WWE made history today by bringing its first-ever premium live event in Italy to the sold-out Inalpi Arena in Turin. On paper, Clash In Italy looked closer to a major stadium-level show than a routine stop between WrestleMania and SummerSlam. In execution, the five-match card delivered a strong afternoon of wrestling with several major storyline developments, one championship change, a controversial finish that immediately demanded a rematch, and a brutal main event that pushed Roman Reigns deeper into the most dangerous version of his Tribal Chief character.
Not everything landed perfectly. The first two matches were hurt by rope-break spots that placed too much focus on officiating rather than the wrestlers. Brock Lesnar defeating Oba Femi will lead to a legitimate debate about whether WWE needed to give The Beast his win back so quickly. The Bloodline story continues to walk a fine line between meaningful character development and becoming WWE’s most reliable creative crutch. However, Clash In Italy was still a successful show. It never overstayed its welcome, every match had a purpose, and the final stretch gave WWE several clear directions as the company officially begins its road to Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Here are the full results
- Cody Rhodes (c) def. Gunther (Undisputed WWE Championship)
- Rhea Ripley (c) def. Jade Cargill (WWE Women’s Championship)
- Brock Lesnar def. Oba Femi
- Sol Ruca def. Becky Lynch (c) (Women’s Intercontinental Championship)
- Roman Reigns (c) def. Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat (World Heavyweight Championship)
Breakdowns & Reactions
Cody Rhodes Escapes Turin With The Undisputed WWE Championship
Opening the show with Cody Rhodes against Gunther immediately established that WWE was not wasting time. The crowd was loud before the bell even rang, singing Cody’s name while also giving Gunther a strong reaction. That split support fit the match perfectly. Cody entered as WWE’s resilient champion, while Gunther carried himself like the most dangerous pure wrestler on the roster.
The match was built around Gunther constantly cutting Cody off before The American Nightmare could settle into a rhythm. Cody attempted to use movement and speed, but Gunther punished him with chops, a big boot and a powerbomb. Cody responded with a Bionic Elbow, a Pedigree, a Disaster Kick and Cross Rhodes. Gunther survived all of it and trapped Cody in the Sleeper Hold long enough to make the champion’s escape feel earned.
The finish was intentionally frustrating. Cody connected with a Cody Cutter and Cross Rhodes before covering Gunther for the three-count. The problem was that Gunther’s foot was underneath the bottom rope and appeared to touch it during the count. The referee missed it. Gunther immediately protested, replay confirmed his argument, and the result stood.
It protected Gunther without taking the title away from Cody, but it also prevented the match from reaching the satisfying conclusion it deserved. Online reaction during the show quickly centered on the missed rope break. Fans on X were already calling for a rematch before Cody had finished celebrating. Gunther’s visible anger backstage only reinforced that this rivalry is not over.
The match was good enough to justify another chapter. The finish made another chapter unavoidable.
Rhea Ripley Retains, But Charlotte Flair Changes The Entire Story
Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill followed with one of the strongest matches of Jade’s WWE run. Jade controlled the early stages with her power, mocked Ripley with pushups, and showed more confidence than she did in their WrestleMania 42 match. Ripley had to gradually fight her way back into the contest rather than simply overpowering her challenger.
One of the best sequences came when Ripley lifted Jade into an electric chair position and maintained control even after Jade tried to escape over the ropes. Ripley sent Jade face-first onto the apron, but Jade later answered by countering a Riptide attempt into a DDT. The match felt physical without becoming overly complicated.
Then the outside involvement started.
Michin and B-Fab appeared at ringside and distracted Ripley long enough for Jade to gain control. Ripley recovered and hit Riptide, but B-Fab attempted to place Jade’s foot on the bottom rope to stop the count. The execution was awkward and briefly distracted from an otherwise strong match.
Charlotte Flair then emerged from the crowd, took out Michin and B-Fab, and became the deciding factor. Jade hit Jaded and appeared to have Ripley beaten, but Charlotte placed Ripley’s foot on the rope. Ripley survived and eventually retained with another Riptide.
That decision gave WWE several paths forward. Jade can argue that she had Ripley beaten. Charlotte can claim that Ripley is still champion because of her. Ripley can question why Charlotte helped her at all. The finish was messy, but the storyline coming out of it is compelling. Charlotte did not simply save Ripley. She inserted herself directly into the championship picture.
Brock Lesnar Evens The Score Against Oba Femi
Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi did not need a long match. They needed violence, urgency and a reason for a third encounter.
Lesnar attacked Oba before the bell and immediately unloaded with four consecutive F-5s. Oba still kicked out. Lesnar locked in the Kimura Lock, but Oba powered him up and drove him into the mat. Every time Lesnar tried to overwhelm him, Oba kept finding another way to survive.
Lesnar delivered another F-5 inside the ring and later sent Oba through the broadcast table with a sixth. Even that was not enough. Oba rose from the wreckage, beat the referee’s count and returned to the ring with one more burst of offense. When Oba attempted the Fall From Grace, Lesnar escaped and hit a seventh F-5 to finally secure the victory.
There will be plenty of debate about the result. Oba defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 felt like the beginning of a new era. Giving Lesnar the win back this quickly risks making that moment feel less definitive. Fans online were split almost immediately. Some argued that Brock did not need the victory. Others pointed out that Oba survived seven F-5s, escaped the Kimura Lock and forced Lesnar to dig deeper than anyone expected.
Both arguments are fair.
The key is what happens next. Oba cannot lose momentum after being positioned as the next great powerhouse in WWE. However, this was not a burial. It was a carefully constructed loss designed to make Oba look almost impossible to defeat. Lesnar reminded him that the series is now tied at one victory apiece. WWE has an obvious trilogy match waiting for SummerSlam.
Sol Ruca Earns The Biggest Victory Of Her Career
Sol Ruca defeating Becky Lynch was the most important result of the show.
Ruca entered Clash In Italy with something to prove. Her rise has been fast, and there were legitimate questions about whether WWE was placing her in this position before she was fully ready. Against one of the most experienced wrestlers in the company, Ruca showed flashes of everything that makes her special while also displaying the growing pains that come with performing on a stage this large.
The match told a clear story. Becky repeatedly tried to slow Ruca down, punish her mistakes and bait referee Jessika Carr into becoming part of the match. Ruca answered with athleticism, creativity and resilience. She avoided being sent into the ring post with an impressive bridge, connected with a moonsault to the floor and escaped an armbar before applying an STF.
Ruca also survived a Man-handle Slam and answered by hitting one of her own. She briefly lost control of a handspring dive when her feet caught the ropes, but she recovered instead of allowing the mistake to derail the match. That matters. A rising wrestler is not defined by never making mistakes. She is defined by how quickly she regains control when something goes wrong.
The finish was clean and decisive. Becky attempted another Man-handle Slam, Ruca countered and hit the Sol Snatcher for the three-count. The crowd responded with a “You deserve it” chant as pyro went off and Ruca celebrated with the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
Becky’s issues with Jessika Carr remain unresolved, but the referee tension did not overshadow the result. Sol Ruca beat Becky Lynch clean. WWE gave a rising star a career-making win, and Ruca delivered when the opportunity arrived.
Roman Reigns Defeats Jacob Fatu In Tribal Combat
Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu closed today’s show with a Tribal Combat match that felt more like a fight for control than a traditional championship match.
There were no count-outs, no disqualifications and no outside interference. That last detail was important. WWE resisted the temptation to overload another Bloodline match with interference and allowed Roman and Jacob to settle the issue themselves.
The match quickly spilled into the crowd. Fatu threw Roman over the barricade, attacked him around the arena and brought the type of controlled chaos expected from The Samoan Werewolf. Roman responded by throwing the steel steps at Fatu and attacking his hand with a toolbox. That became the central story of the match because it limited Fatu’s ability to properly apply the Tongan Death Grip.
Fatu still refused to stay down. He survived a Spear through the barricade and another Spear inside the ring. Roman exposed multiple turnbuckles, but Fatu briefly turned Roman’s arrogance against him by hitting a Spear of his own for a near fall. Fatu later connected with a moonsault, but Roman kicked out while also catching him with a low blow.
Roman repeatedly drove Fatu into the exposed turnbuckles, Speared him through a table in the corner and finished the match with one final Spear.
The closing scene mattered just as much as the result. The Usos joined Roman after the match as Fatu sat in the corner, defeated and conflicted. Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga watched from the crowd. Fatu was left between two worlds: ordered to acknowledge Roman while Solo and the MFTs remained close enough to offer another path.
Roman won without help, but he did not win like a hero. He targeted an injury, used the exposed turnbuckles, caught Fatu with a low blow and continued to frame his control as something he was doing for the family. This is Roman returning to the most effective version of his character: the manipulative Tribal Chief who believes domination and love are the same thing.
The concern is familiar. WWE has leaned on Bloodline drama for years, and there is always a risk of repeating the same beats with different combinations of family members. However, the closing image gave the story a legitimate next step. Fatu is not simply another defeated challenger. He is now trapped between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa.
The Road To Night Of Champions Begins
Clash In Italy ended one chapter and immediately opened another.
WWE is now on the road to Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will take center stage across Raw and SmackDown, with the finals taking place at Night of Champions. The winners will earn world championship opportunities at SummerSlam.
That gives WWE a strong framework for the next several weeks. Cody Rhodes still has unfinished business with Gunther. Rhea Ripley now has both Jade Cargill and Charlotte Flair circling her championship. Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi are tied at one win apiece. Sol Ruca has to prove that defeating Becky Lynch was the beginning of her reign rather than one great afternoon. Roman Reigns remains World Heavyweight Champion, but the Bloodline remains unstable beneath him.
The show also included several smaller pieces of connective tissue. WWE aired highlights from AAA Noche De Los Grandes, showed Giulia and TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella in the crowd, and continued weaving its wider wrestling universe into its premium live event presentation. Those moments did not dominate the show, but they gave Clash In Italy a larger sense of importance.
Final Thoughts
WWE Clash In Italy was not flawless, but it was a strong premium live event that moved several important stories forward without dragging the audience through an unnecessarily long card.
Sol Ruca’s championship victory was the most meaningful result. Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi delivered exactly the type of short, destructive spectacle their rivalry required. Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill improved on their WrestleMania match while Charlotte Flair created a compelling new complication. Cody Rhodes and Gunther left the audience wanting a rematch, even if the finish felt more frustrating than satisfying.
Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu closed the show with the right match and the right winner. Fatu looked dangerous, Roman looked ruthless, and the final scene left enough uncertainty to make Monday Night Raw feel important.
The two rope-break spots in the opening matches were unnecessary distractions, and there were still stretches of commercials and dead time that disrupted the pacing. However, the positives outweighed the negatives. Clash In Italy felt historic without relying on the location alone. WWE delivered a focused show, created a new champion, strengthened several rivalries and set the table for the road to Night of Champions.
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I’m the quiet one until the bell rings then I’ve got takes. I live for WWE NXT and TNA, I want every promotion to succeed, and I will absolutely roast the bad decisions on sight (because someone has to). Anime taught me to respect long-term storytelling; wrestling taught me that sometimes the plan is “we panicked” and called it “unpredictable.” The Miz got me into all of this, so yeah I appreciate confidence, commitment, and the art of talking like you’re already the main event. Now I bring that same energy to the page as the main writer for Late Night Crew Wrestling because if you’re not here to be must-see and tell the truth, why are you here?!