Clash Of Champions: 5 Best matches in the history of the PPV

In roughly three weeks, WWE will host their next pay-per-view, Clash of Champions. The event will stream live on the WWE Network, marking the first pay-per-view of fall season.

At the event, every active championship on the roster will be defended and The King of the Ring finals will also take place. Seth Rollins will defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman. As the two aforementioned frenemies are also the RAW Tag Team Champions, they will also have to defend the tag team titles against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode on the same night.

Additionally, The Queen, Charlotte Flair will take on Bayley for the SmackDown Women's title and Shinsuke Nakamura will defend his IC title against The Miz. Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston will write the next chapter in their storied rivalry as they battle for the WWE Championship match. Clash of Champions is expected to be a night filled with great in-ring action and intriguing story-telling.

As most fans might be aware, the Clash of Champions pay-per-view has been around for over a decade. In WWE, it was originally known as Night of Champions but was renamed Clash of Champions in September 2016 after the brand split.

Throughout its history, fans have witnessed several thrilling encounters at Clash of Champions. This slideshow will look at 5 of the top matches at the aforementioned pay-per-view.

However, before that, let's list down few honorable mentions:

• Triple H vs CM Punk (Night of Champions 2011)
• John Cena vs Triple H (Night of Champions 2008)
• Sheamus vs Cesaro (Night of Champions 2014)
• Six-Pack Challenge match for WWE Championship - Sheamus (c) vs Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton vs Edge vs Wade Barret (Night of Champions 2010)
• Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler (Night of Champions 2012)

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#5 Clash of Champions 2016 - Sheamus vs Cesaro (Final match in the Best of seven series)

Cesaro and Sheamus took each other to the limit.

In August 2016, soon after the revamped brand-split, Raw General Manager, Mick Foley announced a best of seven series between Cesaro and Sheamus. It began at SummerSlam 2016 and ended at Clash of Champions 2016, which was a Raw-exclusive event.

Sheamus and Cesaro put on a clinic that had the audience on the edge of their seats. It was an exciting match that featured some hard-hitting offense and jaw-dropping high-flying action. Cesaro's suicide dive on Sheamus was a scary botch, but it added to the drama and intrigue surrounding the match.

The ending felt flat and, thus, drew the ire of the live audience as it took a lot away from the high-quality of the match. Towards the end of the match, Cesaro knocked Sheamus over the barricade with a thunderous clothesline, however, the two gladiators were so spent that neither of them could climb back to the ring to break the ten-count.

#4 Night of Champions 2014 - Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton

Y2J and the Viper stole the show.

At Night of Champions 2014, it was Y2J vs The Viper. It was the first-ever Undisputed WWF Champion vs the first-ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It was the self-proclaimed "Best in the World" vs the self-proclaimed "Face of WWE". The drama was intense as it was Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton. Two seasoned veterans fought in the middle of the ring at Night of Champions in 2014 and showed the fans exactly why they were two of the best Superstars to ever grace a WWE ring.

Jericho and Orton put on the match of the night which was acclaimed and relished by fans all over the world. The two icons put on an instant classic that had non-stop action. It was a back and forth encounter that saw both competitors trade signature moves.

Orton's Superplex from the top rope was awesome, Jericho's counter to the RKO set up a picture-perfect Lionsault and both veterans sold each other's moves like professionals. Towards the end of the match, Orton went for the RKO, but Jericho landed a massive Codebreaker out of nowhere. However, much to Jericho's dismay, Orton kicked out at two, making Y2J even more anxious.

In a desperate measure for victory, Jericho went to the top rope and leaped to execute a Crossbody, but Orton caught him mid-way in a ring-shattering RKO that was enough for the three-count.

#3 Clash of Champions 2016- Sami Zayn vs Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho defeated Sami Zayn at Clash of Champions.

In the Summer of 2016, Kevin Owens found a new best friend in Chris Jericho and the two Canadians formed an interesting alliance. The pair did some great work as a tag-team and were extremely entertaining as a duo. However, Sami Zayn was aware of Owens' treachery, and attempted to alert Jericho, who ignored his advice. This ignited a feud between Owens' greatest rival, Zayn, and his best friend, Jericho, that culminated in a match at Clash of Champions.

The contest was an amazing one that never seemed to slow down at any point. It was filled with some great high-flying action from both Superstars. Jericho played the role of the crafty and cunning veteran, who looked for a weakness in his opponent and mercilessly targetted the weakness, while Zayn played the role of the young and resilient underdog who tried to persevere his opponent's offense.

Zayn's Moonsault from the barricade to Jericho on the outside was a fun spot. His Blue Thunder bomb on Jericho looked convincingly painful and the Walls of Jericho was sold brilliantly by Zayn. In the end, Y2J executed the Codebreaker to finally pin the former NXT Champion in a fifteen-minute thriller.

#2 Night of Champions 2015 - Seth Rollins (c) vs John Cena for the United States Championship

Seth Rollins and John Cena faced off at Night of Champions 2015.

At SummerSlam 2015, The WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, took on the United States Champion, John Cena, in a 'Winner Takes All' match with both championships on the line. Through some surprising assistance from old-rival, Jon Stewart, Rollins pinned Cena to win the US title. The shocking ending at SummerSlam set the stage for a rematch between the two at Night of Champions. This time, only the US Championship was on the line.

Rollins and Cena had undeniable chemistry in the ring and their match at Night of Champions proved that. Although it wasn't as great as their previous encounter at SummerSlam, Rollins and Cena put on an enjoyable affair at Night of Champions.

Cena's counter of the Buckle Bomb into the Hurricanrana was devastating, Rollins' Tope Con Hilo was perfectly executed and he Superplex into the Falcon Arrow from The Architect was a great spot. Rollins landed on his feet from an Attitude Adjustment and then executed a couple of superkicks for a near-fall.

In the end, The Architect's overzealousness cost him the match as Cena executed a ring-shattering Attitude Adjustment to win back the United States Championship. Although he lost the match, Rollins came out of the match looking strong.

#1 Night of Champions 2012 - CM Punk (c) vs John Cena for the WWE Championship

The final moments of the match were controversial.

After Big Show ruined John Cena's Money in the Bank cash-in against CM Punk at Raw 1000, a triple-threat match was announced for SummerSlam. Punk retained his WWE Championship at the event in a controversial ending. In the aftermath of SummerSlam, the WWE Champion was allowed to choose his challenger for Night of Champions. Punk chose Cena on the condition that the latter acknowledged Punk as the best in the world, but Cena refused. The Raw General Manager, AJ Lee, scheduled a match between the two anyway.

The match, itself, was an excellent contest that fetched great reaction from the crowd. It was a back and forth encounter that was filled with amazing reversals and shocking kick-outs. Early on in the match, Punk locked in the Anaconda Vise, but Cena countered into the STF. Punk wouldn't be there for long as he amazingly switched it into a Crossface. Cena hit his finisher, the Attitude Adjustment, on Punk for the near-fall. Punk also hit the Go to Sleep twice, but it wasn't enough to score the pinfall.

The final moments of the match were controversial as Cena executed a Bridging German Suplex off the top rope and supposedly won the match. However, the replay showed a double pin and the contest was declared a draw.

Barring the controversial ending, the match was a joy to watch and one of the best of 2012. From an in-ring perspective, it was the best match in the history of Night/Clash of Champions.