WWE Clash Of Champions 2016: 10 Things WWE Got Right
Chris Jericho helping Kevin Owens was the right call...
With five title matches and eight bouts in total, Raw's Clash Of Champions felt positively stacked next to SmackDown Live's rather limp Backlash offering. There was a sense going into the Raw show that WWE's full focus was on ensuring Clash Of Champions was a winner, and on the whole that attention paid off.
It's genuinely difficult to analyse any pro wrestling pay-per-view without some negatives creeping into the conversation. Perhaps it's easier to pick up on where WWE went wrong, but this article prefers to look on the bright side and hone in on things the promotion got right.
Not everything was perfect at Clash Of Champions, there were some truly baffling decisions. For example, using the final match in the 'Best Of 7 Series' as an excuse to offer up a non-finish seemed like an awful idea. Thankfully, some great character work from the actual wrestlers themselves post-match rescued the situation.
From good card management and well-written interference, to smart title decisions and correct match times, here are ten things WWE got right at Clash Of Champions...
10. Keeping Alicia Fox Vs. Nia Jax Short And Sweet
Of the one-hour Kickoff show preceding Clash Of Champions, only around 5 minutes were dedicated to actual in-ring action. Generally, the length WWE afford to the pre-show bout varies, but the company got it spot on with this one. Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox really didn't need to drag on, it was always better suited to being a glorified squash.
As the babyface who was up against a monster heel, Fox was permitted to show some spirit and fire during the brief encounter. Again, this was a shrewd move, someone with the longevity of Alicia should always be getting a few licks in regardless of her opponent.
The prevailing message coming out of the match was that Jax had taken another step towards female dominance on Monday Night Raw. She took the best that Alicia Fox could throw at her, and eventually managed to swat it off like she was dealing with a common household fly.
At just 5 minutes, there was enough story on offer to keep the match interesting, but the short length was absolutely the right decision.