Full Projections for Each Champ on WWE Clash of Champions 2019 Match Card
As the one night of the year where every active championship in WWE must be defended, WWE Clash of Champions 2019 this Sunday should be nothing short of newsworthy. The annual event never ceases to deliver, and this upcoming installment should be no exception.
WWE has done a decent job of building anticipation for each outing on the card in recent weeks on Raw and SmackDown Live and establishing worthy contenders to each champion. Not every title feels incredibly meaningful at the moment, but a hotly contested championship clash at the pay-per-view can go a long way in boosting that belt's prestige.
Some matches are more anticipated than others, but almost all of them will be difficult to predict. With the fall season upon us, WWE may be looking to switch things up by giving fans a few shocking title changes and significantly altering the landscape on each roster.
Either way, it will be easier said than done for the current champions of WWE to walk out of the Spectrum Center with gold still in their grasp. Regardless of how long they've held their titles up to this point, every champ must know that a successful title retention on this grand of a stage is far from a guarantee.
Let's look at the Superstars with the strongest chances of claiming championships and etching their name into the history books on Sunday.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak
1 of 10
205 Live has been on the ascent since the onset of 2019 with every WWE Cruiserweight champion being better than the last. Drew Gulak has proved to be one of the most intense title holders the show has seen in some time, but he'll have his work cut out for him at Clash of Champions when he defends the gold in a Triple Threat match.
Both Humberto Carrillo and Lince Dorado have posed quite the threat to Gulak in recent weeks, with Dorado pinning Gulak in six-man tag team action this past week on 205 Live. Carrillo has also been building real steam lately following his victory over Oney Lorcan last month, and he owns a victory over Gulak from earlier this year.
Although Carrillo would ultimately be the perfect person to dethrone Gulak as Cruiserweight champion, now is not the time to pull the trigger. Dorado being added to the title mix, seemingly out of nowhere, should be a sign that Gulak will win on Sunday without Carrillo factoring into the finish.
Gulak vs. Carrillo one-on-one would be best saved for next month's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view to ensure that Carrillo remains in chase mode a little longer. Perhaps by that point, Carrillo will have even more momentum.
This Triple Threat will likely be slotted on the Kickoff show and should end in a decisive victory for Gulak.
WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
2 of 10
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship has been in a state of flux since WrestleMania 35 when The IIconics captured the twin titles and proceeded to do absolutely nothing with them. Their abysmal reign came to a merciful end right before SummerSlam when Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross beat them for the belts.
Bliss and Cross have so far been featured much more on WWE TV than The IIconics ever were (not to mention that they have been booked better as well), but WWE has a lot of work to do before the division is as exciting as it has the potential to be.
Additionally, Bliss and Cross have already knocked off all of their opposition, including Fire and Desire. It wasn't until the September 3 edition of SmackDown Live that they were finally beaten by Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in non-title action, but if they win the rematch at Clash of Champions, it's unknown who's left to challenge them for those titles.
Rose and Deville cutting their reign short wouldn't be ideal but should be considered a legitimate possibility. Bliss and Cross need fresh faces to defend against, and putting them back in chase mode might be the best way to prolong their time as a tandem.
However, it's likelier that Bliss and Cross hold on to the gold for a little longer before losing them to Fire and Desire or another up-and-coming tandem.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions the New Day
3 of 10
The New Day have felt like absentee champions as of late, as Xavier Woods hasn't been around to defend the SmackDown Tag Team titles alongside Big E. Instead, he's been sitting on the sidelines with a (storyline) injury he suffered at the hands of The Revival several weeks ago on SmackDown Live.
Despite the level of talent involved, the build for this bout has been nearly nonexistent on WWE TV heading into the pay-per-view. That said, The Revival shouldn't be taking Big E and Woods lightly given their track record as tag team champions over the past three years.
Aside from The Usos, no tandem has been more dominant in WWE than The New Day, who have six tag team title reigns to their credit. The Revival have had their fair share of success as well but were merely a blimp on the WWE radar when New Day first formed five years ago.
New Day are the right team to get SmackDown's tag team division back on track and remain an extremely popular unit. In other words, there's no reason for them to lose their tag titles so soon, especially to a duo that is property of the Raw brand.
New Day will walk into Clash of Champions at a distinct disadvantage as a result of their recent inactivity but will find a way to win like they always do.
Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman
4 of 10
Before they collide for the Universal Championship later on in the night, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman will first have to put their differences aside and defend their Raw Tag Team Championship against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.
Rollins and Strowman have been the farthest thing from friends since joining forces on a whim to become Raw Tag Team champions several weeks ago. It was then announced that they'd have to put their gold up for grabs at Clash of Champions, though their focus will mainly be on their own match over the Universal title.
Raw's tag team division desperately needs a pair of champions that will be booked to look credible and will be willing to defend the belts at all times. Needless to say, Rollins and Strowman aren't the answer to the division's woes and should lose the straps as soon as Sunday.
If there's any team worthy enough to relieve them of those titles, it might as well be Ziggler and Roode. Granted, they are every bit of the makeshift tandem that Rollins and Strowman are, but at least they have excellent chemistry together and appear to be a fixture on the tag team scene for the time being.
Rollins and Strowman losing the Raw Tag Team titles would surely make matters interesting heading into their main event match at Clash of Champions and would do the division a major favor in the process.
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
5 of 10
Has the Intercontinental Championship ever meant less than it has over the course of 2019?
It's been sad to see the strap fall so far in the last year or so after everything The Miz did to make it relevant again. To no fault of his own, Shinsuke Nakamura has hardly been given a chance to elevate the title and have memorable matches as champion.
Although Miz would love nothing more than to tie Chris Jericho at Clash of Champions for the most Intercontinental title reigns ever, he'll have the odds stacked against him thanks to Nakamura's recent alliance with Sami Zayn. The two have made life miserable for Miz over the last month and have shown no signs of stopping any time soon.
Nakamura has a lot more to prove as Intercontinental champion and therefore shouldn't be losing that title any time soon. It wouldn't be out of the question for Miz to end his reign at some point, but the feud has barely just begun and shouldn't culminate as quickly as Clash of Champions.
Zayn and Nakamura should be on a collision course for that championship eventually, but to blow off their partnership this early would be a massive mistake. Zayn aiding Nakamura to victory against Miz is the most likely scenario.
United States Champion AJ Styles
6 of 10
AJ Styles reclaimed the United States Championship in emphatic fashion for the first time in nearly two years back at Extreme Rules and has successfully rejuvenated his once-stagnant persona as a heel since then.
Of course, having his longtime cohorts Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in his corner has only helped his cause and has led to him becoming one of Raw's most prominent players.
He has set back challenges from the likes of Braun Strowman and Ricochet in recent months, but Cedric Alexander just might be his most motivated opponent to date.
Alexander proved he was capable of defeating Styles when he pinned The Phenomenal One in Monday's star-studded 10-man tag team match main event. That was merely the latest career highlight for the former WWE Cruiserweight champion coming off his stellar showings against Baron Corbin, Cesaro and Drew McIntyre.
Considering the event will emanate from Alexander's hometown of Charlotte, he'll have the entire audience behind him when he vies for Styles' star-spangled prize on Sunday. It should be an exciting encounter, especially since the outcome isn't remotely predictable.
As satisfying as a title win for Alexander would be, Styles has shown that he will go to great lengths to ensure that the U.S. title remains around his waist, even if it means getting the rest of The O.C. involved. Expect Alexander to narrowly fall short of victory and for Styles' reign to resume past Clash of Champions.
SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley
7 of 10
It's difficult to deny that Bayley's reign as SmackDown Women's champion wasn't going as well as many had hoped when she initially captured the prestigious prize at May's Money in the Bank pay-per-view. She's successfully defended the title at every turn, but she wasn't generating the type of buzz a champion should.
That changed when she decided to realign herself with Sasha Banks on the Sept. 2 edition of Raw, which effectively turned her heel for the first time in her career. It was a great way for WWE to get fans talking about her again, even though the followup has left a bit to be desired over the last two weeks.
Bayley obviously has plenty of history with her Clash of Champions opponent Charlotte Flair, but never has she walked into one of their encounters as the antagonist. The pay-per-view will be held in Flair country, so the odds of Charlotte losing to Bayley will be slimmer than usual.
Despite that, it would be wrong for Bayley to relinquish the title when her stock is the highest it's been in years. Flair will have her time with the title before long, but the best way to cement her as a fan-favorite is to have Bayley beat her by nefarious means in the Flair family scion's hometown.
Bayley hasn't displayed any overly heel tendencies up to this point, but Clash of Champions should be a significant turning point for her character.
Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch
8 of 10
Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch finally met her match when Sasha Banks returned to Raw one night removed from SummerSlam and cemented herself as the top female heel in all of WWE.
They've gotten personal with their verbal jabs at each other in the lead-up to Clash of Champions and have managed to build genuine excitement for their upcoming encounter.
That's the first time that can be said about a Lynch pay-per-view match in many months. In fact, her last truly intriguing program was with Ronda Rousey heading into WrestleMania 35, so it's been exciting to see The Boss bring out the best in her.
Speaking of which, there really isn't anyone else for Lynch to defend against once her rivalry with Banks runs its course. Unless one of them switches shows before SmackDown Live moves to Fox in early October, they'll both remain on Raw and should keep their feud alive for the foreseeable future.
No one aside from Banks poses much of a threat to The Man and her title, which is why the championship changing hands on Sunday is all but a guarantee. Lynch has been beaten only two other times in 2019, so Banks handing her a rare pinfall loss will be something special.
Lynch has had a fairly remarkable reign as Raw Women's champion over the past five months, but it's time for her to return to the role she thrives in, and that's as a challenger, not a champion.
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston
9 of 10
To their credit, WWE has done everything imaginable to convince the masses that Kofi Kingston is WWE Championship material.
His WrestleMania moment where he became WWE champion was absolutely outstanding, and he's had several significant title defenses during his time on top.
Everyone from AJ Styles and Samoa Joe to Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens have been defeated by Kingston, so it's quite clear by this point that his title reign is not a fluke.
The whole purpose of Kingston's rivalry with Randy Orton has been for him to prove that he is the main event player he has always claimed to be. However, the only way for this feud to extend until Hell in a Cell (and it should) is for Orton to capture the championship at Clash of Champions.
In the end, Kingston must give Orton his comeuppance, but there shouldn't be any rush in having that happen on Sunday. Another Orton title reign isn't exactly ideal, mind you, but it's better than prematurely concluding their story or running a non-finish for the second straight month.
Kingston would not at all be damaged from losing to Orton in their rematch, so long as he gets his win and belt back sooner rather than later. Orton has been Kingston's best rival so far and should be rewarded for his efforts with one last title win.
Universal Champion Seth Rollins
10 of 10
After conquering Brock Lesnar for the second straight time in the main event of SummerSlam, it appeared no one on the current Raw roster could possibly pose a threat to Universal champion Seth Rollins.
It wasn't long after that Braun Strowman burst on to the title scene and made it known that he had his sights set on Rollins' coveted championship. The two have been on a collision course ever since, and it's not as if winning the Raw Tag Team Championship together has changed their motivations to be the Universal champion one iota.
Despite WWE's best efforts, Strowman still doesn't feel like a worthy challenger for Rollins' title after all the losses he's endured in 2019. In fact, it's painfully apparent he's merely a filler opponent for The Beast Slayer before Bray Wyatt likely challenges for the championship at Hell in a Cell next month.
To be fair, Rollins hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire as Universal champion, either. He hasn't done much to endear himself to the audience recently with comments he's made on social media and in interviews, so a heel turn for him wouldn't be the worst thing at some point.
In the meantime, Rollins must maintain possession of the prestigious prize heading into Hell in a Cell. There's always the chance The Fiend makes his presence felt on Sunday by crashing the main event, but either way, expect Rollins to leave Charlotte with his title reign intact.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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