WWE Clash of Champions 2020 aired on the WWE Network from the ThunderDome in Orlando. It was announced during the Kickoff Show that Nia Jax and Nikki Cross were not medically cleared to compete tonight. It was also announced that the WWE Draft will take place on the October 9th edition of SmackDown and the October 12th edition of RAW.
Clash of Champions 2020 Results
- Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura def. Lucha House Party to retain the SD Tag Team Titles (Kickoff Show)
- Sami Zayn def. Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles to win the IC Title
- Asuka def. Zelina Vega to retain the RAW Women’s Championship
- Bobby Lashley def. Apollo Crews to retain the United States Championship
- Street Profits def. Andrade & Angel Garza to retain the RAW Tag Titles
- Asuka def. Bayley via DQ
- Drew McIntyre def. Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship
- Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso to retain the Universal Championship
Here are the takeaways from the PPV:
Sami Zayn Captured The Intercontinental Championship
Jeff Hardy defended the Intercontinental Championship against AJ Styles and Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat Ladder match tonight at Clash of Champions.
Match Recap: Jeff Hardy controlled the action early and hit Styles and Zayn with a Clothesline/ Bulldog combo. Zayn knocked Styles out of the ring and hit him with a Springboard Moonsault. Sami bashed Jeff Hardy across the back with the ladder and then did the same to AJ Styles.
Back in the ring, Jeff Hardy set up a ladder against the ropes and sent Sami onto it with a Back Body Drop. Jeff leaped off the middle turnbuckle but AJ got out of the way and the Intercontinental Champion crashed into a ladder. Styles then launched Sami into a ladder in the corner of the ring.
AJ followed it up with a Pele Kick to Sami and then made his way up the ladder. Hardy joined him and the two superstars traded punches. Styles shoved Jeff to the canvas but Hardy popped right back up. Hardy dragged Styles down the to the mat and hit him with an Atomic Drop.
Sami threw Jeff out of the ring and made his way up the ladder. Styles stopped him but Sami connected with an Exploder Suplex that sent AJ onto the ladder in the corner. Jeff Hardy connected with Poetry In Motion on Styles outside the ring and then turned around into a Helluva Kick from Zayn.
Zayn started climbing the ladder but Styles knocked him to the mat by launching a small ladder at him. Hardy and Styles then battled on top of the ladder. Both superstars wound up falling to the mat and Sami made his way back up the ladder. Hardy brought him down with a Twist of Fate and started climbing.
Jeff climbed the ladder but Zayn tilted it over and Hardy crashed to the floor outside the ring. Sami set up a ladder from the announce table to the ring apron. Styles bounced Sami’s face off the announce table and hit him with a Reverse DDT. Jeff Hardy hit Styles with a ladder and then climbed up a ladder outside the ring. Hardy connected with a ridiculous Swanton Bomb that sent Sami through the ladder.
AJ got in the ring and set up a ladder. Hardy shoved the ladder over and Styles crashed to the mat. Zayn dragged Jeff out of the ring and slammed him into the barricade. Sami Zayn handcuffed Hardy to a ladder by his ear.
Zayn tried to handcuff AJ to the ropes but Styles escaped and hit him with a Suplex. Sami then handcuffed himself to AJ as Jeff Hardy started making his way to the ring with a ladder handcuffed to his earlobe. Sami unlocked the handcuffs and locked Styles to the ladder. Zayn then grabbed the titles to become the new Intercontinental Champion.
Opinion: I absolutely loved this match and thought the finish was awesome. The Swanton Bomb through the ladder was an incredible spot as well. I was really looking forward to this match and it completely delivered.
Asuka Retained The RAW Women’s Championship
Asuka defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Zelina Vega tonight.
Match Recap: Asuka shoved Zelina to the mat and taunted her to start the match off. Asuka made fun of Vega’s height and danced around the ring. Vega booted Asuka in the knee and the two superstars locked up. Asuka caught Vega with a punch and then applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Asuka perched Vega up on the top turnbuckle and went for a Superplex but Zelina blocked it. Asuka sent Vega to the apron and connected with a Hip Attack. Vega battled back and connected with an Arm Drag. Zelina followed it up with a Hurricanrana for a near fall.
Vega went for a Backstabber but Asuka held onto the ropes. Zelina booted Asuka in the face and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Asuka quickly locked in the Asuka Lock for the submission victory. Asuka is still the RAW Women’s Champion. Zelina attacked Asuka after the match and then retreated when Asuka got up.
Bobby Lashley Retained The US Title
Bobby Lashley defended the United States Championship against Apollo Crews tonight at Clash of Champions. Ricochet and MVP were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Lashley controlled the match early and went to work on Apollo’s arm. Crews connected with a boot to the face and then Clotheslined Lashley out of the ring. Apollo hit Lashley with a Moonsault off the apron and sent the United States Champion into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Crews hit a Crossbody for a two count. Lashley planted Crews with a Flatliner and MVP taunted Apollo as he regrouped against the ropes. Crews drove Lashley to the corner and hit him with a Splash. Apollo knocked Lashley to the outside and hit him with another Crossbody.
Crews rolled Lashley inside the ring and hit him with an Enziguri. Crews followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a two count. Lashley connected with a Superplex but Crews battled back and hit a Standing Shooting Star Press. Crews followed it up with a Frog Splash for a two count. Lashley planted Crews with a massive Chokeslam and applied the Hurt Lock for the submission victory. Bobby Lashley is still the United States Champion.
Street Profits Retained
Street Profits put their RAW Tag Team Championships on the line against Andrade and Angel Garza tonight at the PPV.
Match Recap: Dawkins and Andrade locked up in the middle of the ring to start the action off. Andrade hit Dawkins with a knee to the ribs and tagged in Garza. Angel applied an Armbar before quickly tagging Andrade back in.
Angelo caught Andrade with a Dropkick and tagged in Montez. Ford hit a Dropkick of his own but Andrade shrugged if off. Garza tagged in and booted Montez in the face. Andrade tagged back in and hit Ford with a Dropkick to the head. Garza connected with a Running Knee and went for the cover but Ford kicked out at two.
Dawkins tagged in and planted Andrade with a slam. Dawkins hit Andrade with a Splash but Andrade bounced off the ropes and connected with a Dropkick. Angelo avoided Double Knees and Garza tagged in. Garza Dropkicked Dawkins out of the ring and battled with Ford on the middle rope. Angel connected with a Spanish Fly and went for the cover but Montez kicked out at the last moment.
Angel hit Ford with a knee to the face and tagged in Andrade. Andrade knocked Dawkins off the apron and hit Ford with Double Knees for a near fall. Dawkins tagged in and hit Andrade with a Spinebuster for the pinfall victory. It looked like Andrade kicked out at two but the referee counted to three.
Opinion: Andrade definitely kicked out at two but it looked like Angel Garza suffered a leg injury during the Spanish Fly off the top rope. The awkward finish was likely an audible and the correct decision by the referee. Hopefully the injury isn’t as bad as it looked for Garza.
Sasha Banks Attacked Bayley
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley made her way to the ring. She was supposed to defend the title against Nikki Cross but Nikki was not medically cleared to compete tonight.
Bayley set up a chair in the ring and placed the title on top of it. Bayley laughed and said that Nikki had to forfeit her title shot tonight. She bragged about being the most dominant champion in WWE and announced that she was giving an opportunity to anyone that wants a title shot. Bayley waited about two seconds before demanding the referee raise her arm. RAW Women’s Champion Asuka then made her way to the ring.
Match Recap: Asuka hit Bayley with a Hip Attack and followed it up with a German Suplex. Bayley roleld out of the ring to regroup and started making her way up the entrance ramp. Asuka brought Bayley back into the ring and hit another Hip Attack for a near fall. Asuka went for the Asuka Lock but Bayley grabbed the bottom rope to break the hold.
Bayley connected with a Suplex for a two count. Bayley hopped to the middle rope and went for a Crossbody but Asuka countered into a Codebreaker. Bayley bounced Asuka’s face off the apron and rolled back into the ring. Asuka dodged a Dropkick and booted Bayley in the face. Asuka followed it up with a German Suplex on the floor outside the ring.
Bayley hit Asuka with a steel chair and the match ended in a DQ. Sasha Banks then showed up and hit Bayley in the back with a steel chair. Bayley brought a steel chair and a kendo stick into the ring. Sasha hit Bayley with the kendo stick several times and tried to hit her with a chair but the SmackDown Women’s Champion retreated out of the ring.
Opinion: It is hard to believe that WWE couldn’t find another superstar besides Asuka for this match. It felt pointless and I’m sure there was another way for them to get to the attack from Sasha Banks. Having said that, the feud between Banks and Bayley should be excellent moving forward.
Big Show, Christian, And Shawn Michaels Helped McIntyre Retain
Drew McIntyre defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton in an Ambulance match tonight at Clash of Champions.
Match Recap: McIntyre went right after Orton and unloaded some punches to Randy’s face. The WWE Champion sent Orton to the corner and hit him with some more right hands to the face. Drew lit up Orton’s chest with a couple chops before knocking him to the mat with another punch to the head.
Orton went for an RKO but McIntyre blocked it. Randy hit McIntyre with a low blow and followed it up with a DDT. Orton geared up corner but Big Show showed up out of nowhere. Big Show dragged Orton out of the ring and Chokeslammed him through the announce table.
McIntyre hit Orton with a chop to the chest and then bounced his head off the steel steps. Drew launched Orton into the door of the ambulance and grabbed a red steel chair. McIntyre hit Orton with the chair but Orton battled back by hitting Drew with a crutch.
Randy shoved the chair into McIntyre’s broken jaw and Drew grabbed his face in pain. Orton slammed McIntyre’s head into the side of the ambulance and the WWE Champion fell to the floor. McIntyre connected with the Glasgow Kiss and went for the Claymore but Orton got out of the way and Drew kicked the door off the ambulance.
The action spilled backstage with McIntyre in control. Orton sent McIntyre into the wall but then got attacked from behind by Christian. Christian slammed Orton onto a catering table and hit him with a few more punches before leaving.
McIntyre brought Orton back to the ambulance and threw him on top of the hood. Orton once again fought back and slammed McIntyre onto the windshield of the ambulance. Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre then battled on top of the ambulance. Orton stomped on McIntyre’s hand and Drew fell to the concrete floor.
Shawn Michaels showed up and hit Orton with Sweet Chin Music before shoving him off the ambulance. McIntyre tried to get Orton in the ambulance but he broke free and connected with an RKO.
Orton shoved McIntyre in the ambulance and shut one door. Randy went to shut the other door but McIntyre prevented it. McIntyre poked Orton in the eye and followed it up with the Claymore. Drew threw Orton in the ambulance but opted not to shut the door. McIntyre then punted Orton’s skull and closed the doors to retain the WWE Championship. Ric Flair then hopped in the driver’s seat and drove Randy Orton away in the ambulance.
Opinion: I enjoyed the story of Orton’s past coming back to bite him tonight with Big Show, Christian, and Shawn Michaels costing him his opportunity at the title. Ric Flair hopping in the ambulance and shouting ”woo!” was a great ending as well.
Roman Reigns Retained After Jimmy Uso Threw In The Towel
Roman Reigns defended the Universal Championship against Jey Uso in the main event of Clash of Champions. Paul Heyman was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Jey and Reigns locked up to start off the match. Roman shoved Jey to the corner and the two superstars had a stare down. Jey leaped over Reigns and danced around to taunt the Universal Champion. Roman sent Jey out of the ring and Uso regrouped on the outside.
Reigns greeted Jey with a Clothesline when he got back into the ring for a two count. Roman beat Jey down while taunting him and saying that he should have listened to the tribal chief. Reigns hit Jey with a massive right hand and Uso fell to the floor outside the ring.
Roman bounced Jey’s head off the announce table while telling the announcers that he loved Jey. Back in the ring, Reigns applied a Headlock as Michael Cole claimed that Jey looked in over his head tonight. Jey escaped and planted Roman with a Samoan Drop for a near fall.
Jey went for a Spear but Roman countered with a massive Superman Punch. Reigns said ”this is that ass whooping I was talking about and you should of laid down” to Jey as he beat him down in the corner of the ring. Jey Clotheslined Roman out of the ring and hit him with a Suicide Dive.
Back in the ring, Jey hit an Enziguri that knocked Roman back out of the ring. Jey quickly followed it up with another Suicide Dive before the action returned to the squared circle. Jey connected with a Crossbody off the top rope for a two count. Jey hit Reigns with a Superkick and went for the cover but the Universal Champion kicked out at two.
Jey climbed to the top rope but Reigns got up. Roman connected with a Running Leg Drop for a two count. Roman went for a Spear but Jey countered into a roll-up for a near fall. Jey followed it up with a Superkick and a Splash for another two count. During the kickout, Reigns caught Jey with a low blow.
Roman had a smile on his face as he got back to his feet. Reigns leveled Jey with a Spear but didn’t go for the cover. Reigns told Jey to acknowledge him as his tribal chief but Uso declined. Reigns hit Jey with another Spear and didn’t go for the cover again. Roman unloaded several punches to Jey’s face before referee Charles Robinson pulled him off of Uso. Reigns told the referee to shut his mouth and that this is family business.
Reigns continued to punch Jey in the face while demanding that he acknowlege him as the tribal cheif. Jimmy Uso showed up with a towel and told Jey that he has nothing to prove. Roman told Jimmy to get into the ring and acknowledge him as the head of the table. Jey told Jimmy to not throw in the towel but Reigns continued to unload punches and Jimmy threw in the towel. Roman Reigns is still the Universal Champion. Jimmy told Reigns that he is the chief and asked him to leave Jey alone. Paul Heyman then placed a lei around Reigns’ neck as Clash of Champions went off the air.
Opinion: I really enjoyed this match and Roman Reigns is phenomenal as a heel. Reigns beat the hell out of Jey during this match and did so while taunting him the entire time. WWE did a good job of making this match feel important and Jey gave it everything he had. The ending was also great with Jimmy saving his brother from Reigns. Overall, Clash of Champions was a very solid show. The Intercontinental Championship Ladder match was excellent and I thought the Universal and WWE Championship matches were also great.
