WWE Clash In Italy 2026 GRADED - Results, Review

WWE presented their second pay-per-view since WrestleMania 42 on Sunday, May 31 in Clash in Italy from Turin's Inalpi Arena. Headline matches included Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat, Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther, and Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar II.

This is WWE Clash in Italy GRADED!

Cody Rhodes (c) def. Gunther - Undisputed WWE Championship

Both men felt each other out in the opening minutes, complete with a Stardust cartwheel from Cody Rhodes, with Gunther gaining the upper hand with a big Chop as Rhodes went for a Disaster Kick. Gunther then slowly worked over Cody Rhodes for the next several minutes until Rhodes fought back with a Pedigree for a near fall. This was just a brief fight back, though, as Gunther hit a Shotgun Dropkick followed by a Powerbomb for a near fall of his own. 

Gunther went for a Splash but Cody got his knees up and hit a Disaster Kick and Cross Rhodes, only for the two-time World Heavyweight Champion to kick out at two. Rhodes looked to follow up with a Cody Cutter but Gunther reversed into a Sleeper. Rhodes briefly managed to counter into a pin for two but Gunther reapplied the Sleeper, taking the Undisputed WWE Champion to the mat. Cody managed to escape again but Gunther immediately reapplied the hold, followed by some elbows, before the Sleeper was locked in once again. Rhodes, much to the delight of the Italian fans, managed to reach the bottom rope. 

A Chop exchange was followed by a Lariat exchange, with Gunther coming out on top before Cody managed to connect with the Cody Cutter and a second Cross Rhodes. Cody then made the cover and Gunther had his foot under the bottom rope but the official missed it and counted the 1-2-3 for a successful title defence for Cody. Gunther went apoplectic with the referee after the match. 

Grade: C - The opening contest of Clash in Italy felt like it was going to be an epic match over the Undisputed WWE Championship but it suddenly ended when the contest was really getting going with a screwy, deeply unsatisfying finish. It was very much a by-the-numbers match that can only be considered underwhelming given the two wrestlers in the ring, but they definitely weren't helped by the booking of the finish from WWE creative. The beginning of a programme that will only continue, given the result, after they presented half a match in Italy.

Rhea Ripley (c) def. Jade Cargill - WWE Women's Championship

Rhea Ripley quickly had the crowd cheering by sending Jade Cargill the outside but Cargill blocked the Cannonball attempt and drove the WWE Women’s Champion into the apron before a Springboard Knee and a Fallaway Slam on the outside. Back in the ring, Cargill dominated the in-ring action in a very slow manner. Then, after an absolute age, Ripley actually fought back after Cargill missed on an Elbow and ran into the ring post, firing back with a Slam and Dropkick before a German Suplex, causing the crowd in Italy to rise to their feet. 

Ripley connected with the Cannonball to the floor at the second time of asking before a Missile Dropkick back inside the squared circle for a near fall. After a blocked Razor’s Edge and kick which left both women on the mat, an easily-pleased crowd chanted, “This is awesome!” 

Soon after, a series of counters ended with a Razor’s Edge and Shining Wizard from Ripley for two. There was then an awkward Electric Chair spot over the top rope to the outside as Ripley’s back smashed into the apron but she managed to connect with an Electric Chair Drop on the apron. 

Both women back in the ring countered each other’s finishers which ended with a Tornado DDT from Cargill when Rhea went for Riptide. Cargill then hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. The action then went to the top rope for a Back Suplex from Ripley for her own near fall which brought out Michin and B-Fab. The distraction allowed Cargill to hit a Pump Kick but the champion rolled through on Jaded with a Double Stomp on Riptide. The pinfall was made next to the ropes and B-Fab was meant to grab Jade’s leg but absolutely botched it, missing the leg as the referee basically stopped counting before Cargill moved her leg closer and B-Fab could grab it to place on the bottom rope. 

The referee ejected B-Fab and Michin after the interference and Ripley got involved, backing them towards the barricade for a Crossbody from Charlotte Flair. Ripley’s involvement allowed Cargill to hit another Pump Kick and connect with Jaded when the champion got back in the ring, though. This pin was also next to the bottom rope and it was Charlotte Flair’s turn to interfere, putting Ripley’s foot on the bottom rope for a referee who needs to really go to Specsavers for how much he’s missing. 

The match continued and Ripley connected with a Headbutt and a second Riptide for the win. 

Grade: C- - A match that was incredibly slow in the beginning but got better as it went along until it was brought to a screeching halt by B-Fab and Jade Cargill's botch, which was one of the most important moments of the contest. Why WWE have an obsession with the bottom rope tonight is also bizarre.

Brock Lesnar def. Oba Femi

As soon as the bell rang, Brock Lesnar ran at Oba Femi with a shoulder charge and followed up with four F5s but Oba, surprisingly, kicked out. Lesnar simply applied a Kimura Lock until Oba eventually managed to fight out of the submission. Lesnar reapplied the hold until Oba Femi, heavily selling the arm, fought out and went for a Chokeslam but Lesnar escaped and hit a fifth F5, with Oba Femi kicking out again. Lesnar smacked the mat in frustration. 

Brock went for a sixth F5 but Femi blocked it and hit a Judgment Day 2002-esque Chokeslam to his opponent. A huge Lariat then sent them both flying over the top rope and to the floor. Lesnar applied the Kimura again but Oba smashed him into the ring post and went for another Chokeslam, this time on the announce table, but Lesnar escaped and sent Oba Femi through the announce table with an F5, the sixth one of the match. 

Lesnar went for the count-out win but Oba Femi rose and got back in the ring at eight, as Lesnar looked like he had seen a ghost. Running European Uppercut after European Uppercut followed from Oba Femi before a Fall From Grace attempt saw Lesnar escape with a leap through the air. A seventh F5 followed as Lesnar finally won the match.

After the match, Lesnar signalled to Oba Femi they were tied at one win apiece, setting up a future rubber match.

Grade: B+ - This was probably one of the best five-minute matches WWE have ever done on pay-per-view as Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi didn't waste a single second, presenting a match that was great throughout. The only reason it hasn't been graded higher is because Brock Lesnar won, which partially negates what WWE did so effectively in building up Oba Femi at WrestleMania 42 when he squashed the seven-time WWE Champion. A rematch presented the company with the opportunity to make Oba Femi an even bigger star by having him take all of that punishment and win as an unstoppable force, but WWE simply showed that Oba Femi is, indeed, stoppable.

Sol Ruca def. Becky Lynch (c) - WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship

Jessika Carr is the referee for the next match and Becky Lynch spends the opening seconds arguing with the official. You would think by this point they would just use a different referee for Lynch’s matches. The bickering allowed Sol Ruca to quickly gain the upper hand in the early going as the crowd treated the champion as a babyface and Ruca as the heel. There was a fun moment as Ruca did a handstand, causing Lynch to punch the ring post, before she hit a Moonsault to the floor. 

Lynch gained the upper hand back in the ring, knocking Ruca to the mat on a Springboard. Minutes of Lynch dominance followed until Ruca fought back with Running Elbows and a Release German Suplex before a Shotgun Dropkick straight to Lynch’s face and a Running Knee for a near fall. 

Another Shotgun Dropkick led to Ruca going for the Sol Snatcher but Lynch had it scouted and countered into a Cross Armbreaker. Ruca used her agility to counter into an STF but Lynch reversed into a Disarm-Her, which Ruca countered into a roll-up for two. Lynch then had the match won as she got her own roll-up but Jessika Carr went the outside as she had to get out of the way and she only counted two when the referee got back in the ring. 

This fuelled more arguing between Carr and Lynch and Ruca countered a Disarm-Her into another Shotgun Dropkick. They then went to the top rope and Ruca hit an Avalanche X-Factor for a near fall. Lynch then tried to drag Jessika Carr and let go, causing the official to fly into the official and knock Ruca down from the ropes. 

Lynch tried to follow up with a DDT but Ruca did a Handspring through and hit a Superkick to send both women to the mat. Sol Ruca then botched a Sasuke Special in following up and next did a Springboard 450 Splash straight into a Manhandle Slam, but the challenger kicked out at two. Lynch looked to go for a Sol Snatcher that went nowhere and Ruca hit a Manhandle Slam of her own for a near fall. 

Becky Lynch went for another Manhandle Slam but Sol Ruca blocked it and hit a Sol Snatcher out of nowhere for the win. Sol Ruca wins the Women’s Intercontinental Championship with her first pinfall win on the WWE main roster.

Grade: B- - A good match but one that looked a little too choreographed at points and featured too much arguing with the referee to the point, in storyline, it looks like pure negligence from WWE to have Jessika Carr refereeing Becky Lynch’s matches at this point. The storyline also didn’t help any anticipation of Sol Ruca’s title win as it really felt like she never actually earned a title shot after failing to record a pinfall win on the main roster prior to Clash in Italy. 

Roman Reigns (c) def. Jacob Fatu - Tribal Combat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

After staring at each other for an eternity, the two men actually started wrestling, with both men knocking each other down in the early going as the fans in Italy were right behind Roman Reigns. Fatu quickly went for the Tongan Death Grip but Roman escaped and slipped to the outside, which resulted in a Suicide Dive from Fatu. With no count-outs, the action spilled into the crowd as Reigns delivered 10 punches to the head on the big steps inside Inalpi Arena. They then spilled to the concession stand and Reigns hit Fatu with some ice before throwing bags of crisps into the crowd in a big babyface move. 

The action headed back to the ringside area and Fatu lifted up the ring apron and put it down for some reason, allowing Reigns to fight back with a punch to the face before he bounced Fatu’s head off the ring post. It was Reigns’ turn to take so long as he retrieved a table from under the ring, but Reigns quickly knocked Fatu back down and just lay the table unassembled on the apron. 

Again, this allowed Fatu to fight back as he sent Reigns crashing into the steel steps. Reigns managed to fight back and he threw the steel steps from the ring onto Fatu’s head on the outside. When Fatu got back to his feet, Reigns sent him crashing back to the floor with a Drive-By into the ring post. 

After more Reigns dominance to the delight of the Italian fans, the World Heavyweight Champion missed on a Superman Punch attempt and Fatu fought back with a Stinger Splash, 10 Headbutts, and a Hip Attack in the corner. Fatu went for a Pop-Up Samoan Drop but Reigns countered with a Superman Punch for a near fall. 

Reigns ran straight into a Superkick on a Spear attempt which led to the Tongan Death Grip being applied. Fatu used it to push Reigns to the outside and he went for a Suicide Dive but ran straight into another Superman Punch. Reigns dug out a toolbox from under the ring and smashed it off Fatu’s hand, fuelling, “Mama Mia” chants. Fatu then placed his hand on the steel steps so Reigns smashed the toolbox into it again, trying to nullify the sacred Tongan Death Grip. Reigns then set up the table in the corner of the ring and set up for a Spear but Fatu flattened him on the big wolf shout and followed up with another Hip Attack. Reigns went to the outside so Fatu went to put him through the barricade but ran straight into a Superman Punch. Reigns then Speared Fatu through the barricades flattening two extras posing as security guards. 

Another Spear in the ring followed and Fatu kicked out at two. Reigns proceeded to taunt Fatu and removed the top turnbuckle pads. Fatu tried to apply the Tongan Death Grip but the injured hand meant he couldn’t. Reigns fired back with multiple Superman Punches and bounced Fatu’s head off the exposed turnbuckles but it only fired Fatu up and he decked the champion with a Spear for a near fall. Fatu missed on the Best Moonsault Ever, though, but he countered a Spear attempt from Reigns into a Pop-up Samoan Drop and hit the BME at the second attempt, with Reigns kicking out at two with a low blow to Fatu’s nether regions. 

It didn’t really do much to slow Fatu down until Reigns bounced his opponent’s head off the exposed turnbuckle over and over again before he Speared him through an exploding table. Fatu got back to his feet and ate another Spear, with Reigns winning the match clean as a whistle. 

Post-match, The Usos placed the ula fala around Roman Reigns’ neck and what’s left of The MFTs appeared at ringside, with Reigns saying he has something for Solo Sikoa on Monday Night Raw when Jacob Fatu has to acknowledge him. 

Grade: B - The match was the typical PG WWE plunder match that has been happening since 2008 with a few interesting storyline wrinkles, like Roman Reigns using the toolbox to attack Fatu’s hand and nullify the Tongan Death Grip. Surprisingly, Reigns didn’t require any assistance from The Usos and simply beat Jacob Fatu on his own. A more interesting story would have been for Fatu to win the match and become the new World Heavyweight Champion and Tribal Chief but Reigns just soundly defeated the man nicknamed the Samoan Werewolf.

Show Grade: C+ - Clash in Italy was a mixed bag of a show from WWE. The company had a number of interesting options at their disposal and chose to book none of them, with Reigns winning clean, Cody winning with a terrible finish, and Brock Lesnar equalling his series with Oba Femi at one win apiece, reducing the importance of their WrestleMania 42 match in the process. The obsession with the bottom rope in the opening two matches was also odd, but the show got better as it continued, while never quite becoming more than just a B pay-per-view from the company.