WWE Clash at the Castle Review - September 3, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kickoff Show: Madcap Moss and The Street Profits def. Austin Theory and Alpha Academy

Yes, much like Matt Riddle, Theory officially has his first name back, which is great news. Triple H continues to make changes for the better. Anyway, WWE has largely done away with Kickoff matches in the last year, but this Cardiff crowd was so hot that I didn't mind this. They had a nicely-paced, fun match with all six stars playing their roles well. No disrespect to Moss, but it would've been cool if Johnny Gargano was Street Profits' partner since that's who Theory is currently feuding with.

Damage Control (Bayley, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY) def. Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka

From an in-ring standpoint, was this a match that could have happened on Raw? Yes, but I'm happy they saved it for this show since it marked the first time Damage Control teamed up in a six-woman tag team match. It was well wrestled, everyone played their roles well, and the result was what it needed to be with Bayley pinning Belair to build to her challenging for the Raw Women's Championship. It was a quality start to the show.

Intercontinental Champion Gunther def. Sheamus

As one of the most anticipated matches of the weekend, this did not disappoint. In fact, I'd be shocked if it wasn't in contention for one of the best bouts of 2022 come the end of the year. This was stellar stuff from start to finish and the highly-physical, hard-hitting affair we expected it to be and then some. If you don't like chop-fests, this may not have been for you, but the crowd sure enjoyed it and I thoroughly did as well. What a war. Needless to say, the crowd's standing ovation for Sheamus afterward was well deserved. I'd love if Sheamus eventually dethroned Gunther as champion, but maybe they can hold off until Clash at the Castle next year if they decide to bring it back to the United Kingdom?

SmackDown Women's Champion Liv Morgan def. Shayna Baszler

I felt bad for these two because they were in a tough spot coming off the show-stealing Intercontinental Championship clash, but it was still a solid, well-worked match. Although it was the weakest of the night and this was when the crowd was at their quietest, they told a good story with Baszler picking apart Morgan throughout and Morgan persevering through the pain. Morgan already won in fluky fashion against Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam, so it was logical for her to win decisively here. Yes, it's a bummer Baszler didn't become champion, but hopefully her renewed push doesn't end here.

Edge and Rey Mysterio def. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest)

I'm ready for this rivalry to be over as much as anyone, but I knew it'd be a quality contest based on the star power involved. If nothing else, the Cardiff crowd was super into everything Edge and Rey did. It was super cool seeing them team up again and they were clearly having a blast out there (even though Edge's 619 attempt looked terrible). My only nitpick with the match itself was the outcome as Judgment Day gains nothing from losing yet again. I fear they're dead in the water as a unit. Post-match, Dominik Mysterio finally turned on his father and Edge as we all expected. He played his role perfectly, but will he be a convincing heel on his own going forward? Or will he flounder and need to be sent to NXT for further seasoning as many have been saying for a while now?

Seth Rollins def. Matt Riddle

I saw these two work a house show match last week in Springfield. It had a Street Fight stipulation and was a real treat. This didn't have a stipulation, but since I assume they're saving that for Extreme Rules next month, it didn't need one and they had a terrific match, anyway. They have incredible chemistry together and the action was very back and forth throughout. The finish was well done with Riddle's thirst for vengeance getting the better of him and costing him the win. Run this back, please.

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. Drew McIntyre

To say this had a big fight feel would be an understatement. It had a brilliant buildup and the atmosphere couldn't have been more electric. This went about a half hour, and aside from a slower stretch in the middle, the crowd was white-hot for pretty much all of it and I appreciated that the crowd was completely in the corner for McIntyre (I thought the reaction would be more split for Reigns like it usually is). This was a masterclass in storytelling with all of the drama and suspense. Even the spot with Tyson Fury thwarting Theory's Money in the Bank cash-in was clever and unexpected. Personally, I had no problem with Reigns retaining with the help of Solo Sikoa. If Reigns won any other way, I would have definitely been disappointed. This was McIntyre's night to win, yes, but I've felt since WrestleMania that Cody Rhodes should be the one to dethrone Reigns, and at this point that probably wouldn't be until WrestleMania next year. McIntyre has been saying for weeks that Reigns can't beat him on his own and Reigns proved that again here. It was the ideal debut for Sikoa, who is in a prominent spot right off the bat in The Bloodline. If Reigns' run is paid off properly, then I'm okay with McIntyre losing here, but it also begs the question of what the hell you do with him coming out of this event. Does he turn heel? Does he continue to feud with The Bloodline? Is it a feud with Karrion Kross (who threw a water bottle at McIntyre from ringside during this match)? I thought it might be a match with Tyson Fury, and it still could be, but them singing to the crowd afterward didn't really set that up. It was an attempt to send the crowd home happy, but I don't think it needed to make the air.

Overall Show

The ending to the main event is going to be very polarizing and understandably so, but there can be no denying that this was a fantastic show from WWE. I loved the less-is-more approach with only six matches and none of them were below average. Gunther vs. Sheamus and Reigns vs. McIntyre in particular were outstanding and Riddle vs. Rollins was wonderful as well. The Cardiff crowd added a lot to this event, so fingers crossed Clash at the Castle becomes an annual staple. I'm also looking forward to seeing what the follow-up will be on Raw and SmackDown this coming week.

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