WWE Clash of Champions 2017 Results: What Fans Are Marking out for After Latest

On the surface, Clash of Champions was a pay-per-view lacking a big match or a red-hot story worth taking the time out of the holiday season to sit down and watch, yet now nearly one full day removed from Sunday's event, fans are still marking out over some of the developments that will fuel the SmackDown Live brand going forward.

From Dolph Ziggler's unexpected United States Championship victory over Bobby Roode and Baron Corbin to the continued descent into an all-out power struggle between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon, the show set up several stories worth investing in as 2017 comes to a close and WWE gears up for its always-anticipated Road to WrestleMania.

Relive the final pay-per-view of the year and the moments that helped make it a show that exceeded expectations and created some legitimate buzz about the blue brand heading into the new year.

Dolph Ziggler Shows the World

Dolph Ziggler became the United States champion for the second time in his WWE career, defeating Bobby Roode and Baron Corbin in an action-packed Triple Threat match that was quite easily the best match of the night.

The Showoff, doing as he has done so many times over the course of his career, stole the show and seized an opportunity to win gold.

As Corbin and Roode focused on each other, Ziggler caught The Lone Wolf with a Zig-Zag and pinned his shoulders to the mat, winning the title and enjoying a fairly sizable pop for the unexpected win.

Ziggler is a performer whose work is so steadily very good that he is oftentimes taken for granted. He is also booked to lose so many matches that when he finally does break through and win a big one, such as Sunday night, fans are genuinely excited for him.

The reaction that accompanied his victory reflected no differently.

After winning just over a handful of televised matches in 2017 and being presented as a heel, he was greeted with a loud ovation.

It's Rusev Day

Credit: WWE.com

One of the most rewarding aspects of wrestling is when an act gets over despite no apparent plans for it to do so.

That is almost certainly the case with Rusev and Aiden English, whose partnership has led to the amusing Rusev Day gimmick and several serenades by the sinister songster to boot.

On Sunday night, the duo received what was arguably the biggest pop of the night, inciting a favorable reaction that suggests SmackDown Live management is onto something with the team.

Throw in a spirited performance, which saw the fans in Boston pop for the prospects of Rusev making Big E tap out to the Accolade, and you have an act that is as hot as any on the blue brand roster.

That the dynamics are so different and Rusev is being allowed to embrace his comedic side have created a scenario in which fans are eager to invest in the team and their exploits from week to week. The question now becomes whether they can withstand the recent loss, maintain heat and prove to WWE Creative it is them, not The Bludgeon Brothers, who deserve tag title consideration.

Chad Gable Wows

Credit: WWE.com

Chad Gable's teaming up with Shelton Benjamin might not be the breakout duo the brand had hoped for, but on the pay-per-view stage, with lights brightest, the former Olympian nearly stole the show during the Fatal 4-Way match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

Interrupting Rusev's Accolade on Big E may have drawn him boos from a fanbase who desperately wanted to see The Bulgarian Brute capture gold, but Gable silenced the negativity, instead wowing the WWE Universe with his strength and technique as he unloaded a series of rolling German suplexes reminiscent of The Chaos Theory by the great Doug Williams.

The intensity and athleticism he displayed was a reminder that perhaps he should have been positioned as Kurt Angle's son rather than Jason Jordan.

Though he did not win a tag title Sunday night, Gable has routinely proved that, given the opportunity, he will seize the spotlight and shine as bright as any other Superstar on the stage.

Natalya...Quits?

Credit: WWE.com

Perhaps it was the delivery of the promo or the poor scripting of it, but exactly what Natalya meant when she vowed to turn her back on the fans and then tearfully walked off is up for interpretation.

Was her frustration over the hard work she had put in, only to be overshadowed and underappreciated, an indication that her time had past and that she was going home, never to wrestle another match again?

Or was she simply throwing a tantrum after another failed attempt to regain her title?

Yes, it was an attempt to create intrigue surrounding The Queen of Harts, and for the most part, it worked.

Unfortunately, it also left some scratching their heads, wondering what the hell it all meant and why someone, whose promos usually are not her strong suit, was put in a position where the future of her character would be at the mercy of an unclear, slightly confusing promo.

Still, fans are intrigued by Natalya for the first time in a while, for one reason or another, so this worked.

Daniel Bryan vs. Shane McMahon

Credit: WWE.com

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon are at each other's throats, the result of differing philosophies in regards to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. On Sunday, the dissension between them manifested itself in a controversial conclusion to those two heels' match with Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura.

In what was a terrible match hurt significantly by the authority figures that stole the spotlight from the performers themselves, Owens and Zayn scored the win when Bryan responded to McMahon's unwillingness to fairly referee the match by delivering a fast count.

The look on Bryan's face as he stared back at a dismayed McMahon following the decision laid the foundation for the next chapter of the power struggle that figures to encompass SmackDown Live going forward. Given the immense talent involved elsewhere in the program, including the aforementioned Zayn and Owens, fans have every reason to be excited.

Especially if Bryan finds his way back to the ring.