411’s WWE Clash of Champions Preview

~THE STAFF~
* 411 columnist, Mr. Steve Cook.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Jake Chambers.
* 411 columnist, Mr. Justin Watry.
* 411 columnist, Mr. Brandon Ewing.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Mitch Nickelson.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Ken Hill.

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Kickoff Show Match: Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley

Steve Cook: Silly, silly Mojo. Never break up a tag team if the feud that would follow can’t even get on the main card. You have to wait until the breakup actually means something. The Hype Bros were fun, but they were just kinda there & didn’t do much that made us care. That’s why they’re here. Mojo is the one with upside here, but I think it’s too soon for him to get the win. Ryder out smarts him here, which won’t really take much.

WINNER: Zack Ryder

JUSTIN WATRY: Mojo Rawley as the HYPED guy does nothing for me. I am not a ‘bro’ nor am I from the east coast. That junk goes right over my head. Pairing up with Zack Ryder certainly doesn’t help. You know what does work for Mojo though? Being the high school jock and cocky SOB who gets to party with NFL players and get all the women. That is a heel worth investing in. I like the attitude change and was adamant that HE turn heel and not Zack Ryder, despite rumors to the contrary. Mojo wins, cuts a passionate promo afterwards, and everybody whines and cries over Mr. Woo Woo Woo losing like it is 2012 all over again.

WINNER: Mojo Rawley

Jake Chambers: 2017 has been one horrible year for televised wrestling in the WWE, and what better way to cap it off than with the worst looking PPV on paper maybe EVER? And, hell, why not hide the match with the longest running storyline on the always relevant pre-show.

WINNER: Whatever product WWE wants to advertise during that one Kickoff Show Match break, which is probably for the Network, which we’re all subscribed too already, mainly in hopes of getting to see matches without commercial interruptions, as was originally advertised.

BRANDON EWING: Mojo Rawley picks up the victory here to extend their feud. I feel Mojo is going to be receiving a decent push from WWE.

WINNER: Mojo Rawley

Mitch Nickelson: I like what I’ve seen from this story, but WWE hasn’t given enough to make it a can’t-miss match up. Mojo is kind of sort of intriguing as a bitter heel, but random promos that I find on Twitter are not enough. I hope Mojo gets the win here and moves slightly up the card with more of a presence on Smackdown, but that probably won’t happen. I really do like these guys, it’s just that past booking inhibits my optimism that any of this matters too much.

WINNER: Mojo Rawley

Ken Hill:

The trigger’s finally been pulled,
Mojo’s jonesin’ for a solo hype.
Let’s keep it to a one-match deal,
and move on from the low-tier tripe.

Out of the three possibilities I entertained concerning this particular storyline (the others being Ryder turning on Mojo for daring to find success without him, or BOTH turning heel to compensate for the Usos’ seeming face/tweener turn), this seemed to be the most probable, given that Mojo certainly didn’t seem to want to fall back into the tag team dregs after having a mere taste of singles success at WM 33. It’d make very little sense for Rawley NOT to get the win here, as he certainly has more upside on the Blue roster than “Zack Daddy.” That being said, where Mojo goes from here really depends on what WWE and Vince see in his potential; he could make for an interesting “uber-aggressive” heel in the mid-card if built up right, or end up a victim of his own “hype”, as it were.

WINNER: Mojo Rawley

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Breezango

Steve Cook: As much as we love Breezango, they’re here to get bludgeoned by Harper & Rowan. Poor guys.

WINNER: Bludgeon Brothers

@JustinWatry: Another dead eye shot from yours truly. The Fashion Files turned out to be a bust and is now toiling away on WWE.com because the fans and writers lost interest…if there was any interest to begin with. The Bludgeon Brothers impressed me on Tuesday night for the first time since their reunion. The way they man handled those two fellas. Ouch. Poor guys. Hey, maybe WWE should sign one and have him beat AJ Styles next week! No, no, no…okay. Harper and Rowan win.

WINNER: Bludgeon Brothers

Jake Chambers: If the WWE is gonna make it status quo to include matches on a “PPV” that we’d all skip through on the weekly TV show, then they’re really testing how much we’re willing to put up with! Soon there’s only going to be one way left to affect change: Revolution!

WINNER: James Storm, Abyss, Sanda, Khoya & Manik

BRANDON EWING : The Bludgeon Brothers pick up the win. Breezango take the bullet on this one, unfortunately. They’re in a situation where Tyler Breeze and Fandango should be getting a push into the tag title picture but are seen by WWE brass as simply an attraction/comedy act.

WINNER: Bludgeon Brothers

Mitch Nickelson: This has to be the safest pick of the night. It’s weird that Harper and Rowan couldn’t have been a dominant and intimidating tag team for the past year or two that they’ve been floundering, but better late than never I guess. As long as Tyler Breeze & Fandango aren’t squashed too quickly, I’ll enjoy this. Don’t get me wrong, this does need to be a fairly quick win, but I’m hoping they give Breezango long enough to throw out a few laughs.

WINNER: The Bludgeon Brothers

Ken Hill:

2B or not 2B, is no longer the question
Whether ’tis nobler for Breezango to suffer
The hammers and masks of outrageous gimmicks,
Or to take squirt guns against a Sea of H,
And by opposing end them..selves: to job; 2B squashed.

With the whole “2B, Bludgeon Brothers” hoopla seemingly resolved with the match being made, it’s more a matter now of what the plan is for Breezango following their eventual beat down from Harper and Rowan; fading back into “Fashion Files” limbo along with The Ascension, or keeping active as perennial underdogs in the Blue Brand’s tag division? Personally, I’d never tire of seeing just how many more cop and sci-fi parodies WWE can squeeze out of these two, but I also question exactly WHAT is WWE’s endgame concerning the “Fashion Police.”

WINNER: The Bludgeon Brothers

Owens and Zayn’s Careers on the Line: Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura (Special Referees: Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan)

Steve Cook: It’s always risky business when careers are on the line. It’s even riskier business when there are special referees involved. I can’t see Sami & Kevin going out this way, and they’ll figure a way out of this tricky situation.

WINNER: Sami & Kevin

JUSTIN WATRY: Feels like a lot of heels might be winning on Sunday. That is okay. Some shows have a lot of faces win, and believe it or not, some shows have a lot of heels win. No real balance as many online love to claim. Really just comes down to the individual story lines and not the entire event as a whole. My guess is Daniel Bryan helps Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn win, thus keeping their jobs. Maybe on purpose, maybe by accident. Does not really matter. Shane McMahon turning heel and joining up with the Yep Movement makes approximately zero sense. Bryan? Well, turning him heel would be ridiculous on paper…but has been the tease for weeks now. Sadly, Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton are background players here – just there to have two faces get screwed over. I suspect both will have a much larger role coming out of this show. Thankfully.

WINNER: Kevin Owens pins Randy Orton

Jake Chambers: What a joke. And this is from a guy who let a tear roll down his cheek when John Cena was “fired” by Wade Barrett at Survivor Series 2010. I hope ROH is clearing some cap space for when Steen and Generico hit the free agent market on Monday – LOL! Do you think Tanahashi and Okada will be watching this PPV with the same envy Nakamura will be watching WrestleKingdom on January 4th?

WINNER: Randy Orton – dude’s still gonna be in a high profile match at WrestleMania, while everyone else here will be in like a multi-man gimmick match for the US Title or something.

BRANDON EWING: This is the most intriguing match on the card. Since the stipulation is about their “careers”, I’m gonna say that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will pick up the win. Something is going to happen here, either major miscommunication between Orton and Nakamura to setup an Orton heel turn, or a scenario where we see Daniel Bryan or Shane McMahon make a bad call to inadvertently set up Zayn/Owens to get the win. This would result in a Shane McMahon-Daniel Bryan feud that could evolve into a match if Bryan does get reinstated to wrestle again for WWE, officially.

WINNER: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

Mitch Nickelson: I’ve seen it pointed out several times that Sami is already advertised for the upcoming mixed tag show. I think it would be funny if Zayn & Owens lost just to mess with everybody who said that WWE gave away the ending with because of that stuff. They’re not going to lose, and that is the right call. Both Orton & Nakamura feel way too irrelevant, which is a problem when a match is more built around the two guest referee than some of the guys in the actual match. This could be good because there’s tons of talented people involved, but it’s also likely that this will be massively overbooked.

WINNER: Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

Ken Hill:

Two referees in the mix now? Yep.
A screwy finish is most probable? Yep.
Shane eventually embraces his “Meekmahan” roots? Yep.
Bryan slowly but surely opposes Shane’s tyranny? Yep.
D-Bry returns at WM 34 to combat evil Shane? HELL YEP.

Before getting into anything else concerning this match. I, along with everyone else, knows that Bryan returning to the ring is realistically a long shot given WWE’s official stance on concussions and the CTE controversy surround the NFL. We would all love nothing more than to see Bryan return to the ring (he himself has made it clear he’s returning to the ring one way or another, whether it be for WWE or somewhere else entirely), and it would especially work within the context of him rising up to oppose Shane going over to the dark side and embracing Daddy Vince’s tyrannical traits, but it ultimately comes down to the whims of Vince and other WWE higher-ups and how comfortable they’d be with Bryan performing, even in a one-match capacity.

That said, Bryan’s last-minute inclusion in this match is definitely indicative of a screwball finish to what’s already a somewhat overbooked match. They could go the complicated route by having Nakamura and Orton win, and then have Bryan rehire Owens and Zayn behind Shane’s back. That, however, would mean trying to implicate Bryan as a heel, which simply wouldn’t work given how much of a sympathetic figure he is with the WWE fans, tantamount to how we followed along to Stone Cold’s uproariously rebellious ways versus Boss McMahon before Austin’s controversial 2001 heel turn, which all who were involved (including Austin himself) admitted didn’t really work out in the long run.

No, the best option here is the simplest one: Shane gets incapacitated, Bryan counts the three fairly, Owens and Zayn keep their jobs, Shane eventually snaps over Bryan’s supposed “mutiny” and embraces his old man’s philosophy of looking out for himself and his business rather than the fans, and Bryan eventually (hopefully) rises up to oppose him at WrestleMania 34. Meanwhile, the “Yep! Movement” continues along.

WINNER: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. The New Day vs. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable vs. Rusev & Aiden English

Steve Cook: Like most Smackdown Tag Team Championship matches, this should be a really good match that I don’t care about very much. Everybody here is pretty solid, but there isn’t much reason to get wrapped up in their stories. The Usos usually seem like a smart choice, even on Rusev Day.

WINNER: Usos

Justin Watry: In my new column, I write about how no other team should hold the tag team titles right now but The Usos. I stand by that. The Rusev Day thing is fun but can only be repeated so many times. Unless it catches on to levels I don’t understand. The New Day? Please stop. Please. Been two years of that stale nonsense and now we have pancakes because…I don’t know. Another one of their many inside jokes that fly right over my head. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin would be my second option, but even that is doubtful at this point. The Usos deserve their moment to end 2017.

WINNER: The Usos

Jake Chambers: If only Teddy Long were here to make this a ladder match!

WINNER: Rhyno and Heath Slater… they’re still on Smackdown, right?

BRANDON EWING: This match is going to be match of the night in my opinion. I wanna give Benjamin and Gable the nod here but I think The Usos will retain by the skin of their teeth in what should be an amazing match with lots of action and excitement.

WINNER: The Usos

Mitch Nickelson: Are Rusev & Aiden English too much of a comedy act to be given the titles in the tag division? I worry they may be, but they’re far too entertaining for me to pick against them. This is the pick I’m least confident about. I’ll hope those new Rusev Day shirts have been selling like hotcakes and Vince now sees them as cash cows. At least this match should be pretty fast paced and exciting.

WINNER: Rusev & Aiden English

Ken Hill:

T’was the night before Rusev Day, when all through the ring
Not a Brute was Machka-ing, nor could you hear Aiden sing.
Cold fish and artistic tights were hung from Babushka’s chair,
in hopes that the tag titles would soon be theirs.

Versus Jimmy! Versus Jey! Now, Benjamin and Gable!
And now even New Day, this feud’s become unstable!
To TD Garden! To Fenway! And to Fanueil Hall!
Steal the show in Boston, have yourselves a ball!

We’ll spring to our feet, cheer at the final bell
When new tag champs arise, our hearts will swell.
For Alpha 2.0 will leave the other teams out of sight
“Not-so-Happy Rusev Day to you, for us a good night!”

Pretty self-explanatory there, but I could see either Alpha 2.0 winning to continue building up their feud with Jimmy and Jey, or the Usos retaining and moving on to a one-on-one with either Benjamin and Gable or Rusev and English, or even Owens and Zayn if WWE’s so inclined to throw them into the tag title hunt following their feud with Orton and Nakamura. I think I’ll go with the former, simply because the match format gives Benjamin and Gable the means to win the tag straps without having to pin the Usos, leaving things open for their budding rivalry to progress into a full-fledged rematch wherein two of Smackdown’s top athletic teams could put on a real barn-burner.

WINNER: Benjamin & Gable

WWE U.S. Championship Match: Baron Corbin vs. Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler

Steve Cook: Another SD Live event, another three-way for the US strap. Last time it was so AJ Styles didn’t get pinned until his rematch with Baron Corbin. I feel like something similar may be in order here as well. Who wins? Roode would make more sense, but I don’t think this is his night. Ziggler hasn’t done much in awhile & I could see Vince getting a phone call from our TV-obsessed President telling him to push the nice young boy from Fox News.

WINNER: Dolph Ziggler

JUSTIN WATRY: All three talented. All three good performers. All three should be shining on the blue brand. All three are just thrown in this triple threat bout because that’s just what we were told. As you can probably tell by now, I am not very excited for Clash of Champions. I have said that a bunch (on another website), and I finally figured out why: Survivor Series was its annual waste of time. The Raw vs. SD Live BS just puts everything on hold for a month and loses any and all momentum. I am fine with interbrand dream matches taking place. It is a great idea and one that can do wonderful things. Heck, just look at Survivor Series for that. What is NOT a great idea is making all of that revolve around this bogus brand battle for supremacy. Super transparent and does nobody any good. Brock Lesnar could not give two hoots about Raw. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss? They just switched brands. The New Day were representing Smackdown? The trio just showed up on the show. Whatever. Nice to get back on track a little even if that does mean Clash of Champions has to suffer. Champ retains.

WINNER: Baron Corbin

Jake Chambers: Was there really no way to squeeze Tye Dillinger into this match, or had they already reached the dull-ass loser quota? Can’t be, look at everyone in that Tag Team match? Who knew that just randomly yelling “10” was a one-dimensional indy gimmick that wouldn’t have legs on the main roster, especially when there was NO EXPLANATION ever given for why he does that.

WINNER: Not Tye Dillinger, that’s for damn sure.

BRANDON EWING: This is a bit unpredictable. I feel like Ziggler doesn’t need another win as US Champion but would understand why WWE would give him the opportunity as a way to give him a little boost for his efforts and hard work lately. Bobby Roode would be the favorite but I feel like for some reason something is a bit off with him since joining the main roster and that he should be working as a heel versus a babyfavd but that’s neither here or there. Ultimately I’m gonna will with Baron Corbin retaining.

WINNER: Baron Corbin

Mitch Nickelson: This is one more match I’m not overly invested in. I don’t dislike anybody in this match, but I can’t say that my interest is piqued too high. Bobby Roode will eventually get a shot for at least a midcard title, but I’m hoping it’s after he becomes a heel once again. Maybe I’ll be waiting a while. I’m digging Baron’s music, so I guess I’ll root for him. That’s really the only rationale I have for rooting for anybody at this point. If they last-minute bring back the Dolph entrance in which everything goes total black with him walking out to silence, I’ll change my pick to him. I like when he did that. Until then, I’ll be a Lone Wolf guy I guess.

WINNER: Baron Corbin

Ken Hill:

Ziggler’s no wild card, folks, he’s here to take the fall,
That much is obvious, it’s not all that hard of a call.
Keeps Roode fresh, and gives Corbin an edge oh so notorious
By stealing the pinfall, leaving Bobby feeling not-so-GLORIOUS!

Another match that seems pretty cut and dry as far as the results go. Ziggler ends up being the fall guy, Corbin gets another notch in his “heel” belt by capitalizing on Roode’s handiwork in the match, and Roode stays fresh as a sole opponent for the US Title by being the odd man out in the triple threat.

WINNER: Baron Corbin

WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Lumberjack Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya

Steve Cook: Having the entire women’s division at ringside for this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. So expect a lot of craziness & Charlotte eventually coming out on top because that’s what she does.

WINNER: Charlotte Flair

@JustinWatry: Not a fan of the Lumberjacks idea. Just more people being thrown on the card. The Riott Squad should feel like outlaws and not be included. Have them invade or watch from the crowd. Something more sinister/devious than standing around ringside with others. Big MEH to this entire mess. Charlotte needs to get 5,000 miles away from Natalya and never look back. The fact that it took Ms. Flair more than ten seconds to beat Tamina last week was a sham. Charlotte wins, has a staredown with Ruby Riott, and boom! Next feud. That works. No more Nattie. No more Lana. No more Tamina. No more Naomi. Please. Is Becky Lynch ready to return yet?

WINNER: Wooooomens champion retains

Jake Chambers: Oh great, the entire Smackdown “Women’s Division” is in one match – hide your eyes from the barrage of sex-related “jokes” that are about to awkwardly fill up comments sections everywhere! I mean, the “Diva’s Revolution” might have given opportunities to competitors who weren’t just beautiful fitness models (in theory), but sometimes it seems like it really just gave some creeps a broader range of women to harass online. But I’m sure there’s nothing in the confusing messages of WWE culture that could be warping the minds of yet another generation, right?

WINNER: Equality.

BRANDON EWING: This is going to be an interesting match that unfortunately will not be the caliber of a bout that we would want to see between these two women. Taking into account the lumberjacks/lumberjills here, This is going to be somewhat of a cluserfuck. I’m predicting that Charlotte Flair will retain the title.

WINNER: Charlotte Flair

Mitch Nickelson: The Lumberjack stipulation feels like the most intriguing aspect of this match. With a looming first time women’s Rumble happening in January, this will serve as a prime test run. Charlotte will retain, I’m mostly sure of that. The Riott Squad will get to beat up some people – maybe they can put someone through an announce table? That would be cool. Naomi has been known to springboard off the top rope to the outside, so that’ll be a fun spot that I’m sure they’ll try. Charlotte will also moonsault off the top turnbuckle onto a pile of people. This could have many memorable spots.

WINNER: Charlotte Flair

Ken Hill:

Riott Squad’s on the “Ram-Paige”,
Tearing up the women on the Blue roster.
They seem to have aligned with Nattie, but
The ensuing Lumber-jill hoopla will cost her.

I’d have gone with a 2-out-of-3 falls format with Charlotte and Nattie, as it’d be a better extension of their in-ring chemistry with one another. A Lumberjack match, with few exceptions, really only has one designated format: The match ending with a huge ringside scrum while one of the participants capitalizes on the confusion for the win, which doesn’t really make for a good “final encounter” scenario. Then again, WWE’s cared more promoting their television product than their PPVs, so that may very well be the reason they are having this sort of match; the Riott Squad instigates a brawl at ringside, which ends up backfiring for Nattie and giving Charlotte the win, after which Charlotte and Nattie’s ongoing feud can remain open for a more finite conclusion to close out 2017 for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, like the aforementioned 2-of-3 falls or an Iron Woman match.

WINNER: Charlotte Flair

WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal

Steve Cook: Yay, another Jinder Mahal main event! I know I’m excited. Hopefully this is where Styles wins & the feud ends. I don’t see it quite that way though. I see this ending either on the year-ending Smackdown Live or the Royal Rumble card, and it continues here with some kind of foolishness leading to a Jinder win. I think it’s one of those wins where he doesn’t get the title though, which should enrage Mahal’s 1.3 fans.

WINNER: Jinder Mahal

JUSTIN WATRY: No explanation needed.

WINNER: AJ Styles

Jake Chambers: Corporate commodification of art, global political shifts, new technologies, the distribution of wealth, blah blah… whatever the reasons, the point is: the WWE sucks! And – newsflash – having AJ Styles as champion ain’t helping! I mean, let’s not forget that the WWE waited 10 years after Styles was arguably the real “best wrestler in the world” to sign him as an older, less-motivated-to-innovate wrestler who’s happy to stick to his comfortable formula – a right he’s earned, no doubt. Yet, in 2017 WWE is literally sitting on at least a dozen younger, better wrestlers, let alone those around the world they won’t hire for the same reasons they didn’t want Styles in 2005. They need people who can be slotted into their regurgitated, generic formula, (you know, like Styles’ Lesnar and Balor matches), and are not looking to use the art of professional wrestling to make logical, creative and interesting matches and stories. No offense to Jinder Mahal, a guy clearly getting to live a dream life this year he never thought possible… but nobody else would have thought it possible either because he’s just not that fun to watch.

So it’s come to AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal main eventing a horrible-looking PPV in 2017. I think we’ve all sat back and passively hoped things would change long enough – time to do something about it! I’m not even talking about cancelling your Network subscription or not watching the TV shows anymore – I’m assuming most rational fans have done that already – no, I mean actively investing your time and energy in other wrestling: Beyond Wrestling, EVOLVE, CWF Mid-Atlantic, CMLL, DDT, Big Japan, Stardom, CHIKARA, Progress, Rev Pro, and – by god – go watch Lucha Underground on Netflix if you haven’t already, or watch it again and feel good about life!

WINNER: Wrestling fans… if they skip this show and order WrestleKingdom 12 on January 4th.

BRANDON EWING : Unless they pull something out of the hat I don’t see any chance in hell of Jinder Mahal winning this match. His short term experiment as WWE Champion is over and done with. Let’s have this match and move on with AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura for WrestleMania.

WINNER: AJ Styles

Mitch Nickelson: Considering that WWE had to cut one of the India shows and then they had Triple H beat Jinder in his “home country,” I don’t see any reason why AJ Styles would lose the belt here. If Jinder was really taking the title back, there has not been any signals indicating that to be the case. AJ needs to keep the title and Nakamura needs to win the Rumble. Give those two a proper build for a WrestleMania match and I’ll consider that goodwill for the unnecessarily long Mahal reign.

WINNER: AJ Styles

Ken Hill:

The Mahal Project seems done and done,
with the India tour firmly in the rear view.
The Maharaja looks to renew his winning ways,
but that clashes with Styles’ reign staying true.

I am in the camp that believes that WWE knows the “project” of putting the WWE Title on Mahal to capitalize on the Indian market has run its course, and realizes it’s now time to move on to a more locally lucrative opportunity in putting the WWE Title back onto AJ Styles, who has been a proven commodity inside the ring and out for WWE in the past year. This match merely proves to be the (seemingly unnecessary) “final chapter” in the Styles-Mahal rivalry, after which Styles can move on to face a greater litany of opponents going into WM 34 (Cena, Orton, Shinsuke, perhaps even Owens and/or Zayn) and Mahal can capitalize on his 6-month shine as WWE Champion to “dominate” the mid-card and perhaps work his way into a US Title feud in the future.

WINNER: AJ Styles

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