WWE Clash of Champions 2019 Results, Highlights, and Grades
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Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins (c) vs. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler – Raw Tag Team Championship
Braun Strowman’s smirk was all of us. How would two main event players take Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode seriously? But could that overconfidence from the two men competing for the Universal Title later in the night prove to be their downfall?
Roode simply stood no chance on Strowman one-on-one, as Braun just kept launching Roode back into Ziggler in the corner. So what did he do? Like any reasonable person, he tagged in the other guy to see if Ziggler could fare any better.Surprisingly, Ziggler and Roode were working well together. Unselfish and intelligent, they were doing their best to keep Braun on his toes. Obviously it didn’t work.
Strowman manhandled Ziggler, tagged in Rollins, and then steamrolled Ziggler.It didn’t take long for Rollins to fall into a two-on-one trap against the heels, leading to Rollins faceplanting outside the ring, courtesy of Dolph’s trademark “Satellite DDT.” Though Rollins and Strowman were clearly the better competitors, Ziggler and Roode had enough wily tag team moves to keep Rollins on his toes and fighting to stay in the match.
Ziggler grounded Rollins, setting up for Braun’s eventual hot tag. The Universal Champion thought he had some breathing room, but Ziggler made sure that tag didn’t happen by hitting a nifty Famouser for a two-count.
Continuing to work well together, Roode came in to hit a vertical suplex on Rollins, who was starting to really struggle for air against the upstart challengers. Roode started to look more impressive, benefiting from a cheapshot delivered by Ziggler to the reeling Rollins.
Ascending the ropes, Roode called his shot but predictably missed badly. Finding a flurry of offense, Rollins hit his slick blockbuster as the crowd waited for Strowman’s tag.
Ziggler made it in first, though, and nearly got the win with a Sunset Flip. The Show-Off started to taunt Strowman in the corner and paid dearly, as the time allowed Rollins a chance to recover and hit a Falcon Arrow.
The crowd screamed when Strowman entered the ring and were thrilled as he mowed down Ziggler and Roode at breakneck speed. They went even crazier when he started trucking the heels outside the ring, blasting Ziggler into the barricade. (You should rewatch Ziggler’s sell there.)
Dolph continued to dead-fish sell for Strowman and nearly got hit by a Running Powerslam, but he raked Strowman’s eyes. Dolph then slammed Braun into the corner, hit a superkick, and set Roode up for the Glorious DDT.
Of course, Roode couldn’t get the power on it, and Rollins came in to capitalize. He set up for The Stomp, but Ziggler caught him in time. Rollins countered the Glorious DDT, hit a slingblade, nailed Ziggles with a suicide dive, and went after Roode.
But Roode hit a spinebuster for two, staving off defeat for at least a few more moments against the red-hot Rollins. Roode cockily set up for the Glorious DDT a third time, but he didn’t see Strowman coming.
Strowman saved Rollins for an instant, but he inadvertently sent his teammate crashing. Roode FINALLY hit the Glorious DDT for the win, and now Rollins and Strowman might have more friction heading into their title match. Meanwhile, the new Raw Tag Team Champions look like a finely-tuned machine.
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Final Thoughts: This match was better than I expected and worth watching. There was a lot of drama, Rollins was as brilliant as usual, and Roode and Ziggler actually look like a great tag team. But should I really be surprised at their veteran chops and chemistry?
Grade: B, Yet another solid match, and there’s some more drama heading into the Universal Title match. Both men are pissed at losing to who they viewed as inferior competition.