11 Match Star Ratings For WWE Clash Of Champions 2019
10. AJ Styles Vs. Cedric Alexander - United States Title Match
A win here was never going to make Cedric Alexander.
There is still a great deal to be done, particularly since most pushes in WWE are met with an ingrained skepticism. Alexander hasn't had an opportunity to project his personality to the crowd, and is at present a former 205 Live talent looking to make a name for himself against the established stars. This defeat was consistent with his presentation - but it's still difficult to escape the feeling that this was a missed opportunity. Surely, a 15 minute, full-tilt main show performance framed as something adjacent to a Ruthless Aggression breakthrough was the direction WWE should have taken.
WWE employs so many road agents, and it's really weird, because their vast influence alienates the talent and homogenises the action. A "hot start" was the clear edict on Sunday, but it came off well here, coming so early. The Michinoku Driver looked incredible - Alexander is a talent who can maximise familiar moves with an imperceptible but effective tweak - and his hometown crowd bit on the near-fall.
Alexander really is a talent. The way he exploded from a handstand to kick AJ square in the face looked stunning. AJ in response punished his impetuous reaction to the sentimental atmosphere in a choice bit of storytelling, and the Styles Clash to the outside put Cedric over as a wrestler that mustn't be toyed with.
A rush of a match that was rushed beyond comprehension, if there's ever a match to revisit in this era of constant repetition, it's this.
Star Rating: ***