WWE.com and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly gives his predictions for WWE Clash in Italy at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy, Sunday at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan in the United States and Netflix internationally.
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
When Paul Heyman says Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar is “the biggest rematch in WWE history,” it gets your attention, especially when considering some of the biggest rematches in the history of WWE such as The Rock vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, and The Rock vs. John Cena. Lesnar against Femi has all the ingredients necessary to join or be on top of that list after the WWE Clash in Italy. It doesn’t need to be pretty. But when you have two monsters like Lesnar and Femi, it’s going to be pretty difficult to come away from the match unimpressed. Femi’s total domination since joining the main roster has been palpable. His slaying of The Beast at WrestleMania 42 in less than five minutes was just a continuation of what he has been doing to the main roster. Oba has yet to lose on the main roster. It’s really a coin flip. You can be assured of one thing: It’s going to be a high-intensity match that could end with one an earth-shattering moment. Will that be a Fall From Grace? An F-5?
Prediction: Oba Femi defeats Brock Lesnar
World Heavyweight Championship Match (Tribal Combat)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
The lead-up to the Tribal Combat Match between cousins turned into a fierce and bitter rivalry over the last few weeks and seemed to have reached its zenith until the final moments of Raw on Monday. That changed it all. Sure, it’s being labeled as a Tribal Combat Match, and anything goes, and we know Fatu won’t stop until he get what he wants, and that includes the enforcing the Samoan Death Grip. Reigns isn’t about to allow Jacob to become The Head of the Table and The Shot Caller, as Reigns put it, with a Jacob win. There will be fierce push back. And the underlying theme of a defeated Fatu being “domesticated” by Reigns is the key to this all. And if Reigns has to do it dirty, then so be it, hence the Tribal Combat necessity.
Prediction: Roman Reigns retains the World Heavyweight Championship
Undisputed WWE Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther
If there is any match that screams outside interference resulting in determining the winner, it’s the Undisputed WWE Championship Match. That is not good for Cody Rhodes. Has Randy Orton forgotten about The American Nightmare since WrestleMania 42 and is now destined to return? Is the off-kilter Sami Zayn ready to do something that costs the unapologetic champion his title? Then there is the Royce Keys dilemma, and who knows if he gets involved, who he will favor. The only thing that is definitely in Cody’s corner is that PLE’s historically scream chicanery without anything really happening, so maybe we are looking to deep into this? Gunther doesn’t need the gold to move forward and still be the career killer. Orton having a chance to beat Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam for his 15th World Title and inch closer to Ric Flair and John Cena is something you can’t ignore.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes retains the Undisputed WWE Championship
WWE Women’s Championship Match
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Jade Cargill
In this WrestleMania rematch, Ripley will try to equal what she did at The Show of Shows last month and put on a show-stopping performance. Regardless of how the match goes, Ripley losing the title that took so long to regain in a little more than a month seems like a long shot. However, you do have to consider that B-Fab and Michin could play a role. I find it hard to imagine that this ends in a clean win. Enter Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. Flair has reluctantly helped the same person who took her title two years ago. I can see an “oopsie” by Charlotte to allow Cargill to get the title back that sets up what we all want to see – Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam.
Prediction: Jade Cargill def. Rhea Ripley to win the WWE Women’s Championship.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sol Ruca
Sol Ruca has Superstar written all over her, but can she take the Women’s Intercontinental Title from a dominant champion like Becky Lynch? You have to consider that her only win since moving from NXT full-time was a disqualification victory over Lynch at last week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, which was a non-title bout. It just might be too soon for Ruca to overcome the odds of a future WWE Hall of Famer like The Man, but it is impossible to overlook what one Sol Snatcher would produce. Of all the matches on the card, this one is truly a flip of the coin.
Prediction: Sol Ruca def. Becky Lynch to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
