Reviews

The John Report: WWE Clash At The Castle 2024 Review

By John Canton • Published 15th June 2024
WWE Clash at the Castle Review 2024

It’s WWE Clash at the Castle as Drew McIntyre returns to Scotland to face Damian Priest, plus a Cody Rhodes-AJ Styles WWE Title rematch.

The WWE Clash at the Castle name is back. It was the name of the September 2022 show in Cardiff, Wales and now it’s the name of this show taking place in Glasgow, Scotland. Drew McIntyre is WWE’s Scottish Warrior who is back in his home country to challenge Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. CM Punk isn’t advertised for Clash at the Castle, but he could appear since he’s been taking photos with fans in Glasgow, so he’s in town.

Another big match on the show will see Cody Rhodes defend the WWE Title against AJ Styles in a rematch of their classic match at Backlash France in early May. I think this Glasgow crowd will be very loud like that Lyon, France PLE crowd was.

This show is starting at 2 p.m. ET for me here in southern Ontario, so it’s the third straight WWE PLE in the afternoon for me. I like the afternoon start time.

There was no match on the Clash at the Castle Countdown Show, which used to be called the Kickoff Show. The Countdown Show was two hours long with Michael Cole, Kevin Owens, and Big E on for the first hour. Jackie Redmond replaced Cole in the second hour of the Countdown Show. Let’s get to it.

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WWE Clash at the Castle
From OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland
Saturday, June 15, 2024

The show began with some video of Scotland along with a shot of the OVO Hydro building with the fans filtering in. The arrival of Cody Rhodes was shown while AJ Styles was shown sitting in the empty arena earlier in the day. The WWE Women’s Champion Bayley was shown arriving along with Scotland’s own Piper Niven showing up with her pal Chelsea Green. The World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest was shown arriving alone and then they showed Scotland’s own Drew McIntyre, who got a huge ovation when the fans saw him on the screen.

A video package aired to begin. Drew McIntyre narrated the video as clips aired of the WWE superstars set to compete in matches on the show.

There was a shot of the packed house in Glasgow. Michael Cole and Corey Graves were on commentary as usual for WWE PLE shows while Wade Barrett joined them to make it a three man team. Barrett said he was thrilled to be there for this show from the UK. I think all three guys are good announcers, so I’m all for it.

AJ Styles made his entrance as the challenger in the WWE Championship match. It’s rare to see a WWE Championship open the show, but it makes sense for this event.

Cody Rhodes made his entrance as the WWE Champion. Cody got a huge pop as usual and a lot of fans were singing his “Kingdom” theme song. It was noted by Michael Cole that it was Cody’s first “I Quit Match” while Cole said that Styles was 4-0 in “I Quit” matches in other companies. Cody hugged his mom Michelle at ringside. I noticed Cody’s agent Brian Wittenstein beside her as well.

After the “Kingdom” song ended, the fans kept on singing and finished off the song. The fans cheered for themselves after that. Samantha Irvin was the ring announcer just like she was on Smackdown even though she’s normally the Raw announcer. I think WWE is going to use her for all the PLE shows.

Undisputed WWE Championship “I Quit” Match: Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles

The referee Dan Engler reminded the wrestlers that the only way to win is to make your opponent say “I Quit.” There are no disqualifications, no countouts, no pinfalls and no submissions. The “Prime” logo was in the ring.

Cody whipped Styles hard into the turnbuckle. The fans were singing their “Cody Rhodes” song like they did on Smackdown. Cody connected with a powerslam. Styles gave Cody an atomic drop followed by chops. Styles sent Cody into the turnbuckle with Cody doing the sternum bump into the turnbuckle. They had a Styles chant as well. Cody came back with the bionic elbow and a running dropkick that knocked Styles off the apron to the floor. Referee Engler had a microphone to ask the wrestlers if they quit. Cody pulled out a couple of tables from under the ring, which drew cheers. Cody sent Styles knee first into the steel steps. Cody tossed Styles over the barricade at ringside. Cody attacked Styles in the crowd as exchanged punches. Styles tossed Cody into a railing as they made their way through some doors and went down a hallway. They were fighting by the backstage area. There’s Bobby Roode on a headset watching the match along with others. They were by the entrance area as Cody kept on throwing Styles into railings. They were at the ringside area where Styles punched Cody and Styles went into the ring. Cody applied the Figure Four Leglock in the middle of the ring while Styles refused to quit. Styles got to the ropes for leverage to get out of the hold. They did a suplex spot where Styles suplexed Cody over the top to the floor and they both tumbled to the floor. Styles slammed Cody’s neck/upper back onto the commentary table. Styles gave Cody a brainbuster onto the commentary table. That was a good spot that Styles did safely, but also looked like it hurt. Styles sent Cody into the ring bell and barricade at ringside. Styles pointed at Mama Rhodes and pointed at her. Michelle called him an “asshole” among other things. Cody was busted open as Styles out: “We’ve got a bleeder.” That’s a reference to There’s Something About Mary, which is a classic movie.

Analysis: It is rare to see blood in WWE in 2024, but in this era with new ownership I think they’re okay with doing it once in a while. Cody was sent into the ring bell and the camera went on Styles arguing with Michelle, so that gave Cody time to do the blade job.

They went back into the ring where Styles slammed Cody’s head/neck onto the knee. Cody tried to fight back with punches, but Styles stopped that with a dropkick. The aggressive crowd was chanting “f**k you AJ” even though most of them would kiss his ass if they ever met him. Styles teased a Styles Clash off the steps like he did a few weeks ago, but Cody countered with a back body drop on the floor. The action went back into the ring where Cody hit the Disaster Kick. Styles blocked a Cross Rhodes attempt with a knee to the face, a Pele Kick and a DDT. Cody did not want to quit. Styles elbowed Cody in the nose. Styles brought a chair into the ring and kicked Cody in the ribs. Styles put the chair around Cody’s neck and Styles did a knee drop onto the chair, so Cody sold it. Cody refused to quit. Styles worked over Cody with multiple kendo stick shots to the body. Styles hit Cody in the back with the kendo stick. Cody was asked if he quit: “Hell no!” The fans cheered. Styles took the referee Dan Engler’s belt an Styles whipped Cody with the belt to the back. Styles applied an STF submission while being asked if he quit and Cody refused to quit. Styles let go of Cody, who sold it like he was passed out and referee Engler said that he had to say “I quit” to end the match. Styles brought a bottle of water in the ring, poured it on Cody and Styles threw the bottle at Cody. Cole claimed that if it was a regular match then Cody would have lost because he passed out.

AJ Styles brought a black bag out from under the ring. Styles revealed that there were handcuffs in the bag. Styles handcuffed Cody’s wrists together behind Cody’s bag. Styles hit Cody with repeated kendo stick shots to the back. Styles got in Michelle’s face again, Styles even put his finger on her shoulder and Michelle slapped Styles in the face three times. Styles hit Cody with two chair shots to the back. Styles wrapped a steel chain around his forearm, but when he tried a Phenomenal Forearm, Cody tossed a chair at Styles to knock AJ off the top rope. Styles bumped through the table at ringside! Great spot there. Cody crawled over to the key that was in the ring and Cody unlocked the handcuffs. The fans were chanting “this is awesome” for them. Cody punched Styles with a handcuff. Cody was free from both handcuffs while Styles was bleeding from that shot to the head. Cody continued the comeback with an impressive Cody Cutter while the Scotland crowd came alive. Cody hit Cross Rhodes on Styles. Cody hit Cross Rhodes for a second time. Cody hit Cross Rhodes for a third time and this time it was on a steel chair. The fans were signing for Cody Rhodes again. Cody handcuffed AJ’s left hand to the middle rope. Cody smacked Styles with about eight chair shots to the body. Cody hit Styles with a chair shot to the right knee. Styles was asked if he quit and said: “Screw you, Cody Rhodes.” Cody hit Styles with a chair to the ribs. Cody tossed the top half of the steel steps into the ring. Cody teased hitting Styles with the steel steps, so Styles quit. AJ: “I quit! I quit!” That was the end of the match at 27:47.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Analysis: ****1/2 That was an outstanding match. It’s the same rating that I gave their last match. This one might have been a bit better, but I’m not going to go higher for it. I thought it was absolutely the kind of match they needed to have with the I Quit Match stipulation. It’s rare to see a WWE match where both guys were bleeding, but that’s what we got here although Cody’s blood was mostly stopped by the end of the match. I never really thought that Styles had a shot to win although with Cody’s mom there at ringside, they did use her well to have Styles aggravate her and tease the idea of Styles using her to win the match. However, Cody was able to overcome Styles and make the big comeback to get the win. I really liked the match. I hope AJ Styles isn’t lost in the shuffle after this loss because he’s still performing at a high level.

After the match, Cody hit Styles with the steel steps one more time. Cody celebrated with the WWE Championship while the fans sang Cody’s song.

Cody Rhodes was standing by the entrance area with the WWE Title. Solo Sikoa walked up to Cody from behind and Solo stared at Cody. The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa attacked Cody as well. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens ran out to save Cody by fighting with The Bloodline guys.

Analysis: That should set up Cody Rhodes for a feud with Solo Sikoa down the road perhaps at SummerSlam. I think we’ll see a six-man tag team match out of those guys before that.

There were some commercials for various WWE things.

A video aired about the Women’s Tag Team Title match coming up next. The video was about Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, who are from Scotland.

It was Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn up first as challengers. They had the Scotland flag and were cheered even though they are a heel tag team. Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark were up next as heels who didn’t get much of a reaction. There were a lot of cheers for the Women’s Tag Team Champions Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair, who looked impressive as usual.

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

The rules are there are three women legal in the match while their partners are on the apron. You can only tag your partner in. The first pinfall or submission wins.

Belair was very aggressive to start against Baszler while Dawn was out of the ring. Belair gave Baszler a belly-to-back suplex and a standing moonsault. Dawn broke up a pin attempt by Belair. Fyre, Stark and Jade all tagged in. Stark and Fyre gave Jade dueling top wristlocks and Jade was able to power out of it. Jade splashed both opponents against the turnbuckle. Jade gave Stark a clothesline. Fyre gave Jade a boot to the face. Stark jumped into Jade’s arms, so Jade hit a fallaway slam/Samoan drop combo. Belair was back in as Cargill slammed Belair onto Dawn. Jade and Belair hit double vertical suplexes on Baszler & Stark, which led to huge cheers. The four challengers agreed to team up against the champions. Baszler and Fyre double teamed Belair by tossing her into the ring post. Cargill was double suplexed on the floor. Dawn hit a Meteora double knee attack on Jade on the floor. Dawn tagged in with a hip attack on Belair and Stark hit a running kick on Belair. Baszler nailed Dawn with a knee strike while Stark tagged in with a twisting splash. Stark clotheslined Belair. Baszler hit a spinning slam on Dawn. Fyre tagged back in with a kick to Stark and a DDT on Baszler. The crowd came alive for Fyre as she sent Baszler & Stark out of the ring. Fyre jumped off the top onto Stark & Baszler on the floor. Back in the ring, Fyre hit a missile dropkick on Baszler, but Belair broke up the pin at two. Dawn tagged back in, but Baszler tossed Dawn into the ropes while Fyre was on the turnbuckle. They did a Tower of Doom spot out of the corner. Belair followed that with a middle rope superplex on Stark.

Jade got the hot tag (as usual for this team) and she slipped while attempting a springboard attack. Jade recovered to hit body slams and spinebusters. Jade gave Fyre a Powerbomb. Baszler applied the Kirifuda Clutch while announcers thought that Jade tapped and it did kind of look like that, but it wasn’t an emphatic tap. Belair broke up the Clutch by hitting a 450 Splash with her knees hitting Baszler in the back. Stark dove onto Belair, who hit a spinebuster. Jade was back up leading to Belair & Jade doing the DDT/German Suplex double team spot on Baszler. Dawn went into the ring and suplexed Jade across the ring. Dawn covered Baszler for the pinfall win at 12:11.

Winners by pinfall AND NEW Women’s Tag Team Champions: Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn

Analysis: *** That was a good match with a finish that likely surprised a lot of people. That title change meant that Belair & Cargill only held the titles for just over two months. I said in the preview that a title change was possible since it was a triple threat match where the champions didn’t have to be beaten and that’s exactly what happened. It was Dawn taking advantage of the finisher from Cargill/Belair on Baszler. There were some sloppy spots and some mistakes in the match, but like when Cargill slipped on the rope, she recovered well and did fine the rest of the way. It’s a rare loss for Belair and Cargill, but they didn’t take the pin, which is the smart way to protect them. Anyway, I’m happy for Fyre & Dawn even though they weren’t being used that much before this. Winning the titles should will certainly elevate them.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn celebrated with the Women’s Tag Team Titles as the fans popped big for them. They got some flowers from family at ringside. The fans chanted “you deserve it” for them.

Analysis: That’s a cool moment for them. Fyre’s mom died recently after getting hit by a car so it’s been an emotional month for her. It’s cool to see her get that moment with her loved ones.

A commercial aired about WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 2nd in Saudi Arabia.

The Sami Zayn/Chad Gable match was up next so there was a video package about that.

Chad Gable was up first and he was joined by Otis and Maxxine Dupri, who was selling a left foot injury by wearing a boot on her foot. Gable announced this weekend that he signed a new WWE contract, which is great news because he’s doing the best work of his career. Sami Zayn made his entrance as the Intercontinental Champion with the fans cheering and singing loudly for him. There was the QR Code with other strange graphics on the screen as Zayn was in the ring. The crowd was very loud at the start of the match.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable (w/Otis & Maxxine Dupri)

The fans were singing a song for Zayn. Sami Zayn was in control early in the match as I missed the first few minutes. Gable regrouped on the floor. When he got back in, he applied an Ankle Lock. Zayn got out of that, so Gable sent Zayn into the turnbuckle. Zayn was selling the left shoulder injury and Gable rammed Zayn’s left arm into the mat. Gable hit a Northern Lights Suplex while holding onto Zayn’s arm. Gable continued to work over Zayn’s left arm by pulling on Zayn’s arm across the top rope. The fans were chanting for Otis so Gable talked to Otis telling him to focus. Zayn did a springboard leapfrog over Gable followed by a clothesline that sent Chad over the top to the floor. The fans were doing the “Ole” chants for Zayn as Sami hit a springboard moonsault onto Gable on the floor. Back in the ring, Zayn jumped off the top and Gable hit a dropkick for two. Zayn came back with a one-armed Michinoku Driver while also selling the left arm and that got a two count. Gable hit a Powerbomb followed by a top rope headbutt for a two count. Gable hit two German Suplexes in a row. Zayn was back up with his two German Suplexes of his own. They each tried to get a waist lock and then Zayn connected with a half-n-half release suplex for a two count. They exchanged strikes and then Gable applied a Crossface while trapping the left arm. Zayn countered it into his own Crossface submission. Gable applied the Ankle Lock submission, but Zayn refused to tap out. Zayn countered the Ankle Lock by rolling forward and sitting on top of Gable for the two count. Gable left the ring and grabbed the Intercontinental Title that was on a table at ringside and told Dupri to hold the title. Gable choked Zayn over the middle rope. Gable distracted the referee and he wanted Dupri to use the title to hit Zayn, but Dupri didn’t do it. Gable yelled at Dupri to go on the apron so Gable said he was sick of her never listening. Zayn charged, Gable moved and Zayn stopped himself from hitting Durpi. Gable hit the Chaos Theory for the one…two…and no! Zayn kicked out. Gable has won matches with that move so it was a great nearfall.

Gable left the ring and berated Dupri for not doing what he told her to do. Otis stood in Gable’s face. Zayn jumped over the top and hit a suicide dive, but Gable moved and Zayn hit Otis with the dive. Gable hit a moonsault off the top onto Zayn & Otis on the floor. Back in the ring, Gable went for a moonsault, but Zayn moved out of the way. Zayn gave Gable an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn charged, but he wasn’t moving well so he was unable to connect and Gable also left the ring. Zayn went for a move off the barricade, but Gable stopped that by tripping up Zayn and applying an Ankle Lock. Zayn countered by rolling forward, so Gable went crashing into the back of Dupri’s left foot which had a boot on it. Otis was angry about what happened. Gable distracted the referee while wanting Otis to attack Zayn and Otis refused to do it because Dupri told him not to. Otis picked up Dupri and walked her to the back while Gable yelled at Otis about it. Zayn was back up, Gable turned around and Zayn hit a Helluva Kick for the pinfall win at 22:16.

Winner by pinfall: Sami Zayn

Analysis: ***3/4 A great match that was really entertaining from a technical wrestling standpoint and it was also heavy on the story with Chad Gable being a jerk to his pals Otis & Maxxine Dupri. That nearfall where Gable hit the Chaos Theory for a two count was very well done in terms of doing a two count that was believable as a finish. I thought that Otis was going to get physically involved to cost Gable, but it didn’t happen here. Instead, they used the Dupri bump that led to Otis refusing to help Gable and that led to Zayn recovering for the pinfall win. Zayn did an excellent job of selling the left arm and ankle injury, which isn’t a surprise because Zayn is arguably the best at selling in all of WWE. A lot of wrestlers could learn from watching him.

Sami Zayn celebrated with the Intercontinental Title. Cole summarized it by saying that Chad Gable didn’t get the job done in the big match again. Zayn signaled to Gable “that’s it” as if to say that this is done. The fans kept singing Zayn’s song to celebrate the win.

Analysis: I think Chad Gable might win the Intercontinental Title later in the year, but it isn’t time for that yet.

A commercial aired for WWE SummerSlam in Minneapolis in 2026 for a two night event.

Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn, the new Women’s Tag Team Champions, were interviewed backstage by Cathy Kelley. Fyre said that this win means so much. Dawn said that the other teams had zero chance of beating them because they had all of Scotland behind them. Fyre said that there was no way they would let the fans down. Dawn said that they’ll be keeping these titles as well.

Analysis: I’m happy for Fyre & Dawn having that moment. It’s something they will remember forever.

There was a video about Bayley defending the WWE Women’s Title against Piper Niven.

Piper Niven made her entrance joined by her buddy Chelsea Green. Niven is from Scotland so she’s in her home country, so Niven will likely get more cheers than usual. Bayley made her entrance as the WWE Women’s Champion with a lot of intensity on her face.

WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Piper Niven (w/Chelsea Green)

Happy birthday to Bayley, who turns 35 years old today. She is one of my favorite women’s wrestlers of all time. Easily. The fans seemed to care about Bayley more than Niven, who was in her home country.

They left the ring where Niven hit a headbutt to take control. Back in the ring, Bayley avoided a cross body block. Bayley punched Niven a few times. Green reached at Bayley’s feet to interfere, so Bayley stomped on Green’s hands. Green complained to referee Charles Robinson and even grabbed his shirt, so Charles ejected Green from ringside. Green was over the top as usual as she yelled “no” about the ejection. The fans cheered and sang “Na Na Nah hey hey goodbye” at Green. Niven wasn’t happy about it while Green said she was sorry to her buddy. Niven sent Bayley to the apron and pulled Bayley by the arm so Bayley’s throat hit the top rope. Niven hit a somersault dive off the apron onto Bayley on the floor. Back in the ring, Niven hit a running senton splash on Bayley’s back for two. Niven hit Bayley with an elbow. Bayley tried to send Niven into the top turnbuckle, but Niven overpowered her and Niven sent Bayley into the ringpost. Niven suplexed Bayley into the ring with Bayley landing hard on her hip/tailbone area. Niven tried a lift, but Bayley countered with a knee. The crowd did the “Hey Bayley” song as Bayley hit a suicide dive onto Niven on the floor. Niven tackled Bayley against the apron. They were back in the ring where Bayley worked over Niven with kicks along with a neckbreaker against the ropes and then an elbow to the back. Bayley hit a senton attack onto Niven’s back. Bayley went up top and hit an elbow drop for two. Bayley charged at Niven, who hit a spinebuster followed by a running senton splash for two. There were “Piper Niven” chants from the fans.

Niven went to the turnbuckle and she knocked Bayley down. Bayley got back up and hit a Bayley to Belly suplex off the middle turnbuckle for two. Chelsea Green went down to the ring wearing a purple mask, which kept the referee busy, so the referee wasn’t there to count right away. Bayley got a two count after that. Bayley left the ring and threw Green into the barricade. Back in the ring, Niven hit a Michinoku Driver for a two count. Good nearfall there. Niven tried an attack off the ropes, but Bayley got her feet up to block. They left the ring where Niven gave Bayley a Bossman Slam. Graves said “into the Abyss” in reference to former TNA wrestler Abyss using that move since Abyss works for WWE as a Producer now. Back in the ring, Bayley avoided a senton splash attempt. Niven countered a move leading to a headbutt. Bayley jumped on Niven’s back and hit a Crucifix Driver while holding Niven down for the pinfall win at 13:31.

Winner by pinfall: Bayley

Analysis: ***1/4 A competitive match for the WWE Women’s Title. The antics of Chelsea Geen were funny, but I’m glad that she didn’t have a major impact on the finish of the match. Niven got some good nearfalls in the match like that sitout slam for a two count. Bayley did a nice job with the creative finish. Bayley’s Roseplant finisher wasn’t going to look good on Niven, so having Bayley use a Crucifix Driver is a smart way to end the match. The move was executed well and looked good as a finisher.

After the match, Bayley was in the aisle and she did a nod of respect toward Niven, who did a nod back to her. Bayley smiled with her title.

Analysis: I think Bayley is going to carry that WWE Women’s Title into SummerSlam against Nia Jax (who won the Queen of the Ring) and I think Jax might be one to take the title from Bayley.

They showed Scotland’s own Tom Stoltman, who is the World’s Strongest Man. He’s a big dude.

The next WWE PLE is Money in the Bank on July 6th, so there was a commercial about that. That show is two hours away from me in Toronto, but I can’t make it because I’m at a family wedding in Cleveland of a family member on that day. I won’t be able to do a review until the next day most likely.

This Monday on Raw will have Money in the Bank qualifying matches.

It’s time for the main event as the video package aired for Damian Priest defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre.

There was a band including bagpipe players and drummers playing the classic song prior to the entrances. It’s called “Scotland The Brave” which is a song that a lot of us are familiar with.

Drew McIntyre made his entrance to a huge pop. They played his current WWE song rather than going with “Broken Dreams” for this entrance. Drew had the letter “K” written on his wrist in support of his wife, who was at home in the US due to an emergency surgery. We hope she is doing well. The ovation for Drew was very loud as a decibel meter appeared to tell us it was over 100 decibels as the Scots were going crazy for their countryman McIntyre.

Analysis: Amazing atmosphere.

Damian Priest made his entrance as the World Heavyweight Champion. The fans were booing him, of course. They want McIntyre to win. The ring announcer Samantha Irvin did a great job of introducing both wrestlers and the fans were very loud in their support as you would expect.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

The Judgment Day is barred from ringside because McIntyre beat Finn Balor on Raw. That was the stipulation that both men agreed to.

Drew was on fire with multiple clotheslines. Drew clotheslined Priest over the top to the floor. Drew followed up with an incredible somersault dive over the top onto Priest on the floor. Priest did an eye gouge and drove Drew back-first into the ring post. Back in the ring, Priest hit Drew with a lefty forearm to the chest. Priest charged and Drew hit a spinebuster for a two count. Priest hit a flatliner that sent Drew face first into the mat. Priest hit a running elbow smash. Priest hit a release body slam across the ring. Priest punched Drew, but Drew kicked him in the chest. Drew hit a Michinoku Driver for a two count. Drew went for the Future Shock DDT, but Priest slipped out of that and bailed to the floor. Drew beat up Priest on the floor by tossing him into the commentary table and into the Prime hydration station at ringside. The fans were singing “f**k him up, Drew” for McIntyre. Priest delivered a kick to the head while Drew was on the apron. Priest went for a leap off the ropes onto Drew on the floor, but Priest’s ankle was trapped between the top/middle rope. Priest has done that move often. It just didn’t work here. Drew helped Priest break free so Drew could chop him in the chest. Drew suplexed Priest in the ring. On the replay, Barrett put over how scary it was that Priest had his leg trapped in the ropes like that. Priest was flexing his right leg a lot and nailed Drew with a clothesline. I think Priest told referee Eddie Orengo that he was fine. Drew sent Priest into the ring post and hit the Future Shock DDT for two because Priest got his left shoulder up. When Drew sent Priest into the turnbuckle, you could see Priest limping and I’m not sure if that’s selling or if it was hurt. Priest knocked Drew down by the ropes. Priest did a slow climb to the top, so Drew stopped that with punches. Priest hit a Razor’s Edge for a two count.

The two men were on their knees exchanging punches while the fans were into it as they continued to support Drew. They got into a slugfest almost like a hockey fight. Priest nailed Drew with an elbow, so Drew hit an elbow to the face in return. Priest hit another elbow smash to the head. Drew hit the Glasgow Kiss headbutt, Priest came back with a spin kick and Priest was selling the right leg injury. Priest missed a kick, so Drew hit a neckbreaker. Priest rolled out of the ring to avoid an attack. Drew went after Priest on the floor with a headbutt. Drew hit a Claymore Kick on the floor. Back in the ring, Drew did the “3, 2, 1” leading to a Claymore Kick attempt, but Priest caught him and hit South of Heaven for two. Good nearfall there. The fans were chanting “this is awesome” for this title match. Priest set up Drew on the top turnbuckle where Priest connected with a couple of chops. Drew headbutted Priest down and Priest was limping around the ring again. Priest shoved the referee away. Priest did a top rope hurricanrana! That was impressive. Drew was limping on the injured right leg, so Drew got right back up and hit a Claymore Kick for one…two…no! Just a two count! The fans were singing for Drew McIntyre again. Drew gave Priest a belly-to-belly suplex across the ring. Drew tackled Priest into the turnbuckle and referee Eddie Orengo left the ring to avoid it. Orengo was on the apron, so Drew and Priest collided into Orengo, who bumped off the apron to the floor. Drew charged and Priest hit a Powerbomb. Drew hit a Claymore Kick! Somebody in a referee shirt went down to the ring to count two. It was CM Punk in a referee’s shirt. Drew grabbed Punk, so Punk kicked Drew in the groin. Punk shoved Drew down and the fans booed that. Priest was back up with a South of Heaven Chokeslam for a second time and Priest covered Drew by laying on his back to sell how exhausted Priest was. Referee Eddie Orengo counted the one…two…and three. This match went 20:22.

Winner by pinfall: Damian Priest

Analysis: ***3/4 That was a great match with a result that might not surprise a lot of people. I guess I’m a little stunned by it because I thought they would go all the way with McIntyre getting the win in his home country, but no. It’s CM Punk screwing McIntyre out of the World Heavyweight Title at a moment when McIntyre had the match won. I certainly thought it was a possibility to have CM Punk screw Drew out of the title, but I didn’t really think it was going to happen. I just thought that the story was too easy to tell with McIntyre getting the big win in his home country, yet here he is with his heart broken again. Also, a shoutout to Damian Priest for working a lot of the match after his right leg was tied up between the ropes. I don’t think he tried to get his leg stuck on purpose, but it certainly looked like an accident to me. Anyway, these guys worked well together and had a very entertaining match even though the ending likely pissed off a lot of the fans in attendance.

After the match, Wade Barrett said that this was the worst night in the history of this industry. Wade said that this was worse than Clash at the Castle two years ago and at WrestleMania. Wade said that management need to do something about this and fire CM Punk. The announcers showed replays of what happened.

Analysis: I liked that reaction by Barrett. Well played. He’s such a great announcer.

Damian Priest celebrated with the World Heavyweight Title while Drew McIntyre was furious at ringside. They showed Priest holding the title one more time.

A video package aired to end the show.

The runtime of Clash At The Castle was 2 hours, 57 minutes on WWE Network/Peacock.

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Five Stars of the Show

1. Drew McIntyre because I feel sorry for him for that finish

2. Cody Rhodes

3. AJ Styles

4. Sami Zayn/Chad Gable

5. Damian Priest

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Final Thoughts

I’m going 8 out of 10 for this show.

I liked the show and thought it was one of the better PLEs this year. It was entertaining from start to finish. As you can see by my ratings, I had the Cody Rhodes-AJ Styles rated as the best match. It was a terrific battle with blood from both guys, a lot of weapons and a dramatic finish. That’s probably the end of that rivalry. The same can be said about the Sami Zayn-Chad Gable story which also produced a very good match. They are going to get a huge pop from the crowd whenever Otis turns on Gable officially. I liked that match quite a bit.

The two women’s matches were okay. I’m genuinely happy for Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn as Women’s Tag Team Champions, but I also think they could have been built up stronger. They did the classic “steal the pin” finish to protect Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill since they weren’t pinned in the match. The Bayley match with Piper Niven was as expected with Bayley keeping her title.

That main event was a rollercoaster ride of emotions because I really wanted Drew McIntyre to beat Damian Priest, but then in the back of my mind I thought they might do the CM Punk finish that we saw play out. Punk screwed Drew out of the title and now that feud will be even more intense. Props to Damian Priest for getting through the match even though he likely hurt his right leg when it was caught in the ropes. If you’re Drew McIntyre and WWE says the Clash at the Castle, just ask not to be booked on the show because it’s going to be a bad night. Just saying.

Here are my rankings of WWE PLE’s in 2024 so far:

WrestleMania 40 – 8.5 (out of 10)

Backlash France – 8

Clash at the Castle – 8

Royal Rumble – 7.75

King And Queen Of The Ring – 7.75

Elimination Chamber – 7.5

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As a reminder, I have a listing of every WWE PPV that I reviewed in order by year. Thank you for supporting us at TJRWrestling. We appreciate you.

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Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

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