WWE Clash of Champions 2019: 5 reasons why Seth Rollins beat Braun Strowman clean

Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman put on a fantastic main event
Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman put on a fantastic main event

Main events truly change the perception of PPVs as a whole in WWE. Sometimes, an underwhelming main event can create a negative perception of an otherwise great card, and the same works the other way around.

In this case, the PPV as a whole disappointed due to the pacing and placement of the matches. However, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman delivered a fantastic main event and with The Fiend making a shocking appearance at the end, it's safe to say that WWE got the ending of the PPV right.

Seth Rollins ended up beating Braun Strowman clean in what was a great main event. The question that many have been asking is why Seth Rollins beat Braun Strowman clean. He is only the third superstar to do so in WWE - with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar being the other two, achieving these victories in 2017.

Here are a few reasons why Rollins beat Strowman clean.

Also read: 5 things WWE subtly told us at Clash of Champions - Potential WrestleMania 36 match, World title reign to end soon?


#5. He just came off a clean win over Brock Lesnar

Seth Rollins just came off a big win over Brock Lesnar
Seth Rollins just came off a big win over Brock Lesnar

It was only a month ago when Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar clean in the main event of SummerSlam 2019. In doing so, he became the first person in nearly 3 years to pin Lesnar clean and it was something that even Roman Reigns hadn't achieved.

If he just came off a clean win over Brock Lesnar, the logical next step would be for them to have him pin Braun Strowman clean. Lesnar is obviously far more protected than Braun Strowman, so it seemed like the obvious choice to have Rollins do the same to Strowman.

In doing so, he got a bigger push and it has further solidified his reign as WWE Universal Champion.

See WWE Clash Of Champions Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Clash Of Champions Results page

#4. To further establish him as the face of Monday Night RAW

Monday Night Rollins
Monday Night Rollins

Seth Rollins has been pushed as the face of Monday Night RAW ever since Roman Reigns had gone on a hiatus due to leukemia. He was the obvious pick to take that spot since he was always the second most pushed superstar in the company anyway.

It's clear that Rollins is the guy Paul Heyman wants as the face of Monday Night RAW and the pick is obviously a good one. The show has been called Monday Night Rollins for a few years now thanks to him and WWE may continue his legacy by having him be the face of the show for years to come.

The win over Braun Strowman was to further establish that. If WWE wants to push someone to be the face of a brand, having clean victories over Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman isn't a bad way to go about it.

Now that he has his next big feud coming up, it's a clear sign that WWE wants to feature Rollins in the best possible feuds and not ones like his prior rivalry with Baron Corbin.

#3. They learned from the Roman Reigns push on how to protect Strowman

Strowman was well protected, even in a clean defeat
Strowman was well protected, even in a clean defeat

WWE did a great job with the booking of Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins. If you really look into it, Braun Strowman didn't look bad when taking the clean pin. He looked bad when losing to Roman Reigns two times and Brock Lesnar, but it seems like WWE learned their lesson.

Robert Roode got a somewhat clean pin over Rollins and looked good, while Strowman was protected in the opening match-up. It was compensated for in the main event when Seth Rollins managed to beat Braun Strowman clean as a whistle.

With Roman Reigns' push, WWE made quite a few mistakes, especially making him pin superstars clean while they had a lot of momentum - effectively killing that off while also making Reigns look bad in the eyes of fans. While we can't really speculate, perhaps this is the work of Paul Heyman, who knows exactly what mistakes WWE made when booking their top babyfaces in the past. So far, he's done a pretty good job.

#2. To make him look strong for Hell in a Cell

What a shot!
What a shot!

Bray Wyatt's involvement at Hell in a Cell was clear the moment the host venue of Hell in a Cell advertised him for a Universal Championship match. Even in the promo for Hell in a Cell, The Fiend was seen in the final shot, while he also spoke about challenging for the Universal Championship on RAW.

And after the main event of Clash of Champions 2019, it was clear who was next for Seth Rollins. WWE teased us by showing their trademark box at the end of the show, but suddenly the lights went out and the noises were heard. The Fiend had arrived.

He hit the Sister Abigail and then attacked Rollins with the mandible claw. Clash of Champions 2019 ended with the phenomenal shot of the photo above - with The Fiend holding Seth Rollins by his hair as he's motionless. Despite facing two behemoths in the past month, Seth Rollins perhaps faces his toughest challenge yet as Universal Champion, which is why WWE needed to make him look as strong as possible.

#1. Couldn't have another dusty finish after the Women's title match

Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch had a good match
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch had a good match

Without a doubt, the second-best match of the night belonged to Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. The two proved to have great chemistry together and Banks was tearing it apart, excelling in every aspect of the match.

Unfortunately, the finish of the RAW Women's championship match left much to be desired. It was a great match as a whole and it ended with Becky Lynch getting herself disqualified. Until the announcer mentioned the result, nobody even knew what the official ruling of it was.

The bout took quite a few twists and turns, with Becky Lynch accidentally attacking the referee with a steel chair during the bout. Ultimately, The Man ended up locking Banks in a Dis-arm-her with the help of a steel chair and it took a few referees to stop her. With that kind of a finish, WWE simply couldn't afford to end the main event in a similar way. A clean victory was needed.


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Edited by Lennard Surrao
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