Preview: 2019 Clash of Champions!

The 2019 installment of clash of Champions is shaping up to be the longest show of the year (outside of Wrestlemania, of course). WWE promised every championship will be on the line and they seem to be following through on that promise. Like all WWE shows these days, I expect this one to be very hot and cold. So, zip up your winter coats and put on your oven mitts! It’s time to dive in to Clash of Champions.

Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women’s Champion)- OK. So we don’t exactly know what is going on here from the character development standpoint. Who is the "face" and who is the "heel" has been rendered basically irrelevant. However, both women are very solid wrestlers and should be able to put on a solid show for everyone. Only risk here is a poorly executed “Bayley to Belly”. My guess is That the queen exists her namesake city as the SmackDown Women’s Champion. This sets Bayley up well for a stronger heel turn and a team up with Sasha banks. Charlotte Flair wins the title from Bayley.

Seth Rollins and Brawn Strowman Vs. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode (Raw Tag Team Championship)- No way that Rollins/Strowman goes over on this one. It’s tacky enough that Brawn Strowman got a title shot just for staring at Rollins’ Universal Championship belt (Thanks to AJ Styles for saying what we all were thinking). Add to that the scenario where Rollins and Strowman retain the titles going into the main event tomorrow and you are left with is basically a playground brawl between two kids you’ve never met. A win for Ziggler and Roode would give them some needed air in a very crowded roster just before the big premiere of NXT on USA and a reported roster mix-up. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode win the titles from Seth Rollins and Brawn Strowman.

Seth Rollins Vs. Brawn Strowman (WWE Universal Championship)- As stated above, the only way to give this match-up any real weight is to make sure that they lose the tag championships earlier in the night. Assuming they do lose the tag championships early in the show I would guess that this match will be filled with more drama that good wrestling. Taking the Championship from Rollins this early into his reign would be a real shot to the gut. The Universal Championship is one that should not have a high velocity (Unlike the 24/7 championship, for example). In addition, a Seth Rollins win over the “Monster Among Men” would go a long way towards building Rollins up after that surprising win over Brock Lesner at SummerSlam. Seth Rollins retains the title over Brawn Strowman.

Kofi Kingston Vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship)- This is one of the few stories that has really been built and paced well since SummerSlam. The drama is high, especially with Xavier Woods being A.W.O.L. since the leg breaking chair incident a few weeks ago. Big-E has been missing for the last couple weeks as well. The table spot last week was a great way to bring the last ten years of Kofi’s career full circle. Orton, to his credit, has been the most effective heel in recent memory. He always resists the temptation to get cheap heat with crowds and provides sound (albeit, maniacal) reasoning for nearly every action he takes. However, Orton has already held the title a bajillion times. Kofi retaining the title in a hard fought match would help solidify his reign. Kofi retains the title over Orton.

Matt Lambert: Drew Gulak Vs. Humberto Carrillo Vs. Lince Dorado (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)- Carrillo is the new young upstart of 205 and NXT. He and Gulak have a history, as Gulak briefly took Carrillo under his wing which led to a brief rivalry. Lince Dorado has been part of 205 Live since its inception in 2016 but this is his first championship opportunity. Both opponents won the chance to be in this match over recent episodes of 205 Live, but this match does feel a bit thrown together. Gulak is an excellent wrestler and champion, and I don’t think Dorado or Carrillo are likely to unseat the current champion. Gulak retains and will likely hold the title until 205 Live is absorbed into NXT, as was reported earlier this week. On a side note, I hope the audience will be more respectful of this match than they were on this past week’s episode.

The New Day Vs. The Revival (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)- This feud has been a large and formidable satellite orbiting the mega star Kofi-Orton. However, little progress has been made in the last several weeks since Big-E and Xavier Woods were effectively beaten out of the story. Despite that fact, emotions are still running high and I expect this one to be an early high point in the show. I’m a little torn on this prediction. If The New Day go over it takes some of the pressure off of the Kofi/Orton match. My guess is that the writers want to keep the pressure on the WWE Championship match more than they want to give The Revival a well-deserved push. Proof that timing is just as important as talent. The Revival are probably the most underrated tag team in WWE right now and my guess is that it may have finally come. The Revival will win the titles from The New Day.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz (WWE Intercontinental Championship)- This rivalry has been a real low point in the WWE Universe since SummerSlam. Watching it has been about as satisfying as eating stale white bread with a tall glass of room temperature water. I certainly hope that Paul Heyman is targeting The Miz for the win on this one. He has really looked weak these last few weeks since Zayn and Nakamura teamed up and started getting the jump on him every chance they could get. It was decent heat at first, but has quickly become an overused trope. Nakamura doesn’t need Zayn by any stretch of the imagination. Wrestling wise, I expect this to be one of the top three matches in the ring of the night. Both men are extremely talented and know their craft. Their different styles also lend themselves well to each other. The Miz will win the WWE Intercontinental Championship from Nakamura.

Becky Lynch Vs. Sasha banks (WWE Raw Women’s Championship)- The Boss is back, baby. Sasha Bank’s turn has been the best single moment since SummerSlam (Sorry Stone Cold fans). No one is crazy about Natalya, so seeing Banks turn on her in such a personal way was really surprising. It was almost too good. The audience loves her. That being said, Sasha seems to be in this just to get a strong push so when she starts tagging with ex-champ Bayley she will look like her equal. The whole Boss Vs. Man angle seems to have quieted down since Ric Flair started threatening to sue WWE over their use of “The Man” for Becky Lynch. So, the commentators have had less to work with in the last few weeks. However, I expect this to be the match of the night on the women’s side and a top 3 contender for the whole night. Becky Lynch will retain the title over Sasha Banks.

Roman Reigns Vs. Erick Rowan (No Disqualifications Match)- The whole “No DQ” angle seems like a desperate attempt on the part of the writers’ to make this match as important as the rest of the card. However, nothing carries the weight of a WWE Championship match. In addition, this whole storyline has been a road to nowhere. Few times in the history of the WWE have three men done so little work for so many weeks in the ring for the same pay as they would have gotten jumping from the top ropes two times a week. Good for them. I hope they are well rested because this match is going to need to put one of them through the top of a steel cage like Mankind or contain a Swanton Bomb off the top of a cage for it to be on par with the rest after the last five weeks. I expect Daniel Bryan to play a pivotal role in this one as well. Roman Reigns will defeat Erick Rowan.

Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross (Bliss Cross) Vs. Fire and Desire (Mandy Rose/Sonya DeVille) (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)- Why in the name of god are Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross still entering matches separately? They are a very solid tag team partnership and have defended the titles more in the last couple months than they have been defended since their creation. Unfortunately, the fact that these two characters do not seem to be coalescing into one gimmick like Fire and Desire have or The IIconics were tells us that they will not be forever. Fire and Desire will win the titles from Bliss Cross.

AJ Styles Vs. Cedric Alexander (WWE United States Championship)- This is another one that is very rushed. For a while there it looked like Styles and the OC would be battling with Rollins and Strowman (a much more interesting handicap match, in my opinion). This has the potential to be the best match of the night in the ring. It has been reported that Paul Heyman is interested in giving Cedric Alexander a “slow push” to the top of the card. A really solid match with a veteran like Styles would play well into that strategy. For now, Alexander making it past the first round of the King of the Ring hardly qualified him for the United States Championship. His time is coming, but he needs to stay patient and hungry is he wanted to grab that “brass ring.” AJ Styles will retain the United States Championship from Cedric Alexander.

Matt Lambert: 24/7 Championship- The title will change hands no less than 7 times throughout the night, with R-Truth being the last to win and leave the building with the title.