A show that featured only one traditional one on one match(and that one included managerial interference) and only six matches overall, Clash of Champions just felt completely pointless. Yes, there was some fun to be had, but it stands as one of the most easily skippable events of the year.
Clash of Champions 2016 Score: 6/10
- There are some positives to take away from the current state of SmackDown, but it's pretty clear the show is in a rut right now. The list of truly over wrestlers on the roster gets shorter and shorter each week, and a lot of their stories just aren't connecting with the crowd. It's been a long time since a blue brand pay-per-view was must-watch, and based on tonight, that's probably going to continue.
- SmackDown has a habit of opening with the best match of the night, and although it was close, I felt the US Title match took top honors. Corbin, Roode and Ziggler worked surprisingly well together, and the crowd ate it all up. Dolph shocked the world by capturing the championship, and it will be interesting to see where all three guys go from here.
- Honestly, you could probably make a case for Rusev being the most over wrestler on the SmackDown roster right now. The reaction he got from the Boston crowd was really quite something.
- I had high hopes for the fatal four way tag team match, and for the most part, it didn't quite live up to the hype. The match was very messy until the latter stages, but they won me back by the end. Gable tossin' fools around was fun, and I'd be down with an Usos/Rusev Day feud in the future.
- I'm pretty certain throwing the entire women's division into a random clusterf*** match is required of SmackDown at this point, and we got another one tonight. There's no sugar-coating this folks, this match was bad. The Riott Squad has already achieved go-away heat from me, and most of the other women involved aren't much better. I do feel sorry for Charlotte, but at least she gets to wear a nice feathered robe each week, so it's not all bad.
- Six months. Six f***ing months on the Fashion Files was used to build up to their match against the Bludgeon Brothers. One minute and fifty five seconds was all they could be bothered to give these two talented teams. F*** off.
- And why did the Owens/Zayn v Orton/Nakamura match need twenty one minutes? This match was an absolute slog to get through, and Shane and D-Bry didn't make it any easier. Look, I get this was a mostly story telling style match. But that didn't mean you weren't supposed to at least try to make it good. The ending was fine, I guess, but I just didn't care by that point.
- I'm not nearly as down on Jinder Mahal as most of the wrestling community. The guy does have some talent, and cuts a hell of an imposing figure. He's definitely shown signs of improvement throughout his main event run, and has had two fairly good matches with AJ. In a different universe, where he wasn't given a ridiculous push to the WWE Title, I think he would be a great mid-card to fringe main event heel. Let's hope he still can go back there.
- I did end up enjoying the main event, and these two guys do seem to have a good amount of chemistry. AJ as the underdog face and Jinder as the dominant, powerhouse heel is a very good dynamic, and I felt both sold very well. The match did feel kind of pointless in the end, but hey, AJ remains champ and someone finally tapped to the Calf Crusher, so no complaints here.
5/10
The first two matches and the main event save this show from being one of the worst of the year, as WWE continues the tradition of putting on sub-par shows to close out the year. And on that cheery note, I say goodbye to WWE pay-per-views in 2017(for now). See you at the Rumble!
The first two matches and the main event save this show from being one of the worst of the year, as WWE continues the tradition of putting on sub-par shows to close out the year. And on that cheery note, I say goodbye to WWE pay-per-views in 2017(for now). See you at the Rumble!
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