The WK's Clash of Champions 2016 PPV Coverage!!!

Welcome to The Wrestling Kennection's LIVE coverage of WWE Raw's Clash of Champions PPV!

Stay glued to this page and refresh for updates! Feel free to leave your comments below, and enjoy the show!

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Kickoff Match
Alicia Fox vs. Nia Jax

RESULT: Nia Jax wins via pinfall; Jax pinned Fox following a swinging Samoan Drop.

TIME: 4:55

THOUGHTS: An extended squash, as was expected with Jax's first real main roster opponent. Alicia went all sorts of crazy (natch) and had a couple near falls, but the outcome was never in doubt here. Can we just get to the inevitable hookup of Nia and Braun already?

WK KING OF PPV:
Ken - 2/11 (LOCK)
Zack - 1/11
Julian - 1/11
Greg - 1/11
Nick - 4/11 (LOCK/BIG 4)
Julie - 1/11

#KickoffMatch #WWEClash #GetKennected

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WWE RAW Tag Team Championship
The New Day (c) w/Xavier Woods vs. The Club

RESULT: The New Day wins via pinfall; Kofi pinned Anderson following a trombone shot and the Midnight Hour.

TIME: 6:45

THOUGHTS: New Day are always a good choice for the opener to any pay-per-view, as they get the live crowd pumped more than anyone. That being said, I was not a fan of this match overall.

I did like how Gallows & Anderson started out aggressively, assaulting Woods on the outside, and taking out the powerhouse in Big E in order to isolate the Ricky Morton of the duo in Kingston. I even liked the classic tactics they utilized in isolating Kofi, as well as cutting off New Day's frantic brand of offense at every turn.

However, the problem was that it felt far too rushed. At 6 minutes, 45 seconds, it felt more like a TV match title defense for New Day than a serious challenge which was being posed by The Club. I understand COC has a card that's slightly more fleshed out than Backlash, but this still should've gotten more time, as you want a decently long, impactful match to kick off any PPV. Also, what exactly does The Club do now after losing out on two shots for the tag straps?

WK KING OF PPV:
Ken - 2/11
Zack - 1/11
Julian - 1/11
Greg - 3/11 (LOCK)
Nick - 5/11
Julie - 2/11

#WWEClash #TagTitle #GetKennected

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WWE Cruiserweight Championship
TJ Perkins (c) vs. The Brian Kendrick

RESULT: Perkins wins via submission; Perkins submitted Kendrick with the Kneebar.

TIME: 10:35

THOUGHTS: Someone in WWE's music division must have been perusing the Mega Man soundtrack for Perkins' theme...

THIS is what a PPV opener like New Day/Club should've been: Explosive and action-packed; a 10+ minute match to whet the crowd's appetite for the rest of the night. Great blend of high-flying and technical prowess from Perkins, and cunning veteran tactics from Kendrick, both of which were prevalent in their rise to the end of the Cruiserweight Open and were well on display for tonight. A great physical introduction for Perkins, and a solid pre-match promo from him as well. Nothing to write home about, but far more effective than Foley's stumbling intro on RAW.

Kendrick's frustrated headbutt post-match was great, good fire and certainly drew the crowd's interest. Great way to intro the Cruiserweight Title on PPV, and a good first installment to what should be a fun, heated feud with Perkins and Kendrick.

WK KING OF PPV:
Ken - 3/11
Zack - 2/11
Julian - 2/11
Greg - 4/11
Nick - 5/11
Julie - 3/11

#WWEClash #CruiserweightTitle #GetKennected

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"Best of 7" Series
Cesaro (3-3) vs. Sheamus (3-3)

RESULT: The match ended in a no contest; The match was called after the referee determined neither Cesaro nor Sheamus could continue.

TIME: 16:36

THOUGHTS: While I didn't like the corny "babyface comeback" method of getting to the final match, I can appreciate that Sheamus and Cesaro really broke out of the "powerhouse vs powerhouse" mold for their seventh match, using different, more high-risk strategies to pull out the climactic win. I can appreciate that change in in-ring psychology for the two European bruisers. The 619(!) from Cesaro should tell you just how different they were trying to make this final match than the first six.

A scary moment for Cesaro, SPIKING HIS HEAD on the ringside floor off a tope suicida to Sheamus on the outside. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that was ultimately the reason for the no-contest ending, as it felt more like an audible was called by the official rather than a mandated no-contest (notice how Cesaro was visibly displeased by the outcome, though that may just be good acting on Cesaro's part). Either that, or WWE is looking for a way to extend the feud into Hell in A Cell next month.

WK KING OF PPV:
(No result, so standings remain the same)
Ken - 3/11
Zack - 2/11
Julian - 2/11
Greg - 4/11
Nick - 5/11
Julie - 3/11

#WWEClash #Bestof7 #GetKennected

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Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho

RESULT: Chris Jericho wins via pinfall; Jericho pinned Zayn following a Codebreaker.

TIME: 15:15

THOUGHTS: Great first PPV match between these two. The in-ring chemistry was spot-on (minus a bit of a stumble by Zayn on the Tornado DDT), plenty of close near falls, and never losing the crowd in-between the big spots in the match. Jericho's string of excellent TV and PPV matches continues, and Zayn, despite the loss, gets a good rub hanging in with a former World Champion in Chris Jericho (even if he HAS beaten him on TV before).

I'm honestly surprised at the outcome, though, considering Zayn needed the win far more, but hopefully this means the WWE sees more benefit for Zayn in winning a war against Jericho rather than an one-off match.

WK KING OF PPV:
Ken - 3/11
Zack - 3/11
Julian - 3/11
Greg - 4/11
Nick - 5/11
Julie - 4/11

#WWEClash #TheGiftofJericho #GetKennected

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WWE RAW Women's Championship
Triple Threat Match
Charlotte (c) w/Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

RESULT:  Charlotte wins via pinfall; Charlotte pinned Bayley following a pair of big boots.

TIME: 15:28

THOUGHTS: Fantastic match between three of the four women whom really paved the way for the revitalization of women's wrestling in both NXT and the WWE as a whole. Great intensity throughout it and the chemistry between the three women goes without saying.

I'm glad they didn't get stuck in the typical "two in, one out" format most of WWE's Triple Threat matches tend to do, as there were plenty of fun three-women spots, such as the three-way chop battle and Charlotte's "two for one" moonsault.

Bayley taking the fall here doesn't surprise me all that much. She had a great start on RAW, but the sobering finish to her hot streak was due; it appears that WWE may be taking the slow-burning build towards her eventually claiming the RAW Women's Championship. If pulled off well enough, it can hopefully be as organic and emotional as her NXT Women's Title victory was. Sasha not being in the decision may mean that she and Charlotte will continue their one-on-one feud, whereas Bayley will most likely be shunted into a transitional feud with Dana Brooke.

WK KING OF PPV:
Ken - 3/11
Zack - 3/11
Julian - 3/11
Greg - 5/11
Nick - 6/11
Julie - 5/11

#WWEClash #WomensTitle #GetKennected

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WWE United States Championship
Rusev (c) w/Lana vs. Roman Reigns

RESULT: NEW CHAMPION Roman Reigns wins via pinfall; Reigns pinned Rusev after a mid-air Spear.

TIME: 18:12

THOUGHTS: While the result was expected (Vince ain't mad at his golden boy anymore), the match wasn't a really hard-hitting "big hoss" affair and lacked a lot of the fire we've seen in previous matches between the two men. While the Lana interference was an expected twist, I felt like it was a little too drawn out and took something away from the match as well.

Of course, we can expect their rematch next month, likely IN the cell itself to ramp up the physicality, and maybe even a third party will be involved, depending on WWE's direction with the winner of the Cesaro-Sheamus feud.

WK KING OF PPV:
Ken - 4/11
Zack - 4/11
Julian - 4/11
Greg - 6/11
Nick - 7/11
Julie - 6/11

#WWEClash #USTitle #GetKennected

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(MAIN EVENT)
WWE Universal Championship
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins

RESULT: Kevin Owens wins via pinfall; Owens pinned Rollins following a Pop-Up Powerbomb.

TIME: 25:13

THOUGHTS: Kevin Owens's mid-match commentary is probably the best contribution to continuity in professional wrestling right now. "After you lose, you'll Fade to Black? Get it?" Love that. Also, commentary-wise, I appreciated Graves staying somewhat neutral rather than lambasting Rollins, emphasizing Rollins' not-quite-finished face turn.

Loved the match too, great level of intensity from both men, and showed the fire that was lacking from the previous Reigns-Rusev match. Both men had a chip on their shoulders, as Foley so aptly put it, and we saw that exemplified here with impacting moves such as the frog splashes, running sentons, and superkicks. The spectre of Triple H also hung over this match, as we saw many shout-outs, including the DX chop, and it wasn't so overdone as to take away from the match itself and played up the emotional and mental aspect of the feud pretty well.

What I felt took away from this match was near the end, what with Jericho's constant interference. I feel like a lot of the spots, including the foot of the ropes, could've been done without him there. Steph's supposed "mistiming" on sending out the second referee was the only shenanigan really necessary, so Jericho wasn't needed, as it also somewhat devalues Owens' first defense.

Of course, this means we'll likely be looking at Owens-Rollins II in the Cell, with the potential re-return of Triple H to get the Rollins-Trips feud up and running. That is, unless the plan with the Cesaro-Sheamus winner is to throw them into the Universal Title mix, which I certainly wouldn't mind with Owens and Cesaro's past in-ring chemistry, although only time well tell. #StayKennected, everybody!!!

WK KING OF PPV:
Ken - 5/11
Zack - 6/11
Julian - 5/11
Greg - 7/11
Nick - 8/11 (WINNER)
Julie - 7/11

#WWEClash #WWEUniversalTitle #GetKennected