WWE Clash in Italy Takeaways: Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar Shine

Heading into WWE’s first-ever PLE in Italy on Sunday, there were plenty of mysteries to be solved. Both Dominik Mysterio and CM Punk have been about the creative teams having no direction for them. Women’s champions Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley have had ZERO title defenses since winning the top women’s titles on each brand at WM 42. How will Oba Femi respond to Brock’s return in a much-anticipated rematch? There was, however, one mystery solved this past weekend.

On Saturday Night in AAA, pro wrestling fans discovered the identity of one of the hottest characters this year. El Grande Americano defeated El Original Grande Americano in a Mask vs Mask match. We’re only halfway through the year, but this storyline has the potential to be the greatest of the year in all of professional wrestling. Their match was stellar, featuring the Creed Brothers, Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne, and Ludvig Kaiser’s GF Andrea Bazarte. In the end, the loser took off his mask, revealing it was Chad Gable. He gave a passionate speech to a fiery crowd and handed his mask to El Grande Americano. Oddly enough, Gable was advertised to be on Monday Night Raw a few weeks before this match took place, spoiling the outcome.

WWE announced it acquired the rights to AAA at WrestleMania 41, and the Undertaker has received high praise for his leadership in the promotion. Could Triple H continue that momentum at ‘Clash in Italy’? It’s time for a breakdown of all five matches that took place in Turin on Sunday afternoon.

The American Nightmare’s Reign Lives On?

Clash in Italy kicked off with the WWE Undisputed Championship between Cody Rhodes and Gunther. This was a slow, methodical match where both superstars hit their signature moves. Gunther put Rhodes in a sleeper hold multiple times, and the Italian crowd rallied the champ out of the move a few times. Rhodes hit the disaster kick, Cody Cutter, and it took one CrossRhodes to finish Gunther.

However, the replay showed the Ring General’s foot was under the rope before the three-count occurred. The champion celebrated as his challenger pleaded with the ref that the match should’ve kept going. Triple H wanted to protect Gunther and needed to keep the belt on Rhodes. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure: Randy Orton’s eventual return will help invigorate the SmackDown brand.

The Battle of the Alpha Females

This was definitely Jade Cargill’s best WWE match to date. She looked dominant throughout the contest, and Rhea Ripley sold well for her. These two had a great match, but fans groaned when the ‘Takeover’ arrived. While B-Fab and Michin were going to take out Ripley at ringside, the champ told them to turn around. Charlotte leaped off the barricade to wipe them out.

The match continued on, but was scarred by a botch. Rhea went for the pin on Jade, and B-Fab was very late to put Cargill’s leg on the rope. This led to the ref awkwardly stopping at 2.5 before pointing out the rope break. Charlotte did the exact same thing for Rhea soon after, and executed it perfectly. Eventually, Mami hit Cargill with the Riptide to retain her belt. Like the WWE Undisputed Championship, it’s unclear where Triple H and the creative team will head now that Rhea’s beat Jade twice. Maybe Jacy Jayne will step up to the plate on SmackDown and challenge Rhea at Night of Champions? That remains to be seen.

Starpower in the Arena

Before getting back to the action, WWE is currently on a European tour, and several superstars were in attendance. Throughout the show, the cameras panned to LA Knight, Montez Ford, tag champs the Vision, and the Judgment Day. They then showed Guilia, who is half Italian, and looked a bit unrecognizable without a mask and having dyed her hair blonde. Let’s hope WWE figures it out with her, because they’ve done a grave injustice to her career. Lastly, the cameras put the spotlight on Santino Marella, who got a massive pop. Marella is the director of authority for TNA and has one of the greatest WWE debuts. Years ago, he was selected by Vince McMahon out of the crowd to face Umaga for the IC belt. He won the title with help from Bobby Lashley and is one of Italy’s favorites. Now, back to the action.

Part 3: Coming Soon to an Arena Near You

When Brock Lesnar answered Oba Femi’s open challenge on Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago, the WWE Universe was justifiably shocked. Lesnar lost to Femi at WrestleMania 42 and took his gloves/shoes off in the ring, signaling his career was over. It was very unclear if the Beast Incarnate was retired. After defeating Femi at Clash in Italy on Sunday, it looks like he’s not done yet. It took seven F-5’s, one through the announce table, to beat the Nigerian Giant.

Lesnar applied the Kimura Lock twice, but Femi powered out both times. Femi attempted the ‘Fall from Grace’, but countered with an F-5 for the victory. Femi did look strong, but even if he wins the rubber match, will his aura still stand? After all, the only WWE superstar to beat Brock Lesnar twice in a row is Roman Reigns. The sign of the night goes to a fan who held one up during Femi’s entrance that said, “Oba F-5mi.” Great wordplay. Now, let’s hope Femi wins the King of the Ring to get his momentum back and takes down Roman Reigns for the title.

Big Time Ruca

The only title change of the night came during the Women’s Intercontinental Championship match. Becky Lynch couldn’t handle Sol Ruca’s athleticism or smarts, and ‘The Man’ will now have to go back to the drawing board. Once again, Lynch tried to put the ref in harm's way when Ruca was about to fly off the top rope. It seems that Ruca learned her lesson, and finally, there wasn’t a Becky Lynch match with a bump to Jessica Carr. Now that the Irish Lass is hopefully through with Ruca, she can take on Jessica Carr on Raw or a future PLE. This rivalry has gone on for far too long.

Meanwhile, Sol Ruca aced the ‘Sol Snatcher’ and won her first title belt on the main roster. It was also her first win as well. You hear that, NXT superstars, your career isn’t over if you debut and lose a few matches. Good for Ruca, but, oddly, WWE gave her a title shot and the belt when she hasn’t earned anything since debuting. It would be nice if Maxine Dupri takes on Ruca after turning heel and joining the Vision. One can dream, though.

ACKNOWLEDGE ME!

Before the match took place, it was almost in jeopardy. Jacob Fatu suffered a lower back injury on a Live Event against Solo Sikoa. There were reports that he might get replaced, or the questionable booking of having a main eventer wrestle days before a PLE. When Fatu’s music hit, and he stood across from his cousin Roman Reigns, it wasn’t obvious that he had any injury. The two fought in Tribal Combat, and they tore the house down. Although it started out slowly, the two fought their way toward the crowd. Neither had the upper hand despite putting everything out there. Fatu applied the Tongan Death Grip three times, while Reigns hit his opponent with a Superman Punch multiple times. The champ hit a drive-by, and Fatu’s momentum sent him into the ring post.

There was a use of stairs, the announce table, and the arena stairwell in the crowd. It almost felt like the Samoan Werewolf was going to pull the upset, but the Tribal Chief sent him through the table. He then hit Fatu with a spear very similar to the one he hit the Undertaker at WM 33, and Jacob Fatu fell in line with the Usos to end the show. Very refreshing to see there was no interference in the contest. Roman Reigns is now 3-0 in Tribal Combat, and there looks to be no one who can dethrone him as the ‘Head of the Table’. Unless the Rock appears down the line to set up a WrestleMania match in Saudi Arabia. That remains to be seen.

The ESPN Experience

Before we wrap this up, many fans wondered how TKO would respond to all the backlash about the PLE presentation. There were far fewer ads and more promos that enhanced the matches on the card. However, the app is still a disaster as it continues to buffer constantly. The online version kept blacking out and stating that it was unable to stream the PLE. Unlike those at home, the overseas crowds proved their enthusiasm and energy cannot be matched. They were on fire all night, and let’s hope it can translate going forward.

Tomorrow, Monday Night Raw starts at 1:00 p.m. due to being in Italy. The King of the Ring qualifiers begin, and I’m predicting Oba Femi wins at Night of Champions after beating Penta, Hayes, Breakker, and Royce Keys or Seth Rollins in the finals. When the dust settles, Clash in Italy will be looked at as a success, and WWE might want to return there down the road.