By Colin McGuire, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@McGMondays)
WWE Clash in Paris
Paris, France at Paris La Défense Arena
Streamed live August 31, 2025 live on Peacock
Michael Cole welcomed everyone into the show as images of Paris were shown. Fans inside the arena held up colored paper that combined to form one big France flag. Jey Uso, CM Punk, LA Knight, The Vision, Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella and Logan Paul got the “Hey, we’re walking in and around this place and cameras are following us” treatment. A video package setting up the event then aired.
Pyro shot off after the video package and the stage setup featured a replica of the Eiffel Tower, which was neat. The wrestlers will have to walk under it to get to the ring. The commentators laid out as the crowd chanted in ways only European crowds can. Bronson Reed then made his entrance for the first match.
1. Bronson Reed vs. Roman Reigns. Reigns looked like he was in especially terrific shape (as an aside, every time he walks out, he looks like a superstar, but then Alicia Taylor says, “From Pensacola, Florida,” and I can’t help but picture him sitting at a Cracker Barrel with his family on a Sunday afternoon, mowing through some stale fried chicken. And so concludes the moment). Roman soaked in a ton of cheers before the bell rang. He then soaked in more cheers after the bell rang.
Eventually, Reed and Reigns locked up. But it was not to be as the match went back to depending on the crowd chanting for entertainment. Eventually (again), they locked up and Reed shoulder-blocked Reigns a few times. Reigns punched Reed and the match mercifully kicked into the next gear. Reigns lifted Reed, but ultimately collapsed with Reed on top of him. Reed then mocked Reigns and threw Reigns to the outside.
Outside, Reed slammed Reigns onto the commentary table. Reigns bounced back and ran Reed into a ring post. Reigns followed up by bouncing Reed’s head off said post a handful of times. Reigns cleared off the commentary table, but Reed clotheslined Reigns and again mocked Reigns as the crowd booed.
Back in the ring, Reigns ran at Reed, but Reed caught Reigns and The World’s Strongest Slam. The crowd then chanted derogatory things at Reed. Reed pounded on Reigns and posed to the crowd, who booed him again. Reed stood on Reigns. Reed worked a chin-lock. Reigns tried to fire up, but Reed cut him off and went back to the chin-lock.
Reigns worked out of it, but Reed caught him with a Samoan Drop. Paul Heyman then gave Reed the Shoe-La-Fala and Reed posed inside the ring with it. Reigns briefly fought back, but Reed launched into a ground-and-pound. Reed tried to take off Reigns’s shoe, but Reigns kicked Reed away. Reigns clotheslined Reed repeatedly. Reigns eventually clotheslined Reed over the top rope and to the outside.
Reigns landed a Drive-By and then threw Reed into the ring steps on the outside. Back inside the ring, the crowd launched back into their Roman Reigns chant. Reigns set up for a Superman Punch, but Reed caught him and slammed Reigns before hitting a Senton for a two-count. Reed lifted Reigns, but Reigns elbowed his way out of it before rolling Reed up for a two-count. Reigns went for another Superman Punch, but Reed caught him and countered with a Death Valley Driver for a two-count.
Reed tried to lift Reigns, but Reigns countered, only to have Reed kick him in the face. With Reigns on the outside, Reed went for a drive, but instead ran into a Superman Punch. Reigns followed up with another Superman Punch, but it was only good enough for a two-count. The match reset with both men down.
Reigns went for a spear, but Reed caught him and dispatched Reigns to the outside, where Reed followed up with a suicide dive to the outside. Back inside the ring, Reed went for a Tsunami from the top, but Reigns moved. Reigns went for a spear, but Reed caught him and hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nice near-fall.
Reed went to the top, but Reigns cut him off with a punch. Reigns followed up with a Superman Punch and a Samoan Drop from the second rope. Reigns then hit a spear and that was good enough for a win.
Roman Reigns defeated Bronson Reed in 22:05.
After the match, Reigns posed on the commentary table while Heyman tended to Reed in the ring. Reigns realized this and returned to the ring. Heyman looked terrified and screamed, “I love you, my Tribal Chief.” Heyman then acknowledged Reigns and said the world was Reigns’s. The crowd was white hot. Heyman gave Reigns the Shoe-La-Fala and Reigns held it up to the delight of the crowd. Reigns then put a guillotine on Heyman until Heyman fell over. Reigns’s music hit and Reigns walked out with his shoes. Reigns then signed his shoes and tossed them into the crowd … until Bron Breakker showed up out of nowhere and speared Reigns through the commentary table, which sort of killed the mood. Jelly Roll was shown looking concerned in the crowd.
Breakker went into the ring and, along with Reed, helped Heyman to his feet. The heels left and Reigns got back to his feet. Reigns started to stumble to the back, but Breakker ran back to the ring and speared Reigns in the entranceway. The heels rolled Reigns back into the ring and Reed landed a Tsunami on Reigns. More officials ran into the ring. A stretcher then appeared and Reigns did a stretcher job. With Reigns strapped to the stretcher, Reed ran back down into the ring and his a Tsunami on Reigns, who was on the stretcher board. Finally – and I do mean finally – Jey Uso ran out and chased the heels away … until Uso took a spear, too. Reed went back to the top rope and hit yet another Tsunami on Reigns, who was still strapped to the stretcher. Reigns completed the stretcher job to end the segment.
McGuire’s Musings: Friends, it is 52 minutes past the top of the hour as I write this and we are one 22-minute match into this thing. Perhaps by Halloween, we’ll get to the tag title match. This was quite the way to open the show and very Heyman-ified if there ever was a Heyman-ified way to open a show. The match was plodding and in my mind relied too heavily on the hot crowd, which felt a little like cheating because they knew the crowd would be hot. The post-match stuff felt like it just wouldn’t end. I understand putting the heels over strong – and I also understand writing Reigns off TV so he can go do movies – but you mean to tell me our Tribal Chief doesn’t have any friends or family who could have helped him out in any way? Jey’s appearance was far too late to make sense. That said, I love the heat on Breakker and Reed as a result of this. They were both booked to look like monsters and it sure did work. So much so that Reed’s loss here hardly means anything. On top of that, Reed was given so much of the match, that he actually looks stronger coming out of all this than he looked going into the night. Job well done.
Adam Pearce was shown yelling at Reed and Breakker backstage. Pearce kicked The Vision members out of the building. Pearce said if he sees them later, he will suspend them both indefinitely without pay.
2. “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins (w/B-Fab) vs. Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy (w/Uncle Howdy, Erick Rowan and Nikki Cross) for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Gacy and Dawkins started the match, with Dawkins getting the best of it. Lumis and Ford tagged in. Dawkins looked annoyed. Ford initially got the best of Lumis, but Lumis stopped Ford in his track by staring at him. Things broke down a little and Ford kicked Lumis, who was on the outside. Gacy eventually distracted Ford and Lumis took advantage.
Back inside the ring, Lumis worked over Ford as Gacy tagged in. Gacy locked in a chin-lock on Ford. Lumis tagged in and landed a leg drop on Ford for a quick two-count. Ford started fighting back, but Lumix cut off Ford before he could tag Dawkins. Gacy tagged in, hit an elbow on Ford and got a two-count out of it. Gacy and Ford fought on the apron and Ford suplexed Gacy on the apron. Ford crawled over to Dawkins and completed the hot tag.
Dawkins leapt over the top onto Gacy and Lumis on the outside. Back inside the ring, Dawkins hit a corkscrew elbow and a twisting neck-breaker on Gacy. Dawkins followed up with Swanton from the top rope onto Gacy. Lumis tagged in and with Gacy, suplexed Dawkins. Ford eventually tagged in and regained control for his team. With Lumis down, Ford went to the top rope, but Lumis hopped up and hit the top rope. Ford lost his balance and Ford and Lumis fought on the top rope. Lumis was pushed off and tagged Gacy into the match. Dawkins tagged himself into the match and placed Gacy on his shoulders. Ford hit his Blockbuster on Gacy from the top. Ford went for a pin, but Lumis broke up the pin attempt.
The legal men were Dawkins and Gacy. Dawkins hit a spinebuster and tagged in Ford, but Ford missed a frog splash. Things broke down after Gacy slammed Lumis onto Ford. Dawkins broke up a pin attempt and all four wrestlers were down. Gacy and Lumis were on the outside and Dawkins shoulder-tackled Gacy. Rowan distracted Dawkins and Lumis shoved Dawkins into the crowd. Ford followed up my leaping over the ring post and taking out Rowan and Lumis With the ref distracted, Howdy hit Sister Abigail on Ford on the outside. Gacy and Lumis followed that up by hitting The Plague on Ford and got the win.
Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy defeated “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship in 13:10.
McGuire’s Musings: A solid tag team match that could have main-evented a SmackDown and would have probably been talked about more than it will be talked about after being included here. Even so, I can’t get past what I’m supposed to think about the Sicks. They are cheered. They are even kind of cool. But then they cheat to win. It’s kind of/sort of an identity crises that I think hurts their ability to establish themselves as characters – which is an odd thing to say because the Sicks are some of the most character-y characters WWE has. Either way, Lumis and Gacy work for me as a team and the Profits (who seem to winding down their time together?) helped elevate them to a better-than-good match. Also of note: Did anyone explain how or why B-Fab got back into the Profits mix? I’m not asking ironically. I very easily could have missed something through the weeks.
3. Nikki Bella vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Bella came at Lynch with a fury of strikes to start the match. Lynch retreated to the outside. Bella kicked Lynch’s knee as Lynch was on the apron. Bella went for a sliding dropkick, but Lynch moved and Lynch worked Bella over outside the ring. Back inside the ring, Lynch landed a leg drop from the top rope for a two-count. Lynch stomped on Bella in a corner and posed to the crowd, who cheered her.
Lynch hit a Becksploder and a clothesline for a two-count. Lynch slowed things down with a chin-lock. Bella briefly fought back, but Lynch kept control with a clothesline and another two-count. Lynch ran at Bella, but Bella moved and followed up with a series of forearms. The two traded blows and it broke into a brawl. Lynch ran the ropes and Bella clotheslined Lynch multiple times. With Lynch on the outside, Bella tried another baseball slide – this time, she landed it. Bell slammed Lynch off all the commentary tables.
Back inside the ring, Bella came off the top, but completely missed Lynch in a weird spot because Lynch tried to sell that she got hit. Bella briefly sold leg pain, but the two moved on and Bella lifted Lynch, but Lynch worked her way out of it and took Bella to the canvas. Both wrestlers were down. Bella went for the Rack Attack, but Lynch worked out of it. Bella ran at Lynch, but Lynch moved and Bella went to the apron. Bella went to the top, but Lynch cut her off. Lynch landed a super-plex from the second rope for a two-count. Lynch immediately went to an arm-bar, but Bella rolled Lynch up for a two-count.
Bella worked the Fearless Lock. Lynch countered, but it didn’t matter because Bella came back by hitting an Electric Chair. With Lynch on the apron, Bella went in for the attack, but Lynch hit Bella with some strikes. Inside the ring, Bella went back to the Fearless Lock. Lynch got to the ropes to break the hold. The action spilled outside, where Lynch dismantled the ring steps. Lynch tried to lift Bella, but Bella fought back and hit a Bella Buster on the ring steps. Inside the ring, Bella hit a Manhandle Slam on Lynch for a near-fall.
Bella tried a Dis-Arm-Her, but Lynch slipped out and eventually rolled Bella up for a fluke-y sort of win. Wade Barrett called the roll-up “The Lynch Pin.”
Becky Lynch defeated Nikki Bella to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship in 13:07.
McGuire’s Musings: All that Vision/Roman Reigns stuff really took the wind out of this crowd, didn’t it? They have cooled off considerably and it sure is noticeable. Anyway, there were some rough spots here (I’m sure The Internet will be super nice about the Bella flub from the top rope), but Lynch really worked her ass off to get this over the finish line and the end product could have been a lot worse. It’s hard to think the outcome was ever really in question because I get the feeling Lynch is taking it upon herself to make that women’s I.C. title Mean Something, but I do wonder if we’ll see Bella again. It kind of/sort of feels like we will because the finish was designed to take her by surprise. Here’s hoping that if they get Round Two, they bounce back with a more cohesive outing.
Jey Uso was shown selling rib pain backstage. Adam Pearce walked in and wondered if Uso could compete in the four-way later. Uso was animated and insisted on wrestling in the main event because before Reigns was carted off, he told Jey to win that title back.
4. Sheamus vs. Rusev in a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook match. In a shock, the two launched into a brawl to begin things. They constantly traded the upper hand. The action spilled outside, where Sheamus ran Rusev into a ring post. Sheamus quickly grabbed a Slim Jim table (I’ve been dying to type that sentence), but Rusev ran Sheamus into a ring post. Rusev grabbed a Slim Jim table of his own and set it up next to Sheamus’s table. Sheamus suplexed Rusev and threw him into the barricade repeatedly. For some reason, the action spilled back into the ring.
Rusev hit Sheamus with a kendo stick. Again. And again. And again. Rusev then gave Shemus 10 Bells. Rusev pulled a turnbuckle pad off a turnbuckle. Rusev ran into an Irish Curse backbreaker from Sheamus and Sheamus grabbed the kendo stick and hit Rusev with it multiple times. Sheamus grabbed a chair from under the ring. He then grabbed more chairs. Sheamus missed Rusev with a chair and Rusev hit a heel kick on Sheamus for a one-count. Rusev grabbed a chair and worked Sheamus over with it.
Rusev put a chair between the top two ropes. Rusev kicked Sheamus a bunch and Sheamus yelled at Rusev to keep going. The two battled for possession of a chair and Rusev came away with it … but he then promptly ran into a running knee from Sheamus. After that, Sheamus took his move back and hit Rusev with 10 Bells. Rusev threw Sheamus over a bar that was set up outside the ring. Rusev grabbed a barstool, but Sheamus punched Rusev and gave Rusev 10 Bells over the bar. Rusev tried to leave through the crowd, but Sheamus stopped him and gave Rusev 10 Bells with a Shillelagh.
Back inside the ring, Sheamus lifted Rusev, but Rusev worked his way out of it. Still, Sheamus ran Rusev into the chair Rusev set up earlier. Sheamus landed a Celtic Cross on Rusev for a two-count. Sheamus set up for a Brogue Kick, but Rusev rolled to the outside. Sheamus went to the top, but when he came down, Rusev hit him with the kendo stick. Rusev ran Sheamus into the ring steps. Rusev rammed the ring steps into Sheamus’s head. Rusev dismantled the ring steps by the bar and slammed Sheamus through the bar. Back in the ring, Rusev locked in The Accolade, but Sheamus slammed Rusev onto the chair.
The action spilled back outside and the two fought on top of whiskey barrels. Rusev locked The Accolade in on top of the barrels. Sheamus worked out of it and hit White Noise off the whiskey barrels and through the tables. The two dragged themselves back into the ring and the crowd applauded. Rusev grabbed the Shillelagh, but Sheamus landed a Brogue Kick for a great near-fall. Sheamus ran at Rusev, but Rusev kicked Sheamus. Sheamus came back with a running knee. Rusev kicked Sheamus’s head, hit Sheamus with the Shillelagh, broke it across Sheamus’s back … but Sheamus kicked out at 2.999.
Rusev went for The Accolade and used the Shellelagh for help. Sheamus tapped out and Michael Cole said it was only the second time in Sheamus’s career that he tapped out. So, there’s that.
Rusev defeated Sheamus in 20:08.
McGuire’s Musings: What a blast. The match of the night so far. I’m almost shocked they gave them 20-plus minutes for this, but I’m not complaining. It was as brutal as a WWE brawl is allowed to get and the marks on Sheamus’s body can attest to that. The bump through the bar looked tough and if I’m not mistaken, Sheamus hit the back of his head on it. Rarely do these things turn out to be entertaining in this company, but both these guys worked harder than hell to get that crowd back to where it was when the bell rang for the first match. Kudos to both of them. The question now becomes: Is Rusev in for a heavy push? I’m here for it, if that’s the direction they want to go. If nothing else, this match earned Rusev his WWE stripes back after being away for as long as he was.
5. Logan Paul vs. John Cena. Cena soaked in the crowd for what seemed like an hour before the bell rang. The commentary team kept quiet. Alicia Taylor then gave Cena the Greatest Of All Time introduction. The bell rang and the two locked up, trading the advantage with head-locks. Paul eventually stomped on Cena’s foot and worked Cena over with punches. Cena came back with a splash and a series of very weak punches. Paul eventually took Cena down and played to the crowd, who was happy to boo. Paul hit a European uppercut and posed. Paul went for another one, but Cena moved and clotheslined Paul.
Paul rebounded and hit a vertical suplex before transitioning into a head-lock. The crowd started a John Cena chant, but Paul hit a gut-wrench duplex. Paul hit a leaping European Uppercut and Michael Cole referenced Cesaro. How about that. Paul ran at Cena and Cena took Paul down. The two stayed down and the match reset. Cena got to his feet and landed a series of shoulder tackles. Cena connected with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena lifted Paul, but Paul worked out of it and went to the apron. Paul followed up with his version of the Buckshot Lariat for a two-count.
Paul went for a Paul From Grace, but Cena got his knees up and hit an Attitude Adjustment for a nice near-fall. Cena went for another one, but Paul countered into an Octopus. Cena countered and sunk in an STFU. Paul got to the ropes for a break and ran at Cena, who kicked Paul. Cena followed up with a Tornado DDT and that earned him a nice near-fall. Cena lifted Paul, but Paul countered and planted Cena for a two-count. The two stayed down after Cena’s kick-out and the match reset again.
Paul went for the knockout, but Cena moved and shoulder-tackled Paul. Paul came back and hit Cena with a Zig-Zag and got a two-count out of it. Paul went for his version of the Buckshot again, but Cena caught him and planted him for a two-count. Cena lifted Paul, but Paul worked out of it and went to the top rope. Paul landed a Swanton and a standing moonsault on Cena for a two-count. Paul hit another running uppercut. Paul went for another one, but missed and Cena slammed Paul for a near-fall. Paul came up bleeding from the nose.
Back on their feet, the two traded blows. Cena ran at Paul, but Paul countered with a pop-up uppercut. Paul earned a two-count out of it. Paul pulled the shoulder-tackle trick that Cena usually does and Paul set up for a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Paul ran the roes, but Cena popped up and grabbed Paul for an AA, which was enough for another near-fall on Cena’s behalf. The two traded blows again, including headbutts. Cena hit a Frankensteiner and a Code Red for a two-count.
For what had to be the 10-millionth time, Cena lifted Paul for an AA, but Paul wiggled out of it and hit Cena with his knockout punch. It wasn’t enough, though, and Cena kicked out at two. Paul went to the top and connected with a Paul From Grace. Paul did it again. Cena kicked out at two. Paul connected with a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Paul lifted Cena, but Cena countered and somehow pulled off a Styles Clash, but Paul kicked out at 2.9. The crowd woke up a bit after this. Both guys milked the break.
Cena went to the second rope, but Paul pushed him away and hit a crossbody from the top. Cena rolled through, got Paul on his shoulders and finally connected with an AA. Paul punched Cena, but Cena came right back to hit another AA. After more than 26 minutes – and I’m typing that about a John Cena match in the year 2025 – Cena got the win.
John Cena defeated Logan Paul in 26:20.
After the match, Cena bowed to the live crowd. Cena approached a young fan at ringside and posed with him. It was the kid he insulted earlier this year, which seems like a lifetime ago at this point. Cena kissed his wife and hugged Jelly Roll and Post Malone at ringside. Cena rolled back into the ring and posed for the crowd one last time.
McGuire’s Musings: Maybe I’m grumpy, but this was just too long. Check that. It was too long and too repetitive. Cena’s retirement tour has been a double-edged sword all along. He’s best going eight to 12 minutes, but he can’t go eight to 12 minutes because these are the final times these crowds are going to get to see him (supposedly), so all of his matches are going to be overly long and overly repetitive. I can’t blame him/WWE for wanting to give the European crowd – and all the crowds, really – more Cena than they need, but it sure doesn’t make for great wrestling matches. The commentary team calling this a match of the year candidate was laughable, but damn if Cena and Paul didn’t work hard. Seeing Cena pull out a Styles Clash and a Destroyer was fun, and Paul leaning hard into being the obnoxious heel he is was entertaining in its own right (if only because the crowd played its part perfectly), but 25 minutes was just too much for this viewer. I could be in the minority.
French commentator Philippe Chereau was in the ring and spoke in French. He announced the attendance as 30,343. Michael Cole said it’s the highest-ever gate in Paris and it broke a record held by Taylor Swift.
Jackie Redmond was shown outside Seth Rollins’s locker room. Rollins walked out of his locker room and Redmond brought up the fact that Rollins is without his crew. Rollins interrupted her and said he’s two steps ahead. Rollins said the world thinks he’s at a disadvantage tonight, but he then asked Redmond if she remembered who won the main event at WrestleMania. Rollins said he’s never needed anyone and he is a multi-time world champion. Rollins said he is the greatest in-ring performer in the history of the industry. Rollins said he will remind the world why he’s a visionary. Rollins said if he can’t keep the title by himself, he doesn’t deserve to be champion.
Michael Cole, back at ringside, reminded everyone that Heyman and Reigns are in the hospital while Reed and Breakker were kicked out of the building.
6. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins in a four-way for the World Heavyweight Championship. Uso made his entrance first and it was through the crowd. He also had his ribs taped. Punk super-kicked Uso as soon as the bell rang and knocked him out of the ring. Rollins rolled to the outside and Knight and Punk went at it in the ring. Knight was stomping on Punk and Rollins re-entered the ring to take Knight out and give Punk a knee. Uso reappeared and hit Rollins with a cross-body. Uso ran the ropes and Punk clotheslined him. Punk stood in a corner and Rollins dragged Punk outside the ring. Rollins threw Punk over the barricade. Knight returned to action and Knight and Uso worked over Rollins.
Rollins eventually earned the upper hand over Knight and Uso. Punk returned to the action, too, and Rollins hit him as well. Punk, Knight and Uso surrounding Rollins and the babyfaces stomped a mud hole into Rollins. Punk and Knight jawed at each other. Punk hit Rollins with a running knee. Uso hit Rollins with a hop attack. Knight hit Rollins with a running knee. Knight told Punk and Uso to put Rollins through a table. The three got a table from under the ring. They tried to do the Dudleys spot, but the crowd didn’t really respond. They set up a table, but Uso super-kicked Punk. Knight clotheslined Rollins into the crowd and Uso super-kicked Knight.
Rollins and Uso battled into the crowd. Knight popped up and fought Seth back towards the ring. Punk jumped off the barricade and took out Rollins and Knight. Back in the ring, Punk hit Rollins with a cross-body from the top. Punk followed that up with a swinging neck-breaker. Punk landed a running knee and a short-arm clothesline. Punk lifted Rollins, but Uso kicked Punk. Uso hit a step-up enziguri on Rollins. Knight returned and slammed Uso. Punk hit a Shining Wizard on Knight. Rollins Pedigree’d Punk for a two-count. The match reset.
