WWE is on the cusp of their first stadium show in Europe since SummerSlam 92. That match, played at Wembley in front of 80,000, featured an all-time great match between Bret Hart and the British Bulldog, as well as appearances by Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and Ted DiBiase, and the Corps of Doom, among others. So, there is absolutely no pressure to compete with that.
Fortunately, the Clash At The Castle card, which takes place in Cardiff, has plenty of big names associated with it too, including Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Alexa Bliss, Bayley and more. . Perhaps most importantly, it also features many matches with a high probability of producing good wrestling. However, the results you will achieve is anyone’s guess.
Clash At The Castle will celebrate the second outstanding live event that Triple H has been responsible for since Vince McMahon’s unexpected retirement and, so far, has proven to be a bit of a wildcard. Just ask Raquel Rodriguez and Aaliyah, who are the current WWE Tag Team Champions. A little bit of unpredictability (the unpredictable levels of WCW in the late ’90s) is really exciting as a fan. It makes my job harder, but since I’m over 32 and 10 since I started doing it, I’m up for the challenge.
Matt Riddle vs Seth Fricken Rollins
With all due respect to Riddle, the sweet wrestler who ended up with the crowd, what matters most here is what WWE wants to do with Seth Freakin’ Rollins. He’s not the biggest star in the company, but to many including this writer, he’s the single best wrestler in action today, at least if you take the combination of in-ring abilities, mic work, character work, and fan connection. However, his win/loss record over the past few years in major matches, doesn’t quite reflect that. He’s won a total of 7 matches in premium live events since the beginning of 2020. 7! This is in 23 appearances! Yes, some of these matches were Money In The Bank and Royal Rumbles matches, but others were losses to people like Cesaro. No offense to Cesaro, but come on.
So, what matters here is how Triple H wants to use Rollins mid-term. Vince McMahon has used it, at least for the past few years, to lose great matches that help raise the level of his opponents. We all saw how well it worked with Cody Rhodes earlier this year in three distinct back-to-back live events. Triple H probably intends to use Rollins in the same way. I do not wish. I want to see Seth start building momentum back up, and I think the place to start is Riddle.
If Vince McMahon was still in charge, he would pick Riddle here in a heartbeat. He’s a super sportsman with MMA credentials who is popular with fans and seems to sell a lot of merchandise (with help from Randy Orton). But I have to hope Triple H wants more of Seth Rollins than that. Yes, the win would do a lot for Matt Riddle, but it would also do a lot for Seth Freakin Rollins in making fans see him again as a legitimate threat to one of the big belts.
Expected Winner: Seth Fricken Rollins
Gunther (champion) (with Ludwig Kaiser) vs. Sheamus (with Ridge Holland and Butch) for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Oh hell yeah. These two monsters are going to blow the hell out of each other in what’s been cut back with a backhand in the fight of the night. I can’t wait to see them throw the straw makers, and I can’t wait to see Gunther in the biggest match of his WWE career so far. His Ring General presentation has been near perfect since he was promoted to the main roster, and Seamus is, without a doubt, his biggest real threat to date.
It’s also good to see the Belt Intercontinental as a great venue for live events. There were 18 matches at WrestleMania 38, and somehow none of them featured the IC title. That’s crazy considering the importance it has held at various points in WWE history, and it feels like a huge step towards helping him regain at least some of its former glory.
I lean towards Gunther here, but lean more strongly towards this being an extended runner with a rematch in Extreme Rules. Can you imagine these two go to it without exclusion? Hopefully Triple H can. I also think there is a strong possibility that one of the three common players will turn on their boss. This would keep both men strong, and would allow someone, probably Butch, to be a little more active.
Expected winner: Gunther
Edge and Rey Mysterio (with Dominic Mysterio) vs Judgment Day (with Rhea Ripley)
I’m still on board with doomsday! Yes, Edge lost a huge step back, but Rhea Ripley, Damien Priest and Finn Balor still combined to form a truly impressive trio. I’d love to see Rhea fight for the WWE Women’s titles with these two guys in her corner. I would also like to see Priest and Balor as legitimate contenders for the card titles or middle card belts. I don’t want this faction to fade away, but they need some forward momentum!
I think that might be where Edge and Rey Mysterio come in. The public will certainly love to see these two veterans win, but I think Triple H will use this opportunity to give some momentum to Doomsday and perhaps turn Dominic Mysterio as a heel in the process. I suspect we’ll see him turn on his dad in a prime moment or, more subtly, do something that costs his dad’s team a game that may or may not have been intentional. I prefer the latter because she’ll be organizing weeks of shows with his dad where his loyalty has been questioned and as audiences wonder what’s going to happen in the long run.
Of course, it’s also possible that Dominic’s fate is yet another round of constant bullying from Rhea Ripley that has done everything but given him a husband so far. Another humiliation could distract the elder Mysterio, which could cost the team the match. Not really sure, but I feel good about a doomsday win here. Then again, it’s also possible that I’m blinded by my love for Doomsday and I don’t want to think about losing them here, which might just be another nail in this faction’s coffin.
Expected winner: Judgment Day
Liv Morgan (champion) vs Shayna Baszler for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Who is the last WWE Champion booked to look this weak? I feel like my entire Morgan tenure was attacked or beaten by Ronda Rousey, or attacked or beaten by Shayna Baszler and/or won matches in a really weak way. She won the belt by making a cash deposit in Money In The Bank in a zigzag Rousey. Then she successfully defended the belt, I think, by pinning, though she clearly tapped before the three count. Throw in a steady stream of promotions admitting they’re underdogs at their own matches, and the resulting image doesn’t quite look like Diesel in the ’94 Rumble.
None of this is to deny Liv Morgan anything. She’s a great character in the middle of the card, and it was fun seeing her money and having a moment on top. I’m not even against seeing her hold the belt a little longer, but it’s hard to imagine WWE keeping her a long-term champion, especially with Ronda’s long-awaited heel turnaround going well with fans and potential returns from Charlotte Flair and possibly Sasha Banks. Is it Chyna who took it off? I don’t know. Triple H is a well-known man from Chyna, but until recently, she was basically an afterthought in the women’s department.
If Vince is still around, it would be a sure win for Liv Morgan. I still think she’ll probably take it in a clean victory that will elevate her character at least for a little while, but I’m not sure about that.
Predicted Winner: Liv Morgan
Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka Vs Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky
It’s hard to predict Tag Team matches like this with three people on one side because it doesn’t really matter who will win. I mean, this is probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s unlikely that anyone’s character here will go up or down significantly based on the score. So usually the point of these types of matches is to set up angles that move forward, and the angles here seem really clear based on the last month. Bayley and Bianca Belair will contest the WWE Raw Women’s Championship, and Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky will contest the women’s tag team titles, which neither of them currently hold.
I wouldn’t be surprised by any outcome here, including someone else stepping in and joining Bayley, Dakota and Iyo, which rumors claim will be called Damage CTRL. But in the end, I’ll be expecting Bianca, Alexa, and Asuka for two reasons. First, Io and Dakota recently beat Alexa and Asuka in the Women’s Tag Team Championship. There is often an effort to achieve a certain level of balance for these types of long-term feuds. Second, I expect Rollins, Gunther, and Doomsday to win. I’d love to see some wins in the heels, but another win here seems like a lot.
Predicted Winner: Bianca, Alexa and Asuka
Roman Reigns (Champion) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Thirty years ago, SummerSlam 92 ended with The British Bulldog winning the Intercontinental Championship against Bret Hart in front of his hometown crowd. This moment was one of the best in SummerSlam history and the best of Bulldog’s brilliant wrestling career. Many are speculating that Clash At The Castle may give the same moment to Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior carried WWE through much of the pandemic, but as fans returned, it was Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar who grabbed the attention. Is this about to change?
Roman Reigns has been world champion for two years and has held both belts since WrestleMania. He’s still pretty much done with the fans and in my view, the biggest attraction in all of wrestling, but he’s also recently fallen off his schedule to work on much fewer dates. It’s hard to imagine that WWE would want someone who left for weeks or even months at a time to hold both big belts, even if he was the most over-the-top superstar in the company.
I think this is Drew’s moment. I think when we look back at Drew’s career, hopefully Clash At The Castle will be the first thing any of us think of. I think he’ll finish Roman’s epic race, and I can’t wait to see him.
Predicted Winner: Drew McIntyre
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