11 Match Star Ratings For WWE Clash Of Champions 2019

6. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross Vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville - Women's Tag Team Title Match

Randy Orton Kofi Kingston
WWE.com

This Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross deal isn't the start of a beautiful friendship, but it would be cooler if it was.

The two women share an almost wholesome chemistry, they complement one another in the ring, too, and Alexa Bliss is exponentially better as a babyface. WWE is very enamoured of her verbal and acting skills in the heel role, but her matches tend to meander because her facials are relied upon to carry heat spots that go nowhere. Here, her exchanges with Mandy Rose were shockingly, unexpectedly great. The timing was the stuff of true pros; had they missed a beat in the striking exchanges, they might have legit opened each other up.

Nikki Cross got over here, too, on a night weirdly designed to prohibit that across the board. Her ironic, hip-swivelling taunts were a funny and engaging riposte to Rose's unimaginative and cruel promo on SmackDown, and her seasoned talent added a layer of polish and credibility to a fun and improbably well-worked match. Her save for the Total Elimination near-fall was timed brilliantly.

A risible and fairly ugly storyline resolved (probably not, but you never know) in a cathartic way.

Star Rating: ***

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!