Last night saw Monday Night Raw put on their first brand-exclusive PPV, Clash of Champions and despite a lack of build for several of the storylines, the show delivered. In a similar way to Backlash, the matches were good quality with several standouts but what were the five major talking points from the show?
5. Best of 7 series doesn't end
The best of seven series between Cesaro and Sheamus was scheduled to come to an end at Clash of Champions, with the score tied at 3-3 one final match took place. As expected, it was another very physical encounter with both men bringing out the best of each other in what was turning into a very entertaining bout.
There was high-risk maneuvers, a 619 and a very nasty tumble for the Swiss Superman but ultimately the match ended in a draw as the referee rang the bell, deeming neither man able to compete. Both men had taken each other over the barricade (wiping out a security member in the process) and after being checked by doctors the match was brought to its close. Neither were happy about it and, of course, this was scheduled to happen which makes it intriguing as to what takes place next. The most obvious decision would be to have them compete once again, but there is only so many times the WWE can pit these two against each other.
4. Roman Reigns picks up gold
In the only title change of the night, Roman Reigns became the new United States Champion after an entertaining back anf forth match between himself and Rusev. It is a major moment for the future of the championship itself as it makes the belt feel like a big deal with great importance in a similar way to when John Cena held it. Every title defense from Reigns will be important and is exactly what is needed for the United States Championship.
3. The women's revolution continues to stand out
Going into the PPV one of the most highly anticipated matches was the triple threat for the Women's Championship. The company has done a brilliant job in investing time into each of the three ladies as well as having Dana Brooke be interwoven in the feuds and given the ability of everyone involved it was always expected to be a good match.
Thankfully, the match delivered and was exactly what everyone had hoped for, if not more. All three pulled out all the stops to steal the show and it can easily be argued that they did. The separate histories of each feud was played out and the reaction from the crowd when Bayley and Sasha Banks were alone in the ring shows that there is a potential big money match in the future. The women's revolution is continuing to grow and develop and this was just another example of how strong the division is becoming and what can be expected if it is allowed the time to grow and flourish.
2. Chris Jericho's momentum continues
The 'Gift Of Jericho' just keeps on giving and the WWE Universe is happily drinking it in, man. Chris Jericho might be in the twilight of his career, but he is also having one of the best runs with the company in his tenured career and it is incredible to witness. His ability to move with the times and develop is great to see and at Clash of Champions he stood out as one of the top performers of the night.
Y2J put on a fantastic match with Sami Zayn as the two Canadians put everything on the line to entertain the fans. Even though their feud was one that was rather underdeveloped they still had the fans chanting "this is awesome" showing just how good the match was. They didn't throw in tons of finishers and near falls, but instead worked a solid back and forth match with Jericho coming out on top with the Codebreaker, a result that will allow the feud to continue.
But Jericho wasn't done there, he would reappear during the night's main event to help cost Seth Rollins the Universal Championship, helping his best friend Kevin Owens in the process.
1. The KO show will go on
The main event of Clash of Champions saw Kevin Owens successfully defend his Universal Championship, proving that he isn't going to be a quick transitional champion, which is a good thing for his future as a main event talent. Both men worked hard to put on a worthy main event and managed to succeed in their goal, although the ending did hurt the match as it felt more like an episode of Raw than a big PPV moment.