8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Clash Of Champions 2020
7. Sami Zayn Vs. AJ Styles Vs. Jeff Hardy - Intercontinental Title Match
Jesus H. Christ.
At one point, Jeff Hardy was lay prone against a ladder as Sami Zayn manoeuvred it so that Hardy would land upright on the ring apron. For what purpose is unclear - a hangman spot? - and irrelevant, since Hardy slipped. The ladder, in what one guesses is a happy accident, closed against Hardy's damn face as he tumbled perilously to the outside. This looked brutal and worked as a moment of inadvertent drama.
The match didn't fall apart, which is to the credit of all three pros who put it together, but it didn't build to an exhilarating peak, either. The layout worked against the duration somewhat; this was a far better turn-taking match than the usual WWE Triple Threat formula, but the longer it unfolded, the more the contrivance was brought into focus. This summoned more dread than excitement, since it was more attritional and gruesome than spectacular - a tone that would have perhaps worked better in the one-on-one domain.
AJ Styles took an incredible bump here that did go perfectly to plan; thrown from a stationary ladder clean in the middle, he somehow conjured the positioning and timing needed to only make it look like he'd just avoided being sawn clean in half on the top rope.
This will remain memorable, transcending genre fatigue, through its exceptionally creative and well-done finish: Zayn cuffed Hardy by a hole in his ear, and Styles to the ropes, for that rarest of achievements: the "why didn't anybody think of that before?" match finish.
Star Rating: ★★★★