Clash At The Castle 2024
Date: June 15, 2024
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s time to go international again as we have another of the five match card specials. The big focus this time is on the home country star Drew McIntyre, who is getting his rematch with Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. Other than that, Sami Zayn defends the Intercontinental Title against Chad Gable (again) and Cody Rhodes defends the WWE Championship against AJ Styles (again) in an I Quit match (not again). Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Scotland, with Drew McIntyre talking about how a fight is coming here. McIntyre says they’re known for their tempers so you can bring the crazy and they’ll bring the fight.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes

Rhodes is defending (ignore his graphic saying “TALENT NAME” and the chyron saying “Women’s Tag Team Champion”) in an I Quit match. Rhodes starts fast with a running shoulder into a snap powerslam. The Disaster Kick is countered though and Styles chops away in the corner. Back up and the Flip Flop and Fly sets up a dropkick to send Styles outside, meaning it’s table time.

Instead of loading it up, Rhodes sends Styles knees first into the steps and then the barricade as the fight heads into the crowd. They fight into the back and the production area, where Styles gets in some choking. Rhodes shrugs that off and they go back into the arena. We’ll make that back into the ring, with Rhodes grabbing a Figure Four. Styles makes the rope and Rhodes lets go for some reason (the referee didn’t make him, as he wasn’t supposed to) and they’re both a bit slow to get up.

A suplex over the top leaves them both crashing to the floor, where Styles throws him onto the announcers’ table. The brainbuster onto the table rocks Rhodes again but he’s not giving up. Rhodes is busted open and Styles stops to yell at Rhodes’ mother, who is rather fired up. Back in and Styles hits the fireman’s carry backbreaker but it’s still too early for Rhodes to give up.

They head outside with Styles loading up the Styles Clash on the steps, only to be backdropped down. Back in and the Disaster Kick connects for Rhodes as the fans keep singing for him. Styles counters the Cross Rhodes into a DDT and it’s time for a chair. Said chair is sent into the throat, followed by some kendo stick shots. No Rhodes still won’t quit so it’s time for a belt whipping. Styles grabs a Bank Statement but Rhodes still won’t quit.

That makes Styles tie him up with handcuffs, but instead he goes to yell at Mama Rhodes. That earns him some slaps to the face so Styles threatens her with a chair (GEEZ MAN!). Back in and Styles chairs him down before wrapping a chain around his own arm. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but Rhodes pelts a chair at his head, sending Styles through the table.

Rhodes finds the key to unlock the cuffs, which he uses to bust Styles open. The Cody Cutter and three Cross Rhodes (the third onto a chair) have Styles in more trouble but Rhodes won’t let the referee ask him. Rhodes cuffs him to the ropes instead and unloads with a chair, but Styles isn’t quitting either. The steps are brought in and the threat of that kind of pain makes Styles quit at 27:39.

Rating: B. It was good, but they had a huge mountain to climb after their first match. This wasn’t a match with a ton of drama about the results so it was more about the violence, which only got so good. They probably would have been better off with a street fight or Last Man Standing, but it was a good way to give Rhodes another strong title defense before he starts getting ready for whatever is next at Summerslam or so.

Post match Rhodes looks down at his mom and then hits Styles with the steps anyway. Rhodes goes to leave but runs into Solo Sikoa. The rest of the Bloodline comes in to beat Rhodes down. Cue Randy Orton and Kevin Owens for the save, with Orton glancing at the title.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are home and ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending and you can only tag your own partner. Belair hammers on Baszler to start but has to flip over an invading Dawn. A suplex puts Baszler down and the handspring moonsault gives Belair two. Fyre (the fans approve), Stark and Cargill come in, with Cargill having to power out of a double top wristlock. A fall away slam/Samoan drop combination puts Fyre and Stark down as the fans are rather impressed.

Belair comes back in to to slam Dawn and the champs hit stereo delayed suplexes. The four challengers have a huddle on the floor and then go after Belair. A double suplex on the floor drops Cargill and a running boot to the face drops Belair back inside. Stark puts Dawn down and hits a slingshot corkscrew elbow. Baszler comes in to take over on Dawn, with Stark’s springboard dropkick getting two. It’s back to Fyre to pick up the pace, including a top rope flip dive onto Baszler and Stark.

Back in and Fyre’s missile dropkick gets two on Baszler and the Tower Of Doom sends a bunch of people down. Dawn seems to have hurt her elbow on the landing as Cargill is back in…by slipping on a springboard and crashing badly. House is quickly cleaned but Baszler grabs the Kirifuda Clutch….with Cargill looking like she’s tapping. Belair makes a save with a 450, with her knees landing on Baszler’s back for a nasty visual. The assisted German suplex hits Baszler but Dawn is back in with a German suplex to Cargill. Dawn steals the pin and the titles at 12:15.

Rating: C. This was a bit of a mess at times (Cargill falling and then tapping and Belair’s 450 were rather terrible) but they managed to turn what should have been a nothing match into something worthwhile. I was thinking this was going to be just another match for the champs and I was rather wrong about the result. Not a terrible match, but the rough parts brought it way down.

Post match Fyre and Dawn get bouquets of flowers in a nice moment.

We recap Sami Zayn defending the Intercontinental Title against Chad Gable. Zayn is tired of Gable being horrible to both himself and the Alpha Academy so it’s time for the big final showdown.

Intercontinental Title: Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn

Gable, with the Academy, is challenging and the fans sing about Zayn to start. Gable’s headlock keeps things slow to start so Zayn sends him outside for a meeting with the Academy. Back in and Zayn is sent shoulder first into the buckle, with Gable starting in on the arm. Gable cranks on said arm but Zayn fights up with one arm for a breather. Zayn manages to clothesline him out to the floor and there’s the springboard moonsault to take Gable out again.

Back in and Gable gets in a shot of his own but charges into a Michinoku river for two. Gable is right back with a powerbomb into a top rope headbutt for two and they’re both down again. The rolling German suplexes have Zayn in trouble but he reverses into some suplexes of his own. A half and half suplex gives Zayn two but Gable pulls him into a crossface. Zayn reverses into his own crossface, which is reversed into an ankle lock. That’s reversed into a rollup so gable goes outside to grab the title.

Gable hands it to Maxxine Dupri, who can’t bring herself to hit Zayn. Gable yells at her, with Zayn’s attempted Helluva Kick nearly hitting Dupri. The distraction lets Gable grab rolling Chaos Theory for two so he goes to yell at Dupri, with Otis getting in between then. Zayn’s big dive hits Otis, allowing Gable to go up and moonsault onto both of them.

Back in and Gable misses the moonsault, allowing Zayn to suplex him into the corner. The Helluva Kick doesn’t work as Gable rolls outside, where he ankle locks Zayn over the barricade. Zayn escapes to send Gable into Dupri, which does not sit well with Otis. Gable skedaddles back inside but instead of going after Zayn, Otis picks up Dupri to carry her to the back. The Helluva Kick retains the title at 21:59.

Rating: B+. This was a great mixture of action and storytelling, with Otis and Dupri not wanting to turn on Gable but eventually being pushed too far. At the same time, you had Gable and Zayn beating the heck out of each other, with Zayn being able to hold his own against Gable’s incredible athleticism. Good stuff here and the best mach of the show by far.

Post match Gable looks crushed.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are thrilled with their win and had all of Scotland behind them.

We recap Bayley defending the Smackdown Women’s Title against Piper Niven. Bayley is fighting against anyone and Niven is a home country monster, meaning the ans are going to be rather interesting here.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Piper Niven

Bayley is defending and Chelsea Green is here with Niven. A hard shoulder puts Bayley down to start and Niven stays on her outside. Back in and Niven misses the running seated crossbody, allowing Bayley to stomp on the annoying Green’s fingers. Green yells enough that she gets ejected so Bayley grabs a rollup for a quick two.

Niven is fine enough to send her back outside and there’s a flip dive off the apron. Back in and Niven nails a headbutt before suplexing Bayley onto her tailbone for two. Bayley fights up and sends her to the floor for a suicide dive, only to be driven hard into the apron. They go back inside with Niven being draped over the middle rope, setting up a top rope elbow. A top rope Swanton to Niven’s back just wakes her up, as she slams Bayley out of the corner.

Niven’s running backsplash gets two but Bayley grabs the Bayley TO Belly. Cue a masked woman (who looks like and is dressed like Green) for a distraction so Niven can get out at two. Bayley goes after Green but the Rose Plant is countered into the Piper Driver (with a scary landing) for two. The Vader Bomb hits raised knees so they head outside, with Niven grabbing a swinging Boss Man Slam. Back in and Niven misses a backsplash, allowing Bayley to hit a crucifix river to retain at 13:28.

Rating: C+. Chelsea Green carried this thing on her back, with the run-in being hilarious. The match itself was a bit plodding and the fans didn’t seem as interested as I was expecting, but it did pick up at the end. Bayley seems destined for the showdown with Nia Jax at Summerslam, which is where the winning streak likely comes to an end. For now, not a great match, but it did get better as they went.

We recap Drew McIntyre challenging Damian Priest for the Raw World Title. McIntyre won the title at Wrestlemania but Priest cashed in Money In The Bank to win the title about five minutes later. Now McIntyre is at home and getting his title shot.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

Judgment Day is barred from ringside, McIntyre is challenging and is played to the ring by a pipe and drum band. As you might expect, McIntyre gets the huge hero’s welcome and the fans get so loud that we get a decibel meter on the screen. McIntyre starts fast and knocks him to the floor, with the big flip dive connecting. Priest gets in a few shots of his own and poses a bit, allowing him to hammer away back inside.

A lifting Downward Spiral plants McIntyre and there’s the running elbow in the corner. The Broken Arrow gives Priest two but McIntyre is back with a Michinoku Driver for the same. Back up and Priest knocks him to the floor, meaning it’s time for the step up dive….but Priest slips and gets tied in the ropes for a landing that could have been much worse. With Priest’s ankle tied in the ropes, McIntyre stomps away, much to the fans’ delight. Back up and Priest manages a kick but walks into the Future Shock for two.

Priest is back up with a few more shots and catches McIntyre on top, with the Razor’s Edge giving Priest two of his own. Back up and McIntyre hits a Glasgow Kiss but Priest is back with the spinning kick to the head. Another one misses though and McIntyre grabs a neckbreaker. McIntyre nips up and they go outside, where the Claymore sends Priest through the barricade.

Back in and the Claymore is countered into South Of Heaven for two and they’re both needing a breather. Priest takes him up top or a super hurricanrana but walks into a Claymore for a rather near fall. Back up and the referee has to dive to the floor to avoid a shot from Priest. Said referee is then knocked into the barricade, leaving Priest to counter a Claymore into a powerbomb. Back up and another Claymore gets a VERY delayed two…..because it’s CM Punk in a referee shirt (the camera was behind him so it was a great reveal). Punk kicks McIntyre low and the South Of Heaven retains the title at 20:14.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but they got me with the Punk run-in as that camera work was great. At the same time, it gives priest a good win to boost his status a bit, though the bigger story is Punk vs. McIntyre. Those two are going to have a huge match at some point and the heat is going to be off the charts. The match itself was a heck of a hoss fight and I’m curious to see where things go from here, so well done on a main event.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a rather awesome show with the closest thing to bad being a completely watchable women’s triple threat tag match. Other than that, you had a bunch of people working hard and having good matches, including the pretty great Gable vs. Zayn match. In addition to that though, they built up stuff for the future, which helps bridge the gap to Money In The Bank and beyond. As has been the case, the best thing I can say about these shows is it feels like they have a plan, but then they actually execute that plan. Pretty sweet show here, as WWE’s roll continues.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. AJ Styles when Styles quit
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn b. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill and Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark – Assisted German suplex to Baszler
Sami Zayn b. Chad Gable – Helluva Kick
Bayley b. Piper Niven – Crucifix driver
Damian Priest b. Drew McIntyre – South Of Heaven

 

 

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It’s time for another overseas shows as these things are becoming a regular deal around here. In this case it’s back to Scotland for the second ever Clash At The Castle (castle not included). WWE has gone above and beyond with the amount of Scottish wrestlers on the show and that should make for a rather stacked event. The main events certainly look strong so let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn(c) vs. Chad Gable

This is a feud that has been going on for a good while now and that means it is reaching something of a critical point. After so many months of Gable chasing Zayn and the title, he pretty much has to win the thing one way or another. His previous attempts haven’t felt like the right time more often than not, but that might not be the case after everything else that has happened.

While there is always the chance that Otis will grow a spine here and cost Gable the match again, I think they have to give Gable the title and do it here. At the end o the day, he needs to win something, even if it isn’t for a long time. Gable has more than proven himself in recent months so let him have the title and get his big moment. If WWE needs to get the title back on Zayn they can do it whenever, but Gable really needs to win it here, and we’ll say he does.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill(c) vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn

Here we have one of the more interesting matches, as Belair and Cargill look unstoppable, Baszler and Stark need to win something, and Fyre/Dawn are the hometown stars. In something I would not have seen coming, WWE has managed to make this feel like an important match and that is quite the bonus all things considered. That doesn’t mean a surprise is coming though.

For the life of me I cannot imagine the monster superhero team losing the titles so soon, despite the match being set up as an easy way to change the titles. While I could go for seeing Fyre and Dawn actually be treated seriously, it doesn’t seem to likely be coming here. The champs retain, even if it might not be the best idea, because it isn’t their time just yet.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Piper Niven

We have another Scottish challenger here as Niven gets to try to crush Bayley. I’ve been digging Niven more lately as she is starting to get the idea of how to be a monster, which could take her a very long way. What matters here is giving the fans a big hope spot of a title change, though unfortunately for the two of them, that could be a lot more easily said than done.

Much like the Women’s Tag Team Titles, I just can’t picture WWE pulling the trigger on a new champion here. Niven feels like the monster the champion slays and that’s all I can go with here. It wouldn’t completely stun me to see Niven win the title, but I don’t think that’s where they’ll go. Bayley is already a huge star and I don’t think she gets knocked down a peg just over two months after her title win at Wrestlemania.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. AJ Styles

This is an I Quit match, but the question here is can they find a way around a rather obvious result. It is hard to fathom that Rhodes will lose here, no matter how much the match has been hyped up. That isn’t a bad thing though, as occasionally the match isn’t so much about the drama but rather how you get there. It seems we are seeing that again and that should make things interesting.

It worked last month and it should work again here, so we’ll go with Rhodes retaining in what is probably the most obvious result on the entire card. These guys are going to beat the living daylights out of each other and have a heck of a violent match. No matter what happens here though, there is no reason for Rhodes to lose, though he’ll do it after one heck of a way.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

I’m really not sure which way they’re going here, but this is all about CM Punk. Outside of Punk interfering, I cannot imagine him McIntyre losing here, as it has happened too many times lately and putting it in front of these fans would make it even worse. Punk hasn’t been seen in recent weeks and now we get to see what happens when these two go at it on their own. In theory.

I’ll go with the happy ending (for now) and say McIntyre wins. Priest has already gotten a lot out of being the champion, but there are certain things that are set up too perfectly to not go there. McIntyre getting his moment in front of his family to end the show is one of them and that seems to be where we are going. At least we should be, though the heat on Punk would be hard to fathom if he managed to cut McIntyre off again. This feels like McIntyre’s day though so I’ll say a new champion.

Overall Thoughts

This show is following the short and to the point format, with only five matches on the card. WWE has been running tighter shows like this in recent months and they have worked well. Nothing on the show looks bad and we should be in for a good one. Those fans being there to make it all the better and it should work out well. Just give McIntyre his moment (ok his latest moment) already.

 

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Three in two.

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Clash At The Castle
Date: September 3, 2022
Location: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the first stadium show in the United Kingdom in over thirty years and that means it is time for one of the biggest WWE shows of the year. The main event is a showdown between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title, with McIntyre almost having to win. Other than that, Sheamus vs. Gunther should be a heck of a hoss fight. Let’s get to it.

The stadium looks very good as the place is massive and looks packed.

Kickoff Show: Street Profits/Madcap Moss vs. Alpha Academy/Austin Theory

Dawkins and Gable run the ropes to start and it’s an armdrag to take Gable down. Ford comes in and gets his ankle locked but Theory sneaks in for a cheap shot to take over. Gable grabs an armbar but Ford hits a double DDT for the escape. Moss comes in to clean house until Dawkins tags himself in to do the same.

Everything breaks down and the American Automatic gets two on Dawkins. Otis gets fall away slammed by Moss and Dawkins saves Ford from getting German suplexed off the apron. That leaves Ford to hit a running flip dive Doomsday Blockbuster (GEEZ) to drop Gable onto the pile. Back in and the frog splash finishes Gable at 6:30.

Rating: C+. Exactly what you want out of an opener as they flew through everything and didn’t let the fans get bored. Ford continues to be amazing to watch and showcased himself very well, with that Blockbuster being an incredible thing to see. Dawkins is on quite the level himself and doesn’t get the attention he deserves and that could serve him well when Ford becomes a solo star.

The opening video looks at various shots of Wales, plus everything on the six match card.

Alexa Bliss/Asuka/Bianca Belair vs. Bayley/Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky

Bayley doesn’t like the fans singing to her to start and decks Asuka on the apron. The six way brawl is on until we’re down to Bayley vs. Belair. Bayley gets dropped but Kai and Sky break up the handspring elbow. The villains come in for a double suplex attempt but all six get back in, with Belair and company hitting a trouble suplex. Belair’s handspring moonsault hits Sky and Kai, sending the two of them outside for a conference with Bayley.

Back in and we settle down to Bliss taking Sky down for the Insult To Injury. Sky takes her into the corner though and it’s time to start the alternating stomps. Bliss manages a drop toehold though and it’s Asuka coming in for a bulldog. The middle rope missile dropkick hits Bayley but Sky comes in with the springboard missile dropkick. The slingshot knees in the corner get two but Asuka gets up and manages the hot tag to Bliss.

A running flip dive takes Bayley down outside, only to have Sky hit a running dropkick into the barricade. Back in and Bliss gets beaten down in the corner, with Kai even mocking Belair’s kiss it deal. There’s a flapjack to Bliss but she Code Reds her way out of the corner. Kai isn’t having that though and kicks Bliss in the face, allowing the tag back to Bayley. Everything breaks down and Bliss is able to get over for the hot tag to Asuka. House is quickly cleaned but the numbers take Asuka down, with a sliding lariat giving Bayley two.

Asuka Codebreakers her way to freedom though and the next hot tag brings in Belair. The pace picks up and it’s a spinebuster into the standing moonsault for two on Bayley. Belair throws Kai into Sky bu*t misses a charge into….Bayley’s legs as she sits on top in front of the post. Asuka/Bliss are right there though and base off Belair’s back for the double superplex to bring Bayley crashing down.

With Asuka and Bliss outside, Sky hits a heck of a moonsault to take them both down. Back in and Kai misses the running kick in the corner but Sky breaks up the KOD. Bayley grabs Belair’s hair to hold her in place for Kai’s running kick, setting up the Rose Plant into Sky’s Over The Moonsault to give Bayley the pin at 18:41.

Rating: B-. Good way to start as Bayley gets set up for the next title match, as she should be. Belair needs a fresh challenger and this is about as good of an option as she has at the moment. They kept this moving and didn’t bother letting things slow down, which is a good idea for an opener. Nice stuff here, even with the villains winning.

Tyson Fury wishes Drew McIntyre luck.

We look at the main event of Summerslam 1992.

Bret Hart is here.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Sheamus

Gunther is defending and has Ludvig Kaiser in his corner and introduces Giovanni Vinci, as Imperium is back for a big debut. The rest of Imperium and the Brawling Brutes get in a fight as the other two have the staredown ala last week on Smackdown. Butch moonsaults onto Imperium and they all brawl to the back as the bell rings to start the slugout. Forearms and right hands set up the big boot to drop Sheamus but he’s right back with a suplex.

The forearms to the chest are broken up and they head outside with Sheamus sending him into the steps. Back in and Sheamus pulls himself to the top rope, only to have Gunther blast him with a chop to the floor. Gunther slams him onto the steps and takes it back inside for the chops. A big boot sets up more chops and Sheamus is rocked again. The Boston crab goes on to send Sheamus to the ropes, leaving Gunther to chop him in the back.

Sheamus fights up anyway and the slugout is on again with Gunther getting the better of things. They fight to the floor with Sheamus being thrown over the announcers’ table but coming back with the ten forearms to the chest. Back in and the more traditional forearms to the chest put Gunther in more trouble until he falls back out to the floor. That’s fine with Sheamus, who puts him over the barricade for even more forearms to the chest.

Back in and Sheamus’ top rope knee gets two but the Irish Curse is blocked with some elbows to the head. The sleeper is countered into White Noise for two and Gunther hits most of a powerbomb for two, leaving both of them down. Sheamus catches him on top and hits a Razor’s Edge for two for a double knockdown. The Brogue Kick doesn’t work as Sheamus’ back gives out, setting up the powerbomb for two. Back up and Gunther BLASTS him with a clothesline to retain the title at 19:31.

Rating: A-. This was exactly as advertised and they beat the fire out of each other with one hard hitting shot after another. Gunther getting to retain the title over a big star is a great way to go and they did what you would have expected. Sheamus isn’t going to be hurt whatsoever by a loss like this and Gunther can move on to whoever is next. Awesome fight here and that shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

Post match Sheamus gets the standing ovation as he pulls himself up.

We recap Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler. Morgan cashed in Money In The Bank to win the Smackdown Women’s Title and has come off as a bit of a joke champion since. Now she is getting the chance to right the ship a bit, while Baszler is promising to do various painful things to her.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler

Morgan, in white for a change, is defending. Commentary talks about Morgan training with Riddle to prepare for the MMA style and takes Baszler down into a choke to start. Back up and Baszler goes after the bad arm, including taking her outside for a whip into the barricade. Baszler hits a German suplex into a kick to the chest for two as Morgan is rocked.

Morgan manages to get to the middle rope for a dropkick and a springboard spinning Codebreaker gets two. Another trip up top goes badly for Morgan as Baszler knees her out of the air, meaning the big stomp can be loaded up. Morgan pulls that into a cross armbreaker but Baszler powers out. A hard knee to the face gets two on Morgan and the Kirifuda Clutch goes on. Morgan slips out so Baszler grabs it again, only to to have Morgan roll back to escape. The Codebreaker into Oblivion retains the title at 11:01.

Rating: C+. They told a nice story with Morgan fighting from behind and surviving until the end, but my goodness this Morgan reign is not exactly working. They haven’t helped themselves by having her feel like an afterthought and adding her to the long list of people to beat Shayna Baszler isn’t the solution. They did the underdog thing here, but I can’t bring myself to care about Morgan anymore.

Adrian Street and Miss Linda are here for your legends moment.

We recap Edge/Rey Mysterio vs. Judgment Day. The team has gone after Edge and the Mysterios for months and it’s time for the big showdown. The wild card is Dominick Mysterio not seemingly being intimidated/controlled/something else by Rhea Ripley. It doesn’t help that Dominick seems annoyed about Rey picking Edge as his partner so there is some tension afoot.

Rey Mysterio/Edge vs. Judgment Day

Dominick Mysterio is here with Rey, while Edge wears a mask during his entrance. Rhea Ripley is here with Judgment Day to….well I would say even things out but would anyone put Dominick on Ripley’s level? Balor chops at Rey in the corner to start but a headscissors gets Rey out of trouble. Priest comes in and drops Edge with a single right hand but Rey blocks a whip into the corner, allowing Edge to hammer away.

Balor tries to do the same thing but Edge whips Priest into the other corner to keep him in trouble. Rey comes back in and gets caught in the wrong corner, with a backbreaker/running legdrop combination giving Priest two. We hit the chinlock before Priest kicks Rey in the head to cut off a comeback attempt. Balor hits one Amigo but stops before trying a second for a bit of a troll job.

The chinlock goes on for a bit but Mysterio fights up and takes it to the floor. Balor is sent over the barricade but Rey has to crotch Priest on the barricade, giving us a VERY over the top sell for a chuckle. Back in and the hot tag brings in Edge to make the comeback, including an Edgecution to Balor. Edge hits a 619 (not great but he tried) and Rey adds the springboard splash for two, with Priest making the save.

That earns Priest a spear through the ropes and out to the floor but Balor throws Rey outside. Balor Sling Blades Edge but Dominick offers a distraction, allowing Rey to hit a super hurricanrana. Ripley beats up Dominick but Rey dives onto both of them for the save. Dominick trips Balor back inside, setting up a 619 into a spear to give Edge the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, which shouldn’t be a shock. I’m not wild on Edge getting another pin over the team but that is just how things go for him. The lack of a Dominick turn isn’t exactly a shock either as they have been teasing it for so long now, but it would be nice to actually get to the point with it. Judgment Day needs to start wrapping up if they aren’t going to get a big win though, as this isn’t doing anyone involved any favors.

Post match Dominick celebrates with Edge….and then kicks him low. Then a clothesline drops Rey, much to Judgment Day’s approval. Dominick leaves on his own and Edge and Rey get the big ovation. Yeah but it’s still Dominick.

The attendance is 62,296.

We recap Riddle vs. Seth Rollins. They were scheduled to fight at Summerslam but Rollins injured him beforehand. Since then Rollins has made it personal, including insulting Riddle for his family splitting up. Riddle has promised revenge.

Riddle vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins has flame themed attire, plus heart sunglasses and wings. The bell rings and Riddle goes right after him, setting up some rolling gutwrench suplexes. Rollins gets in a few shots before avoiding a charge to send Riddle crashing throat first into the ropes. They head outside with Rollins hitting a barricade bomb, setting up the suicide dive to put Riddle onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Rollins takes him down again, setting up the Falcon Arrow for two.

Riddle manages to get away and heads up top, only to get crotched back down. The superplex into the Falcon Arrow is countered into a fisherman’s buster to leave both of them down. Riddle catches him with a t-bone suplex to the floor, setting up the penalty kick into the springboard Floating Bro. Back in and the Bro To Sleep into a powerbomb into the Final Flash knee gets two on Rollins, leaving them both down.

The Floating Bro hits knees but Riddle is fine enough to pull him into a triangle choke. Rollins hits a Bro Derek for two but Riddle is back up with some kicks to the head. An enziguri into a Pedigree gives Rollins two and they’re both down again. Rollins shouts about Riddle being a loser, which is why his wife left him and now his kids are going to know it.

That sends Riddle over the edge but Rollins uses the anger to kick him in the face. Rollins loads up an RKO but Riddle pulls him into a choke. The beating is on, including Rollins being bounced off of the announcers’ table. They head back inside where Rollins hits a Stomp, followed by a middle rope Stomp to finish Riddle at 17:16.

Rating: B. This felt like a fight between two people who wanted to hut each other and that is how it should have gone. They played into the emotion at the end with Riddle’s anger costing him and likely setting up a rematch next month at Extreme Rules. What we got here was good though and came off like two angry men hitting each other, so points for getting the feeling right.

Tyson Fury talked to Roman Reigns earlier and is in the crowd.

Karrion Kross and Scarlett are in the crowd as well.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre in the big title showdown. Reigns has been champion for two years and McIntyre is the home kingdom boy, meaning the titles are in jeopardy.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre is defending and gets a BROKEN DREAMS montage before he comes to the ring. They fight over a lockup to start with Reigns grabbing a headlock. A shoulder doesn’t do anything to McIntyre so Reigns bails out to the apron for a breather. Since there is no one outside with Reigns, he has to think about it on his own, which is quite different for him. Back in and Reigns hammers away, only to be taken back outside and whipped into the steps.

Hold on though as Karrion Kross and Scarlett pop up in the front row for a distraction, allowing Reigns to get in a cheap shot. Back in and Reigns hits the corner clotheslines, which knock McIntyre outside again. McIntyre gets back in and is dropped by a jumping clothesline for one, giving us the signature fast kickout. Reigns starts talking trash and knocks McIntyre down to cut off a comeback attempt. They fight over a suplex until Reigns knocks him down again….and gets a mic.

Reigns wants Cardiff to acknowledge him, allowing McIntyre to come back with the Glasgow Kiss. Back up and McIntyre starts the comeback, including the neckbreaker into the nip up. A running corner clothesline sets up a superplex but McIntyre gets knocked into the Tree of Woe. That’s fine with him, as he pulls up and hits the belly to belly superplex. Reigns bails to the floor at the threat of a Claymore before coming back in with a Rock Bottom for two. McIntyre fights back up and tries the Claymore, only to have it cut off with a Superman Punch for two more.

Back up and the spear connects for another near fall and Reigns isn’t sure what to do. The guillotine goes on and McIntyre’s ram into the corner doesn’t break it up. McIntyre breaks it up and posts him to the floor, where Reigns is speared through the barricade for a change. Back in and another spear gives Reigns another two and they’re both down again. Reigns stops to yell at and threaten the referee, allowing McIntyre to hit a Claymore from behind.

That’s enough to send the referee outside….and it’s Austin Theory time, with a second referee. The cash in is loaded up….and Tyson Fury knocks Theory cold from the front row (that was clever/great). Reigns grabs a chair but McIntyre hits the Claymore for a very near fall. They slug it out from their knees and then their feet until McIntyre hits another Claymore for two….and someone pulls the referee. It’s Solo Sikoa, which is enough of a distraction for Reigns to hit the spear to retain at 30:38.

Rating: B+. I believe the term here is “bold choice” as Reigns wins again. I’m not sure where he goes from here, but he is going to need something big to follow up. McIntyre gave this everything he had and the Sikoa debut was a nice surprise, but my goodness this was a surprise. Heck of a fight as these two work well together of course, though I’m not sure what the heck is supposed to be next for either of them.

Post match Tyson Fury gets in the ring and shakes Reigns’ hand. Reigns and Sikoa leave and Fury helps McIntyre up. Fury gets a mic and says McIntyre did his country proud. The fans were chanting for him and then Fury sings his signature American Pie song. McIntyre joins in on the chorus, including a guy in a shirt saying “Better Dad Than Chris Benoit”. McIntyre puts over the fans and sings Sweet Caroline before posing with Fury.

A highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A. This was a great show with one awesome match after another, though the lack of anything major actually happening was a weird way to go. You can probably see a lot of the card for Extreme Rules from here and it should be good, but you would think something bigger would happen on a show like this. What matters here though is that they blew the roof off the place with an excellent show and it felt like a major event. This is worth the look, though the ending is going to be quite the sore spot for some.

Results
Bayley/Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky b. Bianca Belair/Asuka/Alexa Bliss – Over The Moonsault to Belair
Gunther b. Sheamus – Clothesline
Liv Morgan b. Shayna Baszler – Oblivion
Edge/Rey Mysterio b. Judgment Day – Spear to Balor
Seth Rollins b. Riddle – Middle rope Stomp
Roman Reigns b. Drew McIntyre – Spear

 

 

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AND

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This is one of those special shows as WWE will be holding their first stadium event in the United Kingdom in over thirty years. You would think this would mean a huge card but while the main event is a big deal, there are only six matches on the card. A bonus match would not surprise me but WWE is not exactly known for some very last second changes. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Liv Morgan(c) vs. Shayna Baszler

We’re not starting with a good one here as this feels like either character rehabilitation for Morgan or the end of a short and unsuccessful reign as champion. Morgan has been more or less a disaster since her cheat code title win and subsequent tap out in the next match. The charm is long gone and WWE continues to think that her just holding a belt is enough to make her a big deal.

I’ll take Morgan to retain here, just so she can have a clean win. That being said, how in the world has Baszler never won a singles title in WWE? I know she was stuck with Nia Jax for the better part of ever, but you would think there would be at least a token win in there somewhere. I would love to see it happen here, but unless WWE has completely given up on Morgan, that isn’t going to be the case.

Edge/Rey Mysterio vs. Judgment Day

Now this is one of those stories where you can see where things are going and that isn’t a bad thing. WWE has all but hit you over the head with the fact that Dominick Mysterio is turning on Rey here and since that has been teased since LAST YEAR’S Summerslam, I would call it well overdue. Whether it is because he enjoys being beaten up by Rhea Ripley isn’t clear, but the turn is going to happen.

Naturally Judgment Day takes this and hopefully they’re done with the Mysterios for now. I don’t think I can see Dominick joining the team and that’s probably a good thing, but ultimately they need to move on and fight someone other than Edge/Rey/Dominick. They could also use a win as a team and that is where this probably comes in, which should at least be a good match despite the lack of shock over the turn.

Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins

Yes Matt, as he got his first name back this week. This is a feud that has been going on for a few months now but they haven’t actually had a match yet. The good thing is that they have made it more personal this week on Monday Night Raw with Rollins’ lines about Riddle’s divorce. That should make things that much better, and now we get to see how the violence goes down.

As much as it seems like Rollins is probably going to win here, I’ll take Riddle to give him a victory and some personal revenge. That is a smart way to go as Rollins has been a made man for years and Riddle could still use a few more wins under his belt. If nothing else, just having the full name back makes him a bit more serious of a star and that is a nice thing to see after so long.

Bianca Belair/Asuka/Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley/Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai

Can we officially name the heels yet? The Control thing has been thrown around multiple times but it has never been used by anyone on TV. Anyway, this is a match that the villains need to win after Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah won the Women’s Tag Team Titles on Monday for whatever reason. The good thing is it seems WWE believes in these three so there is some hope to be had.

I’ll take Bayley and company to win, likely with Bayley pinning Belair to set up the next title match. Asuka and Bliss are still a team (I guess?) because we need to have a division to fight for the titles, meaning they can be set up against Kai and Sky down the line. For now though, this is Bayley’s chance to get a big win now that she is back in the ring and pinning Belair would certainly qualify.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther(c) vs. Sheamus

Of all the matches on the show, this one feels like the most fun. They aren’t trying to hide what they have here, as this is going to be nothing but two big strong men beating the tar out of each other. Gunther wants to face elite competition and Sheamus wants to win the one title he needs to complete the Ultimate Grand Slam. This isn’t complicated and it doesn’t need to be.

I’ll go with Gunther to retain in his hardest match to date. As someone who needs one title to complete the collection in WWE, I would think it’s safe to say that Sheamus doesn’t need the win. While I could see them giving him the win for the sake of history, I don’t think they want Gunther losing so soon so he should hold onto the title here. He’ll be rather banged up, but he’ll still be champion.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

I believe you would call this shaky ground for WWE, because one thing has become clear in the last few weeks: McIntyre has to win this. The last time I felt like a star needed to win a title this badly was James Storm at Lockdown 2012 and that went very badly for both Storm and TNA when he didn’t. There is no reason to not pull the trigger here, even if it is for just one title (through some shenanigans) or even if he loses it soon thereafter (either to Austin Theory, Karrion Kross (stop laughing) or Reigns again). McIntyre could lose all four limbs and still needs to win this and that brings us to the problem.

Therefore, I’ll go with the logical step and say McIntyre wins the title, or at least part of it, here. Maybe something happens after, but WWE has put too much into the build of the once in thirty years deal and McIntyre in general to have him be the next name on Reigns’ list. WWE needs to be smart here and go with the corner they have booked themselves into and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt by saying McIntyre wins.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this card, the bigger it feels, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see one more match added in to boost things up a bit. The show being a six match card doesn’t really sound impressive but having the World Title change hands over there would make up for some of the problem. Either way, we should be in for a good show as we see the first event with time to be built off the new regime. I’m interested, and that’s a nice thing to be able to say.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.