Photo: Iojhug / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
WWE’s first-ever premium live event in Italy delivered a brutal Tribal Combat main event, a new women’s champion, and more than enough controversy to fuel weeks of television.
On Sunday, 31 May 2026, the Inalpi Arena in Turin hosted five matches across an action-packed afternoon. Roman Reigns retained the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jacob Fatu in a ferocious no-disqualification, no-count-out Tribal Combat match.
With the loss, Fatu must now publicly acknowledge Reigns as the Original Tribal Chief on Raw. That stipulation alone makes this result significant in the Bloodline saga since its inception.
Clash delivered rematches, title changes, and one controversial finish. Sol Ruca stunned Becky Lynch to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Cody Rhodes survived Gunther in a match that ended with Gunther’s foot clearly under the rope during the deciding pinfall. This finish immediately generated debate and all but guarantees a rematch.
Most significantly for Nigerian wrestling fans, Brock Lesnar defeated Oba Femi in their rematch, avenging his WrestleMania 42 loss by delivering seven F-5s before finally keeping “The Ruler” down for a three count.
Turin gave WWE a raucous, passionate crowd that was decidedly pro-European throughout. Italian fans cheered Gunther, split their loyalties between Lesnar and Femi, and delivered a noise level that justified the decision to bring the company to Italy for the first time.
Overall, the show earned strong marks from critics, with Bleacher Report grading the entire event B+. Not everything landed perfectly. But enough did to make Clash in Italy a worthwhile addition to the 2026 calendar.
Table of Contents
Full Results: WWE Clash in Italy, May 31, 2026
- Cody Rhodes (c) defeated Gunther via pinfall (Undisputed WWE Championship, 11:35)
- Rhea Ripley (c) defeated Jade Cargill via pinfall (WWE Women’s Championship, 17:00)
- Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Oba Femi via pinfall (6:25)
- Sol Ruca defeated Becky Lynch (c) via pinfall (Women’s Intercontinental Championship, 14:10)
- Roman Reigns (c) defeated Jacob Fatu via pinfall (Tribal Combat for the World Heavyweight Championship, 27:00)
Reigns and Fatu Tear Turin Apart
The main event spilt out of the ring almost immediately. Both men brawled through the crowd, trading headbutts, punches, and heavy shots across the railings of the Inalpi Arena. Reigns eventually seized control by slamming Fatu’s head off a steel ice bucket at the concession stand before launching the steel steps directly at his challenger back at ringside.
However, the turning point came when Reigns produced a toolbox from underneath the ring and repeatedly smashed it into Fatu’s right hand. The deliberate assault targeted the Tongan Death Grip, effectively removing Fatu’s most dangerous weapon. Despite the injury, Fatu fought on furiously. He hit a pop-up Samoan Drop, a Mighty Moonsault, and even caught Reigns with a spear of his own for a near-fall that had the crowd on its feet.
Reigns survived with a low blow during Fatu’s kick-out. He then exposed a turnbuckle, drove Fatu’s face into it repeatedly, and speared him through a table in the corner. One final spear sealed the victory. This match ran 27 minutes and delivered everything a Tribal Combat stipulation promised.
After the match, the Usos beckoned Fatu to leave with the original Bloodline. Across the arena in the crowd, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Talla Tonga watched silently. Fatu stood between two worlds, and that image closed the show.
Seven F-5s and Still Not Enough: Lesnar vs Femi
Lesnar attacked before the opening bell, hitting four consecutive F-5s before Femi kicked out of each one. The Inalpi Arena could not believe what it was watching. Lesnar applied a Kimura Lock, and Femi powered out, lifting the Beast clean off the mat and slamming him down. A fifth F-5 followed. Another kick-out. Femi countered a sixth attempt into a chokeslam. Then Lesnar drove him through the announce table with a seventh F-5.
Femi stood up from the wreckage, and the crowd erupted. He re-entered the ring, attempted the Fall From Grace, and Lesnar countered into one final F-5 for the pinfall at 6 minutes and 25 seconds.
Meanwhile, the result was an immediate talking point. Bleacher Report argued that the moment Femi rose from the announce table spot was the opportunity to definitively establish him as an unstoppable force, and that WWE’s creative team instead opted for formulaic 50-50 booking. However, the counter-argument is that Femi absorbed seven F-5s and a table spot before going down, which is a booking designed to protect rather than diminish. Either way, a trilogy match at SummerSlam now appears inevitable.
The Rest of the Card
Three other results shaped the post-Italy landscape:
- Cody Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Gunther despite a finish that saw Gunther’s foot clearly under the bottom rope during the decisive Cross Rhodes. Gunther complained immediately, and the broadcast confirmed his foot was there. A rematch appears certain.
- Rhea Ripley retained the WWE Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill in what many observers called Cargill’s best singles match in WWE to date. Charlotte Flair’s ringside involvement ultimately helped Ripley survive. The finish suggests Flair vs Cargill is the next direction for the Women’s title picture.
- Sol Ruca pinned Becky Lynch with a Sol Snatcher to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship in her biggest career victory. Referee Jessika Carr again featured prominently in the match’s closing moments. Ruca, only a few months into her main roster run, picked up her first major championship on one of the biggest stages of the year.
Turin Signs Off, SummerSlam Looms
Clash in Italy established several clear directions heading into summer. Reigns vs Fatu continues, with Fatu now obligated to acknowledge his cousin while the MFTs lurk as a wildcard. Lesnar and Femi appear headed for a third match. Gunther’s foot-on-the-rope controversy ensures Rhodes vs Gunther is not finished. And Ripley heads into summer with gold, facing a fresher challenge from Charlotte Flair.
Raw on Monday, 1 June, airs from the same Inalpi Arena in Turin, with the fallout from every one of these results set to unfold. For Nigerian fans, the Femi story is far from over. Seven F-5s could not keep him down permanently. Not in Turin. Not anywhere.
