12 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE Clash Of Champions 2019
5. IC Title Is For Workhorses
Remember when the Intercontinental Championship was held by the best wrestlers on the roster? Well, Shinsuke Nakamura is still a pretty damn good wrestler.
But his match against The Miz was a disappointment. Nakamura relied on the antagonist Sami Zayn outside the ring to save him on multiple occasions, which would be understandable if it was some hard-fought, aggressive battle, but it felt like every TV match we’ve ever seen. It’s clear what they’re going for with Sami – and he’s good at his role – but Shinsuke didn’t look like a former NXT Champion and Royal Rumble winner.
Nakamura looked like a guy on cruise control who couldn’t deal with any speedbumps and needed someone to bail him out. Maybe part of that is Miz not looking like a huge threat with his worn-out offense.
But this match just didn’t do it, especially when compared to the bout that followed it.