It’s been a few months since I did one of these Thoughts & Predictions about a WWE PLE and it’s weird to come back for Clash in Paris because it feels… okay.
The card shouldn’t be terrible but there are a few things missing. No Stephanie Vaquer vs. Naomi (who was looking to start the best run of her career) because Naomi is pregnant. No Cody because he just had a kid. Not sure why they’re holding off Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre either. Then again, we should all be used to WWE rolling with 5–6 match cards the past couple of years.
But let’s look at the card and let me give my “Thoughts & Predictions” on Clash in Paris (I’m not even gonna bother the rest of the FRO Horsemen for this one).
Let’s be honest: the money match here would’ve been John Cena vs. AJ Styles. Not only would that have meant more historically, but Paris would’ve gone crazy for Styles.
That said, Cena vs. Logan Paul isn’t bad either. Logan will pull off some athletic stuff that reminds everybody he’s way better at pro wrestling than he has any right to be. Cena still has Brock on the horizon, so don’t be surprised if Cowboy Brock shows up in Paris, costs Cena the match, and hands Logan Paul the win.
This lineup makes the World Heavyweight Championship feel big-time (especially since Cody and the WWE Title are missing from this card).
As cool as this looks, Paris doesn’t feel like the spot for a major title change. Seth Rollins retains, while CM Punk, Jey Uso, and LA Knight keep building tension for the next chapter.
Rusev’s WWE return has been underwhelming so far, and he needs this one way more than Sheamus does. Expect a stiff, heavy-hitting fight with Rusev getting the win. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if this sets up Sheamus and Rusev teaming together afterward.
Props to Bronson Reed. The Vision was mostly built to set up Bron Breakker eventually turning on Seth, but Reed snatched some spotlight by stealing Roman Reigns’ sneakers like a schoolyard/jailhouse bully. That goofy angle got him here.
But let’s be real, Roman’s not losing to Bronson Reed. The Tribal Chief wins, though I kinda hope Reed keeps stealing sneakers anyway.
If I remember right, Nikki Bella was supposed to face Liv Morgan at Evolution 2 before Liv’s injury, so this feels like a makeup match. And with Becky Lynch defending the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Nikki, it does carry some intrigue.
It’d be wild if Nikki actually pulled it off, but nah. Becky just stirred things up by feuding with Kelly Osbourne in the press, so she’s got plenty more heel work left to do. Becky retains.
This one was thrown together on the last Smackdown, almost like it was added just to round out the card. And I see what WWE is trying with the Smackdown tag division. That TLC match at SummerSlam was way better than it had any right to be, so they’re trying to make the tag division into something.
If kickoff show matches were still a thing, this would’ve landed there. I still don’t know how I feel about The Wyatt Sicks, but either way they keep the belts here.
- Roman Reigns defeated Bronson Reed (After the match, Roman was attacked by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. He was taken out on a stretcher)
- WWE Tag Team Championship: The Wyatt Sicks (Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis) defeated The Street Profits
- WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) defeated Nikki Bella
- Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook Match: Rusev defeated Sheamus
- John Cena defeated Logan Paul
- Fatal Four-Way for the World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) defeated CM Punk, Jey Uso, and LA Knight (Becky Lynch helped Rollins secure the win)