New WWE Champion Will Be Crowned At Clash In Italy, According To Cody Rhodes

WWE will host a premium live event for the first time in Italy on May 31.

The PLE will be headlined by Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu, who will meet in a Backlash rematch. At Backlash earlier this month, Reigns defeated Fatu to reclaim his World Heavyweight Championship.

However, after the match, The Samoan Werewolf launched a brutal attack by applying the Tongan Death Grip on the champion. On the subsequent WWE Raw episode, Fatu refused to acknowledge Reigns as his tribal chief, resulting in their feud to continue.

On May 18, Reigns retaliated by attacking Jacob Fatu with the help of The Usos (Jey & Jimmy Uso). As Fatu lay in the ring, recuperating, he challenged his cousin for a Tribal Combat at Clash in Italy, which Reigns accepted.

Fatu also discussed his upcoming match against Roman Reigns in Italy during a virtual appearance on ESPN’s SportCenter, where he called the 41-year-old “one of the greatest of all time.”

Cody Rhodes Picks Jacob Fatu To Win At WWE Clash In Italy

Cody Rhodes did not kick off 2026 on a positive note, as he lost his Undisputed WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre on the January 9 taping of SmackDown.

During the episode, Rhodes was defending the title in a 3 Stages of Hell match, the stipulations of which were set by McIntyre.

The closing minutes of the bout saw Jacob Fatu make his presence felt by the ringside. It was Fatu’s first appearance since October 2025, when he was taken out backstage by an unidentified individual.

Fatu’s presence inadvertently cost Rhodes his title, which led to a brief rivalry between them.

The American Nightmare recently appeared on ESPN’s Get Up, where he was asked about what fans can expect during the World Heavyweight Championship Tribal Combat match. Rhodes replied that he could see the title changing hands.

Well, that’s a Tribal Combat match, which is another way of saying a good old-fashioned street fight, which I think behooves Jacob Fatu. I think Jacob Fatu is gonna beat Roman Reigns, which is huge. [3:08 onwards]

Cody Rhodes To Face Gunther At WWE Clash In Italy

Cody Rhodes is himself involved in an intense feud with Gunther, who made the jump to SmackDown from Raw during the May 1 taping.

Following Rhodes’ victory over the debuting Ricky Saints, The Ring General put his chokehold on the Undisputed WWE Champion, putting him to sleep.

Recently, Gunther admitted that he would be competing on his home turf in Turin, Italy, as he was a native of Europe. The 38-year-old hoped that fans from Austria and Germany would attend the PLE to support him, putting Rhodes at a disadvantage in more ways than one.

While speaking on ESPN, Rhodes dismissed Gunther’s claim of playing on his home turf, claiming that Europe was not a monolith. He also hoped for the Italian crowd to be a raucous one, likening them to the French fans.

Gunther has previously not won the Undisputed title, whereas Cody Rhodes is in his third title reign.