Murphy’s Blog: WWE Clash in Italy Predictions – Will Roman Reigns beat Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat? Will Cody Rhodes or Gunther leave with the WWE Championship? Will Brock Lesnar avenge his loss to Oba Femi?

By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)

WWE holds its Clash in Italy premium live event on Sunday in Turin, Italy, at the Inalpi Arena. From where I sit, this is a stacked five-match lineup. While that might not appeal to match junkies, this show will likely set the product’s direction heading into the summer months. In addition, the international crowds tend to be lively, so I expect an electric atmosphere here. Let’s run down the card!

Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship. As of this writing, Fatu’s status for Sunday is questionable. According to Mike Johnson at PWInsider.com, Fatu suffered an injury during a Street Fight with Solo Sikoa at a live event in Liverpool, England, on Thursday night. That would be unfortunate, as I have enjoyed the build to this one. I’ll give my predictions assuming Fatu is medically cleared, while also giving some potential pivots should he not be.

Assuming he’s good enough to get through the match and can continue over the next couple of months with short-term treatment, I think the table is set (no pun intended) for a new Tribal Chief. Given the promo on Monday and the way this has been built, I just don’t see what you do with Fatu if he loses to Reigns again. They really haven’t built up anyone to be Roman’s next challenger. Of course, they could get something going on Raw quickly, but I think a summer run with Fatu at the top could be fun. And then you can take some time to build to the eventual showdown where Reigns tries to regain control. I don’t really want to see Jimmy and Jey Uso turn on Reigns here, especially since they’ve gotten the brunt of Fatu’s beatdown, but I suspect that’s where we’re headed. It would be interesting to see how they explain that.

Should Fatu not be medically cleared, I would employ “Rocky” booking. Hopefully, most people aside from CM Punk will get the reference. But essentially, Roman’s “ranked contender” is injured, so “what we need is a novelty.” I wouldn’t make this an open challenge, but rather someone that Reigns recommends to Raw GM, Adam Pearce. And for that, you have a plethora of younger talent to showcase, including Ilja Dragunov, Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Hayes, and Ethan Page. Reigns would go over, but you could build his challenger by making him look good in defeat.

Don Predicts: Assuming he’s medically cleared, Jacob Fatu defeats Roman Reigns in Tribal Combat to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Lynch continues to be my favorite act in WWE. Ruca has struggled a bit since joining the main roster, but once she gets her bearings, I still think she’s a star in the making. There’s been some discussion around recent botches when she goes for the Soul Snatcher. Those have been unfortunate, but imagine the pop when she finally hits it flawlessly. I think it’s too soon for her to hold the title, but I think we’ll come away with a different perspective on her future after this match. I’m also interested to see if Jessika Carr is assigned to referee this match. If so, we’ll likely see an advancement in the growing tension between her and Lynch.

Don Predicts: Becky Lynch defeats Sol Ruca to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar. Given the swerve of Lesnar’s retirement, this one was a surprise. And it’s the one with the largest number of online opinions. On the one hand, some feel that Lesnar getting his win back kills any momentum that Femi has. Others feel that Femi taking a loss adds depth to the character in having to overcome an obstacle, resulting in the rubber match. I see both sides and lean toward preferring that the company go all in on Femi at this stage. There’s time to tell the story of him facing adversity down the road. I feel like a loss here would make him like everyone else, and that’s a bit premature. Lesnar taking a second loss doesn’t damage him at this stage, especially if he’s more competitive this time than he was last time. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Don Predicts: Oba Femi defeats Brock Lesnar.

(ESPN) Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther for the WWE Championship. This is the right match to put on ESPN. These two had a good match last year, and I don’t expect any different this time. I don’t see Gunther winning the title, and it will be interesting to see where they go with him from here. I expect some sort of involvement from Sami Zayn to further his issues with Rhodes, but ultimately, I think Rhodes retains.

Don Predicts: Cody Rhodes defeats Gunther to retain the WWE Championship.

(ESPN) Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship. I was not a fan of Ripley stopping mid-match on Saturday Night’s Main Event to celebrate with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. I expected Cargill to pin Ripley, but hated the way they got there. Nonetheless, I think Ripley retains here. Cargill will remain in the title picture, and I see a Triple Threat on the horizon with Ripley, Cargill, and Flair, perhaps at SummerSlam.

Don Predicts: Rhea Ripley defeats Jade Cargill to retain the WWE Women’s Championship.