Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles – Triple threat ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship

Background: In May 2020, Sami Zayn was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship after refraining from competing during the COVID-19 pandemic. A tournament to determine a new champion was then won by AJ Styles on the June 12 episode of SmackDown. Jeff Hardy then defeated Styles to win the title on the August 21 episode; prior to the match, Styles attacked Hardy’s leg which led to medical personnel placing a knee brace on Hardy’s injured leg. The following week, Styles interrupted Hardy, feeling that Hardy had cheated in their match as Hardy kicked Styles with his knee brace. As Hardy was leaving, however, Zayn returned with his own title belt, claiming that he was the true champion as he was never defeated. Zayn then attacked Hardy as Styles watched on and taunted Hardy afterward. Over the next few weeks, all three would bicker and state their claim on who was the real champion. The rivalry eventually reached a boiling point on the September 18 episode when an enraged Hardy announced that he would defend the Intercontinental Championship against Styles and Zayn in a triple threat ladder match at Clash of Champions. The following week, it was announced that in order to win the match, both title belts (Hardy’s championship and Zayn’s faux belt) must be retrieved to be declared the undisputed Intercontinental Champion.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time triple threat match between these three men.

Clash Of Champions Record: AJ Styles is 1-0, Sami Zayn is 1-1 and Jeff Hardy wrestles at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: As the three men make their entrances clips are shown of them in ladder matches. As you’d expect it’s a fast paced start to the match with all three men getting offence in. It’s not long before ladders are used as weapons. Hardy hits a big back body drop on Zayn onto a ladder. Jeff comes off the middle rope, AJ sidesteps and Jeff goes flying into an upside down ladder which would have hurt. AJ is the first man to climb a ladder but Zayn pulls him back down. AJ and Hardy battle at the top of a ladder but Styles shoves Hardy down before Jeff pulls AJ down. The three men battle to the outside where Hardy hits poetry in motion on Styles and then Sami hits a helluva kick on Hardy. Zayn climbs a ladder but AJ launches a smaller ladder at him to knock him off. There’s an interesting spot with Jeff and AJ at the top of a ladder and then Hardy tipping the ladder over onto Sami who looked like he blocked it. AJ then looks for a phenomenal forearm but Hardy tipped a ladder into him.

There’s another incredible spot with Hardy climbing a ladder, Sami tipping it up so Jeff slithers over the top of the ladder but Sami tips it into the corner and both Jeff and the ladder go flying over the top rope. Jeff’s ok though and he lays Zayn on a ladder bridged from the ring to the announce desk and then climbs a huge ladder and hits a swanton bomb on Sami! After recovery time Sami Zayn pulls out two sets of handcuffs from his ring jacket and then handcuffs a ladder to Jeff Hardy’s ear piercing. Zayn then handcuffs himself to AJ Styles! I have never seen anything like this before. Styles puts Zayn on his shoulders and climbs a ladder as Hardy gets back into the ring attached to a ladder. Hardy hammers Styles with the ladder as Zayn unlocks himself from Styles and then cuffs AJ to the ladder he’s climbing. Zayn climbs the other side of the ladder and pulls down the belts! Genius.

Result: Sami Zayns wins the Intercontinental Championship.

Review: This match was brilliant. I expected no less from these three men but they really delivered. The finish was amazing with Zayn handcuffing both opponents to ladders. The swanton bomb off the ladder was every bit as breath-taking as the first time I saw Jeff do it. I love Zayn as champion so this is fine with me. A great match that I would recomend anybody to go and watch right away.

Rating: 9/10

Asuka (c) vs. Zelina Vega – Raw Women’s Championship match

Background: Zelina Vega surprised Asuka when she challenged and slapped her after a title defence. Vega would then beat Mickie James to officially become number one contender.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two girls.

Clash Of Champions Record: Both girls wrestle at this show for the first time tonight.

Match: It’s all Asuka in the early going, she even hits the hip attack off the apron but Zalina gets back into it when she manages to pull Asuka into the ring steps. Zelina works the left arm of Asuka and easily breaks out of an Asuka lock attempt. Zelina keeps control with a nice crucifix in the ropes, a hurricanrana and a rolling kick all earning her near falls. Vega hits a victory roll for a two count and then a bridging pin but Asuka counters, locking on the Asuka lock and Vega taps out.

Result: Asuka retains the Raw Women’s Championship by submission.

Review: This match was ok. Nothing special here but a title defence for Asuka none the less. It’s nice to see Zelina Vega getting opportunities on pay per view but she’s not in Asuka’s league.

Rating: 3.75/10

Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Apollo Crews – United States Championship match

Background: Bobby Lashley defeated Apollo Crews for the United States Championship at Payback last month. Crews gets a rematch for the title tonight.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two men, Lashley beat Apollo Crews at Payback one month ago.

Clash Of Champions Record: Both men wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Bobby Lashley is joined by MVP and Shelton Benjamin whilst Apollo Crews has Ricochet in his corner. Lashley starts well but Apollo takes the fight to the outside where he smashes the United States Champion into the barricade. Crews hits a cross body off the top for a two count. Lashley gets back into the match and dominates until Apollo shoves him into the ringpost. Apollo picks up the pace outside the ring and in, hitting a standing moonsault for a near fall. Lashley hits a superplex for a near fall and then looks for the dominater but Crews lands on his feet, hits a standing shooting star press and a frog splash for a near fall. Lashley hits a spinebuster and applies the hurt lock which causes Crews to tap out.

Result: Bobby Lashley retains the United States Championship by submission.

Review: This match was decent. Similar to their previous matches. Lashley wins again and he just looks unstoppable at the moment. He should be main eventing pay per views. Crews had a good showing and is showing his worth in this role. I can see Crews and Ricochet tagging up in future.

Rating: 5.75/10

The Street Prophets (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) (c) vs. Andrade & Angel Garza – Raw Tag Team Championship match

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two teams, The Street Prophet defeated andrade and Garza at Summerslam.

Clash Of Champions Record: All four men wrestle at this event for the first time.

Match: Angelo Dawkins and Andrade start the match and it’s the challengers who take the early advantage and make quick tags. There’s some nice double teaming from Andrade and Garza. Garza’s pants are gone. This is a first match since Zelina Vega left the team. Ford is kept away from Dawkins for a little while but makes a hot tag and Angelo picks up the pace. Andrade looks for a tag but Garza isn’t there. Garza makes a blind tag and hits a Spanish fly on Montez Ford for a near fall. Garza hits a knee to the face on Ford but lands badly and the referee throws up the “X” to get doctors help. Ford tags Dawkins who hits Andrade with a spinebuster for the three. Even though Andrade clearly got his shoulder up. Botched finish there.

Result: The Street Prophet retain the Raw Tag Team Championships by pinfall.

Review: This wasn’t a bad match. I think it got cut short because of Angel Garza’s injury. Whether the referee wants the match over, I don’t know but the finish was botched. I think the Street Prophets were always going to win just not in this way. Not a bad match but nothing amazing here.

Rating: 5/10

Bayley (c) vs. Asuka – Smackdown Women’s Championship match

Background: This was due to be Bayley vs. Nikki Cross but with Nikki Cross not being medically cleared, Bayley issued an open challenge and Asuka accepted!

Previous PPV matches: These two girls have met on PPV once before, it was Summerslam 2020 and Bayley won that match.

Clash Of Champions Record: Bayley is 1-1 at Clash Of Champions, Asuka is 1-0.

Match: Asuka goes right to work on Bayley, hits a hip attack and then a German suplex. It’s all Asuka in the early going but she can’t keep Bayley down for a three. Asuka applies the Asuka lock but Bayley very quickly reaches the bottom rope. Bayley fights back on Asuka who has already wrestled once tonight. Bayley screams at Michael Cole which is a long enough distraction for Asuka to hit a codebreaker. The fight goes to the outside where Bayley hits Asuka with a chair to cause the disqualification.

Result: Asuka wins by disqualification.

Review: This was short and fairly pointless. I think it would have been better if Sasha Banks just came out and attacked Bayley but I guess they wanted the title defended.

Rating: N/A

Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton – Ambulance match for the WWE Championship

Background: At SummerSlam, Drew McIntyre defeated Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship.[16] The following night on Raw, McIntyre gloated about his victory against “the greatest wrestler ever” with a wrestling move (a backslide), and stated that he knew that Orton wanted a rematch. As McIntyre made his exit, Orton attacked McIntyre with two Punts. Later, Orton was confronted by former NXT wrestler Keith Lee, making his Raw debut. Lee, on behalf of McIntyre, challenged Orton to a match. The two faced each other that night; however, the match ended in a disqualification win for Orton after McIntyre attacked Orton. After the ensuing brawl, Orton performed a third Punt to McIntyre, taking him out for the next two weeks. On the following week’s Raw, three singles matches were set up with the winners of each facing each other in a triple threat match that night to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Clash of Champions. Orton, Lee, and Seth Rollins won their respective matches with Orton winning the ensuing triple threat to secure another title opportunity against McIntyre. Throughout the course of that night, McIntyre performed three Claymore kicks to Orton. The following week, McIntyre changed the stipulation of their match to an ambulance match. Also that night, due to the uncertainty if Orton would make it to Clash of Champions as a result of McIntyre’s attacks the previous week, Lee faced McIntyre in a non-title match where if Lee won, he would replace Orton in the event that Orton could not compete at Clash of Champions; the match, however, ended in a no-contest when Retribution attacked both men.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two men, Drew previously beat Randy at Summerslam.

Clash Of Champions Record: Randy Orton is 0-2, McIntyre wrestles at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: It’s a back and forth start to the match but Orton takes the advantage with a low blow and then a hangmans DDT. Randy then lines up for a punt but The Big Show appears, drags Orton out of the ring and chokeslams him through an announce desk! Randy took Big Show out over the summer and he’s now got revenge. This gives Drew McIntyre the advantage and he battles with Randy all the way up the entranceway before throwing him into the door of the ambulance. The two men then battle into the ambulance and then back out of it. Drew hits a Glasgow kiss and then attempts a claymore but Orton gets out of the way and Drew takes the door off the ambulance. The two men battle to the back where Christian shows up and lays into Orton. Christian was another man that Orton took out over the summer.

McIntyre and Orton battle back to the ambulance where Orton smashes Drew into the windshield. McIntyre is bleeding all down his back as Orton kicks him off the ambulance. McIntyre was hanging off so it really wasn’t a big drop. Orton, who is standing on top of the ambulance turns around into sweet chin music from Shawn Michaels! Michaels was another man that Orton took out over the summer. Drew looks to throw Orton into the ambulance but Orton hits an RKO out of nowhere. Randy throws McIntyre into the ambulance but he’s so slow closing the doors that McIntyre stops him. Drew gets out of the ambulance and hits a claymore before tossing Orton into the ambulance, looks to close the door but instead hits (misses) a punt to the head. Drew McIntyre closes the ambulance doors with Orton inside to win the match.

Result: Drew McIntyre retains the WWE Championship.

Review: This match was a little boring. It went a bit long and for the most part wasn’t very eventful. It’s not an easy match as near falls occur with the ambulance. Drew wins though and closes the chapter on this rivalry. I’d like to see both men move on to new feuds now.

Rating: 5/10

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso – Universal Championship match

Background: At Payback, Big E and Matt Riddle won their respective matches against Sheamus and King Corbin while in the main event, a now heel Roman Reigns, who aligned himself with Paul Heyman, won the Universal Championship. On the following SmackDown, a fatal four-way match between Big E, Riddle, Corbin, and Sheamus was scheduled to determine the number one contender for the Universal Championship at Clash of Champions. However, Sheamus attacked Big E backstage, taking him out of the match. Big E was subsequently replaced by Reigns’ own cousin Jey Uso, who won the fatal four-way to earn the title match against Reigns.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these two cousins.

Clash Of Champions Record: Roman Reigns is 1-1, Jey Uso is 1-0.

Match: Roman Reigns is stoic in this match wheras Jey looks conflicted. Jey does some dancing and that makes Reigns angry. Roman dominates at a slow pace whilst talking smack to Jey the whole way through. Jey hits a superkick and a Samoan drop out of nowhere for a near fall. Roman hits a Superman punch to knock hids cousin back down. The two men exchange right hands on the outside, an exchange that Roman wins. Back in the ring and Roman no-sells a chop from Jey before knocking him down with a right hand. Jey starts another comeback, hits a suicide dive and then an enzeguri and another suicidie dive. Reigns hits a rough Ryder for a near fall. He then attempts a spear but Jey counters, hits a superkick and a splash for a near fall. Reigns hit a massive low blow when he got the shoulder up there. I’ve never seen that as a spot before. Jey sells the low blow and Reigns hits him with a spear. Roman isn’t happy that Jey hasn’t laid down for him and demands that Jey acknowledges him as the tribal chief. Jey refuses and Reigns hits another spear. Jey still won’t acknowledge Reigns who the Universal Champion beats him down with right hands until Jey’s injured brother Jimmy comes out from the back. Jimmy thinks about throwing in the towel and as Reigns beats down his brother, Jimmy throws the towel which ends the match. After the match Jimmy tells Roman that he’s the chief and he needs to leave Jey alone.

Result: Roman Reigns retains the Universal Championship by technical knockout.

Review: The psychology in this match was second to none. It was such an emotional contest, Roman has become the biggest heel in the company whilst Jey is the ultimate babyface. This is such a deep storyline, it could continue. He beat down his own cousin to the point where Jimmy had to throw in the towel. I really liked this even if it was hard to watch in places.

Rating: 8/10