After weeks of suspense, buildup and incendiary storylines, it was time for the WWE fists to meet the faces in Glasgow, Scotland at the "2024 Clash at the Castle" Premium Live Event and, as you could probably have guessed going into the fray, it did not disappoint — elevating the promotion yet again with a stellar international showing.
Attempting to predict each match’s outcome wasn’t an easy undertaking when given how layered each of the cards were, at least for the most part.
It was a show headlined by the goings on within the Alpha Academy and Chad Gable versus WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, Drew McIntyre fighting on his home turf against WWE Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest — sans The Judgment Day’s assistance, allegedly — and the raging blood feud between “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and “The Phenomenal” A.J. Styles.
And now it’s time to break it all down with a recap and review of everything that happened across the pond.
Undisputed WWE Championship -
Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles ("I Quit" match)
Result: Rhodes wins, Styles quits
Review: Wasting absolutely zero seconds getting to this match, one that could’ve easily (and was expected to be) the closer of the night, or at least the prelude to the closer, the WWE instead decided to jump Clash off with the long-awaited ‘I Quit” match between Rhodes and Styles — a gambit that paid off richly.
This marks the second time the two have met on an international in as many matches, and seeing as their brawl in France was an instant classic, all signs pointed to this being equal or greater.
Spoiler: it was greater.
Rhodes took control of the match early on, feeding off of the raucous Scottish crowd and using a Bionic Elbow and dropkick to send Styles outside of the ring where the Dudley Boyz would’ve been proud because out came the tables — a foreshadowing of later in the match. The fight spilled into the crowd from there, and then into the locker room area.
The match was completely off of the rails, as planned, and that began to turn in Styles’ favor, but it took a while, though credit to Styles for refusing to quit even in the middle of being tortured by a Figure Four submission hold before reversing a suplex that would toss both men onto the mat outside and Rhodes into a beating by way of a Brainbuster onto the broadcasters’ table.
The American Nightmare was caught in exactly that, a nightmare, afterwards as blood flowed down his face and Styles talked trash to Mama Rhodes (a big no-no as it relates to motivating Cody to your destruction).
Bloodied and battered in the middle of the ring, was Rhodes ready to quit?
“Absolutely not!” he yelled into the official’s microphone.
An attempted Styles Clash off of the steel stairs, reminiscent of weeks back on Smackdown, was reversed amid yells of “F— you, A.J.!!” from the crowd, and Rhodes was back in the thick of things yet again, evidenced by a Disaster Kick that nearly sent Styles’ head into the parking lot.
The Phenomenal One was flummoxed by Rhodes’ refusal to quit and so he figured chairs would be the recipe for success, putting Rhodes’ head in the chair and dropping knees on it with unbridled brutality, but still … there was no quit in Cody … so maybe Kendo Sticks would do the job, yes?
"HELL NO!"#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/NzdSCQ0i3S
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
“Hell no!” shouted Rhodes in defiance.
Taking a page out of The Final Boss’ playbook, several chops with a belt was the next play, but “you f—ed up”, per the crowd, and they weren’t wrong. Rhodes blacked out during the submission hold that followed but that meant he couldn’t say “I quit”, so Styles woke him up only to handcuff him in the middle of the ring — then beating him with Kendo Sticks to within an inch of his life.
“NO,” a traumatized Rhodes said to the official.
More psychological tactics were to follow from Styles, taunting Mama Rhodes before catching not one or two, but three slaps from the matriarch. It was all the time Cody needed to escape the handcuffs and put Styles through the table (I told you I was foreshadowing) outside of the ring. Rhodes then went feral, using the handcuff as if it were brass knuckles (Logan Paul would be proud).
Fish hook to the mouth. Cody Cutter off of the top rope. Cross Rhodes. Cross Rhodes again. Cross Rhodes one more time, and onto the very steel chair Styles wanted to use on Cody’s mother after getting the flavor of his lunch slapped out of his mouth.
REDEMPTION RHODES#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/qa8HURNRA2
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
Styles then found himself handcuffed to the ropes where he was pummeled by that very same chair and, out of self-preservation, Styles yelled “I quit!” as he cowered in the corner with Rhodes bearing down on him with the steel chairs as a weapon — Rhodes taking the victory before decimating him with the chairs anyway at the behest of Mama Rhodes.
Champions are now historically 5-2 in “I Quit” matches, and yet another classic banger is in the books between Rhodes and Styles.
But … has Styles really quit??
This feud is simply too amazing to subscribe to that fallacy.
We've got a SURPRISE brawl at #WWECastle! pic.twitter.com/PVWXBUL2fk
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
By the way, you can go ahead and reinsert The Bloodline into Rhodes’ sights, considering Solo Sikoa and his Samoan compatriots attacked the WWE Champion after the match, before Kevin Owens and “The Viper” Randy Orton came to his aid to run them off.
This will be great … if and only if it’s hinting at a return of the real tribal chief, Roman Reigns soon … possibly enlisting Rhodes (who is already besties with Jey Uso) in the inevitable Civil War to come.
I dream big, though.
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship -
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill vs. Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark vs. Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn
Result: Fyre, Dawn win clean (pinfall)
Review: There has been chaos in the women’s tag division since the belts were taken off of the Kabuki Warriors by Belair and Cargill, mostly because everyone is gunning for the newly-formed and insanely dominant duo. Some seem unqualified for such a battle, but Baszler and Stark don’t fall into that category at all.
And as we all discovered, neither did Fyre and Dawn.
All were more than worthy opponents, including Fyre and Dawn, who attacked both teams over the past several weeks and served as the wild card in this matchup wherein three women at a time were to be in the ring at any given time.
Fyre and Dawn have held gold before as tag team champions, but in NXT, and the two Scots were using their home field advantage early in the match. It didn’t exactly last long, though.
They were tossed around by the champs before Baszler and Stark used strategy in getting the champs out of the ring so they could make it a traditional tag match against the less-experienced Fyre and Dawn. That soon backFYREd though, as Baszler and Stark were made to pay for underestimating just how much heart matters in a match like this.
CHAMP FLEX! 💪#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/ktIx4x8Emr
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
Fyre and Dawn put on a much better fight than many would’ve probably expected (including me), and had a lot of savvy to their strategy, to boot. But the inexperience resurfaced when one accidentally superplexed the other, injuring a shoulder in the process (a solid work).
The match then shifted back to Baszler versus Cargill, the latter nearly fading to black during Kirifuda Clutch but Belair would have none of it — breaking it up with a somersault splash off of the top rope to Baszler’s back.
A damaged Baszler was in the midst of being pinned by Cargill when the danger of a triple threat match emerged in a hall of a way. Dawn would pull Cargill off with a German suplex before jumping onto Baszler herself to land the three-count pinfall, shocking the entire WWE by taking the titles and in front of their home crowd.
One word: wow.
NEW CHAMPS! NEW CHAMPS! NEW CHAMPS! 🏴#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/iN9wC5ydG6
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
Is this the end of Belair and Cargill as a tandem, with Cargill having been fully put over thanks to her stint alongside Belair?? One can only hope not.
This loss is the first-ever for their tag team.
To break kayfabe for a moment, it was also special to witness Fyre become a champion while also mourning the loss of her mother, that pain undoubtedly fueling her stellar performance in Glasgow.
Intercontinental Championship -
Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable
Result: Zayn wins clean (pinfall)
Review: With Otis and Maxxine both at ringside for this one, the stage was set for a possible interference in one way or another; and everyone watching wondered which side of the tracks they’d fall on in Scotland.
After all, they’re both obviously battling Stockholm Syndrome at the hands of Chad Gable, but that mask has been fracturing more and more with every bout of verbal, mental and physical abuse from the former Olympian.
It worked though, in the capacity of Gable landing another title shot with Zayn that he might’ve otherwise not been granted if not for the big-hearted nature of Zayn — in vehemently trying to save Otis from Gable … and from Otis himself.
Some new music for @SamiZayn! 👀#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/gSB4U0R2TI
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
And so it went that instead of focusing solely on Gable, Zayn took a moment or two during this match to approach Otis and Maxxine outside of the ring for added attempts at changing their minds.
Gable used that in his favor as well, shifting the momentum in his favor and then going to work on Zayn’s ankle and arm to weaken specific joints that Zayn sort of needs to wrestle.
It’s not exactly Gable’s first rodeo, after all.
That said, nor is it Zayn’s, and he’s been beaten to a pulp before and still clawed his way to victory, an ironic example being to take the belt off of Gunther due to the training of Gable.
Ah, the levels.
This was as much of a back-and-forth fight as you’ve seen in a while, mirroring their first bout. Haymakers were thrown by both, time and again, and a flying headbutt by Gable nearly got the three count against Zayn, but not so fast, my friend. With his gas light on, the Canadian continued to fight, through German suplexes before delivering his own sequence of Germans, a couple of minutes filled with sauerkraut.
Zayn and Gable also exchanged Crossface submissions but neither tapped out, nor did Zayn give in from an Ankle Lock.
“Come on, Sami! It’s over! It’s over!!” Gable yelled at Zayn.
He was wrong, though.
Zayn counted the move by rolling up on Gable and nearly getting a clean pinfall, but there was more fighting to do after a two-count kickout. There was pure chaos afterward, with Maxxine nearly catching a Helluva Kick that turned into Zayn catching a Chaos Theory but kicking out at the 2.9 count and then Gable throwing himself at whoever was in his way — including Otis and Maxxine.
By the time Gable made Maxxine’s ankle injury worse, Otis looked as if he was gonna blow his top, but toward who? Zayn or Gable???
THE SUSPENSE WAS LETHAL.
THE CHIVALRY CHAMPION!#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/2XTAb02xGf
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
He’d choose to play Switzerland and pick up Maxxine to carry her out and away from the ring. Gable’s fury toward those two took his attention away from Zayn and he ate a Helluva Kick for his troubles, costing him the match and another shot at a singles title (something he’s never held in WWE).
LIVID.#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/CqfDrXAI0t
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
The turn still hasn’t occurred yet by Otis, but this can’t go on much longer, and I have a feeling it won’t.
Especially not with the Creed Brothers on Gable’s radar as replacements in the Alpha Academy.
WWE Women's Championship -
Bayley vs. Piper Niven
Result: Bayley wins clean (pinfall)
Review: There is no doubt Bayley is living the good life after regaining the WWE Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania 40 from her former Damage CTRL counterpart Iyo Sky, and defending the title in Scotland against their hometown girl, Piper Niven, was a great way to celebrate her 35th birthday.
That is, of course, only if she walked away with the victory.
Niven did her best to soften up Bayley for this clash ahead of it, both mentally through verbal onslaughts and physically by way of a backstage attack only one day prior. It was, by far, the biggest stage ever stepped on by Niven, who went from being a solid middle card talent to seizing an opportunity to replace an injured Sonya Deville as tag team champion alongside Chelsea Green in a tandem that seemed very odd initially but has turned into one of the more interesting (in a good way) duos in the WWE.
Green is as much Niven’s manager as she is her teammate, after all.
In Scotland, though? Green managed to get herself banned from ringside by the official, and Niven was visibly distraught by the decision.
She's OUTTA here! 🙌#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/J37iyOBCMM
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
It’s unwise to be distracted in such a way when going against a future Hall of Famer, so refocusing, and quickly, was key for “the spicy margarita”. She was able to do so and put Bayley through the paces, impressively so, including withstanding some punishment in return without folding.
The crowd cheering her on didn’t hurt her chances whatsoever.
Bayley would get things going back in her favor and punctuated the momentum shift with a flying elbow off of the top turnbuckle, but running full speed toward a powerhouse swiftly devolved into the champ being picked up and power slammed into the mat below. Not to be outdone, Bayley would slam Niven off of the top turnbuckle but couldn’t enjoy the moment.
SHE'S BACK!#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/DrTefb3rZG
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
That’s because Green ran back to ringside wearing a luchador mask, pissing Bayley off in the process and leading to Green’s head being bounced off of the barrier like a pickleball to a paddle.And when push came to shove, it was Bayley ending Niven’s dream with a night terror via a Crucifix Driver.
“And still …”
But if WWE’s goal was to put Niven over as a solo talent, consider that mission accomplished, at least in my eyes.
World Heavyweight Championship -
Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre
Result: Priest wins due to interference
Review: Grand opening, grand closing. That’s what the WWE was going for when they booked Rhodes versus Styles as the opening act, another classic fight, and Priest versus McIntyre as the final match of the day.
The entirety of Scotland stood behind McIntyre in this one, much like they did for Piper Niven (unsuccessfully) and Fyre and Dawn (very successfully), and Balor’s loss to McIntyre on WWE RAW led to The Judgment Day being banned from ringside — though it feels as if that’s secretly what Priest wanted to happen anyway.
Why? Well, to prove El Campeon doesn’t need them to win.
And, with that, the fight was on in Glasgow.
THIS IS AWE-SOME! 👏👏 👏👏👏#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/dDH85YuxSS
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
McIntyre didn’t allow Priest a moment of relaxation to begin the clash, going after the champion fast and furiously, the likes of which would make Dominic Toretto proud. Priest would recover quickly and get his own blows off as well, leaving McIntyre doubled over in pain ringside before getting him back in the ring to finish his assault.
The two then exchanged chops in the middle of the ring that sounded like a slap-off between Gunther and Ric Flair.
A mistake (botch) by Priest that left him dangling from the top rope by his ankle like a slab of meat in a slaughterhouse was capitalized on by McIntyre, who then freed Priest because he wouldn’t have been able to take the title with the champ in that situation.
So he suplexed him back into the ring as a favor.
One FutureShock DDT later, McIntyre could still not earn the three count though, as Priest left it all on the mat in enemy territory, though his ankle really began to fail him more and more as the match rolled on — though not enough to keep Priest from tossing a profane gesture to the Scottish crowd.
Ooh, spicy.
Razor’s Edge, completed, but McIntyre kicked out to the cheers of the very fans whom Priest had just disrespected moments prior, then giving Priest the very same profane gesture in the middle of the ring.
OOH, SPICY.
A Claymore that put Priest through the barricade was overcome and another attempt at the Claymore became a South of Heaven at the expense of McIntyre and, as the crowd readily chanted, the match was indeed “awesome”. A third attempt at a Claymore landed square, but still to no avail.
Priest was still in the fight, to the point McIntyre was on the verge of calling a preacher.
But a fourth Claymore was ordered and delivered, though it didn’t matter because the official was knocked out of the match by “accident” so there was no one to count Priest out for what was nearly a seven count. An official did run out at the last minute to count but they stopped at two, stood up and when the camera panned around it was … guess who?
C.M. PUNK.
It's CM PUNK!!!#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/T8SsLiAaqi
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
Man, that sounds a lot like someone’s pre-PLE prediction, amirite?
Priest went on to finish McIntyre with one final South of Heaven chokeslam to retain the belt, but the feud between McIntyre and Punk is not at another level with Summerslam written all over it — the perfect plan going into this match for the WWE writers and Triple H.
how it happened 👀#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/Vn14PQxh06
— WWE (@WWE) June 15, 2024
McIntyre is going to lose his mind on Monday Night RAW, so join me there!
