Big Tag Match Announced For Clash Of Champions, Shane McMahon As Guest Referee
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be fired if they lose the match.
This week's SmackDown Live saw the announcement of a new match for WWE Clash of Champions on December 16th.
Shane McMahon booked a tag team bout for the pay per view, with himself as special guest referee. The match will see Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn take on Randy Orton and a partner of his choosing. That partner was heavily implied to be Shinsuke Nakmaura, who saved Orton from a post-match beatdown following the main event of SmackDown. The pair then shook hands, seemingly confirming their alliance.
Backstage, Shane informed General Manager Daniel Bryan that should Owens and Zayn lose, they will be fired from SmackDown.
This looks to continue the storyline of the strange pseudo-alliance between the heel tag team and babyface Bryan, which has led to tension between SmackDown's two authority figures. It'll be interesting to see whether the General Manager will involve himself in the match, even if physical contact is unlikely given WWE's reluctance to clear Bryan for a return to in-ring action.
As well as the new match announcement, two existing bouts for Clash of Champions were slightly altered on the show as well.
The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match between Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gabel, New Day, and the reigning champion Usos saw the addition of a fourth team. After defeating New Day earlier in the night, Rusev and Aiden English were also included in the bout.
The SmackDown Women's Championship rematch between Charlotte and Natalya will now be fought under a Lumberjack stipulation. This change was made by Daniel Bryan, after several members of the women's division complained about their lack of involvement. The newly-formed Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan) seemed to throw support behind Natalya, while Tamina, Lana, and Money in the Bank holder Carmella also seem to be involved.
Shane McMahon booked a tag team bout for the pay per view, with himself as special guest referee. The match will see Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn take on Randy Orton and a partner of his choosing. That partner was heavily implied to be Shinsuke Nakmaura, who saved Orton from a post-match beatdown following the main event of SmackDown. The pair then shook hands, seemingly confirming their alliance.
Backstage, Shane informed General Manager Daniel Bryan that should Owens and Zayn lose, they will be fired from SmackDown.
This looks to continue the storyline of the strange pseudo-alliance between the heel tag team and babyface Bryan, which has led to tension between SmackDown's two authority figures. It'll be interesting to see whether the General Manager will involve himself in the match, even if physical contact is unlikely given WWE's reluctance to clear Bryan for a return to in-ring action.
As well as the new match announcement, two existing bouts for Clash of Champions were slightly altered on the show as well.
The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match between Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gabel, New Day, and the reigning champion Usos saw the addition of a fourth team. After defeating New Day earlier in the night, Rusev and Aiden English were also included in the bout.
The SmackDown Women's Championship rematch between Charlotte and Natalya will now be fought under a Lumberjack stipulation. This change was made by Daniel Bryan, after several members of the women's division complained about their lack of involvement. The newly-formed Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan) seemed to throw support behind Natalya, while Tamina, Lana, and Money in the Bank holder Carmella also seem to be involved.
Written by Jack King
jack.king@cultaholic.com Twitter: @JackTheJobber
