Clash in Paris

Clash in Paris was a 2025 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It took place on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, France, and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It marked WWE's second PPV and livestreaming event held in France after Backlash in May 2024, and the first in the Paris metropolitan area.

The event featured John Cena's first and only appearance at a PPV and livestreaming event in France as an in-ring performer due to his retirement from professional wrestling at the end of 2025. The event was also the last WWE main roster PPV and livestreaming event to air on Peacock in the United States, as these events began airing on ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service with September's Wrestlepalooza.

Six matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Seth Rollins defeated CM Punk, LA Knight, and Jey Uso in a fatal four-way match to retain Raw's World Heavyweight Championship. In other prominent matches, John Cena defeated Logan Paul and in the opening bout, Roman Reigns defeated Bronson Reed.

Following the critical and commercial success of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE's event Backlash in 2024, which was their first pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held in France, WWE President Nick Khan announced at a January 16, 2025, event in Las Vegas, Nevada that the company would be returning to France for another PPV and livestreaming event sometime later that year. On January 29, WWE officially announced through their YouTube channel and website that they would return to France on Sunday, August 31, 2025, for an event titled Clash in Paris, held in La Défense, Nanterre at the Paris La Défense Arena, marking the company's first event in the Paris metropolitan area. It was also announced that the September 1 episode of Monday Night Raw would emanate from the same venue. An additional five nights of WWE Live shows in Europe and three televised broadcasts of WWE's weekly shows Raw and Friday Night SmackDown preceding Clash in Paris and Monday's Raw, were also scheduled as part of the "Road to Clash in Paris" tour, concluding with the Raw after Clash in Paris. Clash in Paris was held for wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands.

In addition to airing on traditional PPV worldwide, it was available to livestream on Peacock in the United States, Netflix in most international markets, and the WWE Network in any remaining countries that had not yet transferred to Netflix due to pre-existing contracts. This was WWE's last main roster PPV and livestreaming event to air on Peacock, as ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service began broadcasting these events in the United States starting with Wrestlepalooza on September 20, 2025. This changeover had originally been slated to begin with WrestleMania 42 in April 2026 upon the expiration of WWE's contract with Peacock in March, but as WWE had done some extra events, including each WrestleMania on Peacock since 2021 being two nights, Evolution in July 2025, and making the 2025 SummerSlam two nights, this fulfilled WWE's obligations to Peacock early for the main roster PPV and livestreaming events, allowing them to switch to ESPN sooner; Peacock will still air NXT's livestreaming events until at least March 2026, and will maintain other content, such as Saturday Night's Main Event, for the next several years.

The event included six matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

At Money in the Bank on June 7, a villainous John Cena and Logan Paul teamed together in a losing effort. On the August 8 episode of SmackDown, after turning face the previous week, a now heroic Cena reflected over his career and subsequently issued an open challenge, which was answered by Paul. After an exchange of words, Cena wanted to face Paul on that night's episode, which Paul refused, instead challenging Cena to a match at Clash in Paris, which Cena accepted.

In June, Seth Rollins began feuding with LA Knight, with both competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match at the eponymous event, where Rollins won the briefcase after Rollins's stablemates Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed interfered. Knight and Rollins continued feuding, leading to a match at Saturday Night's Main Event XL, where Knight won after Rollins seemingly injured his knee. After that, Breakker competed in a number one contender's gauntlet match for a World Heavyweight Championship match at SummerSlam. During the match, Breakker eliminated all competitors, including Knight and Jey Uso, who also had his own problems with Rollins's group since after WrestleMania 41, and also wanted to win back the World Heavyweight Championship he had lost back on June. However, Breakker was eliminated by Rollins's rival CM Punk, who earned the title match. On Night 1 of SummerSlam, Uso teamed with his cousin Roman Reigns to defeat Breakker and Reed in a tag team match, while later that night in the main event, Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship, only for Rollins to appear and reveal he had feigned his knee injury and subsequently cashed-in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Punk to win the championship. On the following episode of Raw, Rollins's group name was revealed as The Vision, and later that evening, Knight faced Rollins for the championship with Breakker and Reed banned from ringside, but it ended in a disqualification win for Rollins after Punk attacked him. The Vision subsequently got the upper hand on Punk and Knight. The following episode, Punk and Knight defeated Breakker and Reed by disqualification after Rollins attacked Punk. Uso then appeared to help Knight and Punk, brawling with The Vision. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce then announced that Rollins would defend the championship against Punk, Knight, and Uso in a fatal four-way match at Clash in Paris.