WWE Clash in Italy Exposes a Familiar Booking Problem
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WWE Clash in Italy has just concluded, and I’m left with a flood of thoughts about the company’s booking—both for this event and more broadly. I try not to lean negative, but it’s difficult when something you enjoy consistently feels mishandled.
Before getting into the issues, it’s only fair to highlight a bright spot. If you read my Clash in Italy predictions, I only missed once, and one of my correct calls was a title change for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. I had Sol Ruca winning, and WWE delivered.
WWE’s Home-Run
Sol is still new to the main roster, so it’s refreshing to see WWE pull the trigger early, something they didn’t do with Ethan Page earlier this month in his Intercontinental Title opportunity. The match itself delivered, Becky Lynch’s ongoing tension with referee Jessika Carr added a compelling layer, and the right winner came out on top. From a booking standpoint, this was a home run.
Unfortunately, that’s where the positives stop.
From the opening match to the main event, outside of the Intercontinental Championship bout, this show was filled with questionable booking decisions. To be clear, this isn’t a criticism of the performers. In fact, most of the matches delivered in the ring.
The issue was how they ended, and what came afterward. Those decisions ultimately weakened fan investment throughout the night.
Cody vs. Gunther
The show opened with Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther for the WWE Undisputed Championship. Surprisingly, it only went about 11 minutes. While the match itself was solid, the finish left everyone confused. This is where I unsuccessfully predicted a winner.
Cody pinned Gunther while Gunther’s foot was clearly under the rope. a detail the referee somehow missed. Despite Gunther’s protests, the decision stood.
Starting a major show with a highly anticipated world title match, only to end it with a screwy finish, is a baffling choice. It makes the referee look incompetent and weakens Gunther, who has been on a dominant run, retiring names like John Cena and AJ Styles along the way.
Even if a rematch is coming, there’s now concern that Cody will simply beat him clean, effectively derailing Gunther’s momentum. That remains to be seen, but it’s not an encouraging start.
Rhea vs. Jade
Next, Rhea Ripley defended her Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill. I don’t take major issue with the outcome, I predicted Rhea would win. But, the structure of the match raised eyebrows. WWE went back-to-back-to-back with “foot on the rope” spots across the first two matches, including two in this one alone. The difference? This time, the referee saw them.
Recycling the same finish mechanic three times in such a short span is simply poor booking. There are countless ways to structure near falls, and this felt lazy. That said, the match itself was excellent, arguably the best of the night.
Stunting Oba’s Momentum
Then came Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi in their rematch. The match was a sprint, six minutes of nonstop action, until Lesnar picked up the win. While I predicted this outcome, that doesn’t mean it was the right call.
Oba had just beaten Brock at WrestleMania, and instead of letting that victory breathe, WWE rushed right back into the feud and evened the score within weeks.
After his win, Oba was relegated to open challenges before being thrown back into this program, where he lost. If the goal was always to go 1–1 and set up a trilogy, the timing is completely off. Oba should have moved on to a different feud before revisiting Brock.
Now, it looks like Oba will be tied to Lesnar all the way through SummerSlam in Minnesota. That’s a long stretch for one feud, and there’s a real risk fans grow tired of it. There is a potential out though since Oba is in the King of the Ring. But whether WWE capitalizes on that remains to be seen.
Bloodline Wars 3.0
The main event featured Tribal Combat, with Roman Reigns defending the World Championship against Jacob Fatu. The match was solid, but notably lacked interference, a staple of previous Tribal Combat matches. That’s not necessarily a flaw, just an observation.
The real issue came afterward.
Following Roman’s victory, Jimmy and Jey Uso appeared and seemingly welcomed Jacob Fatu into the Bloodline despite his loss. Then, Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s were shown watching from the crowd, setting up yet another Bloodline conflict.
And that’s the problem, this feels like a rehash. Roman already defeated Solo in Tribal Combat on the Raw Netflix premiere. By the rules of that match, Solo was supposed to acknowledge Roman, something he has already gone back on. Now we’re circling back to the same story beats again.
Why does WWE continue to lean so heavily on the Bloodline? Why not introduce fresh challengers and new narratives, especially with Roman as champion?
Yes, Roman did call out Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, and Royce Keyes after the show, which hints at something new. But the looming direction still feels like Bloodline Civil War 3.0.
AAA Outshines WWE
The most frustrating part of all this is WWE does show flashes of brilliance. They tease course corrections. They introduce ideas that could genuinely excite fans. But too often, they fail to capitalize, or they wait too long, and the moment passes.
What makes it even more puzzling is that AAA, under the WWE umbrella, has been consistently delivering compelling storytelling and emotionally engaging matches. Just one night before Clash in Italy, AAA Noche de los Grandes delivered a perfect payoff with Americano vs. Americano. Fans were invested, and the story landed.
For months, fans have praised WWE’s involvement in AAA’s booking. So how is it that the same company can help produce such a strong product there, yet struggle so much with Raw and SmackDown?
It doesn’t help that Triple H, ahead of Clash in Italy, claimed the show had the potential to “change the landscape of WWE as we know it.” It didn’t. Nothing changed. From a booking perspective, this felt like more of the same.
If WWE truly wants to evolve, they need to act now—not later. Because fans are losing patience, and right now, even their own affiliated shows are outshining them.
It’s time for a change.
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