WWE Clash of Champions 2019 Results, Highlights, and Grades

WWE Clash of Champions 2019 is headlined by three incredible women’s title matches, but which match will steal the show at this incredibly promising Pay Per View?

There’s a special buzz surrounding WWE Clash of Champions 2019 that is normally absent from so-called “B” Pay-Per-Views. Perhaps it’s because the move to FOX is imminent for SmackDown Live, which has been WWE’s strongest brand since the split in 2016. Or maybe it’s the upcoming draft in mid-October.

But more likely, the buzz is for Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch, which is one of the most highly-anticipated title matches of the modern era. The Raw Women’s Championship has reached new heights under Becky’s reign, but it could reach an entirely new level with Banks as the champion. Now, Banks’s crowning moment may have to wait for Hell in a Cell, but it may also be preferable for WWE to capitalize on their most popular wrestler’s momentum right now.

Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair will be just as good of a match on paper, as these two wrestlers have plenty of history, too. Let’s not forget that Bayley’s first main roster title win came on an episode of Raw against Charlotte in Las Vegas, where the two blew the roof off the place.

Wrestling fans will also hope that Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose can have a show-stealing performance for the Women’s Tag Titles, which is in need of more care from Vince McMahon and the creative team. A strong showing from these four talented women could do wonders for the title.

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan, Cedric Alexander vs. AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz help round out a strong Clash of Champions card that has no weaknesses from top to bottom. And with intrigue surrounding the future of Seth Rollins’s Universal Title in his match against Braun Strowman, which will be preceded by their tag title defense, there should be no shortage of surprises tonight.

Follow along with us at 7 p.m. ET when the show begins for all the live results, highlights, and grades from the show. You won’t want to miss any of these matches.

Drew Gulak (c) vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado – WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Cruiserweight Title matches are always show-stealers, and Lince Dorado’s early “Golden Lynx” and hurricanrana off the barricade sent a message of intent to the crowed. This is going to be barnburner.

Humberto Carrillo is one of the most fun wrestlers to watch in WWE, and it has everything to do with the showboating. A backflip for no reason other than to mess with Drew Gulak and make us swoon? Here for it!

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Drew Gulak, as expected began grounding Carrillo, doing his best to wear down the X-Factor of the match. Carrillo is Gulak’s biggest threat to the title right now, so the wily veteran wisely focused his attention on arguably 205 Live’s fastest-rising star in 2019.

Dorado and Gulak had an incredible exchange moments later. Seriously, go watch the counters and the final gutbuster from Gulak onto Dorado. THAT is what Cruiserweight wrestling in WWE is all about.And then Gulak started to ground Dorado, who showed good strength in breaking the hold. Followed by some crazy-good athleticism, which was more than matched by Carrillo moments later. Gulak has to get applause for helping Carrillo and Dorado showcase their in-ring prowess in this Triple Threat match.

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Gulak was getting increasingly desperate to save his title, as Dorado and Carrillo had all the big moves and momentum. Then, Gulak went for a big move, countered Carrillo’s moonsault, got caught in a submission, and then weasled his way out when Dorado targeted Carrillo. That nearly gave Gulak an opening, but Dorado was able to kick out.

The roll-up party ensued, with Dorado barely saving Carrillo from a pin against Gulak in the end. Gulak responded to barely missing a pinfall by clotheslining the hell out of everyone else in the ring. Brutal stuff from the merciless champion!

Dorado started nailing Carrillo with chops in the corner and set Carrillo up for a top-rope move, but Gulak had other plants. Interestingly enough, Gulak is so desperate that he’s ascending the ropes, but it’s never quite working out for him. (As expected, that’s patently not his game.)

A SUPER hurricanrana from Dorado on Carrillo could have picked up the win, but Dorado missed the shooting star press. Carrillo nearly capitalized on the opening with an Aztec Press, but Gulak wisely sat in wait. He threw Carrillo shoulder-first into the post and retained the Cruiserweight Title by pinning Dorado.

Final Thoughts: An unsurprising retention from Gulak in a match that was both fast-paced and brutal. Carrillo looked particularly impressive, as Gulak yielded some space for the others to shine. I see Carrillo as a champion one day, but this was a wise call.

Grade: B, A solid match, but never got into that next gear. There were some good exchanges, though nothing quite emotional or absolutely breath-taking.

AJ Styles (c) vs. Cedric Alexander – WWE United States Championship

In a split second, Cedric Alexander charged at AJ Styles and nearly beat him with a Michonuku driver. He followed that up RAPIDLY with a dive to the outside and gave the Charlotte crowd something else to cheer for with yet another nearfall!

Talk about a hometown hero! Alexander’s conditioning, awareness, and chemistry with the crowd are next-level, and it was great to see WWE giving him this kind of early showcase against a heel champion Styles.Yeah, it’s on the pre-show, but when it starts this hot, it’s even better.

Unfortunately, Styles dropped Alexander “head-first” onto the apron with a sickening suplex. And if you thought THAT was bad, you should have seen the Styles Clash to Alexander on the outside. YIKES!

Styles went to pin Alexander, but instead of getting the 1-2-3, he lifted Alexander up to send a message to everyone else. He’ll be as ruthless as anyone in the company.Also, Alexander’s selling? Did you forget how amazing it is? I hope you didn’t, because he was killing it.The crowd rewarded his selling with thunderous “Let’s go, Cedric!” chants. A star.

Alexander barely got out of a calf crusher, grasping the ropes to avoid defeat. But Styles was slowly going in for the kills, cutting Alexander’s legs from underneath him with a bevy of kicks.

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Writhing in pain, Alexander attempted to find respite near the ropes as Styles chuckled at his devious handiwork. But with the crowd on his side, Alexander hit a big back-elbow before collecting himself.Limping around the ring, Alexander was then struck by a reverse-DDT from the confident Styles, who strutted into position for the Phenomenal Forearm. Much to the chagrin of the audience.

Phenomenal Forearm. Styles Clash.

AJ retains the United States Title.

Of course, he’s not done yet. He put the boots on Alexander, calling in the rest of the OC to deliver a hometown beatdown of the fan favorite.

Final Thoughts: Strong showing from Alexander in a match that wasn’t going to have much time at the end of the pre-show. Alexander passed the test with flying colors, judging by how much the crowd loved him.

Grade: B, This was an above-average match and a strong showing from Alexander, especially considering the temporal constraints of the match.

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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.

Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair – SmackDown Women’s Championship

Bayley vs. Charlotte is one of the biggest matches on the card, and it certainly has a big-fight feel to it. The video package before the match was, of course, A+.

Listening to the huge cheers for Charlotte (in Charlotte, of course) and boos for Bayley was almost surreal, but not quite as surreal as hearing Byron Saxton berate Bayley for being a “hypocrite”. And still yet more surreal was hearing Corey Graves defend Bayley.

Like Alexander vs. Styles, we saw a big move within seconds, as Charlotte hit Bayley with a Big Boot. She laughed and soaked in the crowd’s adulation as Bayley scrambled outside the ring. Charlotte gave chase and met Bayley in the ring with some NASTY chops.

Charlotte was absolutely unloading on Bayley, who was badly damaged in the first minutes of the match. The Queen stayed on Bayley, viciously pummeling the SmackDown Women’s Champion before dragging her all over the ring. And once again, Bayley had to take cover outside the ring.

There was no cover to be found. Charlotte slammed her into the barricade not once but twice to cement home her advantage on her own turf. Flair just kept rubbing salt in the wound before getting a nearfall, prowling around the wounded Bayley, who had still gotten zero offense in.The Queen targeted the left knee, injuring Bayley before attempting an early Figure Four that The Hugger countered. It didn’t create an opening for the champion, however, as Charlotte hit a Big Boot and some more stomps in the corner.

Although the official tried to save Bayley in the corner, Charlotte spun pas the official.And that’s how she lost. Bayley took off the turnbuckle while the referee and Charlotte were occupied elsewhere, and she then used it to take Charlotte by surprise.Face first into the turnbuckle. 1-2-3. Bayley retains.

She ran the out of the ring after spoiling Charlotte’s homecoming, defeating a woman who was dominating her in the match.

Final Thoughts: This was a very interesting match and story, and I enjoyed it. I thought it was cool how Bayley did something so antithetical to who she is, and I’m excited to see how this is addressed in the coming days of WWE programming.

Grade: None. This was about the fallout and story-telling. I enjoyed the match, including Charlotte’s dominance, and the weird finish. Let’s see where it goes.

The New Day (c) vs. The Revival – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship

How will Xavier Woods hold up after his injury at the hands of The Revival? That might be the biggest storyline heading into this SmackDown Tag Team Title match between The New Day and The Revival, which figures to be one of the best matches of the night in terms of pure quality.

Woods is the one who starts off, and he’s up against Dash Wilder. Scott Dawson tried to play a distraction and attack Woods’s injury, and Wilder ended up getting the advantage shortly after. But it didn’t last, as Woods was ready to match up with Wilder. Big E then mowed Dawson down outside the ring in case the other half of The Revival were to interfere.

Screaming at Wilder, Woods started to use his striking ability and speed. This set up a tag for Big E, who slammed Wilder into the canvas for a two count.As Big E worked on Wilder, Dawson threw Woods into the steel steps. The distraction allowed Wilder to get the better of Big E, who had to kick out at two in order to avoid an upset to the challengers.

The Revival went to work on Big E together after taking Woods out of the match, and E simply couldn’t get a moment of respite against the methodical, relentless tag team work from the former champions.Woods continued to lay motionless on the outside as Dawson wore down E inside the ring. The Revival were taking all the wind out of the big man’s sails, but the crowd started to beg E to get to his feet.

E used his power to get to his feet, but he just couldn’t wrestle away from Dawson’s grip. And with Woods barely alive on the outside, it’s not like he could ask the other half of the champions to give him some relief.However, Woods began to stir, just as Big E turned things around. Woods started to fire up the crowd for E, took the hot tag, and then surprisingly started to lay a beating on both members of The Revival.

Woods hit a DDT on Dawson, but Wilder broke it up at the last second, targeting Woods’s knee in the processes. Dawson and Wilder then ganged up on E on the outside, hitting the Shatter Machine on the outside. E was out, probably for good.

The crowd gave “This is awesome!” chants to the men in the match, but Woods really stood no chance against two men. A chop block on the knee sent Woods screaming in agony, and Wilder and Dawson knew they had The New Day right where they wanted them.

Shatter Machine on Woods. But they weren’t done there. Instead of ending the match from the finish, they went for the injured knee. They could have easily won the match and attacked Woods afterwards, but they wanted to embarrass New Day.

Somehow, some way, Woods didn’t immediately tapped. He fought with everything he had, but wisely tapped out before potentially ending his career.

The Revival are the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions.

Final Thoughts: It was a mild upset for The New Day to lose the titles, but the timing may have been right for The Revival to win on the SmackDown side. But it may not be long for New Day to get that title back…

Grade: B+, Another great tag match from The New Day, and the story-telling around The Revival’s ruthlessness and Woods’s injury were brilliant.

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (c) vs. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

Mandy Rose began the match aggressively, targeting Nikki Cross after those awful comments, which Corey Graves unfortunately kept bringing up. Cross was more than game, taunting Rose by swiveling her hips, forcing Rose to tag in Sonya Deville, whose “Pride” towel needs to be seen.

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Alexa Bliss tagged in to face Sonya, but she wanted none of it, bringing Rose back into the match. Bliss slapped Rose in the face, taunting her before smacking her twice more.

The Goddess was dominating Mandy in this match, as Cross cheered her partner on from the top rope.

Unfortunately, R-Truth ran into the ring after being chased by the 24/7 crowd. Bliss tried to win the 24/7 title by pinning Truth, who BARELY got out of the way. He and Carmella escaped, but I can’t help but feel that this won’t end well for someone.

Rose shook Bliss off of her as Sonya tagged in, and Bliss had to kick out at two. Deville and Rose were doing a fantastic job of working together to mess with the champions, though Deville started to take it too far with her taunts on Bliss. Perhaps that will end up backfiring on her later in the match.The challengers put the boots to Bliss in the corner, and the crowd was itching for Bliss to “Let Nikki Play” on the hot tag.

Mandy showed off her strength with a SICK vertical suplex, getting ALL of the delay. Deville tried to go for the win after a running knee, but it’ll take more to beat a decorated champion on the level of Bliss.

Grounding Bliss, Deville worked to slow the match and set up for a submission, but Bliss still had fight left in her. The crowd started to cheer for Bliss to overcome the odds in the corner, and she nearly stole a win off of a seemingly complacent Rose.

Moments later, a double-down for Bliss and Rose occurred, as Cross stomped in the corner for a hot tag from Bliss. Cross entered the match, the crowd went wild, and Sonya had no chance against the fired-up champion.

Bliss tagged in for Cross and ascended the top rope, where she would later be met by Sonya. She threw Bliss onto the canvas, back-first, then tagged in Rose. Cross saved the matchup at the last possible second for Bliss, and it looked like the champions would have the chemistry to retain here.

The Goddess tagged Cross back in, and she dodged a Rose knee strike. Cross hit her finisher, and the champions retained.

Final Thoughts: I’m glad WWE gave these women time to shine, because the Women’s Tag Team Titles feel like they’re going places with WWE fully behind these two champions.

Grade: A, This was a strong match with some great story-telling from all four women. Nikki Cross is a star.

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. The Miz – Intercontinental Championship

Sami Zayn is ridiculous. Everything he says wants me to cry tears of laughter, including his outrageously over-the-top introduction of Shinsuke Nakamura. And Nakamura was paying homage to Frank Costanza’s lawyer by wearing a cape. Wonderful.

The Miz and the Intercontinental Championship are basically synonymous, yet he’s the clear underdog in this match against Nakamura, who gets to benefit from whatever evil tactics Zayn has concocted at ringside.

To start the match, Nakamura and Miz started to feel each other out with some grappling while Zayn annoyed the hell out of everyone with his commentary. “Decent arm drag at best…you look like Carolina did on Thursday…”Let’s just say, that, no, Nakamura isn’t replacing Byron Saxton on commentary any time soon. “Oh you’re gonna pay for that one pal…oh yes you are…yes you are…” and then they finally cut Zayn’s mic to spare our ears the hell.

Going for his ninth career IC Title, Miz aggressively went after Nakamura with chops, yelling at Zayn. He then taunted Nakamura with a little “Come on!“, pulling Nakamura off the apron. Miz then got a big pop from the crowd by yanking away Zayn’s mic and launching it into the crowd.Zayn briefly distracted Miz, talked some trash, and got Nakamura to turn the tides of the match. Elite managerial work right there, Mr. Zayn.

Miz lit Nakamura with some “It” kicks, hit a couple of running knees in the corner, and ascended the top rope to pick up a big nearfall on Nakamura. This match was really starting to heat up, as Miz kept getting more and more aggressive.He wanted to soften Nakamura up for a Figure Four, but Nakamura brilliantly transitioned into his devastating armbar.

But Miz countered into a pinfall attempt and hit a DDT to make Nakamura (and Zayn) sweat a little bit.Nakamura ducked Miz’s final It kick for a nearfall, and his own kicks were causing a host of problems for The A-Lister. He just couldn’t deal with Nakamura’s speed and intensity, as the IC Champion blasted the challenger with a NASTY snap German suplex. This man was on fire!

The champion continued his assault on Miz, who seemed to have little hope when Nakamura signalled for the Kinsasha. Miz saw it all the way, countering Nakamura before finally strapping in the Figure Four to potentially turn the tide of the match in Charlotte.

Miz went for a SECOND Figure Four but nearly paid dearly, as Nakamura countered into a small package for a nearfall. Then Zayn got involved and caused Miz to get hit in the back of the head…but Miz somehow kicked out!!!Once again, Shinsuke set up for the Kinsasha on a prone Miz. But Miz countered and hit the Skull Crushing Finale. But could he capitalize in time?

YES…but Zayn interfered! Nakamura would have been pined for 3, but Zayn bailed out Nakamura by cheating again. Pissed off, Miz chased Zayn (instead of focusing on Nakamura).As expected, he paid for it. Nakamura rolled Miz into the ring, hit the Kinsasha, and retained his title in a match that he should have lost.

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Final Thoughts: Zayn is so odiously good as Nakamura’s manager, and WWE have breathed new life into Nakamura by taking him seriously with big wins. This was a tremendous match.

Grade: A-, Miz and Nakamura are masters of psychology, and this match was made all the better by Zayn’s involvement. Fantastic stuff from both men inside the ring, and I’d be cool with a rematch.

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sasha Banks – Raw Women’s Championship

This is THE match we’ve been waiting for, and it’s about to be amazing. I cannot remember being as hyped up for a match in a LONG time, and the fans in the arena were as into it as the rest of us at home.

The Boss tried to talk trash right in Becky’s face to start the match, but Lynch stop that tried in its tracks by slapping Banks in the mouth. But when Sasha tried to stop Becky from talking trash, the champion scouted her out and reestablished her advantage over the challenger.

Banks attempted to out-grapple Lynch, who got the better of Banks using her strength. She even went for the Dis-Arm-Her, but The Boss fled out of the ring to avoid an early submission against one of WWE’s most dangerous submission wrestlers.

Taking some time to gloat outside the ring was not Banks’s wisest decision, though. She played up to the crowd, even facing away from Lynch, and got served with a baseball slide for her efforts. The crowd yelled for Becky to to lay some more punishment on Banks, and she obliged before rolling Sasha back into the ring.

Dueling Sasha and Becky chants emerged as The Boss began to finally get a clear advantage in the match. Fueled by the chants, Banks went for an early pin, but Becky kicked out with ease. Banks then started to target the back and shoulders with a submission, forcing the Raw Women’s Champion to drain some of her strength reserves early in the match.

Banks picked up a nearfall with a Meteora, leaving Lynch mildly stunned from the impact caused by the challenger’s knees. Lynch started to fire back up in front of the Charlotte crowd, but Banks hit a lovely kick for another nearfall.

Sasha fought out of a Bexploder attempt from Lynch and separated herself from the champion, baiting Becky into the corner. She targeted Becky’s shoulders again, perhaps attempting to make it more difficult for Lynch to use her throws. Once again, Sasha paid for playing to the crowd, hurting herself with her arrogance, perhaps forgetting how quickly Lynch can reverse her. These two have history with each other and while plenty has changed since then, what’s changed most profoundly is arguably Becky’s in-ring improvement.

Becky got her throw in, gaining a boatload of momentum as she collected herself for a big move. She softened The Boss up with some knees, but Banks baited her to lock in the Bank Statement!

The Man did a wonderful job of fighting off the Bank Statement, using her strength to get to her feet before hitting the Bexploder to reverse the tide of the match back in her favor. The crowd went wild as Becky ascended the ropes for a leg drop and a nearfall.

Beside herself, wondering what her next move should be, Lynch pondered her strategy in the corner after Sasha showed a small glimpse of her resiliency. Shouting “This is my time now” at Sasha, she plopped the challenger up on the top rope. Sasha hit a meteora from the middle rope in response and screamed in frustrated agony after Becky kicked out.

As Michael Cole noted, she has to forget the near-win and remember that it will take a LOT to dethrone the Raw Women’s Champion.Banks hit a pair of knees in the corner on Lynch and attempted to roll into another Bank Statement. Lynch went for the Dis-Arm-Her, was countered, and then found a way to cinch it in on a trapped Banks.

But at the last second, Banks finally shifted her weight towards the ropes, got her foot on the rope to break the hold, and smashed her hand around in agony after feeling the effects of Becky’s all-powerful submission.

Becky stayed on Sasha, and she hit a Missile Dropkick not long after Banks nearly suffered defeat at the hands of the Dis-Arm-Her. A “This is awesome!” chant broke out in the crowd after Sasha kicked out at two, as they knew they were witnessing a special match in development.

Banks did brilliantly to hit a Backstabber on Lynch in the corner, she hit a second one, and then she trapped Lynch in the middle of the ring with the Bank Statement! Lynch agonizingly tried to get herself to the ropes, and she finally broke the hold.

Frustrated after Lynch found the ropes, Sasha tossed a steel chair into the ring. And then brought out a second one, hitting Sasha while the official wasn’t looking. It looked like Banks had the match won when she hit a Shining Wizard afterwards, but Lynch kicked out! That was Sasha’s chance, but Lynch was too good! No Eddie Guerrero move was going to get the win there! (Unless if she has a second one planned…)

Angered, Banks picked up the steel chair to use it despite the DQ threat. The official grabbed it and Banks bickered, but Lynch then picked up the chair and swung it in frustration. But she hit the ref! The ref is down! Seeing an opportunity, Becky hit Sasha with the chair to send The Boss out of the ring.

Sasha got the chair out of Becky’s hands and retreated up the stairs, to the delight of the crowd. The two living legends continued to brawl up the stairs, devolving the title match into welcomed chaos.Renee Young said it aptly: “Welcome back Sasha!”

Calling back to Sasha’s Falls Count Anywhere title win over Charlotte a few years ago, Becky put Banks in a Dis-Arm-Her through the railing in the arena. Banks tapped, but it didn’t matter. There’s no official.It got even crazier. The two went to the concession area, and mustard was even used. Lynch, an elite brawler, gained and advantage over Sasha before moving back into the arena. Becky played up to the crowd, beating Banks while dragging her back down the stairs, aiming to bring the action back into the ring.

Once they got back to ringside, Banks finally gained   a brief advantage. She pummeled Lynch into the barricade, then the apron, and then the barricade again. And the referee was still down! (Should we be surprised, though? I mean, refs go down for ages for anything, so a steel chair from Becky might as well be death.)

Michael Cole said on commentary that the match is officially a disqualification, and Becky is still champion. But the two still wanted to tear each other apart. Becky got the chair back, talking trash and hitting her challenger repeatedly in the back.Lynch then set up the chair, sat herself down, talked some more trash, and then started smashing her head into the chair over and over again. This. Was. Brutal.

Then, Lynch twisted Banks’s arm THROUGH the chair for a Dis-Arm-Her, and multiple officials finally entered to stop Lynch from destroying Banks’s arm. WOW.

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Final Thoughts: One of the best DQ finishes I’ve ever seen. Go watch every second of it and try to wrap your head around the greatness of these two. You just can’t do it. They’re too good.

Grade: A+, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch are fantastic.

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Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship

Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton started their heated rematch from SummerSlam with some intense grappling, as the two could not get their hands off of each other in the corner. This match is as emotional as it gets, and Orton started to mess with the crowd who were, of course, cheering on the WWE Champion.

Orton did his best to use his strength and power to ground Kingston, as the two continued to banter back and forth. Neither man wanted to go for a big move too early, instead preferring to feel each other out in the match’s early stages. Despite Orton’s strength advantage, Kingston’s technical ability allowed him to get the better of Orton in a couple of exchanges, though it didn’t take Orton long to turn the tables again.

Clearly, Orton wanted to go to his trademark slow pace to wear down Kingston, and it was working. The Viper taunted the crowd, but Kingston used his superior quickness and agility to gain the advantage. You could tell the crowd was just starting its build towards cheering Kingston more forcefully, especially as Orton retreated outside the ring to nurse his injured eye.

Enraged, Kingston started going for some rapid strikes on Orton in the corner, but Orton baited him to go for Kingston’s eyes. That proved to be highly successful, as The Apex Predator started to go at Kingston’s chest. He even used Kofi’s hair against him before launching the champion off the apron into the barricade. Orton started firing up, psyching himself up as he pursued Kingston outside the ring.

Orton then bounced Kingston off both announce tables before moving Kofi into the barricade, throwing him on top of it. He then hit a vertical suplex on Kingston from outside the barricade to the ground at ringside. And, of course, he threw Kingston onto the German announce table with a belly-to-back suplex.

Ruthless stuff from The Viper, who was moving in for the kill. And noticing the count was only at three, he hit Kofi with ANOTHER suplex onto the announce tables before getting a nearfall. Orton went for a second for good measure, perhaps to force Kingston into using more of his seemingly boundless energy reserves to kick out.The Viper drove Kingston into the ring post and went all the way to the OTHER side of the ring to pose for the crowd, while Kingston suffered on the outside. Orton broke the count to punish Kingston further on the outside, using his favored steel steps.

But Kingston fought back! He valiantly kept hitting Orton with strikes, though Orton outmatched him again by bouncing Kingston off the steel steps.

After hitting an aerial move, Kingston started to fire up as he picked himself up on the ropes. Using all his strength, Kingston slashed Orton to the ground before grounding The Viper with a dropkick. He was hitting his comeback and getting the WWE Universe on his side! Kingston hit the BOOM drop on Orton, causing the challenger to question whether his end would be near in a matter of minutes.

The crowd 100-percent behind Kingston at this point, the WWE Champion went or Trouble in Paradise, but Orton countered him flawlessly into a backbreaker for a key nearfall that served to deflate the crowd from delight to nervous anticipation.

Orton wanted an Elevated DDT, but Kingston countered by launching The Viper into the announce table. He then dove to the outside beautifully, hyping himself up by pounding the announce tables before rolling Randy back into the ring. Kingston ascended the top rope, but Orton rolled through on the crossbody and NEARLY won the title!

Although Kingston came close to hitting SOS, Orton countered with a powerful dropkick for another two-count. The back-and-forth was undoubtedly nerve-wracking!The Viper picked up Kingston with contempt as the two started to trade blows. It looked like Kingston was getting the better of Orton, but The Viper raked the champion’s eyes to negate any advantage Kofi had. But Kofi hit the SOS and came agonizingly close to a surprise win!

As the Charlotte crowd continued to cheer for Kofi, Orton caught him on the top rope to slow the pace of the match even more. He then went for a superplex attempt. Kofi fought him off at first, but Orton softened him up again. However, Kofi slipped away, only to be powerslammed by Orton from out of nowhere. And yet another nearfall.

In his second attempt, Orton hit the Elevated DDT and started to tease the RKO. Kofi got up, countered the RKO into a roll-up, and nearly stole the win. The tide was turning for Kofi, who sent Orton reeling not long after with a trademark kick.

Kingston collected himself from the preceding punishment, but just as he was ready for his own move, he was hit by an RKO!

BUT KINGSTON’S FOOT WAS ON THE ROPE! HIS TITLE REIGN WAS SAVED!

Orton muttered something about “stupid” to the crowd, insulting Kofi to spite him after the foot-on-the-rope save. He berated Kingston again, aiming for the fabled Punt Kick. In that moment, the crowd was nervous that it could actually happen, but Kofi ducked at the last second and hit Trouble in Paradise! What a fitting way to end the match!

Final Thoughts: As slow as you’d expect from a Randy Orton match, but as exciting as you’d expect from a Kofi Kingston match. Another heartfelt performance from an all-time great WWE Champion.

Grade: B+, The finish alone made this match worth it. I know Orton’s style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it isn’t mine. Which is why this doesn’t get in the “A” range. However, this was another strong effort from Kingston in his excellent title reign.

Rowan vs. Roman Reigns – No DQ

Before the bell rang, Roman Reigns charged at Erick Rowan, who barely had time to take off his jacket when the bell finally rang. After Rowan tried to kill Reigns twice, The Big Dog had every reason to attack his opponent with the vengeance of a thousand suns.

Reigns is the obvious favorite here, but in the match before the main event, perhaps that lack of expectation could make Rowan even more dangerous. The man is determined to murder in an effort to make the WWE Universe notice that he’s more than just a brute; he fancies himself as the mastermind behind Daniel Bryan’s rise as the main heel on SmackDown Live.

It didn’t take long for the powerful Rowan to dominate Reigns, as he crushed The Big Dog all over ringside. Rowan used the barricade, steel steps, and announce table in this No Disqualification match, but it eventually backfired when the wonderfully agile Reigns dove out of the way to send Rowan flying into the steel steps.Reigns tried to bring out a kendo stick on Rowan, but Rowan quickly anticipated the attack to launch the steps into Reigns.

With The Big Dog recovering near the fans beyond the barricade, Rowan used the kendo stick and started unleashing. As he beat Roman up, he started yelling for recognition at the fans, who were incensed at what he was doing to the beloved Reigns.

But that time allowed Reigns to recover, and he used his superior striking ability to turn the tide on Rowan, who was dumped back inside the barricade. Rowan tried his best to stay on his feet after absorbing a SHOT from Reigns, who hit Rowan with a picture-perfect drive-by.

The Big Dog clear the announce table, but just as he was about to move to set up Rowan, he was completely destroyed by an onrushing Rowan. The impact on this hit was INSANE; even Bernard Pollard would have cringed at that hit from Rowan.

Bryan’s former enforcer moved Reigns back into the ring, relishing the beatdown he was delivering to the former Universal Champion. It was startling to see how much Rowan was controlling the match, though Reigns is often known for playing from behind, so to speak, against powerful heels. And Rowan has suddenly become one of the most powerful men on SmackDown Live, with this match being arguably the most important of his career in terms of relaunching his status.

Rowan yelled for Reigns to “stay down” as the crowd chanted for tables in this No DQ match.

As the heel, it was unlikely Rowan would oblige to the  crowd’s wishes, but he did take some time to stomp Reigns, who got to his feet only to be promptly hit with a power move for a nearfall. Shocked, Rowan started to wonder what he’d need to do to pin the resilient Reigns for a full three seconds.

The agile Reigns dodged a clothesline from Rowan and dumped his opponent outside the ring, but Rowan somehow stayed on his feet to drag Reigns out the ring. Rowan smashed Reigns into the post, tore off the LED board, and then smashed Reigns headfirst onto the exposed apron with the LED board removed! Rowan is truly a “Sick Individual!”

Rowan threw the steel steps back into the ring, slapping the steps to tease a big move. But Reigns showed his incredible comeback ability yet again, using every ounce of strength for a brilliant Samoan Drop.

That move took a lot out of Reigns, but it was necessary in staving off a potentially devastating attack from the motivated Rowan.Then, Rowan missed when charging into the corner, and Reigns hit him with the steps. Reigns hit a Superman Punch, but only go two out of it. Rowan may be an up-and-comer, but it will almost certainly take a Spear from Reigns to grab the win.

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As if enough carnage hadn’t occurred, Rowan powerbombed Reigns into the oblivion through the announce table, but Reigns kicked out at two in the most insane way! What a nearfall! Go out of your way to watch Rowan’s ridiculous strength on the powerbomb, followed by Reigns’s trademark selling of a game-changing nearfall!

The two then fought into the timekeeper’s area, moving back towards the crowd, as Rowan used the clock to induce a little bit more damage. Though both men were worn down by their battle to this point, they continued to fight into the tech area, the brutality unceasing.

Rowan hit the Iron Claw on Reigns on the outside! He sent Reigns sprawling through the table, taunting The Big Dog as he hoisted his opponent on his shoulders. Instead of perhaps moving him closer to the ring, Rowan had other plans. He tossed Reigns onto the stage to cause even more pain to the man he attempted to murder multiple times. The tried to use the cameras, but Reigns found a different tool, then used the hanging camera on Rowan’s chest!

This match is nuts!

Reigns used the camera again, and he had a determined look on his face as he moved in for a Superman Punch! It sent Rowan sliding down the stage ramp. As Rowan got to his feet, Reigns had a determined look on his face again, and he set up for a Spear. But guess who appeared….HARPER! Rowan’s former partner in the Wyatt Family and Bludgeon Brothers entered to save the day! The evil genius had a trick up his sleeve against Reigns!

A discus clothesline from Harper on Reigns followed, and Rowan hit the Iron Claw for the win.

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Final Thoughts: Who on earth would have thought that Reigns would lose this match? And who would have seen Harper coming back to save Rowan? INSANE.

Grade: A, Fantastic match. Vintage stuff from Reigns, who continues to show why he’s WWE’s most important male superstar. As for Rowan, this was a star-making performance from him as a singles competitor. But also, Harper is back, and it’ll be exciting to see how he interacts with Daniel Bryan on this week’s programming.

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Braun Strowman – WWE Universal Championship

Continuing the trend of fast starts tonight, Braun Strowman immediately shoulder-tackled Seth Rollins to start the Universal Title main event. Strowman is pissed after he believes Rollins lost their Raw Tag Team Titles to star the night, as Rollins was the one pinned by Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode from Roode’s Glorious DDT. But it was also Strowman who ran into Rollins to cause the loss.Rollins quickly turned the tables by trying to take out the big man’s legs, even getting an early nearfall with a frog splash after a flurry of superkicks.

But Strowman kicked out so forcefully within one second that he caught Rollins by surprise. The Beastslayer attempted a Stomp in response, but Strowman countered and just started tossing the champion all over the ring to impose his dominance. He goaded the champ, yelling “C’mon Seth, you’re tougher than this!”

But when Braun charged at Rollins the corner, The Beastslayer side-stepped The Monster Among Men and hit a springboard knee. Rollins went for a second one and got cleaner contact, so he then moved up to the top rope again. A third knee failed to connect, as Braun scouted Seth’s move out, sending the champions flying out of the ring to briefly regroup.

Strowman started charging on the outside and absolutely bulldozed Rollins again, damaging the Universal Champion badly before rolling him into the ring. But Rollins immediately rolled out to try and regroup AGAIN on the outside. In response, Braun tried to run at him again…and it worked. Rollins was powerless to stop the running bulldozer that is Braun Strowman, who is hungry to win his first Universal Title.

After launching Rollins into the barricade, Strowman sent Rollins back into the ring, only for Rollins to once again roll out of the ring. Strowman was unamused by this perceived cowardice, and he charged at Rollins a third time.

He got greedy. Seth bated him and showed that the third time’s a charm, using a brilliant drop-toe hold to send Strowman flying into the announce table. And that’s why they call Rollins “The Architect”. The man is a genius.Rollins hit a HUGE suicide dive that sent Strowman flying into the announce table, ribs-first, and then went for a second one that had an even more devastating effect. In fact, the whole announce table collapsed from the impact of the second suicide dive!

And Rollins tried to go for a third signature move…he almost paid for it, too! But he countered Strowman’s Running Powerslam, hit a super kick, and had Strowman draped on the announce table. The crazy Rollins, willing to put his body on the line to keep his title, ascended the top rope for a Shane McMahon-esque dive on the announce table.

However, Strowman caught up to him on the top rope, himself trying to perform a move up there. But the quicker Rollins got there, too, setting up for an ambitious superplex. Strowman wisely sat down, eliminating any risk of being hurt by tossing Rollins down. He then ascended the top rope, barely kept his balance, and crushed Rollins’s chests with a CRAZY splash. Sadly for Strowman, he may have done more damage to himself, hurting his knee.

Braun came close to getting a pinfall off the damaging splash, but perhaps he suffered just as much agony as the resilient champion.In an attempt to wear down Strowman, Rollins used a Sleeper Hold that took out The Monster Among Men’s oxygen.

But Braun powered up, tossing off Rollins. Rollins hit a Stomp…but Strowman kicked out at one!! AT ONE! FROM THE STOMP! WHAT!

Seth hit a second Stomp, but Strowman kicked out AGAIN! At this point, Rollins was understandably shocked, wondering if he’d have to hit a third or even fourth Stomp just to win.And Rollins hit a third, slowly moving for the cover. The WWE Universe, worried three straight stomps would end this great match-up, booed, but then quickly cheered when Braun kicked out at the last possible second.

As Renee Young astutely pointed out, three stomps were enough to beat Brock Lesnar, but Braun Strowman wouldn’t be put down by them.So what does Rollins have to do? Rollins went for a Pedigree, followed it up with a fourth stomp, and then retained the Universal Title. There was speculation that Rollins could lose the title, but, to the relief of many fans, Rollins’s reign will continue.

What happened after the match was much better. All of a sudden, the lights went out, the screech happened, The Fiend appeared, and Sister Abigail was hit on Rollins on the stage. Claw. Fin.

Final Thoughts: Fans who don’t like finisher-fests will hate this match, but it was a solid effort from both that showed some great athletic ability. And the purpose was to make Strowman strong, as it took even more finishers (four stomps and a Pedigree) to beat Braun than it did for Rollins to beat Lesnar. The Fiend/Rollins stuff was incredibly well-done.

Grade: B, This was a good match, and it was likely the main event due to the slow nature of Randy Orton’s match and the DQ finish to the Match of the Night between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. Rollins is done with Strowman, and now The Fiend will have what will likely be a stellar Hell in a Cell match with Rollins soon. The build to that match will be can’t-miss, and The Fiend is a real threat to win the Universal Title.