5 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Clash Of Champions 2020

2. A Brutal Ladder Match

Hats off to AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Jeff Hardy for putting together a different kind of ladder match that was entertaining from start to finish.

Throughout the past 25 years, we’ve seen just about every type of ladder match conceivable, with nearly every imaginable spot performed at least once (Kofi Kingston using a broken ladder as stilts comes to mind). But the trio battling for the Intercontinental Championship Sunday night managed to throw together a great series of different spots: AJ throwing a small ladder like a javelin at Zayn to knock him off the big ladder; Hardy slithering down a tipped ladder to desperately and futilely avoid falling; Jeff shoving a ladder at Styles to block a Phenomenal Forearm.

But perhaps the most innovative moment came when Sami handcuffed both opponents to ladders, with Hardy being cuffed through his earlobe, while Styles was initially cuffed to Zayn before being locked to the ladder.

The result was a solid match with a fun flow. Solid choice for an opener.