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WWE Clash in Italy: Roman Reigns Retains, But Jacob Fatu Impresses

Roman Reigns would go on to retain his World Heavyweight Championship title during WWE Clash in Italy, but it was Jacob Fatu who impressed.

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Article Summary

  • Roman Reigns retained the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Clash in Italy, surviving Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat.
  • Jacob Fatu impressed throughout WWE Clash in Italy, pushing Reigns to the limit with power, grit, and near-falls.
  • The Tribal Combat main event featured steel steps, barricade spears, table crashes, and brutal hand-targeting offense.
  • Despite another huge Roman Reigns win, WWE Clash in Italy made Jacob Fatu look like a breakout main-event force.

It's all down to this, folks. The main event of WWE Clash in Italy is coming to us live from the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy. Earlier tonight, we saw Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley retain, Brock Lesnar win, and Sol Ruca become the new Women's Intercontinental Champion. Now, it all comes down to Tribal Combat between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight Championship – but first, a look back at today's card (with links to our coverage):

What Are the Matches for WWE Clash in Italy? Here's a rundown of the card as of this writing:

What follows is a look back at our early thoughts on the match, which we included in our preview/viewing guide from earlier today. Following that, we have some real-time thoughts on the match and some of the highlights that were released – enjoy!

WWE Clash in Italy: Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu
Image: WWE Screencap

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu — World Heavyweight Championship Tribal Combat Match: Reigns has already claimed wins over Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat – and he's going to make it three-for-three. Should he? Nope, but I would rather see Fatu with the belt: it would change the entire vibe. But the bigger question about this match is if it will happen at all. At the time of this writing, reports indicated that Fatu was injured during a house show in London, and there was some uncertainty about his medical clearance for today. If Fatu loses, you can't have it be a clean pin – it would kill his momentum. On the other hand, having Reigns get some help in retaining is starting to get a little old – and something that should be addressed now before it becomes a permanent asterisk next to his title run history.

WWE Clash in Italy
WWE Clash in Italy (Image: WWE)

Heel or face. In-character or out of character. Reigns is a serious presence wherever he goes – and the fans in Italy are definitely reminding us of that:

Fatu starts off strong, hitting Reigns with a spinning elbow and going right for the Tongan Death Grip. Though he escapes, Reigns ends up eating a suicide dive and getting bounced around the outside for his troubles. Reigns is beginning to give some back – and you can never go wrong with some snack stand violence:

We've got a table being teased, but it was the sound of the steel steps hitting Fatu's face that headlined that moment (and props to Fightful Wrestling for a great John Cena/Umaga callback):

Adding that drive-by kick into the mix, Fatu's head has been taking some serious damage in this match. From there, we've got Reigns missing a Superman punch, only to be met with punches, and a nasty clothesline/senton combo. Maybe too much time was spent by Fatu honoring Umaga, because his attempt at a pop-up Samoan Drop is met with a Superman Punch – though Fatu kicked out.

Wow. We're just going to say it. If you're worried about the Tongan Death Grip, using a toolbox on Fatu's hand is a good way to take that threat off the table. Yeah, Reigns is going to town on Fatu's hand with pretty much anything he can get his hands on (pretty ironic, right?). And now, we have Reigns spearing Fatu through a barricade (and some folks) and another time in the ring – and still, Fatu will not fall. FAN BOY MOMENT: I seriously want that dude to win.

And now, they're throwing everything at each other. An exposed turnbuckle, Superman punches, Tongan Death Grips, spears – it's actually pretty damn impressive for a relatively slow-paced match.

Reigns kicking out from a pop-up Samoan Drop and Mighty Moonsault at this point in the match is impressive, scripted or not. From there, that exposed turnbuckle becomes the start of Fatu's downfall. After repeatedly slamming him into it, Reigns hit Fatu with a spear through the table – only for Fatu to rise again – only for Reigns to hit him with another spear for the win.

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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