Club 69 Flirts - Clash Of Champions

SHOWN IN CLUB 69 FLIRTS

ON SEPTEMBER 27

FROM 11pm

CONFIRMED MATCHES

WWE Championship -- Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton: Orton lost his first shot at McIntyre and the title at SummerSlam, getting caught in a McIntyre backslide. The retaliation came fast and hard, with Orton punting McIntyre in the head three times on the following edition of Raw, leaving McIntyre with a fractured jaw. On Sept. 7, McIntyre retaliated with three Claymores, sending Orton from the arena in an ambulance. In between those two separate attacks, Orton secured a rematch by winning a triple threat match against Seth Rollins and Keith Lee.

Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso: After Reigns' shocking return at SummerSlam and subsequent title win at Payback, he needed a new challenger. Seeking to do things "bigger" than how Raw handled lining up McIntyre's challenger, Reigns and advocate Paul Heyman said there would be a four-way match on the Sept. 4 SmackDown between Big E, Sheamus, King Corbin and Matt Riddle. Big E was taken out by Sheamus before the match, opening the door for Uso to step in, ultimately winning a chance to face his cousin for the title.

Intercontinental Championship -- Jeff Hardy (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn (Ladder match): Hardy and Styles have unresolved issues stemming from Hardy using his knee brace as a weapon in the match that won him the championship. Meanwhile, Zayn recently returned with the intercontinental championship belt he never lost in the ring and then attacked Styles and Hardy during a title match. After attacks by all men involved in recent weeks, Hardy issued the official challenge for the triple threat ladder match.

SmackDown Women's Championship -- Bayley (c) vs. Nikki Cross: With Bayley viciously turning on Sasha Banks, her main story immediately involved bigger things than Clash of Champions. But, as every title must be defended on the show, a four-way match was held between Cross, Tamina, Lacey Evans and Alexa Bliss, with Cross emerging as the winner. Cross challenged for the title twice in July -- including a match at Extreme Rules -- but a stale lineup of challengers landed her back in the role of Contender of the Month.

Women's Tag Team Championship -- Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (c) vs. The Riott Squad: Jax and Baszler won the titles from Bayley and Sasha Banks and successfully defended them in the rematch. The Riott Squad then took on Jax and Baszler in a pair of handicap matches, with Liv Morgan pinning Baszler in the first and Retribution interrupting the Squad's match with Jax. As the only established tag team who has interacted with the champions, The Riott Squad has earned the next opportunity.

Raw Tag Team Championships -- The Street Profits (c) vs. Andrade & Angel Garza: There was no program to build to this pairing, with the challengers earning their shot at the belts in a No. 1 contender match on Sept. 21, beating Humberto Carrillo & Dominik Mysterio and Seth Rollins & Murphy. Andrade and Garza had brawled the week before, but seemed to patch things up before earning their title shot.

United States Championship -- Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Apollo Crews: Crews has only wrestled Hurt Business members since mid-June. Even with another Lashley vs. Crews showdown being far from a unique pairing, it was the most logical title match since Crews hasn't received a rematch since Lashley won the title at Payback and Crews' issues with The Hurt Business seem far from over.

Raw Women's Championship -- Asuka (c) vs. Zelina Vega: After getting sick of the fighting between Andrade and Angel Garza, Vega has again become an active wrestler. On Sept. 14, she interrupted an Asuka promo to declare her intention to challenge for the title. She secured the opportunity to face Asuka on Sept. 21, beating Mickie James in a match to crown a No. 1 contender at the pay-per-view.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Lucha House Party: The issues between these two teams have been kept at a low simmer while Cesaro and Nakamura dealt with a two-week brand crossover program with The Street Profits and Lucha House Party has been focused on internal tensions since Kalisto made his return. With the SmackDown tag division struggling and a lack of other challengers, this became the only match to make on a show where all titles must be defended.

HIGHLIGHTS

RESULTS

Women's Tag Team Championship -- Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (c) vs. The Riott Squad: MATCH CANCELLED - Nia Jaxx & Liv Morgan not cleared to fight.

SmackDown Women's Championship -- Bayley (c) vs. Nikki Cross: MATCH CANCELLED - Nikki Cross not cleared to fight.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro (c) vs. Lucha House Party: Kalisto and Lince Dorado were teaming with Gran Metalik on the outside, an odd choice given Kalisto and Dorado butting heads repeatedly in recent weeks. LHP got off to a good start, taking out Cesaro with fast-paced offense before Nakamura was able to take over the action on Dorado. After an extended heat segment on Dorado, Kalisto finally received a hot tag, leading to a wild spot where Dorado executed a dive to the outside and Cesaro was holding Kalisto, allowing his partner to execute a tornado DDT. A wild stretch of near falls ended when Nakamura hit the running knee as Cesaro used the giant swing on Kalisto to score the victory. This was a very solid kickoff match that got very hot down the stretch before the expected win for the champs. Nakamura & Cesaro (c) def. Lucha House Party via pinfall to retain the titles.

Intercontinental Championship -- Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles (Ladder Match): As expected, ladders were brought into the ring very quickly, with Hardy taking the first big bump of the match, diving onto an upside down, open ladder after Styles sidestepped. That was part of Styles being the dominant offensive force early in the match, bouncing Zayn off a ladder in the corner as well. Styles also threw Hardy from a ladder early, as both men were climbing toward the titles, but that was not enough to keep Hardy down. Zayn hit an exploder on Styles onto a ladder as the brutality continued. There was a great moment where Zayn was alone in the ring, climbing a ladder before Styles threw a ladder like a javelin from the outside of the ring to knock him to the canvas. Hardy would eventually hit Zayn with a Twist of Fate before climbing the ladder, seemingly ready to grab the titles before Zayn started to tip the ladder over. Hardy tried to climb down the other side of the ladder upside down but took a nasty spill to the floor in the process -- one of the more innovative bumps in a match full of nasty spills. Hardy eventually drove Zayn through a ladder suspended between the announce table and ring apron with a swanton from the top of another ladder.

Zayn pulled a pair of handcuffs out, used one to tie Hardy to a ladder -- putting the other end of the handcuff through Hardy's ear piercing. As he tried to handcuff Styles to the ropes, Styles attacked him, so Zayn handcuffed his own arm to Styles, leading Styles to knock him out and try to climb the ladder with Zayn on his back. Hardy climbed into the ring, still with the ladder cuffed to his ear and Zayn uncuffed himself from Styles before cuffing Styles to the ladder. Zayn then used the moment, with both opponents incapacitated, to climb the ladder on the opposite side of Styles to grab the belts and win the titles. Just a fantastic and brutal match with a fantastic finish that showed Zayn as a brilliant jerk, willing to do anything to get the job done. Zayn def. Hardy (c) and Styles to win the title.

24/7 Championship: R-Truth was walking through the backstage area and walked into the referee's lounge. As he left, Gulak was doing lunges in the background, realized his opportunity and rolled up Truth to win the title. Gulak was being interviewed about winning the title earlier in the night when Truth interrupted, hit him with a large metal bowl and scored the pin to win the title back. Gulak def. R-Truth (c) via pinfall to win the title | R-Truth def. Gulak (c) via pinfall to win the title

Raw Women's Championship -- Asuka (c) vs. Zelina Vega: Vega went after Asuka's arm early before the champion briefly took over. As Asuka followed Vega to the outside of the ring, Vega took advantage by pulling Asuka into the ring steps. Vega remained focused on Asuka's arm, locking up the limb or driving it into the canvas at every opportunity. Vega came close down the stretch to scoring a sneaky pin after all her arm work, but Asuka slipped her into the Asuka Lock to force the submission. After the match, Asuka called Vega a "firecracker" and offered some compliments, but Vega responded with a kick to the gut. An expected result, but a better than expected effort from Vega as she looked very crisp in a well-laid out match. Asuka (c) def. Vega via submission.

United States Championship -- Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Apollo Crews: Crews got off to a hot start, using speed and agility to offset the power game of Lashley. Lashley countered an up-and-over in the corner to take over the offense. Lashley tried to run Crews into the ring post on the outside, but ended up being the one to go into the post instead, allowing Crews to go on the comeback, including hitting an impressive press slam on Lashley. After a standing shooting star from Crews, he went up top and hit a frog splash, but Lashley managed to kick out at two. It only took one misstep from Crews, however, and Lashley was able to secure the submission with the Hurt Lock. Unfortunately, it's hard to get excited for Lashley vs. Crews or really anything involving Crews and the Hurt Business after weeks and weeks of seeing variations of the same match. Still, a solid enough in-ring effort. Lashley (c) def. Crews via submission to retain the title.

Raw Tag Team Championship -- The Street Profits (c) vs. Andrade & Angel Garza: Angelo Dawkins exploded with a big dropkick after being briefly isolated at the start of the match and Montez Ford followed up with a flip over the ropes into a dropkick of his own on Andrade. As Ford was about to get rolling, Garza grabbed Andrade from outside the ring after an Irish whip, pulling him out of trouble and tagging in to take over on Ford, showing their strengthening work as a tag team after Zelina Vega abandoned them. Dawkins took a hot tag and started to take over the match, but a blind tag led to Garza hitting a top-rope Spanish fly on Ford moments later. Ford took heaps of offense from the challengers before another hot tag to Dawkins, who hit a spinebuster for the win even though it appeared clear that Andrade kicked out. It appeared Garza was hurt during the match and the referee's signal that an injury occurred was generally ignored, leading to him having to call an end to the match despite the kick out. After the match, Garza was shown being tended to by trainers. Generally a good match, but the finishing stretch was awkward as everyone tried to adjust on the fly and it wasn't handled smoothly, though that's not anything to hold against anyone involved. The Street Profits (c) def. Andrade & Garza via pinfall to retain the titles.

SmackDown Women's Championship -- Bayley (c) vs. Asuka (c): Bayley came out to cut an in-ring promo after her match with Nikki Cross had been canceled. Bayley asked to be announced the winner by forfeit in an "open challenge" when Asuka came to the ring and it was announced that an impromptu title match would take place. The action went outside the ring where Asuka dropped Bayley with a German suplex. Bayley then used a steel chair to hit Asuka, drawing a disqualification to allow her to retain her championship. As Bayley celebrated her brilliant decision, she was hit from behind with a steel chair by Sasha Banks. Bayley turned things around on Banks -- who was still in a neck brace -- throwing Banks into the ring and grabbing a steel chair. Banks kicked out Bayley's legs before laying into her with several shots with a kendo stick. Bayley was able to roll out of the ring before Banks could hit her again with a chair, taking her title and retreating. This was a nice little segment after the Cross vs. Bayley match fell through. The match was nothing special, but Banks' attack was a welcome boost to the situation. Asuka (c) def. Bayley (c) via disqualification.

WWE Championship -- Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton (Ambulance Match): McIntyre opened the match with a series of punches and kicks, taking the fight right to Orton. Orton went for an early RKO, but McIntyre defended before Orton used the middle rope to score a low blow as McIntyre tried to re-enter the ring and then hit a hanging DDT on the champion. Orton lined up a punt but his ankle was grabbed by Big Show, who returned for the first time since Orton punted him months ago on Raw. Show chokeslammed Orton through the announce table. Show's interference allowed McIntyre to take over, attacking Orton and dragging him to the ambulance before lawn darting him into the side of the vehicle. Orton was able to fight back, attacking the injured jaw of McIntyre. The two brawled into the back of the ambulance before exiting and battling into the cab before McIntyre hit a Claymore, knocking the ambulance door off.

Orton and McIntyre battled into the backstage area before Orton was attacked by Christian, another man who Orton has punted during his reign of terror in 2020. The fight returned to the entrance area where McIntyre took Orton onto the hood of the ambulance, but Orton was able to slam McIntyre backward onto the windshield, the glass cutting McIntyre in several spots on his back. After Orton knocked McIntyre from the top of the ambulance, Orton was blindsided by Sweet Chin Music from Shawn Michaels, allowing Michaels to push Orton off the top of the ambulance. Orton fought back and was about to close McIntyre in the ambulance, but McIntyre was able to escape before hitting a Claymore. As he loaded Orton into the ambulance, he stopped, dragged Orton partway out, landed a punt and shut Orton in the ambulance to win. Ric Flair was then shown in the driver's seat, taking Orton away. The whole structure of the match was odd, with the various types of outside interference. It made sense in a way to have Orton pay for his sins, but didn't keep McIntyre strong in the end. Not bad chaos, but a little strange. McIntyre (c) def. Orton to retain the title.

Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso: Uso and Reigns immediately locked up in a collar and elbow with Reigns pushing Uso into the corner. The two then stared each other down. Uso then started to try to use speed and misdirection to avoid the champ's offense, but Reigns quickly took back over, shoving Uso into the ropes and saying, "I told you." Reigns continued to dominate, cutting off every moment of Uso's attempts to come back before Uso landed a flurry of strikes, ending in a Samoan drop for a two-count. Reigns struck back with a big Superman punch, but Uso rolled out of the ring to avoid the count. Reigns continued to lash out, battering Uso and taunting him, taking chops and battering his cousin with massive punches. Uso made a hot comeback, knocking Reigns from the ring, hitting a suicide dive and bringing him back into the ring before hitting a superkick for a two count. Uso reversed the spear into a pin for a near fall before he hit a superkick and top-rope splash for a near fall, but Reigns' kick out also involved a low blow.

Reigns began to demand Uso call him his chief and said, "Acknowledge me as your tribal chief." After Uso refused, Reigns hit a spear. Reigns then held Uso's face in front of the camera and demanded Uso tell the world this is his camera, his WWE and that he is the tribal chief. Uso responded, "not today," frustrating Reigns, who told Heyman that all that mattered was Uso acknowledging it. Reigns then dropped punch after punch on Reigns until the referee pulled him off. Reigns told the referee not to address him again or he would no longer have a job. Jimmy Uso ran to ringside, saying he was going to throw in the towel, but Jey told him not to do it. Jey begged him not to throw in the towel, so Reigns pulled him to the center of the ring and continued dropping punches until Jimmy threw in the towel for the ifnish. Jimmy said, "We're family, what the hell is wrong with you. You're the chief, you're the tribal chief, just leave him alone." This was a wonderful brawl and really drove home Reigns' new heel character, establishing him as a remorseless monster who cares more about his place in the world than "doing the right thing." Uso played his part wonderfully, working as the underdog and battling as the underdog who had no real hope of beating his bigger, stronger, better cousin. I wasn't completely in love with the finish, but there's something to be said for Uso battering his family to the point where someone had to step in and make the sane decision to end things. Roman Reigns (c) def. Jey Uso via stoppage to retain the title.

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