WWE Clash in Italy Review - May 31, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. Gunther

This was along the lines of their original encounter from Crown Jewel two years ago in that I thought it was great. It was well wrestled throughout and the crowd was into the action. Of course, my biggest nitpick was the finish, specifically the execution of it. I know what they were going for, but it came off terribly. I get protecting Gunther in defeat, but if they're going to extend the feud anyway, why not just have Gunther take the title here?

WWE Women's Champion Rhea Ripley def. Jade Cargill

I was skeptical when these two started feuding a few months ago because they didn't click on the mic whatsoever, but they have surely shown they have terrific chemistry in the ring between what we got at WrestleMania 42 and on this show. This was another entertaining outing from them and arguably the best bout of the night. Charlotte Flair helping Ripley retain will generate even more interest in an eventual one-on-one match between her and Cargill.

Brock Lesnar def. Oba Femi

I don't know if this is the majority opinion or not, but I actually enjoyed this more than their match at WrestleMania. They got a little bit more time (albeit not much) and they made the most of it with constant chaos, much like Lesnar's awesome sprint with Goldberg at WrestleMania 33. I'm not going to lie, though: Femi needing to take seven F5s was pretty ridiculous. At that point, just have Femi go over, but I'm not stupid to see that this is building to a rubber match, presumably at SummerSlam. They work well together, but ugh. Femi is ready to move on.

Sol Ruca def. Becky Lynch to Win the Women's Intercontinental Championship

Ruca has slipped up a few important spots since debuting on the main roster, but not here and this is where it mattered most. Granted, it wasn't the smoothest match, but all in all, it was fun and she nailed the Sol Snatcher for the win. I would've preferred Lynch retaining just so Ruca could spend more time in chase mode, but as long as they book her properly going forward, she should be fine.

World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns def. Jacob Fatu in a Tribal Combat Match

Although I thought this was a solid main event, it was ultimately underwhelming in my opinion. Hell, their Backlash bout was better. It was basically a glorified No Disqualification match, and the crowd was quieter than you would've expected. The flat finish didn't help, either. They really should have put the title on Fatu here, but apparently not. Reigns could've afforded to lose it, even if it was brief. Not striking when the iron is hot with certain stars has been a recurring issue with WWE for many months. Reigns teasing a face-off with The MFTs afterward was even worse.

Overall Show

What I wrote at the end of the previous paragraph can be applied to Gunther and Femi as well. Ideally, all three guys should've gone over on this show. I was well aware that wasn't going to happen, but not even one of them?! Talk about playing it safe. It's a shame, too, because I thought this was a strong show otherwise, specifically from an in-ring standpoint. WWE desperately needs to switch stuff up, and doing more to push the fresher faces toward the top of the card would be a step in the right direction.

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