WWE Clash in Italy took over Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy, Sunday evening in a night that did more to move stories along than end them. Roman Reigns vanquished Jacob Fatu, Brock Lesnar evened things up with Oba Femi, Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley retained their titles, and Sol Ruca earned the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
Here are five big takeaways as we move into WWE’s summer slate of rivalries.
1. Acknowledge him
Roman Reigns did exactly what he said he would, putting Jacob Fatu down for the three-count and retaining his World Heavyweight Championship. Reigns and Fatu put on an expectedly violent Tribal Combat showdown, with Reigns neutralizing the Tongan Death Grip by slamming the challenger’s hand with a toolbox midway through the match, spearing him through the barricade, and ultimately forcing Fatu back into a support role. It never really felt like Fatu had a chance on this night, and in the end, it was two spears — one through the table and another regular one — that put Fatu down.
After the match, Reigns saw Solo Sikoa and the MFT ringside, then yelled they were next. WWE couldn’t have forecasted the next steps in this one more clearly than Reigns and the Usos walking up the entrance ramp, Sikoa and the MFT sitting in the audience, and Fatu standing equal distance between the two factions. WWE capitalizing on the success of the first Bloodline run should be no surprise. The challenge here is how they evolve this story to make it just as interesting, if not more so, than the first iteration.
As for Tribal Combat, I understand WWE has established the precedence of the match essentially being a no-holds-barred match with the finish coming by either pinfall or submission. But wouldn’t it have made more sense for it to be the equivalent of an “I Quit” match? It would have been much more satisfying Sunday for the loser to have to say “I acknowledge you” than succumbing to a typical finish, since that’s basically the entire premise of this stipulation match taking place.
2. Don’t Oba-ndon ship
When Brock Lesnar ended his one-month retirement for a surprise return and beatdown of Oba Femi, it seemed pretty clear WWE was angling for at least two more big matches — likely at Clash in Italy, then SummerSlam later this year in Lesnar’s home state of Minnesota.
Lesnar fulfilled his end of the bargain, bringing the fight to Femi in Italy and hitting “The Ruler” with everything in his arsenal. A whopping five F-5s, repeated kimuras, an F-5 through the announce table, and a final seventh F-5 in the ring was eventually just enough for Lesnar to win and even the score.
Now for the rubber match, which pretty clearly is being set up for WWE’s mid-year super show. I don’t think this one ever had to be an even score heading into what will likely be their final showdown, but that’s the direction WWE opted for. In a different world, Femi beats Lesnar despite Lesnar throwing everything at him, forcing Lesnar to put his career on the line for one more match. In my opinion, that’s a far more interesting route to get here without forcing Femi to eat a loss. Having Femi lose at this point in his dominance felt unnecessary.
3. She’s got Sol
Now this was more like it. After a month of matches and segments where Sol Ruca and Becky Lynch couldn’t quite find their footing, they put together an exceptional showing Sunday in Italy. Ruca’s athleticism was featured prominently, Lynch sold her spots in expert fashion, and the champion was devious in trying to retain her belt. In the end, Ruca hit the Sol Snatcher to claim the Intercontinental Championship in a well-done match.
The win for Ruca was a needed breath of fresh air for her young career and a true standout moment. How she builds on this will help determine just how high Ruca can climb this year. The same can be said for Lynch, who played her part perfectly to move this story forward. It’s clearly not the end here for Lynch and Ruca, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can build some real momentum now.
If I’m being nit-picky, the continued confrontation between Lynch and referee Jessika Carr feels a lot like guys on “SmackDown” attacking general manager Nick Aldis — the direction signals an eventual match, but WWE seems hesitant to pull the trigger. Hopefully for both cases, we actually get resolution in the ring eventually.
4. Nothing to see here
Slotted for the opening match of the show and the first match on ESPN, Cody Rhodes and Gunther put on a showdown that very much felt like a main event. It was a classic contest from both men, resulting in some expected chaos (just perhaps not the chaos we assumed) to end a tilt that felt like it was just getting going.
After a Cross Rhodes put Gunther on the mat, Gunther’s foot snuck under the bottom rope without the referee noticing. The controversial nature of the result gives Gunther and Rhodes the ammunition to keep their rivalry moving over the next month or so. From everything that’s happened of late, it seems clear Sami Zayn will be involved in some form or fashion over the next iteration of their program. And with WWE Night of Champions set for June 27, there’s nothing that could push Zayn over the edge better than losing another championship match in Saudi Arabia.
5. One contender in, one contender out
Jade Cargill gave Rhea Ripley everything she could handle, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to get the job done.
Cargill dominated the majority of the match and seemed poised to retain the belt she lost at WrestleMania. First it was B-Fab and Michin putting Cargill’s foot on the rope to curb the near-fall, then it was Charlotte Flair evening the odds and putting Ripley’s foot on the rope to avoid Ripley dropping the championship. WWE seemed to really emphasize Flair distracting Cargill, opening the door for a Riptide and Ripley win.
The women’s title scene has been messy in the build to Sunday’s premium live event, and the intention to elevate Flair back into that picture seems quite clear. Her staring down Cargill and brushing her away alludes to more competition for that No. 1 contender spot rather than Flair directly competing for the title. If WWE wants to build toward another mega-showdown at SummerSlam, planting the seeds for Flair against Ripley feels like the right direction.