WWE Clash In Italy 2026: 8 Nightmares That Could Come True
ARGH! Clash In Italy could return to WrestleMania 42 hell for Triple H.
Every WWE PLE could be heaven or hell for the folks watching it. If your favourite wrestler loses his/her title, then it's the latter. If your favourite returns/wins a belt/looks impressive, then it's the former. So, it's important to keep in mind that one fan's trash is another's treasure.
Things could go badly wrong at Clash In Italy though.
On paper, the card looks fantastic. There are 2 blistering bouts for the WWE and World Heavyweight straps, a rising female star could win gold, Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill will get another crack at it, and Brock Lesnar has returned from retirement (ahem) to take the fight to Oba Femi.
Here's the kicker: Wrestling shows don't happen on paper. They need to deliver on the night in front of expectant live crowds who will cheer or boo depending on what WWE serves up. There's no room for positivity here. Go elsewhere for that towards what needs to happen in Turin at Clash. Here, nightmare fuel is the rule of thumb.
What if the worst of WrestleMania 42's opening night creeps around the nearest corner to haunt WWE fans? Or, what if that aforementioned rising women's division star has a disastrous night in Europe, and Hunter's own storytelling for a popular babyface elsewhere falls flatter than a botched Sol Snatcher?
These are the worst case scenarios for WWE's latest international PLE. It's incredible to think that a welcome boost for the SmackDown roster could lead to heavy booing in Italy. No Pat McAfee required...
8. Ads Make It A Chore
Oh dear, it's the dreaded ad breaks to get us started.
WWE/TKO has been taking a lot of flak for the way they’re producing these PLEs. Backlash was arguably less intrusive than WrestleMania in that respect, but the constant ad interruptions do wreck the flow when watching live and have become a constant complaint amongst viewers.
Video packages telling the story of the next match? TKO top brass don't want that. They want to sell you products. PRODUCTS. Look, everyone understands that WWE is a business and that businesses want to squeeze every last penny from wallets, but there really does need to be a bit more care put into the formatting of these shows.
There's no need, for example, to see some 3-4 minute hype package for a wrestler who isn't even on the PLE midway through. Also, how many WWE Shop commercials can one person take?! We get it: T-shirts and flashy replica belts are on sale. You don't need to press pause on the event to tell us that every 10 minutes or so.
Ads are one thing, but TKO has blatantly been shortening matches so they can cram more of these sell jobs into broadcasts, and that's a real problem. It was especially egregious at 'Mania during opening night. Backlash? Admittedly less so, but having just 5 matches on the booking sheets apparently tells management that they need to fill spare time with ad space.
Hopefully, Clash In Italy isn't as much of a chore as 'Mania night 1. If it is, then WWE can't be shocked when familiar complaints pop up on social media.