Wrestling fans are a nostalgic bunch. We remember the big stuff, like the Attitude Era or the rise of Roman Reigns, but we often forget the connective tissue that makes WWE work. Honestly, one of those pieces of tissue is Clash of Champions. It wasn’t always the biggest show on the calendar. It wasn't WrestleMania. But for a few years, it was the only night where every single gold belt was on the line, and that mattered.
The concept was simple: every champion must defend. In a world where some champions might sit out a month or hide behind a faction, this show forced everyone’s hand. It created a specific kind of chaos.
The Roots of the Clash
You can't really talk about this show without looking back at the NWA and WCW. The original "Clash of the Champions" (with the "the") started back in 1988 as a way for Jim Crockett Promotions to stick it to Vince McMahon. They aired it for free on TBS to compete with WrestleMania IV. It was a power move. Ric Flair went forty-five minutes with Sting in the first one, and it changed how people viewed "TV wrestling."
When WWE revived the name in 2016, dropping the "the" for the most part, it felt like a nod to the old school. They needed a way to make the brand split feel heavy. If you were on Raw or SmackDown, you couldn't hide.
That Wild 2020 Card and the COVID Era
Think back to September 2020. The world was weird, and wrestling was happening in the "ThunderDome" with a bunch of LED screens instead of a live crowd. That year’s Clash of Champions—officially subtitled "Gold Rush"—was actually one of the best shows of the pandemic era.
Roman Reigns was just starting his "Tribal Chief" run. He fought his cousin, Jey Uso. It wasn't just a wrestling match; it was a psychological beatdown. Jey was trying to prove he belonged in the main event, and Roman was busy cementing the legacy he’s still carrying today. It’s wild to look back and see how that specific night at Clash of Champions set the stage for years of Bloodline storytelling. Without that match, do we even get the Roman we have now? Probably not.
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The same night had that insane Triple Threat Ladder match for the Intercontinental Title. Sami Zayn, Jeff Hardy, and AJ Styles basically destroyed themselves. Sami ended up handcuffing Jeff’s ear to a ladder. It was gross, brilliant, and exactly the kind of thing that happens when the stakes are "all the gold."
Why the "All Titles" Rule Changed Everything
Usually, a B-level pay-per-view has a few filler matches. You get a random tag team match that doesn't mean much, or a "grudge match" with no stakes. Clash of Champions killed that.
Because every title had to be defended, the mid-card felt alive. The United States Championship felt just as important as the Universal Title because they shared the same mandate. It forced the writers to actually give the Cruiserweights or the Women’s Tag Team champions a real spotlight.
- It gave the undercard a reason to shine.
- The pace of the show was usually breathless because there were so many title changes possible.
- It served as a "reset button" for storylines heading into the fall.
The Night of the Underdog
We’ve seen some massive upsets at this event. Remember 2016? T.J. Perkins defended the newly created Cruiserweight Championship against Brian Kendrick. People forget how much hype was behind the CWC back then. Or 2017, where Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had to fight for their jobs with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan acting as dual referees.
It was messy. It was over-booked. But it was entertaining as hell.
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Wrestling is at its best when it feels like anything can happen. When you have ten title matches on one card, the math says someone is losing their belt. That "defend or vacate" energy is something WWE has moved away from recently with longer, more "prestige" title reigns, but there’s a part of me that misses the frantic nature of the Clash.
Comparing the Era of Long Reigns
Today, we see Gunther or Roman Reigns or Rhea Ripley holding titles for hundreds, sometimes over a thousand days. In 2026, we look back at the Clash of Champions era as a time of transition. It was the bridge between the "hot-shotted" titles of the late 2010s and the marathon reigns we see now.
Some fans hate the "all titles" gimmick. They say it devalues the belts to have them all defended at once. I disagree. I think it makes the champions look like workhorses. If you can survive the Clash, you’ve earned your spot for the winter.
Specific Highlights You Should Rewatch
If you’re diving into the archives on Peacock or the WWE Network, skip the filler. Go straight to these:
- Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (2020): Pure storytelling excellence. The way Roman demands Jey call him the Tribal Chief is chilling.
- Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy (2020): One of the most creative ladder matches in the last decade.
- Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman (2019): This was a weird one because they were Tag Team champions together earlier in the night. They lost the tag belts, then had to fight each other for the Universal Title. Peak drama.
- Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya (2017): A Lumberjack match that actually worked. It showed the depth of the women's division at a time when they were still fighting for "Evolution" era respect.
What Happened to the Event?
WWE hasn't held a Clash of Champions since 2020. They’ve leaned into more "themed" shows like Day 1 or specialized international events in Saudi Arabia and Europe. The schedule is packed.
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But the spirit of the event lives on in the "Night of Champions" revivals. The problem is, "Night of Champions" often feels like just another big show. Clash of Champions had that grit. It felt like a blue-collar wrestling show where everyone had to clock in and put their career on the line.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Fan
If you want to understand why WWE's current landscape looks the way it does, you have to study the B-tier shows of the late 2010s. They were the testing grounds.
How to watch like a pro:
- Track the Title Changes: Notice how WWE used this show to "course-correct." If a champion wasn't working out, the Clash was usually where the belt moved.
- Look at the Crowd Response: In the 2016-2019 shows, you can hear the fans starting to turn on certain stars or rally behind others (like the early days of the "Becky Lynch" explosion).
- The Stipulation Factor: Pay attention to how many matches had "Special Guest Referees" or "Lumberjack" stipulations. This show was notorious for adding "smoke and mirrors" to protect certain performers.
Don't just wait for WrestleMania to see the big moments. Sometimes the most important shifts in a wrestler's career happen on a Sunday night in September when they're forced to defend a title they aren't ready to lose. Go back and look at the 2020 footage. It’s a masterclass in how to build a character like the Tribal Chief from the ground up, one family beating at a time.