WWE Clash of Champions 2017: Superstar Report Card
Raw pay-per-views have overshadowed WWE SmackDown Live pay-per-views for much of 2017, but there can be few complaints about the way the blue brand ended the year with the Clash of Champions event in Boston.
Almost every match on the card lived up to expectations, starting with Mojo Rawley’s victory over Zack Ryder on the kickoff show and ending with AJ Styles retaining his WWE Championship against Jinder Mahal.
In this article, basing our verdicts on the storylines just as much as the performers themselves, we give A-F grades for every Superstar who featured in the final PPV of 2017.
#1 Mojo Rawley def. Zack Ryder (kickoff show)
After a week of heated social media promos between Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder, the two former Hype Bros met in the first match of the night on the Clash of Champions kickoff show.
With a new entrance, new music and new in-ring intensity, Rawley was able to get the win over his old tag partner when, moments after getting his foot on the rope after two Broski Boots, he charged from one side of the ring to the other before laying Ryder flat out on the mat with a powerful right-hand punch.
As far as kickoff matches go, this was pretty good. It’s nice to see Zack have a longer singles match than we’d normally expect from him, while Mojo came across like a strong SmackDown Live heel for the future.
Mojo Rawley - B
Zack Ryder - B