6 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE Clash Of Champions 2016

4. Overstretched Authority

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One show without significant authority figure involvement, WWE. That's all we ask. Stephanie McMahon's complete elimination from all programming would be nice, but hey, who are we kidding? This is 2016, and as sure as Braun Strowman is gonna murder local talents, Raw's authority figures are going to hog airtime.

Mick Foley and Stephanie's involvement wasn't as irritatingly drawn-out as usual, but it was completely unnecessary. They approached Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins in-turn to gauge their respective mindsets ahead of the Universal Title match, and it accomplished precisely nothing outside of granting Steph and Mick their oh-so-precious airtime.

There was nothing here that couldn't have been accomplished with a quick interview with both men. Though short, the two segments reeked of WWE's writers getting the Commissioner and General Manager on-screen at all costs. Then, of course, Stephanie showed-up during the main event, because in WWE, everyone plays a supporting role to the McMahons.

All these moments did was re-affirm pre-existing plot points. WWE could've used this time to give Cesaro vs. Sheamus a proper conclusion, or allow the tag teams a little more time, but alas.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.