Originally planned finish for botched Clash of Champions match reportedly revealed
The RAW Tag Team Championship match between The Street Profits against Angel Garza & Andrade from Clash of Champions didn't end as initially intended.
Garza's untimely injury forced the referee to call an audible and execute the three count even though Andrade had kicked out of a pinfall at two. Dawkins was visibly quite upset with the finish, but a decision was made by the referee to end the match due to Garza getting hurt during the Clash of Champions match.
Dave Meltzer revealed on the post-Clash of Champion's edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio that the original finish of the match also had the Street Profits retaining their titles at the Clash of Champions PPV.
"Just so people know, The Street Profits were in fact going to win this match. They were not going to change the title. The finish was not changed in that way. So, after all that, like you put Angel and Andrade back together again, with no manager, they were still going to lose."
Update on Angel Garza's condition following Clash of Champions
Meltzer also provided an update on Garza's condition and stated that the first thing he heard was that the RAW Superstar could have torn his quad. However, Garza's injury may not be a serious one, and it could be relating to his hip, as reported earlier in the day by PWInsider. More details on Garza's status should be known in the days to follow.
"The first word I heard was a torn quad which is not a good thing. There has been other talk that it might not be it, might be a lesser injury, might not be a quad, might be a hip. So, I think in the morning we'll probably know more."
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez were quick to point out the fact that despite Garza's injury, the remaining competitors of the Clash of Champions match could have worked towards delivering a sensible finish. The lack of communication led to an odd finish in the tag team titles match at Clash of Champions, but it could have been avoided.
"You could work to a finish. The doctors were already on the ground working on Garza; you just keep the cameras away and, yeah, I don't know. I don't know what the rush is when you have two healthy people working in the ring. Umm, you know the refs always look bad in these situations. And also, the ref's supposed to call it as a shoot, and the guy kicks out, so if the guy kicks out, he shouldn't count to three. There is a real communication issue here."
Dave Meltzer also noted that unlike wrestlers from the past, who would still pretend to be happy after a botched win, Dawkins showing off his frustration live during the Clash of Champions PPV was not something that should happen.
Wrestlers from back in the day would also be annoyed if a match didn't go about as planned, but they always vented it out backstage after the match. They treated a botched win as a legitimate victory and celebrated it while staying in character.
What were your thoughts about the RAW Tag Team Championship match from Clash of Champions? Note them down the comments section below.