WWE Clash of Champions 2019 — the one time a year that champions CLASH — airs this Sunday, September 15, live on WWE Network. The show features a whopping ten championship matches, ranging from the Universal Championship pulling double duty in a Raw Tag Team Championship match to a triple threat for the Cruiserweight Championship. Make sure you’re here all weekend for our full Clash coverage, featuring an open discussion thread, live results, and more. Here’s the complete card as we know it.
WWE Clash of Champions Card:
1. Universal Championship Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Braun Strowman
2. Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode
3. WWE Championship Match: Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton
4. Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. The Revival
5. Raw Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sasha Banks
6. Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
7. Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (c) vs. Fire and Desire
8. United States Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Cedric Alexander
9. Intercontinental Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. The Miz
10. Cruiserweight Championship Match: Drew Gulak (c) vs. Lince Dorado vs. Humberto Carrillo
11. No Disqualification Match: Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan
As always, we’ve got your complete rundown of the card and analysis below, featuring predictions for all eleven matches. Surprisingly, they’re saving the King of the Ring finals for Monday’s Raw.
Here’s what we think will happen at Clash of (the) Champions. Drop a comment in our comment section below to let us know who you think’s winning.
No Disqualification Match: Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan
What Should Happen: Roman should wrestle the entire match and be about to pin Rowan with a Superman Punch™ and a Spear® when the referee suddenly realizes … wait, this isn’t Rowan at al! It’s the ROWAN DOPPELGANGER! And then actual Rowan crawls out from under the ring, smashes a model car on the back of Roman’s head, and pins him. Obviously I’m kidding about all of this, and Roman should just wreck Rowan en route to a win to get revenge for the murder mystery. Then we can move forward with Smackdown on Fox and something other than a botched whodunnit for one of the company’s biggest and most marketable stars.
What Will Happen: I can’t imagine Rowan being important enough of a character to win here. If he does, maybe it’s through Daniel Bryan interference? We could find out that Bryan’s been in on it all along, which would make his, “I hate liars,” thing especially reprehensible. Then we could do Reigns vs. Bryan in an Actual Match at Hell in a Cell or Survivor Series or whenever, which would be a gargantuan step up from Roman vs. the lesser Bludgeon Brother.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – Reigns wins and goes into a feud with the REAL mastermind behind his attack, Daniel Bryan. This feud has been pretty convoluted, so I’ll say he doesn’t beat Rowan straight-up.
Raj Prashad – If we’re going to take Rowan’s new mean streak seriously, he’s got to win this one. Picking Rowan over Reigns.
Elle Collins – I think Erick Rowan is going to beat Roman Reigns. Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Drew Gulak (c) vs. Lince Dorado vs. Humberto Carrillo
What Should Happen: Since Clash of the Champions is the show where all the championships are supposed to be defended, can we put the no disqualification grudge match on the pre-show and let the Cruiserweights have some pay-per-view real estate?
What Will Happen: With all the rumors of 205 Live folding into NXT and the show itself disappearing, Drew Gulak’s the guy you need holding the Cruiserweight Championship. He’s got indie cred, he’s great in the ring, and he’s already appeared on weekly NXT TV against KUSHIDA. Dorado and especially Carrillo are good opponents, but neither of them has the cache to show up in Florida and be like 205 LIVE IS NOW EXCLUSIVE TO FULL SAIL to thunderous chanting. Putting the cruisers show in the same venue in front of mostly the same crowd as the Cruiserweight Classic is a call they should’ve made from the beginning.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – I think I would actually love to see 205 Live newbie and very adorable human Humberto Carrillo get a shock win of the Cruiserweight Championship here, but Gulak’s reign is going too well and I think they’re going to make it last. Like most CC matches, this should be great.
Raj Prashad – Gulak’s run doesn’t look close to ending. Going with the champ to retain.
Elle Collins – This should be a really great match, like the Cruiserweight matches always are. Drew Gulak is definitely retaining, though.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. The Miz
What Should Happen: This should set up a rematch between the two in the Tokyo Dome as part of next year’s two-day Wrestle Kingdom. I just want to see The Miz doing head drops and kicking out of lariats in the Tokyo Dome before I die.
What Will Happen: I can’t imagine they’d build up an Intercontinental Championship feud with bones this bare and pull the trigger on a title change, but with Fox Smackdown needing the show’s biggest stars and most TV-friendly faces, maybe this is just an excuse to get a belt on The Miz again? It could go either way, really, but if my lazy assumption is correct, the finish will be Miz getting distracted by Sami Zayn and Nakamura kneeing him in the back of the head or whatever to retain.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – For most of the past two years or so, I’d say The Miz was more likely to have a beneficial thing happen to him than Nakamura, but we are now in the post-Shane-feud era of the Miz and I have no idea what the future holds for him. Meanwhile, Nakamura has a fun new gimmick with Sami Zayn that’s just picking up steam. It seems like he should win and these two probably keep feuding.
Raj Prashad – If WWE is really trying to repackage Nakamura, there’s no reason for him to drop the belt. I’ve got Nak in an easy win over Miz.
Elle Collins – They’ve just started doing something with Shinsuke Nakamura, so it would honestly be pretty unsurprising if he dropped the belt. And truthfully, I wouldn’t even be that sad about it, because the Miz remains my favorite Intercontinental Champion of all time. Damn, I guess I just talked myself into it. I’m picking the Miz, and then he can keep feuding with Shinsuke for a bit to make sure he’s not forgotten.
United States Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Cedric Alexander
What Should Happen: WWE should give these two as much time as they want, tell them to pretend the match is happening on an NXT TakeOver, and let them shine. I don’t honestly think there’s a chance of Cedric Alexander winning the United States Championship after standing tall in the main event of a Madison Square Garden Raw only a few days ago, but anything that doesn’t end with, “The O.C. ran in for the disqualification,” should be A+.
What Will Happen: I’m guessing Styles came up with a good idea for how to counter the Lumbar Check. Maybe he goes up, turns in the air, and comes down on his feet so he can roll right into the Calf Crusher? Ced’s legs would be right there. Anyway, Styles definitely retains, but this could very easily be the match of the night.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – What if the big theme of the O.C. storyline is that AJ Styles keeping winning the U.S. Championship, then losing it to younger, fresher talent, then winning it back? I will commit to this theory and say that’s what happens with Styles and Alexander. Like Styles and Ricochet, this match and any future matches between Styles and Alexander should rule.
Raj Prashad – Alexander is a heavy underdog against Styles, but he’s coming into the title match with plenty of momentum. Going with Alexander for the upset.
Elle Collins – It’s really cool that Cedric has a PPV match with AJ Styles, even if the build to it was minimal. I don’t believe for a second that AJ Styles is losing, though.
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (c) vs. Fire and Desire
What Should Happen: Anything other than a line like, “I’m beautiful … and she’s ugly!” That Smackdown segment really did a disservice to a feud that was already only breathing because of a challenger pins the champion setup. All four of these women deserve better than that.
What Will Happen: With no disrespect meant, Alexa Bliss seems like the only reason the Women’s Tag Team Championship is being booked like the top title of a real division. If Fire and Desire wins, I’m afraid they’d just disappear like the IIconics, or even worse, the Kabuki Warriors. Hopefully Rose and Deville get the actual pay-per-view title match they deserve, as they’ve grown into a really good tag team, but the champs almost certainly retain.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – WWE decided to do the least creative possible thing between Mandy Rose and Nikki Cross before this match, so I’m going to say Fire and Desire win. Bliss and Cross keep feuding with them, now with more heat behind the Cross-Rose aspect of the feud. If this match gets like eight or more minutes it should be good.
Raj Prashad – Fire and Desire is long due for a significant run, and this seems like the place to do it. I’ve got Mandy and Sonya running away with this one.
Elle Collins – This division is almost being booked like it’s a thing now! I mean, it’s a step up at least. I like Fire and Desire a lot, but it’s hard for me to believe that the only Women’s Tag Team Champions that WWE has ever cared about are going to lose this soon. So I’m picking Alexa and Nikki to win.
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
What Should Happen: A match that necessitates a physical or professional change in Bayley’s character. The heel turn worked brilliantly, and I get why she’s maintained the image from then until now, but I’d like to see her go to a really “dark” place to retain against Charlotte. Whether that’s a nasty submission finisher, some darker looking gear, or even ditching the side-pony, if only for a match. I want to see Bayley finally elevate on the main roster to being respected in the ring in the same breath as the other three Horsewomen.
What Will Happen: Too many of my predictions are based around, “what would Fox like?” Fox would like Charlotte Flair. There’s an awful lot of her in that first commercial. I’ll say Charlotte wins, Bayley flips out on her — maybe THIS is where the major change happens? — and Becky makes the save. Becky getting beaten down in a post-match attack would provide some drama for Becky vs. Sasha.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – I’m guessing Flair beats Bayley here just so she can be the women’s champ when Smackdown moves to Fox. But maybe they’ll switch the rosters around enough before then that that doesn’t make sense! There are so many possibilities for the Four Horsewomen matches on this show and I’m really just interested in watching these sure-to-be-good matches and seeing what happens next.
Raj Prashad – Having both main women’s belts on the former tag team champs seems like the right move. With that said, I’ve got Charlotte earning the win to become the face of Smackdown yet again.
Elle Collins – I really, really want Bayley to win this match, but I just don’t have faith. I think there’s still a second step to Bayley’s heel turn, where she goes a little dark and admits she’s no longer a friend to all children, and I think losing the championship is probably the way to get her there. Plus you know, people like it when Charlotte Flair wins championships. Mostly people who work backstage.
Raw Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sasha Banks
What Should Happen: Bayley loses, but then Sasha Banks wins. That resets the natural order of the tag team and friendship as a whole: Sasha Banks is the important one, and she keeps Bayley around to feel good about herself. Bayley’s just happy to have a cool friend who tells her she loves her. This is some deep-rooted psychological NXT shit.
What Will Happen: I honestly do think Sasha Banks wins here. I can’t imagine she “took her ball and went home” for four months and came back just to lose her first major feud. I mentioned a Charlotte/Bayley post-match beatdown with Lynch getting hurt somehow, but even if that doesn’t happen, I think Banks beats her straight up. Plus, that gives us the great drama for Monday night: can Sasha Banks finally defend a championship she just won, or is she just going to immediately lose it again?
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – You know what? I’m going to do it. I’m going to bank on the Boss. Banks winning the title would add more legitimacy to her heel turn, and seeing Lynch chase the title again would be cool. Whoever wins, I’m excited about everything about this match.
Raj Prashad – If Becky was going to drop the belt to anyone, it should be the red-hot Banks. Let’s drag this one out through the fall.
Elle Collins – At last, the first feud Becky’s had in 2019 that’s actually worthy of the Man! And you know what? I think Sasha takes it. She could really be amazing as a heel champion right now, and let’s be real, somebody at some point probably had to promise her something. Becky’s going to keep being a star (they couldn’t take that from her if they tried), but she can be a star without a belt for a while.
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. The Revival
What Should Happen: It’s weird that I’m not more hype for this, because it could be the best match of the night in a walk. I think it’s just because it feels like a supplementary feud for Kingston vs. Orton? Regardless, these are the two best non-drunk driving tag teams in WWE, so if they get any time and an agent that lets them tell a consistent, in-ring story with that time, it’ll be aces.
What Will Happen: New Day doesn’t need to be Tag Team Champions anymore because they’re the New Day. The Revival doesn’t need to be Tag Team Champions because they can’t do their Revival thing and have exciting tag title matches on the main roster, so they seem like placeholders. So what gives? I think WWE’s love of factions holding championships together wins out, and the image of The Revival being tag champs while Orton struts around with the WWE Championship prevails.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – The New Day feuding with the Revival is tied in with Orton feuding with Kingston and it feels like that angle is wrapping up, so I’m guessing The New Day retain and the feud ends. This could easily be the best match of the night.
Raj Prashad – Top Guys might just be back on top. While Kingston keeps the belt, I’ve got The Revival squaring things up with a win of their own.
Elle Collins – How soon are the Revival’s contracts up? I think they might win here. It could really go either way, but I’m picking the Revival. As great as the New Day are, they’ve had plenty of championship runs, and Dash and Dawson could use one.
WWE Championship Match: Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton
What Should Happen: Who better to hold WWE’s top title as Smackdown transitions to Fox than Randy Orton, the kind of guy who’d go on Fox News and tell you you’re stupid for being mad about WWE going to Saudi Arabia? Fox was probably like, “John Cena?” And when WWE wrote back, “John Cena doesn’t really work here anymore,” Fox was like, “okay, how about the next best John Cena?” Randy Orton: The Next Best John Cena.
What Will Happen: Everything in my brain tells me Kofi’s going to lose here. I think that might be the idea, though. The non-finish at SummerSlam felt odd, and most of the build suggested that he’d retain here … until Monday, when the lure of Madison Square Garden was too great, and Kofi stood tall in a dramatic callback to 10 years ago. Ugh, Randy Orton’s winning. If he doesn’t, I’ll happily clap my hands and be glad to be wrong. Putting that, “say the worst scenario so they read it and it doesn’t happen,” energy out into the world.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – Kingston retains in a match with at least one more spot that throws back to their past feud.
Raj Prashad – I’ve enjoyed the build to this one, with callbacks to 10 years ago. I don’t see Kingston dropping the belt here, but the upcoming move to FOX could impact things.
Elle Collins – Randy Orton’s entire character right now is being so privileged that he thinks he’s the best, and it would be a huge mistake to put a belt on that guy, no matter how many he’s held before. Surely WWE realizes this obvious fact too. I think they do, or at least they know that Kofi and the New Day get pops and make money. So yeah, I’m picking him to retain.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode
What Should Happen: There’s really only two options here:
- Rollins and Strowman retain, so if one beats the other in the Universal Championship match, there’s a great strain on the Tag Team Championship and then someone can swoop in and take advantage to win, or
- Rollins and Strowman lose via miscommunication, D-Generation X-style, to build last second drama for the Universal Championship match
The first seems preferable to the second, doesn’t it? Rollins and Strowman are a surprisingly great tag team. Does anybody want Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to be Tag Team Champions?
What Will Happen: It’s gonna be funny when Braun Strowman can win the Tag Team Championship with a 10-year old boy, but loses when he’s got Seth Rollins as his partner.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – This match should be fine-to-good and I can easily see the crowd turning on it. Ziggler and Roode are such a non-team that no one is interested in that I’m guessing this match way more about the drama between Rollins and Strowman… and Strowman goes full Big Show and turns heel on Seth before their title match. The opposite turn might be more effective, but I think this one is more likely.
Raj Prashad – There really would be nothing better than Braun turning on Rollins here, and immediately winning the Universal championship. Going with Ziggler and Roode to win the belts, leading to some chaos in the main event.
Elle Collins – I just don’t know what to do with this match. It seems weird for Seth and Braun to retain and then go on to fight each other later the same night, but why on Earth would they give the belts to the randomly assembled team of Ziggler and Roode? Maybe the OC interferes and it goes to a No Contest? Yeah, I guess that makes the most sense. Either way, I guess I’m predicting Seth and Braun to retain.
Universal Championship Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Braun Strowman
What Should Happen: Braun should probably be the champion, but he “probably should’ve been the champion” a long time ago when he was red hot, and then skipped it. So …
What Will Happen: The hater in me says that Rollins and Strowman lose the Tag Team Championship because of a heated miscommunication, the match gets really wild and violent, and then ends in a No Contest when Brock Lesnar shows up and suplexes them both. Honestly, at this point I feel like Lesnar’s hilarious dominance over Strowman needs to continue, especially if it keeps Strowman from the Universal Championship again.
Staff Predictions
Emily Pratt – If this main events and the PPV goes long, I could see the crowd getting real snarky during this match. On paper, this is the most important match on the card, but it and the other match involving its competitors feel like the least interesting. Seth probably retains. The match itself should be fine.
Raj Prashad – WWE has some creative options with the tag team match also on the card. It feels like Strowman finally gets over the hump to win the belt.
Elle Collins – WWE has done nothing make me believe that they’re finally going to put a top title on Braun Strowman after years of, you know, not doing that. Seth Rollins is clearly a star, and while Braun Strowman has a certain star quality, he still gets treated like more of a novelty. All of that to say, Seth’s retaining.
There you have it. Those are our picks for who will win what and what’ll go down at Clash of Champions 2019.
Agree? Disagree vehemently and want to tell us you hate our guts for thinking a different wrestle-thing than you? Drop down into our comments section and let us know what you think will happen. And hey, make sure you’re here this weekend for our open thread, live results, Best and Worst of Clash of Champions, and everything else that comes with it. See you then!
