WWE Clash of Champions 2016 Preview and Predictions

Belts.

Giving their thoughts and predictions on what to expect from the PPV are members of the site @JoeyOnEarth, @TimWelcomed and @TomBlargh.

Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox on the kickoff show

Joey:

Nia Jax squashing local talents really helped introduce her on Raw. The segment with her throwing around Alicia Fox a few weeks ago was quite entertaining. Nothing but love for Foxy who judged a pizza eating contest with Big Show in Brooklyn last month. Respect was earned.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: Nia Jax wins.

Tim:

I’ve never really found Nia Jax appealing until she did the beatdown on Alicia Fox. Fox, who has been supremely underutilized for most of her career, really sold Jax as a beast. I want more of that here but I’m expecting it will just be a boring pre-show match.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: Nia Jax

Tom:

The stipulation should be Nia Jax gets Foxy’s place on Total Divas if she wins. I have no other thoughts.

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: Total Divas returns Fall 2016.

TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Joey:

TJ Perkins is a real goof, but he has been unbelievable in the ring over the past few months. The Brian Kendrick added more emotion to the Cruiserweight Classic than anyone else. This was the right match to put on the PPV. I’m rooting for Kendrick but TJP is definitely pulling off the win to start a credible reign.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: TJ Perkins wins.

Tim:

I was at work the other day and the janitor was cleaning up near me. I looked at him as he was throwing a Capri Sun pouch away and said “you should throw TJP away while you’re at it.” He didn’t know what I was talking about and seemed kind of scared but if he was a wrestling fan he would have died laughing or at least smirked at me knowingly. TJP has always been pretty good in the ring and seems to be rolling at a whole new pace now. Kendrick was my favorite character in the CWC and brought that emotional weight to all of his matches in the tournament. That run pretty much exemplified what I want from wrestling. TJP is most definitely winning here (as he should) but I’ll be rooting for Kendrick. This is an exciting one.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: TJ Perkins wins.

Tom:

I don’t like really like TJP as a person or a wrestler! I know everyone seems very high on him this year, but he just doesn’t really do much for me on any level. However, Brian Kendrick is fantastic and I look forward to him slapping old TJ around for a while. I’m even going to predict that Kendrick wins, because I love being set up for disappointment!

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Brian Kendrick wins.

Cesaro vs. Sheamus

Joey:

The majority of these matches have bored me, but the final moments in match #6 on Raw last week really added excitement into the series for me. It felt like both men were wrestling a big PPV match. I’m hoping they follow it up here with a strong way to close it out. I originally thought Sheamus would win after Cesaro came back to tie it up. I’ve changed my mind and think Cesaro wins here to get a title shot against Kevin Owens soon.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Cesaro wins.

Tim:

I have never been the biggest Sheamus fan although I can admit he is a fine wrestler. Cesaro is one of my favorites on the WWE roster. Why can these two hardly ever draw me into one of their matches? They’ve had so many bouts and only one small part of any of those grabbed my attention. Any interest I have in seeing this one is mostly because I have to see if they actually saved the best stuff for the PPV match. I want Cesaro to win but fear the worst.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Sheamus wins.

Tom:

I can’t really deal with these two having matches anymore. Is there not even a stipulation for this? Come on. At least have something on a pole! Is that too much to ask? I’m sure it’ll be functionally good but I think I’ve seen everything these two have to show.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: Big Toni wins.

The New Day vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows for the Raw Tag Team Championship

Joey:

This has been the absolute worst feud. I feel bad for New Day because you just know they’re aware of how bad most of these segments have been. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are in a terrible spot right now. Without A.J. Styles, they are among the least interesting guys on Raw. Trade these boys to Smackdown. I’m terrified they pull off the win here as Vince McMahon likely love their horrible comedy segments.

Interest Level: 1/10
Prediction: New Day wins.

Tim:

I’m just ready for these two teams to go their seperate. It’s been such a rough deal to watch. Anderson and Gallows need a boost as the big baddies and The New Day need a big change to freshen them up. I’m thinking The New Day will finall lose the belts here. I really don’t care to watch the match though.

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: Anderson and Gallows win.

Tom:

So, I desperately want this feud to be done with because of how horrible the skits are but I’m not sure where New Day goes from this. The Shining Stars? Enzo and Cass? Are there any other tag teams on Raw? Will they just throw one together? I wish they could bring Breezango over from Smackdown, I’d like to see more of those boys.

Anyway, this match will happen and then it will be over and we can all move on with our lives.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: The New Day wins.

Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn

Joey:

I am very excited about this! Chris Jericho has been on fire lately and Sami Zayn almost always steps up for the PPV performances. I think this could be the stand out match of the undercard. Sadly, I see ol’ Sami taking the loss and Jericho getting some wins for an eventual title shot against Kevin Owens.

Interest Level: 9/10
Prediction: Chris Jericho wins.

Tim:

Chris Jericho is very inconsistent when it comes to being fun to watch. This is better than the absolutely embarrassing and unbearable guy he was not too long ago. I like this feud a whole lot. It’s hard to make Sami Zayn look bad in a big match but Jericho can be very off in the ring here and there nowadays. Hopefully that won’t be a problem at Clash of Champions. The build to this has been alright for the most part. I like that it has been an ex-best friend of Owens fighting with the current one. It kind of elevates Owens even more by making him be a focal point of a feud he’s not even in and if the pay-off is him eventually turning on Jericho down the road out of selfishness showing that Zayn was right it will be incredible. I think Jericho actually wins and gets closer to challenging Owens for the title which is the right call story-wise. Zayn will get his chance eventually.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Chris Jericho wins.

Tom:

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel Jericho’s resurgence of being worth watching was derailed a little this past week or so. He wasn’t as funny and his character just seemed not as weird and interesting as it had been previously. HOWEVER, I’m still excited to see what he can do on a PPV with Sami – his matches can be a little slower and plodding but Zayn seems like the type that can work with that and work around it to still have something pretty special.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Sami Zayn wins.

Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for the United States Championship

Joey:

I don’t know, man. They had a boring match on the Raw before Summerslam but I have faith in them putting it together at some point. Both guys are good enough to deliver a memorable match and maybe it happens here? I’m going with Roman Reigns winning the title to give it relevance for a few months.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

Tim:

I like Rusev a whole lot and can be great against the right opponents but I’m just not sure these two have the chemistry. I want to be wrong. Their feud has been so awful with them trying to make Reigns seem like the good guy in this situation. It’s just gross. Maybe Lana will toss Reigns off the stage into a big cake. Keeping Reigns from the main event was smart and if keeping him away from that scene for awhile means taking the belt off of Rusev then so be it.

Interest Level: 4/10
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

Tom:

Nah, no interest. I like Rusev and Reigns both a decent amount, but I’m tired of this pairing. I’m assuming they want to keep Reigns out of the Universal Title picture for the timebeing, so may as well slap the US belt on him.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley for the Raw Women’s Championship

Joey:

The triple threat definitely adds a lot of potential despite the weak booking around it. I enjoy all three women and think they’ll have one of the better women’s PPV matches here. Sasha Banks turning heel on Bayley at some point in the near future seems likely. Charlotte having a PPV title match against Dana Brooke in the near future also seems likely. My expectations are Charlotte winning thanks to a weird mix-up causing personal conflict between Banks and Bayley going forward.

Interest Level: 9/10
Prediction: Charlotte wins.

Tim:

I’m always excited to see these ladies do their thing together. The story leading into this has been forgettable and a bit carefree. I don’t think they’ve properly showcased Bayley’s character, although I do believe they’ve really tried a few times. Banks is hit or miss on the mic but I can’t help but enjoy her anyway. You can tell she just loves being there. Charlotte has really grown into a strong presence as a character. I think they should hold off on Bayley winning. I would like to see Banks get the belt back and maybe have Charlotte and Bayley feud for awhile before Bayley gets the shot against Banks.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Sasha Banks wins.

Tom:

The build-up to this has been pretty rubbish, eh? Of the three women as characters, I think Charlotte has been the strongest – she seems to have hit a good groove lately, even with the Dana Brooke trainwreck happening around her. Sasha has been a little frustrating, since she’s very good but I don’t think she’s great at being someone I want to root for.  As for Bayley, as likeable as she is, her involvement feels like an afterthought right now – it’s like Becky never left!

Speaking of Becky, nothing with the women on Raw is a patch on Becky and Alexa Bliss’ mad faces on Smackdown. Despite that, I still have hopes that this match will be very good, though I wish I was more invested in it.

Interest Level: X/10
Prediction: C

(Editor’s note: Tom forgot to give a prediction here. Feel free to own him on Twitter.)

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship

Joey:

I am so happy they went with the singles match here. Seth Rollins looked amazing on Raw last week finally being positioned as a face without losing his edge. Kevin Owens is absolutely the right guy to carry the Universal Championship. The two will likely have an amazing match. My expectations are for a screwy finish with Triple H, Stephanie or even Mickster costing Rollins the match.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

Tim:

I’m very excited about this one. The build between these two has been intriguing. They have chemistry and I’m sure they’re going to put on a show. Kevin Owens is without a doubt the best part of Monday nights and should hold this belt for quite awhile. I hope WWE sees it that way as well. I was happy with the way he won but I would like him to get a clean win here just to solidify the run. I’m not sure that’ll happen with Triple H wandering around.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

Tom:

I’m also very relieved that this is a singles match – I think KO, Rollins and Reigns have good chemistry as a threesome, but an Owens singles match with Rollins is far more appealing. I’ll be interested to see what the crowd reaction will be like – the Rollins turn has been strangely handled and it’s very easy to hate him, especially since Owens is comfortably the most entertaining thing on Raw right now. The match should be fantastic and I’m assuming it’ll end with another Triple H interference.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.