WWE Clash in Italy 2026 Review: Everything Wrong with Triple H's WWE

WWE’s historic first Premium Live Event in Italy, Clash in Italy 2026, was a masterclass in modern sports entertainment spectacle. Emanating from a raucous, sold-out Inalpi Arena in Turin on May 31, the show delivered high-stakes drama, roaring crowds, and massive star power. Yet, beneath the glossy surface of a highly successful international expansion, the event acted as a perfect microcosm for the growing pains of Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque’s booking philosophy. While the "Levesque Era" initially won universal praise for restoring logic, long-term planning, and prestige to WWE, Clash in Italy highlighted the exact criticisms currently facing his programming: a hyper-reliance on predictable safe booking, a rigid dedication to formulaic pacing, and a hesitation to pull the trigger on emerging talent when legacy stars are available.

The night opened with an absolute dream match on paper, with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defending against Gunther. On a pure work-rate level, these two are incapable of having a bad match, and the opening minutes featured the elite counter-wrestling and heavy-handed chops fans expected. However, at just 11 minutes and 35 seconds, the match felt shockingly rushed. Instead of the epic marathon a confrontation of this magnitude deserved, it functioned more like a greatest hits teaser designed to protect both men. By the time Cody secured the pinfall victory, the live crowd was left somewhat deflated by a rushed finish. This match perfectly illustrates the criticism of Levesque's pacing for the long-term. Too often, major television or B-level PLE matches feel trimmed or booked safely with the explicit intent of saving the real match for SummerSlam or WrestleMania. While protecting top stars makes logical business sense, treating a major international PLE title defense as an episodic stepping stone can leave paying fans feeling short-changed.

In a highly anticipated rematch from WrestleMania 42, Brock Lesnar, making a swift return from a very brief retirement, evened the score against the rising powerhouse Oba Femi. The match was a chaotic sprint of pure violence, seeing Femi survive an unbelievable six F5s—including one through an announce table—before finally falling to a seventh inside the ring. On one hand, Femi looked like an absolute monster by kicking out of offense that has buried generations of rosters. On the other hand, the booking completely undid the definitive passing of the torch moment Femi achieved at WrestleMania. The decision to have Lesnar win represents WWE's ongoing habit of prioritizing part-time legacy draws over cementing a new generation. Critics argue that Levesque, despite his NXT roots, occasionally falls back on the old Vince McMahon trope of keeping veteran, multi-million dollar attractions strong at the expense of an up-and-coming talent’s organic momentum.

The WWE Women's Championship match between Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill was a physical, hard-hitting showcase that proved Cargill can hang at the very highest level of the division. The action was crisp, the power spots were jaw-dropping, and the crowd was split down the middle. Yet, the climax of the match devolved into over-booking. A chaotic sequence involving outside interference from B-Fab and Michin was neutralized by a returning Charlotte Flair, ultimately allowing Ripley to hit the Riptide to retain. While the live crowd popped for the chaos, the match was heavily criticized online for relying on the Triple H Over-Booking Protocol. A recurring complaint of current programming is that major women's matches and Bloodline dramas rarely reach a clean conclusion. The excessive use of managers, run-ins, and faction warfare to protect losers has begun to dilute the sporting presentation Levesque initially championed.

If there was an antidote to the evening's predictability, it came in the form of the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship match. In a spectacular athletic display, the recently called-up Sol Ruca shocked the world by defeating Becky Lynch clean to capture her first major title. Ruca’s high-flying innovation breathed electric energy into the arena. By allowing a fresh, young babyface to cleanly dethrone a legend on an international stage, WWE proved that it still possesses the ability to surprise and elevate talent in a single night.

The night concluded with a brutal, emotional Tribal Combat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, as Roman Reigns defeated his cousin Jacob Fatu to maintain both his title and his seat as the Tribal Chief. Fatu put on a star-making performance, matching Reigns' legendary aura note-for-note and delivering devastating offense that legitimately pushed the champion to the brink. Ultimately, Reigns utilized his signature spear through the barricade to secure the victory. While the match was a theatrical masterpiece, the result felt painfully inevitable. This main event solidified the most prominent complaint leveled against modern WWE: the Plot Armor of its top champions. Under Triple H, world title reigns have become historically long, creating a landscape where main event matches lack genuine tension because fans know titles will only change hands at the biggest shows of the year. With Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes simultaneously booked as untouchable gods, the rest of the main event scene—no matter how hot, like Jacob Fatu or Gunther—feels trapped in a holding pattern.

Clash in Italy 2026 was a wildly entertaining show that delivered exactly what a stadium crowd wants: star power, physical matches, and a historic atmosphere. Sol Ruca's title win provided a vital spark of unpredictability, and the top-tier talent worked incredibly hard. However, the event also laid bare the vulnerabilities of the current creative regime. If Triple H's WWE programming wants to avoid becoming stale, the creative team must learn to occasionally deviate from the long-term script, take genuine risks on rising stars, and trust that a clean, unpredictable finish can be worth far more than a perfectly protected storyline.