With WWE Clash of Champions 2017 concluded, it’s time for another 3-Count reaction and Smack Talk Pay-Per-Viewpoint post-show podcast review!
As always, click the video at the bottom of this post to check out the podcast breakdown of everything on the show, but before we get into that, I want to focus on three things that standout from my mind in regards to Clash of Champions 2017.
For this edition, let’s do a little round of Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light—effectively, what was a big positive, something mediocre in the middle of the road, and a big negative of the show.
Red Light: SmackDown Women’s Championship Lumberjack Match
Snooze. I know, that seems harsh, considering the match was supposed to be super exciting with nearly every woman on the roster attacking each other left and right, but it did nothing for me.
The Riott Squad is proving itself to be a bust in my mind as they can’t stand out from Absolution and clearly didn’t even have a significant role in the events that transpired tonight, so why did they need to come up when they did?
If it would have been Natalya siding with them and the others siding with Charlotte, then the dichotomy would work, but this saw every woman on the outside attack both in the ring.
I’ve seen Nattie and Charlotte wrestle each other enough times to know that it’ll be okay, but that they all blend together and I won’t end up going gaga over the match, so the same was applicable here. It was fine, but I don’t remember anything that happened that they did.
Then, it all caps off with Natalya saying a weaker version of “I quit”? I’m okay with her taking some time off if this is the best her character can get as a heel. She should just come back as a babyface and play up the nostalgia lineage angle for fan support, as that’s more effective than when she tries to be the villain.
By the end of this, I have no feuds that I’m looking forward to out of the SmackDown women’s division and I certainly hope there’s something more interesting planned for WrestleMania than The Riott Squad vs. Naomi, Becky Lynch and Charlotte.
Yellow Light: Daniel Bryan Helps Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
I say this is the middle of the road option because I don’t know where WWE is heading with it, so it could be both positive and negative.
Right now, I’m intrigued, but I’m not so interested that no matter what, I’ll be ecstatic.
The match itself did its job and got us to the end point, which was just the storyline taking a sharper turn toward Bryan vs. Shane McMahon, which will probably now be the focal point while Owens and Zayn do something else, instead of keeping it up with McMahon.
Does that mean Bryan will be cleared to wrestle and will fight Shane down the line? I hope so, as the idea of him picking a surrogate to fight in his honor isn’t something I’m super pumped for.
Still, I can’t judge any potential bummer storylines just the same as I can’t be overwhelmingly optimistic that this is going to turn into the best program of the year in 2018 or something along those lines.
Time will tell, but for now, WWE at least has my attention.
Green Light: Dolph Ziggler Wins United States Championship
If you’ve followed my predictions, then you know by now that I did not see this one coming whatsoever.
Easily, this was the biggest shock of the night for me and I’m curious as hell what it means for the future of these three guys.
Does taking the title off Baron Corbin after he had such a lackluster reign where he was feuding with Sin Cara and whatnot mean that he’s yet again fallen victim to his push being taken away from him, or was this just a means to give him a two-time reign?
Is WWE pivoting away from Bobby Roode, or will he be the one who dethrones Ziggler and they merely wanted to put the belt on The Showoff to save a Roode/Corbin confrontation from happening sooner?
Was this an attempt to appease Ziggler and calm his frustrations, since he’s been speaking more and more liberally as of late about how he could be leaving the company soon due to a lack of a push and never winning?
Eventually, somewhere down the line, Ziggler will drop that belt and a new champion will rise, but this isn’t as predictable as some other scenarios.
We could get a new champion as soon as Tuesday night or the Royal Rumble, or Ziggler could hold this title for months on end, well into and even past WrestleMania 34.
Partially for the shock value, partially because I’m an unapologetic Ziggler fan, and partially because I’m legitimately curious what WWE has planned, this was my favorite part of the evening for sure, along with the match being stellar on top of it all.
For more opinions on the show as a whole, check out the latest edition of the Smark Out Moment wrestling podcast SMACK TALK as the panel reviews Clash of Champions with our immediate reactions following the event before the dust has fully settled.
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