10 New Directions For WWE After Clash In Italy 2026
Clash In Italy setbacks won't stop a new WWE King & Queen Of The Ring.
Clash In Italy hadn't even gone dark, yet lead announcer Michael Cole was talking about Monday's episode of Raw. On the surface, there's nothing unusual about that. WWE commentary routinely hypes up what's coming next, but there was no attempt to let a main event between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu breathe before the company encouraged you to move on.
'Here's what's next', 'Next up in WWE', 'Care about this now' etc etc. That's the non-stop grind a schedule like this demands, and that's just the way it is. Fittingly, it suits the purpose of this article, because we're about to focus on what's coming up whilst putting a bow on what just happened in Turin.
Neither World Title changed hands in Europe, which bucked what was expected going into the PLE, but Sol Ruca emerged with the Women's Intercontinental strap, and Brock Lesnar gained revenge on new monster Oba Femi on a slick night of action. Was it essential viewing? Nah, some of these 'B' tier PLEs fall into that category, but there was still a lot to enjoy. Plus, there's plenty of fallout to analyse.
Both the King and Queen Of The Ring tournaments are set to start, title rematches are surely on the way following Clash drama, and Triple H might be about to press the repeat button on a story that served him well a couple of years back. That's a calculated risk from 'The Game', by the way, and it could blow up in his face.
Here's where WWE goes next.
10. Some Proper Follow Up For Sol Ruca
Monday Night Raw will tell the full story on just how prepared WWE's writers were for Sol Ruca's title win over the weekend. The NXT > main roster recruit bagged the Women's Intercontinental Title from veteran Becky Lynch, but the real challenge starts now she has the belt. Recent history goes against Sol's reign, sadly.
Triple H has shown he isn’t really the best at booking new female champions, so fingers crossed he has something lined up for Sol now she’s Women’s IC Champ. A feud worth talking about is essential, because it’d suck if Ruca was booked to work ‘Open Challenges’ or some other lazy trope. Nah, give her a meaty rivalry that helps her pin down a midcard spot on Raw whilst drawing the fanbase in via personality and promos.
Without that, she’ll just get lost in the shuffle like so many others. Hunter has to stop this painful merry-go-round of crowning champions without a concrete plan. There was internal uncertainly hanging over Sol's win in the first place, mainly due to her less than flattering win-loss record since moving up from developmental to Monday nights. Hopefully, that indecision stops here, 'cause she really is a talent who could do special things if backed.
Sure, the in-ring botches are annoying, but Ruca can continue ironing out those kinks if she's bolstered by a creative process that's carefully designed to benefit her development. That's really going to be key, so here's hoping WWE bosses have something killer in store for her.
It starts on the next flagship.