Csonka’s WWE Clash of Champions 2019 Preview

WELCOME back to column time with Larry! Today, I am going to discuss and preview the WWE Clash of Champions 2019 event. The show will feature Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton, and much more. So today I will breakdown and preview the event. Feel free to make your picks in the comment section. Thanks for reading! It’s wrestling, we love it and will disagree. The only rules are “have a take, be respectful, and don’t be a dick.”

NO DQ Match: Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan: This is the next step in the Roman Reigns saga, which has certainly been a story that exists. Someone started off trying to kill Reigns, and after weeks of cliffhangers, Eric Fauxan, thoughts that it was Daniel Bryan, it turns out that it was Erick Rowan all along. I haven’t been a fan of the angle, don’t think it’s been particularly well booked, and generally do not have much interest in it at all. Reigns has been fine since his return with the lone highlight being the Buddy Murphy match, and while I like Rowan and think he’s better than many give him credit for, he’s no Buddy Murphy. I don’t think that this will be bad, but at the same time I don’t exactly have high hopes for it. I really don’t see Rowan going over here, specially since WWE wouldn’t put McIntyre over Reigns and the have more invested in McIntyre. I think that Reigns wins, and that the No DQ stip will help the match. WINNER: Roman Reigns

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match: Champion Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado: I was really excited when this was just Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carrillo, because they had a great built in storyline with Gulak formerly being Carrillo’s mentor and things were coming full circle. Plus Carrillo has been delivering and Gulak has been great in 2019. But then WWE had to get cute with the Carrillo vs. Dorado secondary angle, and had Dorado beat him to be added into this match, which really wasn’t needed. Dorado is better in tags & multi-man matches, so I don’t think he’ll hurt the overall match quality, but in all honesty, it just feels like he’s here to lose so that Carrillo doesn’t take the fall while Gulak retains. WINNER: Drew Gulak

IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz: 2019 has been a really trough one for the Miz, and by no fault of his own. The Shane feud really did a number on him and he never got a chance for revenge or redemption. Now he finds himself in a feud with Shinsuke Nakamura, who has a new direction as IC champion with Sami Zayn by his side. Nakamura has felt more motivated as of late, and Sami is a tremendous asshole as his mouthpiece. There are many that refuse, still, to give Miz any sort of credit these days, which is a shame. He’s far from an elite worker but he’s also never bad with his performances. I think that this could be good and fun, as long as there aren’t too many Sami shenanigans. I think that Nakamura retains here and that the feud continues on with Miz having to beat Sami to earn a rematch with the champion. WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura

Smackdown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. The Revival: I have quite enjoyed this feud and the whole idea of it as a sub-story to he Orton vs. Kofi feud. The Revival serving as Orton’s henchmen just works and their attacks and efforts to take down the fun-loving New Day is simple and effective heel work from the attacks, the injury angle on Woods and just the overall chemistry of it clicks for me. Woods & Big E always deliver very good to great matches on PPV, and the Revival are a great tag team that will have the team to deliver here. I feel that they have set the stage for a potential title switch well with the injury angle, and while I expect a potentially great match, I think that the champions will sneak one out here and retain. But I also wouldn’t be surprised with a title change here. WINNER: The New Day

US Champion AJ Styles vs. Cedric Alexander: The feud started two-weeks ago when the OC attacked Alexander, leading to Alexander losing his KOTR match. Then on Monday’s Raw, Alexander beat Styles via DQ and then later in the evening pinned him in the 10-man tag main event. So while it’s not exactly a deep story, it works to get us here. Heyman is reportedly high on Alexander and along with Ricochet, are two of the younger guys he wants to focus on. On paper this has the potential to be banger, but so did the Ricochet matches, which I felt were a bit underwhelming due to questionable match layouts. If they let Alexander do his thing and they get the proper time, this could certainly deliver. I don’t see Alexander winning here as I think his rise is just beginning with the feud. WINNER: AJ Styles

Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Fire & Desire: While their matches aren’t great by any means, I still really enjoy the Bliss/Cross pairing and find them a ton of fun. There isn’t a lot of build to this, Fire & Desire won a non-title match on Smackdown and get the shot here. I think that both Mandy & Sonya have a lot of potential, have great chemistry with each other, and I also really like their pairing. Their TV match was ok, but I hope that they get a chance and can deliver here. Unfortunately for Fire & Desire, they just feel like the challengers of the month, because Bliss & Cross shouldn’t lose until someone is properly built up to do so. WINNER: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross

Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks: Becky Lynch has had a fine but largely flat title run due to the lack of viable challengers that people can actually care about. Sasha Banks has returned, freshly heel and feels like a big star again in the challenging role. These two had an amazing match back in NXT, so the potential for them to deliver is certainly there. Part of me thinks that WWE will have Becky retain here, but I felt that’s a mistake. Banks is hot right now, and I think that they should pull the trigger here and strap her up. Either way, we’re getting a rematch the next month. WINNER: Sasha Banks

Smackdown Women’s Championship Match: Champion Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair: We revisit the Bayley vs. Charlotte feud here, but this time around, we have a much different Bayley who has embraced the dark side along with returning friend Sasha Banks. The crowd reaction will be interesting here, as it’s heel vs. heel, which can be difficult to work. These two work well together so this should be good, but with Bayley recently turning, I think that it would be a mistake to take the championship off of her. The big question is will they try to turn Charlotte babyface out of this? WINNER: Bayley

Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Champions Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman vs. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler: Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman winning the tag titles was a surprise, and Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler ending up as the challenging team was also a surprise as they weren’t even a team until the gauntlet that they won. The champions are a fun oddball team, but are only a team to build to the main event of this show. Dolph is largely damaged goods, but when motivated can still go. Roode is a tremendously great tag team worker, so this certainly has a chance to be good. I expect new champions here, but how exactly do we get there? Will it be simple miscommunication or will Seth or Braun turn to add that dynamic to their title match? Either way, I think that we see new champions here. WINNER: Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler

WWE Championship Match: Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton: To me, this has been a feud where the build has been better than the in ring so far. Their first match was far from bad, but I found it disappointing and flat. I really hope that they can deliver here and bring in some of the good things from the recent build into the ring. I am hoping for the best here, but regardless of who wins, they will likely rematch at Hell in a Cell, because WWE loves doing these things in threes. I do think that the potential for a title change here, and think that Orton takes this one. WINNER: Randy Orton

WWE Universal Championship Match: Champion Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman: It will be interesting to see exactly how we get into this match. Will they actually retain the titles and be besties heading in, will they lose because of a miscommunication or turn and have some heat when the bell rings, will be even get a compete match with a clean finish? In all honesty, it’s a risky match to book. Braun can be fun but hasn’t really delivered in big time singles PPV matches, plus if he just loses clean here, you run the risk of Lex Lugering him in regards to the Universal Championship. He should have a chance to deliver here working with Seth. I think that the play here is likely Rollins retaining, beating another beat because taking the title off of him right away feels silly. That should move him onto HIAC against the Fiend, which brings a whole other set of issues, which I will dive into when it comes time to talk about that match next month. WINNER: Seth Rollins

JOIN 411 TONIGHT FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF THE SHOW

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 50. On the show, the good brother, Jeremy Lambert, joins 411’s Larry Csonka as the guys will preview WWE Clash of Champions 2019, NJPW Destruction in Kagoshima & Beppu, plus dive into the big WWE & Impact Wrestling news. The show is approximately 95-minutes long.

* Intro
* NJPW Destruction in Beppu Preview: 3:25
* NJPW Destruction in Kagoshima Preview: 16:25
* WWE Changes Royal Rumble 2020 Weekend Plans (Worlds Collide Replaces Takeover): 27.55
* Impact Parent Company Anthem Media Acquires Majority Interest in AXS TV: 37.55
* WWE Clash of Champions 2019 Preview: 1:05:35

You can subscribe and listen to the 411 on Wrestling Podcast via the above player on Transistor, or on the following platforms:

* iTunes
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* Stitcher
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– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.