Cody Rhodes believes Clash is sneaking up on WWE’s Big Four pay-per-views, telling ESPN Unsportsmanlike that the international rotating format and the friendly competition between European crowds are positioning the event for elite-tier status alongside the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series.
Rhodes is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against GUNTHER at Clash in Italy on May 31. The first hour of the broadcast will simulcast on ESPN under the new ESPN-WWE deal.
Rhodes noted the international-crowd-competition pattern that has shaped his read on the Clash brand.
“I think right now, one of the things we’re seeing with the international crowds, Nick Khan has been so good at identifying this in the different markets, they’re almost competing with each other in a fun way, in a sense of, ‘Lyon, France is the loudest crowd ever in WWE history, we’re going to be even louder.’ The German crowd always fills the arenas but they’re a little bit more subdued in the noise, the acoustics, even they have decided ‘No, we’re getting in on being the loudest crowd.’ That’s really the challenge that we present to them.”
He talked about how the WWE European Summer Tour pre-Clash live events fed directly into the Italy pay-per-view stop.
“One of the fun things here is all of these shows going overseas, this European tour, we did live events pre-a big Clash In Italy on ESPN PLE, and every time I told them at the end of the night, ‘Hey, if you guys make enough noise, we’ll be back.’ I’m really glad I’ve never been made a liar.”
Rhodes then made his Big Four prediction.
“To be able to go back and do Clash In Italy. I think Clash is sneaking up as one of WWE’s Big Four PLEs. The fact that it’s somewhere new international each year, I think they’re up to the task.”
The belief positions Clash as a future Big Four PLE alongside WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit ESPN Unsportsmanlike and include a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
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