Full 2025 Clash In Paris Predictions Include A Big Upset And A Big Moment From Brock Lesnar

Last year’s Backlash following WrestleMania took place in Lyon, France, and given how hot the crowd was, it’s no surprise to see WWE return for another premium live event. This time, it’s taking place in Paris, and I’m expecting the French fans to deliver again, even if the matches on the card don’t exactly forecast to be Bret Hart and British Bulldog at SummerSlam ‘92.

It’s not a question of star power. Clash In Paris has a ton of big names with matches, from CM Punk to John Cena to Roman Reigns to Becky Lynch to Seth Rollins to Logan Paul to Nikki Bella. The problem is that most of those big names either aren’t facing each other or with a few exceptions, seem to be in a match with a seemingly obvious outcome. Because of that, some fans are comparing it to a Raw or SmackDown card.

I think that’s harsh. This card might not rival WrestleMania, but it’s a lot better than what we see on a weekly basis. It also has the potential to deliver a few huge upsets that casual fans won’t see coming. Throw in a hot crowd and a Brock Lesnar return, and I think this could be one of those PLEs that we remember fondly for years to come.

Before I get into what I think is going to happen, let’s reflect real quick on my predictions record. As a reminder, I’ve been doing this for every premium live event since WrestleMania 38, and while no one would accuse me of being Super Cena, I’ve still got the record of a lower main eventer or the type of guy who’d win a midcard title. Think of me like a prime MVP.

Sheamus Vs Rusev In A Good ‘Ol Fashioned Donnybrook Match

WWE needs to normalize putting non-title matches featuring mid-carders in hot programs onto premium live events. That might sound obvious, but that’s not actually how WWE operates anymore. If you look at most PPV cards, they’re almost exclusively filled with title matches and random bouts that include at least one main eventer (like Roman Reigns and Bronson Reed). Since Triple H took over, a ton of fun programs like Chad Gable vs Otis and Braun Strowman Vs Jacob Fatu never got a PLE match, at least if you don't count Saturday Night’s Main Event.

I love seeing Sheamus and Rusev in this spot. They deserve it, and they’re going to be really hungry to put on a great bout, given neither of them regularly appears on PLEs at this point in their careers. Expect a brutal, hard-hitting mess with an outcome that likely sees these two continue to work together for at least another month or so.

I’m going to pick Rusev given he just returned to WWE, but Sheamus hasn’t won on a PLE since Extreme Rules in 2022. He could really benefit from a chance to remind people that he’s a former world champion and remains extremely over with fans.

Predicted Winner: Rusev

John Cena Vs Logan Paul

I think most fans would like to see John Cena win here, given he’s finally back to being a babyface and doesn’t have that many appearances left before his retirement, but I just can’t see it. WWE has already laid out what’s next for the Peacemaker star. He’s going to face Brock Lesnar, probably during the first PLE WWE is doing with ESPN next month. The Beast showing up here and attacking Cena again feels like the logical way to set that up.

Now, there’s certainly a chance Triple H, Bruce Prichard and the writing staff will have Cena win the match and then get attacked afterwards, but he got attacked after the match by Lesnar at the end of SummerSlam. It feels like they’re going to do something different here, and if you’re going to have the Never Seen Seventeen end up on his back after the match, to me, you might as well give Logan Paul the win and let him get some shine off that.

Besides, I think we should all acknowledge that Paul is really good at this. I’m not saying he’s a prime Shawn Michaels, but he’s already doing better work than eighty percent of the roster. His promos are getting more natural and continue to improve (as evidenced by him looking comfortable with John Cena), and he’s putting in more frequent appearances than some of the biggest names on the roster. It would be good for him to win here.

Predicted Winner: Logan Paul

Becky Lynch (Champion) Vs Nikki Bella For The Women’s Intercontinental Championship

I’ve heard some people complaining about Becky Lynch’s current heel character. Certainly Kelly Osbourne doesn’t seem to be a fan, but personally, I think she’s doing the best work of her entire career. Yeah, she might not be as buzzy as she was during her days as The Man, but as a personal preference, I like this better.

That promo she gave in Dublin where she got the crowd hyped up as the returning daughter and then turned on them was fantastic. It was every bit as good as something you’d see from CM Punk, Paul Heyman or The Miz, and while I really loved her program with Lyra Valkyria and Bayley, I’m glad to see her working with different superstars on the roster and continuing to make the Intercontinental Championship feel relevant.

I suspect she’s going to hold the belt for a long time, which means Nikki Bella is going to lose here. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad news for her though. To me, this match is a chance for Bella to prove she should be taken seriously. Obviously she’s a WWE Hall of Famer and someone the crowd likes to see, but the jury is out as to whether her current run is going to be a fun bit of nostalgia or an exciting chapter filled with new character work and new in-ring moves that build on her legacy. A great match here would go a long way to making the latter a reality.

Predicted Winner: Becky Lynch

Roman Reigns Vs Bronson Reed

I love Roman Reigns. With all due respect to Cody Rhodes and Triple H, I think he’s the single person most responsible for WWE’s resurgence in popularity the last several years. Keeping the belt around his waist for years was the right decision to build his aura. Even now, I don’t really want to see him taking losses, except in rare circumstances, but to me, this is one of those circumstances.

I know what you’re thinking. Really, he should lose to Bronson Reed? Yes. Wrestling factions tend to take on one of two forms. Either they’re a vehicle for one person to establish dominance, in this case Seth Rollins, or they’re a way for a bunch of characters to grow at the same time, each having their own paths and storylines. Long-term, Reed can be one of Rollins’ henchmen who gets beaten up by whoever he’s feuding with on a weekly basis or he and Bron Breakker can build their own compelling characters outside Rollins. To do that, they need signature victories.

Beating Roman Reigns would be the biggest win of Bronson Reed’s career. It would extend his current Tribal Thief gimmick, and it would immediately establish him as a threat to go after a singles championship, which he’s yet to win in WWE. He needs this in a way that Roman does not, especially since he’s reportedly about to leave and go film Street Fighter for awhile.

I don’t like betting against Reigns because he’s won way way way more often than he’s lost. In fact, I’m still not entirely sure WWE will be willing to let him eat a pin here, but in a perfect world, Reed should win this match.

Predicted Winner: Bronson Reed

Seth Rollins (Champion) Vs LA Knight Vs CM Punk Vs Jey Uso For The World Heavyweight Championship

Barring an injury, a real injury this time, Seth Rollins is winning this match. WWE has way too much invested in him right now to lose the title this quickly. Typically, predicting the outcome of four way matches is extremely difficult, but it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever for anyone but Seth to win here.

If CM Punk is going to win the belt back, it should be in a straight up singles match with Rollins. As much as I cling to the belief that LA Knight will be a world champion someday, nothing about his booking in recent months suggests he’s a real candidate to win this match, and while Jey Uso is still the type of over most wrestlers dream about, he’s not as over as he once was, nor did his recent title reign go particularly well.

I’m so confident about the outcome of this match that I’m not even sure if it’s going to main event the show, which is wild given it’s the only world championship on the card. More often than not, WWE ends the night with the match fans want to see the most, and this, unfortunately, is not that match. Still, I think it could be a really compelling twenty minutes if done correctly, and it could help build the storyline for Survivor Series War Games, which will probably involve a lot of these people.

Predicted Winner: Seth Freakin’ Rollins