8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Clash Of Champions 2020

6. Bobby Lashley Vs. Apollo Crews - United States Title Match

Roman Reigns Jey Uso
WWE.com

Look, it was just a match.

Some of it was pretty damn good. Apollo Crews looked impressive as hell with his strength spots, it didn't outstay its welcome, unlike the f*cking programme that it almost certainly did not blow off, and it was generally worked to a respectable standard.

But the issue is that its anti-premium quality and profound over-familiarity meant it was impossible to invest in emotionally. It was simply "there". This is a genre of match WWE has mastered in 2020 - the "just there" match you think you've seen a million times, even if it's just a thousand - and this was the apex of it.

It also wore another WWE trope like a high-vis jacket: Crews, booked to lose, took so much of the action. He dominated the match, lessening the value of Lashley's win, because Vince is cruelly "protective" of his outgoing midcard experiments.

Unremarkable and forgettable, the "just there" match is also good, paradoxically, because the level of talent contracted to WWE is largely excellent.

You've seen it a million times. If your writer was one for recap, and recapped the SummerSlam match instead, you'd never have noticed.

Star Rating: ★★¾

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!