WWE Clash at the Castle Review - June 15, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. AJ Styles in an "I Quit" Match

I wish they stretched the storyline out a little longer so this could be saved for a third encounter, but clearly WWE has other plans based on what we saw afterward with The Bloodline attacking Rhodes before Randy Orton and Kevin Owens fended them off. At any rate, this was another strong match from these two. "I Quit" matches have a tendency to drag, but this was violent enough where it was engaging throughout and the blood from both men was a really nice touch. Having Mama Rhodes at ringside created the possibility of Styles winning even if it wasn't too likely.

Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre def. Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark and Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match to Win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

All of these women are talented, but this match was not very good. It was quite clunky at various points and Cargill's weaknesses continue to be exposed. Working with Belair out of the gate has helped, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. I figured there was a chance Dawn and Fyre could win the titles in their native Scotland, but I didn't think they actually would. It was cool moment for them (especially with their family at ringside) and the crowd popped huge.

Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn def. Chad Gable

Zayn and Gable have developed excellent chemistry together through their many matches and this was another entertaining outing from them. The story with Otis and Maxxine Dupri at ringside was the primary focus and it was more of the same from the last few weeks. My guess is that they're saving Otis finally snapping on Gable on Monday's Raw. It's a shame Gable had to lose yet again because that means he's probably not winning the Intercontinental title after all, but it looks like they want to go in the direction of Gable vs. Otis not having anything on the line.

WWE Women's Champion Bayley def. Piper Niven

The crowd wasn't as white-hot for Niven in her home country as I thought they would be, nor did Bayley get the John Cena/One Night Stand 2005 treatment, but they seemed to be into the match and gave them the respect they deserved. It was a well-worked, quality contest and Chelsea Green's involvement was well done. Niven losing was the most predictable outcome on the show with Nia Jax set to challenge for the championship at SummerSlam.

World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest def. Drew McIntyre

​McIntyre getting that hometown hero reaction was incredible. It was awesome at the first Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales two years ago and it was even more special here. He and Priest had a great main event with some suspenseful nearfalls. Priest's leg accidentally getting caught in the ropes was scary, so hopefully he's all right and not legitimately injured. Props to him for working through it. CM Punk coming out to screw McIntyre was expected and it was brilliantly shot with Punk (donning a referee shirt) holding up the two count, but I wish McIntyre wasn't made to look dumb. Punk pretty much confirmed he'd be here over a month ago, so how could McIntyre not see that coming? A McIntyre title win would have been amazing, but I understand that wasn't in the cards as McIntyre vs. Punk appears to be set for SummerSlam and Gunther is guaranteed a title shot on that same show.

Overall Show

The electric atmosphere continues to carry these international premium live events. SummerSlam's going to be a reality check when they're back in the United States (in Cleveland, no less). In all seriousness, the crowd didn't completely make Clash at the Castle, but they were a big reason for why it was so enjoyable. I love the five-match, three-hour format and I hope they keep that for a majority of their shows (I'm fine with them going longer for the Big Four). This was another top-notch show on the whole.

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