Roundtable: Clash Of Champions 2019

Which match are you most looking forward to?

David Gibb: Bayley-Charlotte and Sasha-Becky should both be really strong, but I’ve got my eye on the Tag Team Championship match between the Revival and New Day. Revival are about to start a big run, and the way the personalities of the two teams clash feels special.

Matthew Smith: Kofi vs. Randy Orton. Hopefully, we get a proper finish to this match this time around. Orton has done a great job of making Kofi more than just a happy go lucky champ. Kofi has had to find a mean streak – it hasn’t always been rainbows and unicorns for him this time. Orton, with some help from The Revival, has systematically attacked Kofi and his New Day brothers. I hope they give this match a decent amount of time and we wrap this part of Kofi’s title run up with him striking back against the Viper.

Juan Bautisa: I’m looking forward to the Women’s Championship matches. I want to see where the Sasha Banks and Bayley storyline goes.

Sam Gladen: Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carillo vs. Lince Dorado for the Cruiserweight Championship. These guys would be at the top of the card anywhere they went that wasn’t WWE and I am very excited to see what they can do with a good chunk of time in front of a PPV audience.

John Corrigan: Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks will be one of the greatest women’s matches of all time. Give them all the stars!

Anthony Mahlis: Kofi vs. Orton. The buildup to their feud has been terrific, and we kind of got robbed at SummerSlam so I hope for a really good match.

Steven Jackson: AJ Styles vs. Cedric Alexander should be a brilliant contest and one I’d definitely be excited to see!

Chad Gelfand: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch. These two have a ton of history, the feud has been good so far and their match at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable is still one of my favorite NXT matches. These two should tear it down at Clash of Champions, too.

Jack Goodwillie: First, let me say: Too. Many. Titles. Too. Many. Matches. The card is at least four matches too long, and Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan isn’t even a title match. Which is WHY you shouldn’t hamstring yourself with a themed PPV every month, but I digress. Once again, there appears to be a lot more meat on the bone thanks to the reintroduction of King of the Ring and there being a greater quantity of legitimate issues on both shows. None of the matches really stand out a ton more than the rest, but I like the story of AJ Styles vs Cedric Alexander and I expect a star-making performance from Cedric when those two lock horns this Sunday.

Who will win the King of the Ring?

Gibb: Gable. Corbin has had so much TV time the last year – he doesn’t need this!

Smith: We are watching Barrett vs. Neville all over again. Upstart babyface vs. heel that no one really cares about. Hopefully, history doesn’t repeat itself with Corbin becoming King, so I’m behind Gable. All hail King Gable!

Bautista: It will probably be Baron Corbin, I’d like to see Chad Gable win.

Gladen: The only remaining person in the tournament who makes any sense is Baron Corbin. His brand of heel always seems to work best when he’s given power over the other members of the roster that he seemingly doesn’t deserve. Watching Corbin come to terms with being named the king, but being unable to “rule over” anyone or struggling with why he does not have diplomatic immunity recognized by the United States all with an air of self-importance and carried by a schmozz finish would be deeply entertaining.

Corrigan: There is no chance in hell that Chad Gable defeats Baron Corbin.

Mahalis: Unfortunately, Baron Corbin. Disgraceful, I know. To me, the title of King of the Ring just fits better with a heel. With as stacked as this field was, we get Baron Corbin and Chad Gable in the final? Come on, man. It’s even stunning to type still. Like really? Not Joe, not Andrade, not Drew…Baron Corbin. Yuck.

Jackson: It has already been written in stone that it is going to be Baron Corbin, which is a travesty as the talent pool for the King of the Ring was so strong.

Gelfand: Chad Gable. He’s been underutilized for far too long and now he’s getting a shot to showcase his skills and delivering big time.

Goodwillie: Of all the matches on the card, the fact that the King of the Ring final is being saved for Raw is disgraceful on some levels. Of all the matches to fit the look and feel of Clash of Champions, one would think the King of the Ring final would fit the bill, no? Baron Corbin is my pick, but man, oh man, do I want to be wrong. I see a future superstar in Chad Gable, but I already know WWE sees a future superstar in Baron Corbin. He’ll never get there, though, and I’m hoping they go the other way with Gable.

Is the feuding Tag Team Champions trope still interesting in 2019?

Gibb: Not especially, dude, but at least it’s an ethos.

Smith: Absolutely not. It wasn’t interesting years ago either. There are a ton of teams in WWE, but if you don’t put time in your division and give guys a chance, how do they get better? How do they become a draw? Strowman doesn’t need a tag team title belt to feel like a monster or a contender for the Universal Championship, and apparently if you tag with Seth Rollins, you are guaranteed a Tag Team Championship run. It just makes the tag belts feel a lot less special.

Bautista: No. It has worked before, but now it’s not interesting, especially when it’s just thrown together with very little to no build.

Gladen: It can be if done well. The issue with Rollins and Strowman feuding is that they’re both babyfaces (at least in the eyes of the company) and who want the title as a physical example of their skill. If they had been feuding for the title before being placed together or if Rollins had turned heel when beating Lesnar, it could be more interesting. But he isn’t and Braun seemed legitimately uninterested in titles after losing to Brock in Saudi Arabia for his last challenge. The feud seems forced and ill planned.

Corrigan: Nope. Tommy Dreamer and Raven did it best because they were mortal enemies. Nobody in WWE has a mortal enemy right now.

Mahalis: I mean, I’m ok with it. It’s a kind of interesting wrinkle because of the Universal Title. I’m genuinely curious how it will play out.

Jackson: When done correctly with the right people and in the right context…absolutely! With the wrong people and no real context…not at all. It is one of those storyline tropes which quickly becomes sadly disengaging.

Gelfand: No, because it’s become predictable and tired. It’s always inevitable that team friction is going to cause them to lose the titles.

Goodwillie: No, but Revival vs. New Day IS interesting in 2019, especially with the way they’ve seamlessly collaborated with Randy Orton. The two teams have met before, but never in a 15-minute PPV quality match the New Day tends to like to have on shows like these. It’s a match I’m looking forward to nonetheless and it has show-stealing potential.

What do you think about Sami Zayn being Shinsuke Nakamura’s mouthpiece?

Gibb: Sure, why not?

Smith: I do like that they aren’t trying to force Nakamura to speak English – Brock might make the most money in WWE and we rarely hear him talk. So the formula can work for Nakamura, just hate to see Sami here. Remember when these two guys tore the house down in NXT? I love the Miz, but give me Sami vs. Nakamura for the title in a 30-minute bout.

Bautista: It’s great and hopefully down the line one of them turns on each other and they can have their NXT Takeover: Dallas rematch.

Gladen: It’s a great spot for Sami and Shinsuke, but I hope it doesn’t mean that Sami is done in the ring. But if this is a stop gap to reinsert Shinsuke in the main event picture while keeping Sami in the wrestling consciousness and allowing him more time to rehab his last injury, then the partnership has nothing but upside.

Corrigan: I’m enjoying it. Sami Zayn is one of the best on the mic, and Nakamura desperately needed something to rejuvenate his character.

Mahalis: I actually like it so far. I don’t see it being sustainable for too long, but it gives Sami something to do at least.

Jackson: I don’t really watch WWE, so I had no idea this had happened. That sounds dreadful and a true waste of two super talented individuals.

Gelfand: I don’t think it’s working. The company has kept Sami Zayn down for so long that it has no impact. It’s a shame because Zayn is so talented, but he hasn’t been utilized properly in years.

Goodwillie: I’m cool with it because it seems like it’s leaning towards Zayn returning to babyface status where he excels. As I’ve said before, Sami is not an effective heel by virtue of being involved in too many crass segments designed to either troll the audience or be completely unwatchable. A face turn can do him some good, and if they CHOOSE, WWE can play off their NXT match – Nakamura’s first match in the company, should they decide to carry on with a singles feud.

How do you feel about Erick Rowan being revealed as Roman Reigns’ mystery assailant?

Gibb: Momma always said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say…”

Smith: The storyline itself has been a bit strange, but I like Rowan getting a chance here. Before I go celebrating that we might get a new singles star out of this, let’s remember how Harper was treated when Bray was feuding with Orton on the road to Mania.

Bautista: It’s alright. When the angle initially began, it was very interesting, but they have slowly derailed it and it’s not surprising to hear that the angle has been botched already.

Gladen: I don’t feel anything honestly. It is truly un-surprising and un-inspiring story telling. I was excited momentarily when it seemed that Buddy Murphy was the culprit or that Daniel Bryan was the grand mastermind, but he wasn’t and Bryan was just as clueless to Rowan’s culpability as the rest of us. I wish I was surprised at how lame this story so quickly became, but unfortunately it seems to just be old hat for WWE.

Corrigan: I’m holding out hope that Daniel Bryan will ultimately be revealed as the mastermind behind the whole thing.

Mahalis: Eh, not a huge fan. I don’t really care for Rowan. He just doesn’t do it for me. Like what does he really bring to the table that is good? The only thing that is potentially good about this is the potential that this is all still an elaborate ruse being orchestrated by Daniel Bryan. We all would like to see Bryan vs. Reigns. I don’t think anyone cares about Rowan vs. Reigns.

Jackson: Much like King Corbin, it doesn’t surprise me. Nothing in WWE surprises me, sadly.

Gelfand: Rowan is actually underrated and I’m looking forward to Reigns and his match, but it was a bit of an underwhelming reveal just because he’s been a sidekick for so long.

Goodwillie: So far, WWE has done a good job of portraying Rowan as an uncontrollable Frankenstein of sorts, but the man has never lacked presence. Rather, Rowan’s career has been defined by one of Bruce Prichard’s most significant sayings: “…And then the bell rang.” This weekend, he’ll have the opportunity to work himself in company plans for the foreseeable future if he can even deliver a passing match with Roman Reigns, and a great match would probably shock the world.