12,000 fans have packed themselves into the Inalpi Arena. Turin, Italy, is hoping with excitement as WWE brings its first PLE to Italy. Building off the recent history of PLE’s in Europe, this has been set up as a massive night of WWE wrestling. Three massive World Championship matches, a return Intercontinental Championship match, and a battle of the titans fill out a stacked card. This could be a night that rivals any PLE this year.
The five scheduled matches have all the makings of instant classics. WWE has set the table for Clash in Italy to be one of the greatest PLE’s of 2026. The crowd is ready, the wrestlers are ready, the world is ready. Let’s sit back and enjoy.
WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes v Gunther (3.5/5)
Gunther and Cody Rhodes have been building a tight program headed into this match. Gunther has defeated every big name that has stepped in front of him, but it is Cody Rhodes who has Gunther’s number. The WWE Champion has beaten him and eliminated Gunther from multiple Royal Rumbles. This is what had caused Cody Rhodes to get into Gunther’s head as they marched towards Italy.
As far as wrestling goes, this match was fantastic. There wasn’t much of a feeling-out period as both Cody Rhodes and Gunther just started throwing bombs. Both men utilized their biggest moves early and often, trying to put the other down. Each shot was stiff, and Cody Rhodes’ body was showing especially brutal effects of that. It was a smart move to open the show with this match. It’s a high-profile encounter, and the fans were loving every minute of it.
What brought this match down was the confusing finish. After hitting a Cross Rhodes, the champion went for the pin. It was very clear that Gunther’s foot was underneath the bottom rope, but the referee counted the three anyway. WWE is going to run this match back, but there are better ways to get there than this finish. It looked like a botch at one point as opposed to a screwy finish.
WWE Women’s Championship Match: Rhea Ripley v Jade Cargill (4/5)
Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley engaged in a fantastic display of power at WrestleMania 42. It was better than most had expected, and WWE decided to run it back at the Clash in Italy. The build towards this match was featured heavily on WWE programming, promoting Jade Cargill as a threat to Rhea Ripley. Cargill’s clean victory over Ripley at Saturday Night’s Main Event was a great deviation before they made it to Italy.
This match took everything that worked at WrestleMania and built on it perfectly. The beginning stages were admittedly a bit slower than most would have liked. Jade Cargill dominated early on, with there being a few rest holds to slow the pace down. Things started to ramp up nicely when Rhea Ripley made her comeback.
From there, this match was fast-paced and had several great counters. Ripley and Cargill ramped up the intensity and hit every big move that they could, leading to some great false finishes.
The leg spots featuring some outside interference were an interesting way to lead into the end of the match. The world knew that Jade Cargill’s running mates were going to interfere, and this was at least a fun way to accomplish that.
Oba Femi v Brock Lesnar (3/5)
WrestleMania was a star-making night for Oba Femi. He cut through Brock Lesnar like a knife through butter. He showed a ferocity that not many have achieved against The Beast, and it looked like Brock Lesnar was beaten into retirement until a surprise return set up this rematch, which was a great fight, but a terrible ending.
Everything about the action in this match was fantastic. Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi are big move guys, and that’s what we saw. Lesnar jumped Femi to start the match, hitting a flurry of F-5’s, which Femi was able to kick out of. That was followed by a Kimura Lock that The Ruler powered out of, shocking everyone in the arena.
Oba Femi turned back all the offense that Brock Lesnar was able to throw at him and looked to be on his way to victory. Of course, that wasn’t the case, as a seventh F-5 was finally able to put Oba Femi down for good.
This was a fun match, but why would Brock Lesnar get the win? Oba Femi needs to be built up like a monster, and his win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania is negated now. WWE’s love for doing trilogy matches got in the way of building up a new star.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Becky Lynch v Sol Ruca (3.75/5)
After an abysmal showing at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Becky Lynch and Sol Ruca were given the chance to run it back. They present a great dynamic in the ring, and luckily, WWE booked this match to work towards those strengths.
Sol Ruca is still very green as a wrestler, and that showed a bit here. The way she ran through some spots didn’t have the necessary momentum. That is something that will come with more experience in the ring, and thankfully, she was in there with Becky Lynch.
She was able to help Ruca work more effectively and use her high-flying move set logically. It was tons of fun watching these women go back and forth, even trading a few Man Handle Slams. There was creativity that came with most of the spots that got the crowd going, and it should be a blueprint for matches in the future.
A big shock came at the end when Ruca got the clean victory, capturing the Intercontinental Championship. It was a welcome surprise to see the young star get her first taste of WWE gold, and good on Becky Lynch for putting Sol Ruca over. Hopefully, these women aren’t done creating.
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns v Jacob Fatu (4/5)
Tribal Combat was the next logical step for these two men. Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu’s Backlash match ended in an auspicious way, so a return match was inevitable. Tribal Comat ups the stakes and is a crowd-pleasing contest. Everyone loves to watch a good old-fashioned street fight, and that’s exactly what we got here.
When the match started, there was too much walking around and punching. It was great to see them make use of the huge steps in the Inalpi Arena, but there could have been a more creative spot when they. Outside of that, this was a very entertaining no-rules contest.
Things got very intense as Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu hit bombs on one another. Particular highlights include the steel steps being thrown into the head of Jacob Fatu, and an insane spear that saw both men break through the ringside barrier. All things that Jacob Fatu shrugged off, looking like an absolute monster in the process.
The violence that led to the end of this match was great. Roman Reigns’ leaning into the turnbuckle spot was great for continuity. Those spots also helped to protect Jacob Fatu in the loss. It was a very well-booked match that benefited all parties involved.
