It’s totally nearly time for WWE’s Clash PLE series to reach in Turin, as Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and their respective “Raw” and “SmackDown” rosters make their method to Clash In Italy! The cardboard features 4 championship matches (one among which involves Tribal Combat) and an enormous WrestleMania 42 rematch in the shape of Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi, and once more, the Wrestling Inc. staff are here to predict the winners!
Not for nothing, but in the event you’ve been using our picks to gamble over the previous couple of shows, you have probably been making some money. We’re riding high coming off AEW Double or Nothing, where our collective predictions went 9-0; Clash In Italy may be a bit harder to predict in some cases, but we’re confident we have all of the answers yet again. Who do the WINC crew see emerging victorious? Let’s get to the picks!
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (57%)
The Undisputed WWE Championship can be on the road in Italy this weekend as Cody Rhodes defends against GUNTHER.
Rhodes is one among the rare few to carry a clean win over the “Ring General” with the pair having met for the WWE Crown Jewel Championship on the eponymous event in 2024, though GUNTHER has since gone on to capture one other World Heavyweight Championship, retire John Cena via submission in December, retire AJ Styles in January, and claim one other significant scalp with a win over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.
Rhodes is making the second defense of his title since recapturing it from Drew McIntyre in March, following on from a victory over Randy Orton at ‘Mania, having added two WWE Championship reigns for the reason that last time he faced GUNTHER.
And he can be the favourite going into the match, a minimum of in line with the poll put to the Wrestling Inc. staff, with a 57% majority backing the champion to retain his title over again. That does mean 43% can see the challenger walking away with the WWE title he has yet to carry, equaling their singles saga at 1-1 and winning the title as near his home nation as foreseeably possible.
Written by Max Everett
WWE Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (100%)
After losing the WWE Women’s Championship to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 42, Jade Cargill has been given the prospect to reclaim the title in a rematch this weekend, but everybody on our staff at WrestlingInc. believes that “Mami” will walk out of Clash In Italy victorious.
Following WrestleMania, WWE has put in the hassle to make Cargill look strong after losing the title, especially when she picked up an enormous win over Ripley, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair alongside Michin and B-Fab at Saturday Night’s Principal Event. That said, with Ripley holding the gold for just over 40 days thus far, and Cargill’s initial title reign having gotten stale within the lead as much as WrestleMania, there’s not a future where we see the previous AEW star as champion on Monday morning.
As well as, Cargill has already faced a big portion of the ladies’s roster on “WWE SmackDown” as champion, whereas Ripley has a lineup of challengers that she’s yet to face. Whether it’s first-time singles matchups with talent like Alexa Bliss or Tiffany Stratton, wrestling newer stars who just got called up from “WWE NXT” like Blake Monroe, or reigniting old feuds with the likes of Charlotte Flair, there’s just more creative avenues for Ripley with the title than Cargill.
Together with there being a fresh batch of talent for Ripley heading into the summer, Jacy Jayne of Fatal Influence has already began to feud together with her since being called as much as the fundamental roster, and with WWE’s creative team reportedly wanting to feature her more prominently, it’s possible that “The Eradicator’s” next challenger following Cargill can be the previous NXT Women’s Champion.
Written by Julien D’Alessandro
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (57%)
In one among the more balanced outcomes amongst our prediction poll, 57% of Wrestling Inc. staff are backing WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch in her upcoming title defense against Sol Ruc at Clash In Italy. Meanwhile, 43% are betting on Ruca pulling off an upset over the WWE veteran.
The divide in thoughts is not too surprising as either talent could reasonably walk out of Clash In Italy with the Women’s IC Title. No championships modified hands eventually week’s Saturday Night’s Principal Event, so the likelihood of a minimum of one doing so at CII greatly increases. Ruca is a budding star on WWE’s fundamental roster, and it’s clear by her positioning — a marquee title match only a month after receiving her call-up — that the corporate has invested in her. As such, the potential for WWE strapping a title onto her, and in turn, cementing her as a serious force, is one which some think will develop into a reality this Sunday.
For the slight majority of us, though, the history of the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship is tough to overlook heading into Clash In Italy. In only the last six months, the title has swapped hands 4 times — a stat that does not do it many favors. The months of November, January, February, and April marked those respective changes, and admittedly, one other one coming in May seems more damaging than uplifting.
If WWE truly desires to elevate the Women’s IC Title again, it’d wish to stay distant from the new potato game. That implies that Becky Lynch needs to successfully defend her title, either cleanly or by more sly means.
Written by Ella Jay
Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi: Lesnar (93%)
What we thought was a one-and-done deal between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi could now be stretched out right into a trilogy culminating at WWE SummerSlam. And to reasonably try this, Lesnar and Femi must head into the premium live event with one win a bit. Meaning Lesnar is probably going winning on the second stop, set for this weekend at WWE Clash In Italy.
Lesnar made his surprise return last week to decimate Femi, then challenged him to a rematch, despite “The Beast” still being “retired” from in-ring competition. Why Lesnar hung up his boots at WrestleMania only to place them back on weeks later stays a mystery to us, but given WWE’s insistence that he’s coming out to the ring for one more match, the overwhelming majority of us imagine that he’s back to win.
In reality, 93% of the Wrestling Inc. staff are convinced that Lesnar will defeat Femi at Clash In Italy, and in turn, even the rating amongst their faceoffs. This theory is further supported by reports of Lesnar being expected for WWE appearances within the weeks following the May 31 PLE, suggesting that a 3rd and final bout between he and Femi may be on the table, specifically for SummerSlam.
Lesnar’s everlasting retirement match has long been rumored for SummerSlam, which is ready to happen in his adopted home state of Minnesota. Should that indeed be the case, we imagine that WWE will want him to go into the occasion with serious momentum; a victory over Femi, a dominant powerhouse and future world champion, would definitely achieve that.
Written by Ella Jay
Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (86%)
Roman Reigns will defend his World Heavyweight Championship for the second time since dethroning CM Punk at WrestleMania this weekend in Italy, facing Jacob Fatu in a rematch of their Backlash clash. But this time it is going to be Tribal Combat.
Tribal Combat has been a stipulation exclusively wrestled by Reigns, first in 2023 as he defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Jey Uso, after which Solo Sikoa in January last yr, along with his status as “Tribal Chief” of the Bloodline also on the road. So if Fatu was to win then he would take each the World Heavyweight title and leadership of the family, while it has been said by Reigns that, upon his victory, Fatu could have to fall in line and serve him moving forward.
The poll put to Wrestling Inc. staff reflects a belief that he can be continuing as a lackey within the Bloodline, 86% voting for Reigns to retain the title and extend his Tribal Combat record to 3-0. Just 14% see Fatu taking the title from Reigns, and maybe that is because prior to now six years just one man has proven able to beating him with a world title on the road. Perhaps it is also because Reigns got the win over Fatu previously having been capable of bend the foundations. Those rules will now be stripped entirely in a gimmick that has at all times favored the champion.
Written by Max Everett