WWE Clash of Champions 2017: Live results, grades, highlights

The live results and coverage of the 2017 WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view.

On Sunday night, the 2017 WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view will take place. It’s not only a SmackDown Live show but the final WWE PPV of the year, capping off a loaded 12 months for the company’s brand split.

The main event will feature a new WWE Champion, as AJ Styles defends the title against Jinder Mahal, who put it on the line in the majority of the Blue Brand’s 2017 shows. Styles won the belt at the SmackDown Live show in the United Kingdom, marking the rare occurrence of a world championship trading hands on television.

If the Phenomenal One wins, it sets him up to defend at the 2018 Royal Rumble PPV. Will Mahal spoil this, though?

The SmackDown Tag Team division, arguably the best group of superstars on Tuesday nights, will feature four teams going head-to-head for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. It’s the Usos vs. NewDay vs. Rusev and Aiden English vs. Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable. There’s potential for this to be Clash of Champions’ best match. Especially with Jimmy and Jey’s spectacular 2017, as they arguably put on fantastic showings at multiple PPVs. Will Sunday night be the latest?

Charlotte Flair and Natalya will go head-to-head for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a Lumberjack match. All the women from SmackDown Live will be at ringside, either to keep the peace or injure one of the in-ring superstars. However, there’s the lingering presence of Carmella, who still holds the Money in the Bank briefcase. Could she use it to become the next champion?

Along with this, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will fight to keep their jobs. They must defeat Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton, with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan as the special referees. Expect shenanigans, along with a controversial finish.

Next: 30 pro wrestling must-follows on Twitter

Clash of Champions goes live at 8:00 p.m. ET on the WWE Network. Live results and grades will be posted below.

WWE United States Championship Match
Baron Corbin (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler

Result: Dolph Ziggler defeats Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode to win the WWE United States Championship.

An interesting match to start Clash of Champions, with the potential of a frenetic pace in a Triple Threat bout. All three played fantastic roles in this match, delivering the drama and eye-popping moves that had the crowd off its feet, with the top stars of the night far from taking over.

The 15-20 minutes this lasted seemed like a desperation showing for Ziggler’s character, who’s struggled for most of 2017. He had a few near falls that looked like it was his time. Baron Corbin stood as much of a chance, too, with his crowd-pleasing superplex.

Well, to close the match, it became the Showoff’s time. He connected the Zig-Zag on Corbin, getting the successful pinfall and claim of the United States Championship.

Winning the title caps off Ziggler’s strange year. He’ll carry momentum into SmackDown Live, with the potential to revitalize a once important superstar. Having this quality match to open Clash of Champions won’t hurt, either.

Grade: A-

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs. New Day vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin vs. Aiden English and Rusev

Somewhat curiously, one member from each team was legal at a time. That’s unlike past matches, with just two superstars in the ring. However, it allowed for even more chaos to follow up on the exciting United States Championship match. Whether that’s good or not is up for debate.

Maybe one minute into the match, Shelton Benjamin absolutely launched one of the Uso’s from the top turnbuckle. Scary that he can still do this at 42 years old, right?

There was something happening all around the ring but completely separate from each other. The cameras couldn’t keep up with everything, while some superstars just stood there and waited for something to happen (Benjamin watched English go for a pinfall, took a second, and broke it up). It made for a strange feel to a match, one that didn’t find its momentum until the final minutes.

Chad Gable became the match’s star in the final few minutes. He hit German suplexes on Aiden English, Rusev and Big E, showcasing monstrous strength. This momentum disappeared in a blink of an eye, however, as Jimmy and Jey quickly finished the former Olympian off to win.

This match was a mess. However, the opening and closing moments were terrific and good enough for a decent grade.

Grade: B-

Lumberjack Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Natalya

Result: Charlotte Flair defeats Natalya via submission to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Lumberjack matches can work, but the ringside beatdowns of the heels on the babyface superstar stalls the match’s momentum, if any exists, to begin with. That was the case with Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya, as the heels attacked the former multiple times in the opening three minutes. This took the crowd out of the match, along with barely anything resonating with the fans … aside from a “WOOOO!” chop or two.

The highlight of the match? Carmella sneaking into the ring to attempt to cash her Money in the Bank contract in. So close, but Ruby Riott stopped it.

Charlotte was dominated for most of this match, until she pulled off a last-second counter that worked into the Figure Eight. She picked up the win to leave Boston, ending this 10-15 minute mess

Please, WWE, no more Lumberjack matches. The last quality one was Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2014. Otherwise, none of them managed to find a memorable moment or outcome.

Grade: F

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Breezango

Result: The Bludgeon Brothers defeat Breezango via pinfall.

Rowan and Harper thrashed Breezango in the opening minute. Both members were taken out with just a few powerful moves before hitting their finisher and winning the match.

There’s a path for the Bludgeon Brothers toward the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. This overwhelming win should push them towards it, potentially (and finally) capturing gold as a tag team. Opportunities arose during their Wyatt Family days, but curious booking decisions and injuries thwarted this. 2018 could be different.

Grade: Squash

Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Result: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn defeat Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall to keep their jobs.

For a match that had Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan as the special referees and Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens fighting for their jobs, it was a surprise to not see this headline Clash of Champions. That didn’t mean shenanigans were absent, however.

This started as a standard tag match, except with McMahon and Bryan figuring out how this two referee thing worked. The problem? It felt too much like SmackDown Live action, was boring and featured nothing original from all four superstars. For a show that trended in the wrong direction with each passing match, this only culminated the downfall.

Kevin Owens had a big frog splash that put Shinsuke Nakamura through an announcer’s table. A fine spot, sure, but not enough to make up for the snail-like pace that preceded it.

Well, things eventually became interesting. As Randy Orton a post-RKO pinfall, McMahon counted but Bryan inadvertently fell into the commissioner, breaking up the fall. To follow, Shane-O-Mac prematurely stopped his counting of Zayn’s pinfall. However, after an argument, Bryan fast-counted the Underdog from the Underground’s pin attempt on Orton to give them the win. It was a logical result to save this match.

Neither referee was correct in this match. Even with Bryan’s fast count, however, look for McMahon to turn heel. Whether it’s firing Bryan or trying to justify not doing his job and counting the pin, it won’t get over and should present him with heat.

Oh, and Owens and Zayn won’t be fired. That felt like a backburner storyline.

Grade: C

WWE Championship Match
AJ Styles (c) vs. Jinder Mahal

Result: AJ Styles defeats Jinder Mahal to retain the WWE Championship.

For one last time, Jinder Mahal headlined a WWE PPV. This may not happen again after his mediocre WWE Championship reign that dragged down SmackDown Live from May to November. It’s difficult to recall a quality match during this six-month span, but that’s another story.

Surprisingly, this was better than maybe anything seen in Mahal’s reign. Sure, the match never took off and won’t be considered a classic, but he provided an extra spark or two, aside from AJ Styles’ in-ring brilliance.

Most of this match was grounded to the Maharaja’s style. Not the worst thing, but it kept Styles from unleashing about half of his arsenal.

This can’t be called a bad showing, nor was it anything special. These two put on a fine match, with the outcome never in doubt. Styles should hold the WWE Championship until Royal Rumble and be a valuable piece to the WrestleMania 34 build.

Overall, Styles vs. Mahal somewhat rebounded Clash of Champions from its brutal downfall. But, it was a PPV to forget.

Grade: C+