Rusev will put his United Championship on the line this Sunday for a shot at avenging the beat-down he received from the Samoan big dog at SummerSlam. At WWE Clash of Champions, one of them will walk out not only with his ego intact but with the United States championship belt wrapped around his waist.
Match Preview:
The Bulgarian hulk has been on a tear the past two weeks. After costing Reigns a world title shot on Sept. 12 episode of Raw, Rusev continued his assault on Reigns this Monday after beating him up inside the steel cage. Reigns would have received more damage at the hands of Rusev and Kevin Owens, if Seth Rollins did not intervene.
Rusev's violent behavior towards Reigns isn't surprising at all, considering the fact that Reigns made his life a living hell in the buildup towards their SummerSlam match, which ended in a disqualification after Samoan suddenly vented all his anger on then injured Rusev.
Prediction & Experts Pick:
Reigns is the favorite heading into this match on paper, but with the way Rusev handles himself as a legit champion and heel, it won't be surprising at all to see the Bulgarian coming on top. Bleacher Report panelists consider this match one of the hardest to predict with three of the six experts siding on Reigns to win the match while the half favoring Rusev to come up with the victory.
Backstage Rumors:
Rusev-Reigns feud will reportedly not die off after Clash of Champions. As a matter of fact, there are rumors that a Rusev win could pave way for a Hell in a Cell showdown between the two wrestlers.
Although many still believe Reigns will eventually emerge as the victor in their rivalry, the idea of keeping the Samoan from the Universal title picture is a smart one, as WWE can build more superstars who can rival and eventually create great matches with the "Face of the New Era."
Clash of Champions is scheduled this Sunday 8 p.m US EST, exclusively on the WWE Network (Live Stream).