Zack Ryder defeated Mojo Rawley. (Kick-off match)
Mojo Rawley is back on track.
Months after the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner re-formed The Hype Bros with Zack Ryder, the energetic Superstar bulldozed through his former tag team partner on the WWE Clash of Champions Kickoff. The win didn’t just validate Rawley for detonating The Hype Bros and casting his partner aside, it effectively hit the reset button on a singles career that had just begun to get rolling prior to Ryder returning from a knee injury to re-form their team.
The former partners had been trash-talking over social media in the lead-up to WWE Clash of Champions (Mojo had some harsh words in particular), and Ryder seemed appropriately riled up in the opening moments, blasting Mojo with a dropkick immediately after the opening bell. Ryder’s veteran instincts were met in kind when the young Superstar charged Long Island Iced-Z into the corner and shoulder-tackled him into the barricade on the outside.
Staring down victory, Mojo opted to play with his food, mocking Ryder’s apparent lack of “killer instinct” in what turned out to be a miscalculation, as Ryder instantly rattled Rawley’s jaw with forearms and a pair of consecutive Broski Boots. After a brief scuffle in the ropes, Rawley decided that he’d had enough, charging into The Ultimate Broski’s surgically-repaired knee and putting him down with a furious sprinting forearm to the face.
With his former partner in his rearview, Mojo has a second chance to make good on his hype. And the SmackDown LIVE locker room can underestimate him at their own risk. (Via WWE.com)
Months after the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner re-formed The Hype Bros with Zack Ryder, the energetic Superstar bulldozed through his former tag team partner on the WWE Clash of Champions Kickoff. The win didn’t just validate Rawley for detonating The Hype Bros and casting his partner aside, it effectively hit the reset button on a singles career that had just begun to get rolling prior to Ryder returning from a knee injury to re-form their team.
The former partners had been trash-talking over social media in the lead-up to WWE Clash of Champions (Mojo had some harsh words in particular), and Ryder seemed appropriately riled up in the opening moments, blasting Mojo with a dropkick immediately after the opening bell. Ryder’s veteran instincts were met in kind when the young Superstar charged Long Island Iced-Z into the corner and shoulder-tackled him into the barricade on the outside.
Staring down victory, Mojo opted to play with his food, mocking Ryder’s apparent lack of “killer instinct” in what turned out to be a miscalculation, as Ryder instantly rattled Rawley’s jaw with forearms and a pair of consecutive Broski Boots. After a brief scuffle in the ropes, Rawley decided that he’d had enough, charging into The Ultimate Broski’s surgically-repaired knee and putting him down with a furious sprinting forearm to the face.
With his former partner in his rearview, Mojo has a second chance to make good on his hype. And the SmackDown LIVE locker room can underestimate him at their own risk. (Via WWE.com)
United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler defeated UNITED STATES CHAMPION, Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode.
Dolph Ziggler shouted at the devil, and the devil gave him what he demanded. The Showoff is once again United States Champion, following a thrilling victory over Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode in a Triple Threat contest at WWE Clash of Champions.
That’s some serious vindication for Ziggler, who was unexpectedly added to what had been shaping up as a one-on-one bout between Corbin and The Glorious One. Ironically, it was the rivalry between Roode and Corbin that gave The Showoff his biggest security blanket and provided him with the opening he needed to win.
The bout opened with Ziggler and Roode ganging up against the much larger Corbin to renew their own one-on-one hostilities, and The Showoff conspicuously made himself scarce whenever The Lone Wolf reasserted himself throughout the contest. Striking when opportunity provided, Dolph focused his efforts on The Glorious One until a Tower of Doom from Corbin left both challengers down and turned the match into a free-for-all.
Roode gained the upper hand by landing a Glorious DDT on Dolph that Corbin broke up at the last possible second by hauling Roode off of Ziggler’s body. The Lone Wolf decimated Roode with his chokeslam-backbreaker hybrid outside the ring, but Ziggler rallied, downing Corbin with a Zig Zag right as he was in the middle of executing the End of Days on Roode. With both of his opponents down, The Showoff covered Corbin for the three-count to become champion.
For some time now, Dolph Ziggler has been the litmus test for Superstars who come from NXT to Raw or SmackDown LIVE. Now, the locker room will have to do more than compare themselves to him. They’ll have to catch him. (Via WWE.com)
That’s some serious vindication for Ziggler, who was unexpectedly added to what had been shaping up as a one-on-one bout between Corbin and The Glorious One. Ironically, it was the rivalry between Roode and Corbin that gave The Showoff his biggest security blanket and provided him with the opening he needed to win.
The bout opened with Ziggler and Roode ganging up against the much larger Corbin to renew their own one-on-one hostilities, and The Showoff conspicuously made himself scarce whenever The Lone Wolf reasserted himself throughout the contest. Striking when opportunity provided, Dolph focused his efforts on The Glorious One until a Tower of Doom from Corbin left both challengers down and turned the match into a free-for-all.
Roode gained the upper hand by landing a Glorious DDT on Dolph that Corbin broke up at the last possible second by hauling Roode off of Ziggler’s body. The Lone Wolf decimated Roode with his chokeslam-backbreaker hybrid outside the ring, but Ziggler rallied, downing Corbin with a Zig Zag right as he was in the middle of executing the End of Days on Roode. With both of his opponents down, The Showoff covered Corbin for the three-count to become champion.
For some time now, Dolph Ziggler has been the litmus test for Superstars who come from NXT to Raw or SmackDown LIVE. Now, the locker room will have to do more than compare themselves to him. They’ll have to catch him. (Via WWE.com)
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONs, The Usos defeated The New Day, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin, and Aiden English & Rusev.
Rusev Day will have to wait. So will a New Day, yes it will. So will vindication for Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin. The SmackDown Tag Team Titles still belong to The Uso Penitentiary.
Jimmy & Jey Uso survived the night where every SmackDown championship is on the line, denying The New Day, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin and an insurgent Rusev & Aiden English to retain their hard-won Team Blue Tag Titles in a match that was a culmination of sorts for everyone involved.
For The New Day, it was a reminder that they are one of, if not the, top threats of any division they compete in, as an early burst from ya boys led Gable & Benjamin to focus their efforts on The New Day while and Rusev & English isolated The Usos – there was a friendly submission competition of sorts between English and Chad Gable at one point – before coming to blows against each other.
Speaking of Rusev & English, it was a declarative statement that they’re more than an odd-couple tag team, as English played spoiler on multiple occasions when other teams were primed to win the contest, and Rusev — a vocal favorite of the WWE Universe in this match — nearly sealed the bout with an Accolade on Big E that the formidable Superstar was shockingly unable to power his way out of.
Gable & Benjamin made a similar statement in the bout. An impromptu tag team that formed out of the dissolution of American Alpha and Benjamin’s delayed return to WWE, the two went on the most unexpected tear of the contest by a mile, particularly when Gable locked Jey Uso in the Texas Cloverleaf and Shelton powerbombed a flying Kofi Kingston out of the sky. Gable also took the bout into his hands in the closing moments, breaking up Rusev’s Accolade with ruthless German suplexes to The Super Athlete, Aiden English and Big E in short order.
But for The Usos, the match was little more than another opportunity to reassert their utter and complete dominance over SmackDown’s tag team scene. Despite being outnumbered, outgunned and the focal point of all their challengers, the twins came through in the deciding moments when they stopped Gable’s suplex train in its tracks, chopped him down with superkicks, and finished him off with a breathtaking splash. It’s rare that a team declares their division on “lockdown” and isn’t exaggerating to some degree, but it’s been just that kind of year for Jimmy & Jey. The reign continues … (Via WWE.com)
Jimmy & Jey Uso survived the night where every SmackDown championship is on the line, denying The New Day, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin and an insurgent Rusev & Aiden English to retain their hard-won Team Blue Tag Titles in a match that was a culmination of sorts for everyone involved.
For The New Day, it was a reminder that they are one of, if not the, top threats of any division they compete in, as an early burst from ya boys led Gable & Benjamin to focus their efforts on The New Day while and Rusev & English isolated The Usos – there was a friendly submission competition of sorts between English and Chad Gable at one point – before coming to blows against each other.
Speaking of Rusev & English, it was a declarative statement that they’re more than an odd-couple tag team, as English played spoiler on multiple occasions when other teams were primed to win the contest, and Rusev — a vocal favorite of the WWE Universe in this match — nearly sealed the bout with an Accolade on Big E that the formidable Superstar was shockingly unable to power his way out of.
Gable & Benjamin made a similar statement in the bout. An impromptu tag team that formed out of the dissolution of American Alpha and Benjamin’s delayed return to WWE, the two went on the most unexpected tear of the contest by a mile, particularly when Gable locked Jey Uso in the Texas Cloverleaf and Shelton powerbombed a flying Kofi Kingston out of the sky. Gable also took the bout into his hands in the closing moments, breaking up Rusev’s Accolade with ruthless German suplexes to The Super Athlete, Aiden English and Big E in short order.
But for The Usos, the match was little more than another opportunity to reassert their utter and complete dominance over SmackDown’s tag team scene. Despite being outnumbered, outgunned and the focal point of all their challengers, the twins came through in the deciding moments when they stopped Gable’s suplex train in its tracks, chopped him down with superkicks, and finished him off with a breathtaking splash. It’s rare that a team declares their division on “lockdown” and isn’t exaggerating to some degree, but it’s been just that kind of year for Jimmy & Jey. The reign continues … (Via WWE.com)
SmackDown Women's Championship: SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPION, Charlotte Flair defeated Natalya by submission. (Lumberjack Match)
Charlotte Flair may have technically defended her SmackDown Women’s Title against Natalya in a Lumberjack Match, but make no mistake: On a night when every SmackDown title was on the line, The Queen was battling the entire SmackDown Women’s division in more ways than one.
Carmella, Lana, Tamina and the entire Riott Squad — Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan — were ostensibly there to keep the combatants in the ring, but they quickly revealed themseles to be Natalya's de facto enforcers during the frantic contest, while Charlotte could only count Naomi as an ally. Each time Natalya was thrown outside the ring, she was returned unharmed, but the Flair scion found herself brutalized by every Lumberjack save Naomi in a bit of deck-stacking that The Queen of Harts was more than happy to exploit. With the Women’s division shouldering most of the dirty work for her, Natalya handily seized control of the match, screaming “You like Charlotte?!” at the WWE Universe as she womanhandled Flair about the ring.
The Lumberjacks continued to pay dividends for Natalya despite the one-woman efforts of Naomi to protect Charlotte during one of the scrums on the outside. But eventually, The Queen of Harts’ security blanket turned against itself when Carmella attempted to cash in her Money in the Bank contract, only to be cut off by Ruby Riott, followed by a brawl among all the Lumberjacks outside the ring.
Charlotte dispatched about 10 birds with one stone when she swooped down on the entire Women’s division with an incredible moonsault to the outside, bringing the bout down to just champion and challenger. While The Queen of Harts seemed primed to lock in the Sharpshooter, Charlotte booted Natalya in the face and instantly applied the agonizing Figure-Eight Leglock, forcing Natalya to submit.
As an exhausted Charlotte returned to the locker room area, Natalya was approached for a post-match interview that quickly took an unexpected turn. Chastising the WWE Universe for disrespecting her and not appreciating her “carrying” the division over the last decade, The Queen of Harts declared she was “turning her back” on the WWE Universe and exited the ring in tears, with the title beyond her grasp and her future uncertain. (Via WWE.com)
Carmella, Lana, Tamina and the entire Riott Squad — Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan — were ostensibly there to keep the combatants in the ring, but they quickly revealed themseles to be Natalya's de facto enforcers during the frantic contest, while Charlotte could only count Naomi as an ally. Each time Natalya was thrown outside the ring, she was returned unharmed, but the Flair scion found herself brutalized by every Lumberjack save Naomi in a bit of deck-stacking that The Queen of Harts was more than happy to exploit. With the Women’s division shouldering most of the dirty work for her, Natalya handily seized control of the match, screaming “You like Charlotte?!” at the WWE Universe as she womanhandled Flair about the ring.
The Lumberjacks continued to pay dividends for Natalya despite the one-woman efforts of Naomi to protect Charlotte during one of the scrums on the outside. But eventually, The Queen of Harts’ security blanket turned against itself when Carmella attempted to cash in her Money in the Bank contract, only to be cut off by Ruby Riott, followed by a brawl among all the Lumberjacks outside the ring.
Charlotte dispatched about 10 birds with one stone when she swooped down on the entire Women’s division with an incredible moonsault to the outside, bringing the bout down to just champion and challenger. While The Queen of Harts seemed primed to lock in the Sharpshooter, Charlotte booted Natalya in the face and instantly applied the agonizing Figure-Eight Leglock, forcing Natalya to submit.
As an exhausted Charlotte returned to the locker room area, Natalya was approached for a post-match interview that quickly took an unexpected turn. Chastising the WWE Universe for disrespecting her and not appreciating her “carrying” the division over the last decade, The Queen of Harts declared she was “turning her back” on the WWE Universe and exited the ring in tears, with the title beyond her grasp and her future uncertain. (Via WWE.com)
The Bludegon Brothers defeated Breezango.
Breezango knew they had a rough road ahead of them against The Bludgeon Brothers. That said, they probably didn’t think it was going “2B” this bad.
In a match against Harper & Rowan that they were essentially talked into by The Ascension, Breezango were ostensibly out for payback for the unseen attacks The Bludgeon Brothers had perpetrated throughout the entirety of The Fashion Files. But they seemed hesitant to even take the match in the first place, and The Bludgeon Brothers capitalized in savage fashion, smashing Tyler Breeze face-first into the apron and felling Fandango with the double-crucifix powerbomb in a matter of minutes. After the dominant win, Harper & Rowan promised “more bludgeoning” for anybody who dares cross them.
Case closed. (Via WWE.com)
In a match against Harper & Rowan that they were essentially talked into by The Ascension, Breezango were ostensibly out for payback for the unseen attacks The Bludgeon Brothers had perpetrated throughout the entirety of The Fashion Files. But they seemed hesitant to even take the match in the first place, and The Bludgeon Brothers capitalized in savage fashion, smashing Tyler Breeze face-first into the apron and felling Fandango with the double-crucifix powerbomb in a matter of minutes. After the dominant win, Harper & Rowan promised “more bludgeoning” for anybody who dares cross them.
Case closed. (Via WWE.com)
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton.
Are Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn still employed? The short answer is, “Yep.” The long answer, however, is a bit more complicated.
Yes, Owens & Zayn prevailed in a match where their WWE careers were on the line, but the bout didn’t come down so much to their opponents — Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton — as it did to an explosive disagreement between match’s the two Special Guest Referees, SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan.
Some history: Shane had been a vocal proponent of firing Zayn & Owens ever since they cost Team SmackDown the deciding match at Survivor Series, which led him to put their careers at stake and declare himself the match’s guest ref. As Owens warned that Shane was planning to screw him out of victory, Bryan named himself the second referee in a bid to protect the “integrity” of SmackDown LIVE. That potential difference of philosophy came to the forefront almost instantly, when some early friction between the two refs led Bryan to draw an imaginary line in the sand, with him and Shane each claiming a territory in the ring to officiate.
It should be mentioned that Owens & Zayn mounted a pretty solid game plan against The Viper and The King of Strong Style, but their animosity toward the refs provided their opponents ample opportunity to take advantage. Nakamura unleashed a blistering torrent of knees onto KO, but it was a triangle from The King of Strong Style that brought the refs back into each other’s orbit when Bryan counted Nakamura’s shoulders in a pinfall attempt, much to Shane’s chagrin.
All the officiating in the world, however, couldn’t stop the wild brawl outside the ring, which concluded with Owens splashing The King of Strong Style through one of the ringside announce tables. With Nakamura dispatched, Orton planted Zayn with an RKO, and an ecstatic Shane went to make the pinfall, but Owens bum-rushed Bryan on top of Shane as he made the count. Orton and Shane surrounded an apologetic Bryan as Zayn struck, instigating a series of back-and-forth rollups that ended with Sami seemingly holding Orton down successfully … only McMahon outright refused to count to three.
With Owens’ fears validated and Bryan red-faced with rage, the two figureheads of SmackDown LIVE went nose-to-nose and appeared inches away from coming to blows (Bryan audibly called Shane “a disgrace”) before Shane threw up his hands and turned his back. Unfortunately for him, Zayn picked that exact moment to attempt another rollup on Orton, and Bryan notched a lightning-fast three-count (in Shane’s territory, for what it’s worth) that saved two jobs. What happens to Bryan’s own job, ironically, is now very much in question, but Shane probably should have seen this coming: Daniel Bryan has never been one to back down from a McMahon. (Via WWE.com)
Yes, Owens & Zayn prevailed in a match where their WWE careers were on the line, but the bout didn’t come down so much to their opponents — Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton — as it did to an explosive disagreement between match’s the two Special Guest Referees, SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan.
Some history: Shane had been a vocal proponent of firing Zayn & Owens ever since they cost Team SmackDown the deciding match at Survivor Series, which led him to put their careers at stake and declare himself the match’s guest ref. As Owens warned that Shane was planning to screw him out of victory, Bryan named himself the second referee in a bid to protect the “integrity” of SmackDown LIVE. That potential difference of philosophy came to the forefront almost instantly, when some early friction between the two refs led Bryan to draw an imaginary line in the sand, with him and Shane each claiming a territory in the ring to officiate.
It should be mentioned that Owens & Zayn mounted a pretty solid game plan against The Viper and The King of Strong Style, but their animosity toward the refs provided their opponents ample opportunity to take advantage. Nakamura unleashed a blistering torrent of knees onto KO, but it was a triangle from The King of Strong Style that brought the refs back into each other’s orbit when Bryan counted Nakamura’s shoulders in a pinfall attempt, much to Shane’s chagrin.
All the officiating in the world, however, couldn’t stop the wild brawl outside the ring, which concluded with Owens splashing The King of Strong Style through one of the ringside announce tables. With Nakamura dispatched, Orton planted Zayn with an RKO, and an ecstatic Shane went to make the pinfall, but Owens bum-rushed Bryan on top of Shane as he made the count. Orton and Shane surrounded an apologetic Bryan as Zayn struck, instigating a series of back-and-forth rollups that ended with Sami seemingly holding Orton down successfully … only McMahon outright refused to count to three.
With Owens’ fears validated and Bryan red-faced with rage, the two figureheads of SmackDown LIVE went nose-to-nose and appeared inches away from coming to blows (Bryan audibly called Shane “a disgrace”) before Shane threw up his hands and turned his back. Unfortunately for him, Zayn picked that exact moment to attempt another rollup on Orton, and Bryan notched a lightning-fast three-count (in Shane’s territory, for what it’s worth) that saved two jobs. What happens to Bryan’s own job, ironically, is now very much in question, but Shane probably should have seen this coming: Daniel Bryan has never been one to back down from a McMahon. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Championship: WWE CHAMPION, AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal by submission.
There would be no second upset for Jinder Mahal, no second trip to the mountaintop, and no Singh Brother-assisted ascent to the WWE Championship. On a night where every SmackDown title was on the line, AJ Styles denied The Modern Day Maharaja and retained his WWE Title, reaffirming his status as the top dog of Tuesday nights and the measuring stick for every Superstar who comes through SmackDown LIVE.
That isn’t to say The Phenomenal One breezed his way through one of 2017’s most memorable success stories. Mahal rose to the occasion and stuck with the game plan that had brought him to the dance in the first place — his strength and his ruthlessness — while Styles focused on chopping away at Mahal’s leg with a series of bruising kicks.
The Modern Day Maharaja, wary of giving Styles free reign within the squared circle, bent the rules to their limit, tossing Styles so viciously over the barricade that it fell apart as he toppled over it. The impact tenderized Styles’ ribs, and Mahal followed that up with a brutal slam onto the announce table and a grueling attack on the champion’s torso once he moved the fight back into the ring.
A timely dropkick that took Mahal out of the sky gave The Phenomenal One a brief second wind, and an electric-chair drop to the challenger finally cut Jinder’s torturous game plan short and allowed Styles to mount a resurgence. Styles crept closer and closer on the strength of his pinpoint timing and some well-placed kicks, but his decimated ribs gave Mahal an easy target to remain one step ahead.
The Modern Day Maharaja got a tad too ambitious in his attempt to finish the match, setting up for what appeared to be a Khallas off the turnbuckle, only for AJ to topple him with a leaping Pele Kick. Sensing he would have to battle through his injury, The Phenomenal One nailed a captivating 450 Splash to Mahal, but The Singh Brothers, who had been conspicuous by their absence, attempted to pull Mahal from the squared circle. AJ disposed of them with a leaping forearm and a Styles Clash on the outside, though the delay allowed Mahal to recover and administer the ring-shaking Khallas. Remarkably, Styles kicked out after a dramatic two-and-a-half.
Once again, Mahal got a bit too ambitious, looking to add insult to injury with a Styles Clash of his own. The Phenomenal One had one counter left in him, rolling out of the maneuver to trap Mahal in a torturous Calf Crusher that targeted the very leg he had focused on earlier in the match. Despite nearly reaching the ropes, Mahal was forced to submit when AJ rolled him back into the middle of the ring, dashing Jinder’s hopes of regaining the WWE Championship, at least for now. The legend of The Phenomenal AJ Styles, however, continues to thrive. (Via WWE.com)
That isn’t to say The Phenomenal One breezed his way through one of 2017’s most memorable success stories. Mahal rose to the occasion and stuck with the game plan that had brought him to the dance in the first place — his strength and his ruthlessness — while Styles focused on chopping away at Mahal’s leg with a series of bruising kicks.
The Modern Day Maharaja, wary of giving Styles free reign within the squared circle, bent the rules to their limit, tossing Styles so viciously over the barricade that it fell apart as he toppled over it. The impact tenderized Styles’ ribs, and Mahal followed that up with a brutal slam onto the announce table and a grueling attack on the champion’s torso once he moved the fight back into the ring.
A timely dropkick that took Mahal out of the sky gave The Phenomenal One a brief second wind, and an electric-chair drop to the challenger finally cut Jinder’s torturous game plan short and allowed Styles to mount a resurgence. Styles crept closer and closer on the strength of his pinpoint timing and some well-placed kicks, but his decimated ribs gave Mahal an easy target to remain one step ahead.
The Modern Day Maharaja got a tad too ambitious in his attempt to finish the match, setting up for what appeared to be a Khallas off the turnbuckle, only for AJ to topple him with a leaping Pele Kick. Sensing he would have to battle through his injury, The Phenomenal One nailed a captivating 450 Splash to Mahal, but The Singh Brothers, who had been conspicuous by their absence, attempted to pull Mahal from the squared circle. AJ disposed of them with a leaping forearm and a Styles Clash on the outside, though the delay allowed Mahal to recover and administer the ring-shaking Khallas. Remarkably, Styles kicked out after a dramatic two-and-a-half.
Once again, Mahal got a bit too ambitious, looking to add insult to injury with a Styles Clash of his own. The Phenomenal One had one counter left in him, rolling out of the maneuver to trap Mahal in a torturous Calf Crusher that targeted the very leg he had focused on earlier in the match. Despite nearly reaching the ropes, Mahal was forced to submit when AJ rolled him back into the middle of the ring, dashing Jinder’s hopes of regaining the WWE Championship, at least for now. The legend of The Phenomenal AJ Styles, however, continues to thrive. (Via WWE.com)