Sports
The Real Winners and Losers from 2020 WWE Clash of Champions
0 of 4Credit: WWE.comWWE Clash of Champions 2020 was a rushed event, but the talent was certainly present. Even after WWE announced Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Nikki Cross would not wrestle on Sunday, the show still had massive potential.The pay-per-view was uneven with rushed matches and booking that left few lasting impressions. And certain…
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Credit: WWE.com
WWE Clash of Champions 2020 was a rushed event, but the talent was certainly present. Even after WWE announced Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Nikki Cross would not wrestle on Sunday, the show still had massive potential.
The pay-per-view was uneven with rushed matches and booking that left few lasting impressions. And certain Superstars suffered for this, losing out on big moments.
Drew McIntyre was not the only man who wanted revenge against Randy Orton, and it made for a bad night for The Viper. He was thrown out of title contention by the ghosts of his past.
Apollo Crews' final opportunity at the United States Championship went south, leaving him with little left to keep him in the spotlight.
The women's division was given an opportunity to step up with numerous names written off the show. Instead, Asuka, Bayley and Sasha Banks remain the only women who got a spotlight.
Sami Zayn truly got a defining win. He regained his Intercontinental Championship with a clever tactic that paid off.
Clash of Champions did not make much of an impact, but it was a solid night for some titleholders.
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Sami Zayn walked into this match calling himself the true intercontinental champion, and he showed why he was. He managed to attach Jeff Hardy to a ladder and then handcuff AJ Styles to another, making it easy for him to climb to the top and win without interference.
Many may have worried that The Great Liberator would lose standing from his choice to walk away from WWE. Instead, he quickly returned to his spot near the top of SmackDown.
Styles was a good IC champion, and Hardy making it to the top made sense. However, Zayn was the most interesting man in this contest. He deserves this chance to run with the gold.
In the best match of the night, he re-established himself as one of the best in the business. The blue brand has found its stride with compelling stories, and Zayn should fit in perfectly.
The new intercontinental champion has so many interesting contests going forward. He could be great with Hardy and Styles in rematches to start, but this should be the start of a long reign.
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Apollo Crews walked into his fight with Bobby Lashley in confident mood, but he was overwhelmed by The All Mighty.
MVP and Ricochet checked each other at ringside while the titleholder made Crews tap out to the Hurt Lock.
This was likely the final chance for Crews. The former United States titleholder has stated repeatedly how much it meant to him to be champion. One of the main reasons was the spotlight it provided him after years of obscurity.
He was largely unused up until his recent run. He shined after he defeated Andrade. It was the right moment for him to prove his worth. He initially stood out, but MVP and Lashley came in to steal that spotlight away.
While he has risen in standing, Sunday's loss underlines the fact that WWE will not rely on him going forward. It may be the right decision for the company, but it is a tough loss for Crews' immediate future.
The Hurt Business will move on, and Ricochet might get his own shot at the champion, but Crews isn't likely to get another title shot in 2020.
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Bayley issued an open challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship after Nikki Cross was not medically cleared for the show. Asuka answered the call, but The Role Model got herself intentionally disqualified with a steel chair.
Afterward, Sasha Banks attacked the SmackDown women's champion, running her off despite The Legit Boss still hurting from a neck injury.
Clash of Champions began with three women's matches on the card before cancellations were announced on the Kickoff. In the end, Asuka wrestled in the two that did take place. Anyone could have answered The Role Model's challenge, including Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott who were cleared to compete but did not.
This was an embarrassing misuse of the division. While it was unavoidable that Cross could not compete, many other options would have worked better here. Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Tamina, Dana Brooke and more would have benefited from the spotlight.
Instead, Asuka got to pull double duty. Bayley and Banks continued to build a rivalry that has developed over the last year, including the women dominating both brands. In a way, these three are seen as the only stars in the company within the women's divisions.
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Randy Orton ran through some of the legends of the business on his way to clashing with Drew McIntyre.
Those legends showed up on Sunday to get revenge on The Viper. Big Show, Christian and Shawn Michaels helped the Scot defeat Orton before Ric Flair drove him away in an ambulance.
While McIntyre required help from the legends, he ultimately walked out as champion. That makes him a winner. Meanwhile, despite many fans expecting him to win, Orton lost in the short and long term.
This could well be the last time The Viper has an opportunity at a world championship for years. This was a definitive loss that felt like the end of his reign of terror. There is no reason he should get another title match at Hell in a Cell or any time in the near future.
Orton is the type of talent who can compete for a world title at any time, but he will never be as set up for the moment again as he was against McIntyre. This was the high point of The Viper's heel run.
It will be interesting to see what happens next for Orton. He has a feud to continue with Keith Lee that likely ends with The Limitless One standing tall. Beyond that, he may be waiting for Edge to heal up.
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