By Jason Powell
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WWE Clash of Champions 2016 Kickoff Show
Aired live on WWE Network and social media
Indianapolis, Indiana at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
-Renee Young hosted the Kickoff Show from the floor of the venue and was joined by the panel featuring Lita, Booker T, and Jerry Lawler.
-Tom Phillips checked in from the dark and creepy Social Media Lounge and said he would be joined by Sami Zayn to answer (bad) fan questions submitted via Twitter.
-A video package spotlighted the Rusev vs. Roman Reigns feud. Lita predicted a Reigns win, while Lawler went with Rusev. Booker broke the tie by saying something about a cloak of instability. Okay, so he didn’t really break it. He just said no one knows what is going on in Roman’s head.
-Backstage, Sasha Banks was interviewed. She said it’s a big night for Bayley, but the night is really about The Boss. Dana Brooke showed up and said Sasha should be fearful that Charlotte is going to put her back on the injured list forever. Sasha mocked Dana for letting her “best friend” walk all over her. She said that if Brooke sticks her nose in her business, she will be the one on the injured list.
-A video package showcased the women’s championship Triple Threat match.
-Sheamus joined the panel at their desk and spoke about his best of seven final match with Cesaro. He said he doesn’t feel pressure, but he compared Cesaro to Daniel Bryan in the battle for his toughest competitor ever. Booker said he’s been in a best of seven series and he knows that all the momentum has shifted. Sheamus thanked him for pointing out the obvious. Sheamus said he will walk out the winner of the series. Sheamus said he would have to see what Mick Foley has planned for his “championship opportunity” but said he wants to become the next WWE Universal Champion.
Powell’s POV: Sheamus labeling Cesaro his toughest opponent along with Daniel Bryan and the remaining uncertainty regarding what title shot is at stake left me really wondering if Foley will book Sheamus and Cesaro in a tag title match.
-A video package showcased TJ Perkins winning the WWE Cruiserweight Classic and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. They also aired footage of Brian Kendrick becoming No. 1 contender.
-Sami Zayn was interviewed in Tom Phillips’ mobile kill room. He said beating Kevin Owens at Battleground was probably the highlight of his career. He said he would like to beat Kevin Owens to win the championship because that would make it twice as good. He also spoke about fans singing his theme song. He said songs seem to follow him wherever he goes. Zayn spoke about his match with Chris Jericho and said he wants a piece of the old Jericho. He said he asked for that Jericho and ended up having a cellphone slammed in his face, so he’ll just have to settle for beating him up.
-The panel spoke briefly about the tag title match. Lawler said he’s sick of New Day and wants new champs. Lita predicted new champs, Booker picked New Day to retain.
-Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton stood in front of their desk and hyped Total Bellas, then spoke about Clash of Champions.
1. Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox. Fox went right at Jax with a dropkick. Jax came right back by catching Fox on her back and then back into the corner. Fox came back and performed a cross body block off the top rope, which resulted in a one count. Fox performed a scissors kick and got a two count. Nia cut her off seconds later, and eventually finished her off with a Samoan Drop.
Nia Jax defeated Alicia Fox in 4.55.
Powell’s POV: As down as I am on a lot of the creative on Raw these days, they have done a great job of building up Jax as the monster of the women’s division.
-The panel spoke about the women’s match and put over Jax’s dominance. They set up a WWE Network video that showcased Camp WWE, Talking Smack, Holy Foley, and Hell in a Cell. Hulk Hogan’s voice could be heard from a past promo stating that everything old is now new again as they pimped the VOD portion of the library.
-The panel spoke about the Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins match. A video package focussed on the main event.
Join me for live coverage of WWE Clash of Champions in a separate feature on the main page.
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