new Mahal reign after already checking off those boxes.
Styles, meanwhile, has proved himself to be a dependable headliner. It makes the most sense for him to survive this showdown and march into The Show of Shows to take on a big-name star while still wearing the WWE title.
Last time out, Mahal had the best match of his career opposite The Phenomenal One. They won't have the element of surprise and a whirring Manchester, England, crowd to assist them at Clash of Champions, though.
This rematch promises to be more fine than fantastic.
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