With the dust still settling over SummerSlam, it's almost time for the "RAW" brand's title-holders to be on full display.
The WWE will present the first "RAW" exclusive pay-per-view and WWE Network special when Clash of the Champions emanates live from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sept. 25.
This concept pay-per-view was made famous in WCW and this year will mark the first time the WWE presents a show under the Clash of the Champions banner, which takes over for the similarly-themed Night of Champions event.
Here are five projected matches for Clash of the Champions, where every "Monday Night RAW" title is slated to be defended (possibly even the new Cruiserweight Championship). To view this article in slideshow form, CLICK START at the top right of this page. To view our projected card for the "SmackDown Live" exclusive event Backlash, click here.
1) Best-of-7 Series Match 2: Sheamus vs. Cesaro
The WWE deserves some credit for making this midcard feud between the "Celtic Warrior" and "Swiss Superman" have some sense of urgency with the best-of-7 gimmick. Sheamus fired the first salvo by defeating Cesaro in a solid match on the SummerSlam pre-show Sunday night. It would be interesting if the WWE had Cesaro go down 3-0 only to rally and sweep the next four matches. With this being a "RAW"-only event, hopefully these two make it onto the main card this time since they deserve to.
2) WWE Women's Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Dana Brooke
Charlotte won the title back at SummerSlam in what seemed to be a questionable move, but speculation has risen that Sasha Banks may be set to miss some time to recover from nagging injuries. With "The Boss" sidelined and Paige suspended for 30 days for violating the company's wellness policy, the WWE's "RAW" roster of ladies is very thin.
Alicia Fox, Nia Jax and Summer Rae are the only other options to get involved in a feud over the gold aside from Brooke. Fox would make a strong choice for an opponent here, but Jax is still getting established on the main roster and Summer Rae hasn't really shown that she is deserving of such an honor.
The WWE may have to pull the trigger on a full-fledged breakup of Charlotte and Brooke after the former gave her partner a tongue lashing on "RAW" recently. This could at least be a place-holder feud until Banks is ready to return to the fold.
3) Fatal 4 Way Elimination WWE Tag Team Championships: The New Day (c) vs. The Club vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens
The WWE could very well split up these matches and just do SummerSlam rematches by having The New Day battle The Club and Enzo and Cass take on Jericho and Owens. This, however, would be more fun. The Club certainly deserves a rematch after beating the reigning champions via DQ at SummerSlam.
The thought of Enzo and Cass or JeriKO holding the Tag Team Championships is very promising, so if their feud could crossover with the rivalry going on between New Day and The Club, it could make for a great, diverse match. Adding an elimination stipulation would also enhance the struggle for the gold.
The New Day has had the titles for over a year now, so the WWE can increase the danger surrounding their historic reign by making them have to overcome three teams to survive as champs.
4) WWE United States Championship No Holds Barred: Rusev (c) w/ Lana vs. Roman Reigns
Some of the creative decisions for SummerSlam were very questionable and perhaps the worst offender was the booking of these two titans. The WWE hyped this up as one of the major matches at "The Biggest Event of the Summer" and then gave it away for free six days prior. When it actually came down to the title match Sunday, the company booked a brawl, essentially canceling the match altogether.
It was one of many missteps during SummerSlam, but obviously it was done to hype up the first-ever "RAW"-only event where these two will undoubtedly go head-to-head. It seems some sort of No Holds Barred or Falls Count Anywhere stipulation will be added since they brawled on Sunday.
5) WWE Universal Championship Steel Cage: Finn Balor (c) vs. Seth Rollins
This match has major question marks around it amid rumors "The Demon King" sustained a shoulder injury at SummerSlam and may need surgery. Since no official announcement has been made and Balor appeared on "The Today Show" on Monday without his arm in a sling, we'll keep him in the picture for now.
Balor pinned Rollins clean in the middle of the ring at SummerSlam, so it might be hard to defend a reason for why "The Architect" deserves another shot. Given that noted Rollins supporter Stephanie McMahon is still in charge alongside Mick Foley, however, it's likely the former Shield leader will end up finding his way back to the title picture for next month. Adding a Steel Cage stipulation could help McMahon and Foley continue to try and upstage "SmackDown Live."
The "RAW" roster is very short in main event-caliber stars right now. Owens and Jericho are tied up in a tag feud, Cesaro and Sheamus are in a long-term best-of-seven rivalry and Reigns and Rusev are also tangled up with one another. Brock Lesnar will likely disappear for months. Unless the WWE makes a new star out of nowhere, the main event scene on "RAW" isn't very deep. A rematch and perhaps a chance for Balor and Rollins to top themselves after their SummerSlam bout didn't quite measure up to expectations could be in the cards.
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