WWE Clash of Champions 2017: Biggest winners and losers

Modified Dec 18, 2017 10:03 GMT

The final WWE pay per view of the year - The Smackdown Live-exclusive WWE Clash of Champions 2017 - is done and dusted and it was a lacklustre event to say the very least. The entire event felt unimportant and without any real tension although a super-hyped Boston crowd really did improve the experience to a large extent.

There were a few surprising results, but for the most part, the right booking decisions were the right ones. As usual, some WWE superstars came out of the pay per view much stronger than going in, while others experienced a bit of a downward spiral.

So, without any further ado, let's get into our list of the biggest winners and losers from WWE Clash of Champions 2017.

Loser #4: Natalya

Man, you really do have to feel for Natalya. She might be one of the most gifted in-ring performers on the entire WWE roster but really bad booking decisions have left her as nothing more than a joke to the WWE Universe. And, things did not get better at WWE Clash of Champions 2017.

After losing a fairly dull encounter against Charlotte Flair, the favourite daughter of the Hart family cut a weird promo where she accused the fans of turning their backs on her and proceeded to cry at ringside. Not the best of nights for the Queen of Harts.

Winner #4: All the tag teams in the Fatal Four-way

I'll admit, I was a little bit worried about the Fatal Four-way Tag Team match for the WWE Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship. After all, too many cooks spoil the broth and all that jazz. But instead, we were treated to a really fun all-action affair at WWE Clash of Champions 2017.

All four teams provided a great account of themselves with a special mention to Rusev and Aiden English who were both super over with a raucous Boston crowd at the TD Garden.

Loser #3: Byron Saxton

Why is Byron Saxton so bad? But, even by his incredibly low standards, the third wheel in the WWE Smackdown Live commentary team had an atrocious night, making absolutely no sense for a majority of the night.

The only bright spot here is that Corey Graves actually called him out on most of his BS and with any luck, we'll see Saxton away from the announce tables soon.

Winner #3: Dolph Ziggler

You know I honestly thought that WWE Clash of Champions 2017 would be the beginning of the end of Dolph Ziggler's WWE career. It seemed like The Showoff was out of ideas and was included in the WWE United States Championship match only as the fall guy to eat the pin.

Instead, we got a surprise title change with the former World Heavyweight Champion winning the title and resurrecting his faltering careers in a really good Triple Threat match.

Loser #2: Baron Corbin

Just as Dolph Ziggler seems to have found his feet, we find Baron Corbin stumbling yet again in the WWE. It seems like a case of one step forward and like five steps back for the Lone Wolf ever since he won the WWE Money in the Bank contract and it was no different at WWE Clash of Champions 2017.

The now former WWE United States Champion not only lost the title but also ate the pinfall in the process. Ouch. Are earlier reports of backstage heat on the Lone Wolf still playing a role in his demotion on the card and the title loss? Could be that or WWE has something really grand planned for him at the grandest stage of them all.

Winner #2: AJ Styles

I'll tell you what, there was a real fear amongst WWE fans that this would be the end of the road for AJ Styles' second run as WWE Champion. With the uncertainty surrounding Jinder Mahal's status in the company, a swerve here to put the title back on the Indo-Canadian was on the cards but thankfully, common sense prevailed.

The Phenomenal One put on a superb performance - this time as the one taking the beating for long periods of the match - before overcoming the Singh Brothers, the Khallas, and the Jinder to make the Modern Day Maharaja tap out to the Calf Crusher.

Loser #1: Shinsuke Nakamura

Damn, it seems like Shinsuke Nakamura just can't get going on the WWE main roster since he made his WWE Smackdown Live debut after WWE Wrestlemania 33 and WWE Clash of Champions 2017 was no different.

The King of Strong Style spent large portions of his tag-team match as the inactive partner before being driven through an announce table. That was the only notable event for the Japanese superstar and things are looking bleak for the future of Strong Style.

Winner #1: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

I don't know what I would have done had Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn lost their match at WWE Clash of Champions 2017. Sure, the outcome is pretty obvious, but there was always a chance that the WWE might choose to do something really really dumb.

Thankfully, alls well that ends well, and we have the Canadian best friends as members of the WWE family for the foreseeable future.

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Edited by anirudh.b