8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Clash Of Champions 2020

2. Drew McIntyre Vs. Randy Orton - WWE Title Match

Roman Reigns Jey Uso
WWE.com

His fans/apologists and Randy Orton himself will tell you that his matches are slow and not particularly exciting because they are unwavering in their logic and rich in "psychology". He knows how to work.

In the Ambulance match at Clash of Champions, Randy Orton attempted to pin Drew McIntyre after slamming him against the windshield.

To paraphrase the man himself:

"Cover the leg? It's an Ambulance match! Cover the leg! You kidding me? There's no leg to cover! You did this!"

Right, that was a momentary lapse and an excuse to crack a joke, but this was fundamentally flawed as a match. Throughout, to pay off a storyline that Drew's clean victory functioned as the catharsis to, the legends Randy Orton punted in the summer - The Big Show, Christian, and Shawn Michaels - all appeared in intervals to assist the babyface. Ric Flair then arrived to drive Orton na-na-na-na-goodbye, which would have worked as a nice sight gag in itself otherwise. But the implication here is that McIntyre needed three run-ins to win, as if he were Shane McMahon in 1999 and not the top babyface in the company.

For this nostalgia excuse to have worked, McIntyre either had to collaborate on the plan - not great, obviously - or the vets would have to have relied on it going 20+ minutes. Then again, they probably surmised, accurately, that it was a Randy Orton match and probably wasn't going eight. He'd still be applying a chin lock.

Elsewhere, this was an adequate walk-and-brawl that was enjoyably violent but hardly suspenseful nor resourceful. It made precious little use of the one good feature of a prohibitive stip because Orton, being Orton took about five years to close each ambulance door.

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!