WWE Clash – WWE’s first-ever PLE in Italy arrives in Turin on Sunday, May 31, 2026, with five major bouts that could rewrite the top of the company’s power map. Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu clash again for the World Heavyweight Championship, while Cody Rhodes meets Gunther
Turin is ready for a statement.
On Sunday. May 31st. WWE brings its first-ever PLE in Italy to the Inalpi Arena. with the kind of title density usually reserved for WrestleMania season. The stakes are straightforward—even the pathways to getting there aren’t. Five big matches will shape who gets to claim momentum next, and who has to survive the aftermath.
The opening minutes won’t just matter for bragging rights. Roman Reigns defends his World Heavyweight Championship against Jacob Fatu for the second time this month. after their earlier clash at WWE Backlash ended in controversy. Reigns had smashed Fatu’s face into an exposed turnbuckle. and after the match Fatu attacked Reigns and laid him out with the Tongan Death Grip. That image—Reigns hurt, Fatu relentless—has followed the feud into this new showdown.
At the same time, the WWE Championship storyline is about to collide with uncertainty. Cody Rhodes. the champion. takes on SmackDown newcomer Gunther in what will be their third major event-level meeting this month for WWE—if you measure it by sheer number of headline moments packed into the calendar. Gunther and Rhodes have faced each other just once before. at WWE Crown Jewel in 2024. where Rhodes defeated Gunther and handed “The Ring General” a rare loss.
WWE Clash in Italy 2026 also arrives after a fast run of major victories across both brands. At Backlash three weeks ago, Bron Breakker, Iyo Sky and Trick Williams picked up notable victories. Then, last week at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Cargill, Penta and The Vision also notched big wins. Now it’s all building toward Turin—and the next set of answers WWE wants the audience to leave with.
The card is set. Here’s what WWE has announced for WWE Clash in Italy 2026:
WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther
World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
WWE Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Jade Cargill
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sol Ruca
There’s a reason the Rhodes-versus-Gunther match feels like more than a simple title defense. Gunther has set his sights on Rhodes and the WWE Championship. and the company’s route to this point has changed. Reigns was originally scheduled to feud with Gunther after WrestleMania, but WWE pivoted to Fatu vs. Reigns and Gunther vs. Rhodes.
And while the championship itself is a straight headline, the details behind it aren’t. Randy Orton is tied into the unpredictability—even though he isn’t scheduled as a match on this card.
The build around Rhodes vs. Gunther includes a creative audible tied to a back injury to Randy Orton. Orton has been out since WrestleMania 42. but he has refuted reports of an injury despite being absent from TV for several weeks. That matters because. by the time the night reaches Turin. Orton’s “unseen presence” becomes the question nobody can fully answer: Does he return in front of a crowd at Inalpi Arena and turn the WWE title match into something else entirely?. Does he cause a disqualification finish so Rhodes retains?. Or does he not show up at all?.
All of that leaves Rhodes with one clear advantage—he’s the champion going in—but the path looks anything but clean.
The World Heavyweight Championship scene carries its own pressure. Reigns beat Fatu at WWE Backlash earlier this month, but the way that win happened left damage behind. Fatu’s response—attacking Reigns and applying the Tongan Death Grip—wasn’t subtle. and it’s the kind of aftermath that makes a rematch feel like a continuation. not a reset.
Brock Lesnar’s return ride has its own rhythm. His “retirement” sure didn’t last long after the faux retirement at WrestleMania 42 following a quick loss. Lesnar is now set for another match against “The Ruler. ” Oba Femi. with the long-running expectation that Lesnar will retire at SummerSlam in front of his hometown fans in Minnesota. That expectation suggests a feud that could stretch into a trilogy.
At WWE Clash in Italy 2026, the storyline logic points to a second-act win for Lesnar that doesn’t come clean. With Femi, the idea is that he won’t lose clean either—setting up the kind of third match that keeps the momentum simmering until SummerSlam.
The women’s title match is simpler on paper, but the booking history still raises the temperature. Rhea Ripley enters as WWE Women’s Champion, and she’ll defend against Jade Cargill. Ripley won the WWE Women’s title from Cargill at WrestleMania 42. and less than two months later. she’s being positioned as the face of the SmackDown women’s division.
A quick title change is unlikely. Cargill is usually protected even in losses, which makes the idea of a clean finish for Ripley feel unlikely as well. One finish WWE could lean on is Michin and/or B-Fab attempting to help Cargill—only for it to backfire and end up costing her the match.
Then there’s the Women’s Intercontinental Championship bout: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sol Ruca. Ruca is a recent NXT call-up, and her start on Raw has been rough. The issues included multiple botched Sol Snatcher finishing moves and some big losses. Lynch. though. has a history of elevating new talent. and this time the argument inside the storyline is that she should step back toward the main event and world title picture—meaning the Intercontinental title could become the ticket to that shift.
Lynch is the clear favorite entering the bout, but Ruca’s talent is the reason the match can’t be dismissed as an automatic result.
Streaming and broadcast details have been locked in for fans who want to follow live from anywhere:
WWE has announced that Rhodes vs. Gunther and Cargill vs. Ripley will air on the ESPN simulcast, which will broadcast the first hour of Clash in Italy.
Streaming info:
Date: Sunday, May 31st
Location: Inalpi Arena (Turin, Italy)
Start Time: 2 pm EST/1 pm CST (11 am PST)
Streaming: ESPN Unlimited (United States), Netflix (internationally)
The predictions lean toward champions keeping their ground, but not without pressure.
Prediction: Rhodes over Gunther.
Prediction: Reigns over Fatu.
Prediction: Lesnar over Femi.
Prediction: Ripley over Cargill.
Prediction: Sol Ruca over Becky Lynch.
Turin doesn’t just feel like another stop on the tour. It’s the first-ever PLE in Italy, and that turns every decision into something larger than a title change. In a card where the biggest match questions involve timing—whether it’s a possible Orton return. Fatu’s revenge momentum. or Lesnar’s rumored retirement timing—WWE Clash in Italy 2026 has the look of a night designed to push storylines into their next irreversible chapter.
WWE Clash in Italy 2026 Roman Reigns Jacob Fatu Cody Rhodes Gunther Brock Lesnar Oba Femi Rhea Ripley Jade Cargill Becky Lynch Sol Ruca WWE Championship World Heavyweight Championship WWE Women’s Championship Women’s Intercontinental Championship