It has been a big weekend for pro wrestling, but since I only have so much time on my hands, I'm watching three supercard events throughout the week instead of losing sleep. First is Clash at the Castle, WWE's first event in the United Kingdom in decades, and the first main roster PPV I've watched in more than a year. WWE has also undergone a seismic shift in creative control, and because of this, I'm more intrigued by the product than I ever was for the past couple of years. I'm watching more closely at WWE than I used to, and now I feel compelled to actually watch PPVs in full. WWE Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, & Asuka vs. Dakota Kai, Bayley, & IYO SKY (Io Shirai) One of the earliest shock moments during the changing of the guard within WWE was the return of Bayley, flanked by Dakota Kai (who was released from WWE earlier in the year) and the former Io Shirai (who has been off TV for a long time, leading some to believe she was on her way out). The new faction targeted the top champion of Raw immediately upon their return, and they appear to be building towards Bayley eventually challenging Belair for the title. This was more or less a standard six-person tag match, and the story in-ring is that the heels are able to maintain control of most of the match by keeping the faces from tagging in the champion. Belair was eventually able to tag in, but the heels outsmart her and regain the advantage. It took three finishers from her entire team, but Bayley is able to get the pin on the champion. Solid opener, simple but effective storytelling, and an interesting result that sets up the next chapter in the main event feud. GUNTHER (c) vs. Sheamus (Intercontinental Championship match) The former WALTER has been killing it in his main roster run, capturing the IC title and putting on incredible matches along the way. His next challenger is Sheamus, who only needs the IC title to complete his Grand Slam. I was very excited for this one simply because it's two hard-hitting big dudes against one another. Before the match starts, we see that Imperium is reformed as Giovanni Vinci (FKA Fabian Aichner) joins Ludwig Kaiser (FKA Marcel Barthel) to back up their Ring General. Big fan of this reunion; Imperium was awesome in NXT and NXT UK. The two brawl with Butch (Pete Dunne) and Ridge Holland before the bell rings, while the champion and challenger stare each other down, unfazed. Cool shot. This was every bit the awesome slugfest I was hoping it would be. GUNTHER was an unstoppable force for most of the match, but Sheamus really came across as a resilient bastard, surviving the most brutal of GUNTHER's offense and dishing out some hard hits of his own. The two walloped the fuck out of each other for several minutes until GUNTHER took advantage of Sheamus's injured lower back. GUNTHER retains after one wicked lariat, but Sheamus at least gets a hell of a well-deserved ovation from the fiery crowd. Liv Morgan (c) vs. Shayna Baszler (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship match) Liv Morgan made some magic happen when she won the Money in the Bank contract and cashed it in on the same night to fulfill her dream of becoming the top champion. Her reign hasn't been smooth sailing, however, as her ability to carry the title is constantly called into question (especially since her title defense against Ronda Rousey ended in questionable fashion). Now, another formidable opponent steps up, as former NXT Women's Champion and habitual limb-breaker Shayna Baszler is gunning for the title. It probably isn't going to surprise people that this plays out like the standard underdog match, as Morgan is clearly outmatched against Baszler's brutal submission-based offense. Moreover, Liv's left arm was injured in previous weeks, and that makes it a prime target for Baszler. The challenger dominates most of the match, but as Liv shows both her guts and her craftiness (countering submission holds into pins and such), Baszler gets increasingly frustrated that an opponent she thinks is beneath her keeps surviving. That is ultimately her undoing, as the champion manages to lock in a few submissions of her own, and eventually hits Oblivion (perfect finisher name, by the way) to retain the title. Based on what I see, people aren't as keen on Liv Morgan as champion, but I personally enjoyed that match and think she still has potential to put on even better defenses. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio Edge's feud with the Judgment Day is a bit weird, given he assembled the faction in the first place, and he ended up getting kicked out after feuding with Balor. They've since been locked in a heated feud which eventually grew to include both Rey and Dominik Mysterio fighting against the bad guys. One of the most notable aspects of the feud of late is Dominik being constantly targeted by Rhea Ripley, which I'm sure is a lot of people's wild fantasy. Again, I thought this was a standard tag match (heels dominate in the early stretches, faces find their momentum back), but things get interesting when Dominik of all people interferes on behalf of his dad's team, and that leads to the win. Also, Edge hits a 619. That was amusing. The real story happens after the bell, as Dominik finally turns heel by kicking Edge in the nuts and hitting a brutal lariat on his own dad. It's an interesting development that should give his character a much-needed refresh. My favorite part was Judgment Day laughing their asses off like they haven't just lost a match. Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins This is perhaps the most personal blood feud on the card, as these two have been throwing both verbal and physical attacks at one another since before SummerSlam, when this match was supposed to originally take place (with Rollins going out of his way to stomp the shit out of Riddle multiple times). Shit gets super spicy in the weeks close to this show when Rollins talks mad shit about Riddle's family and Riddle loses his shit (which, of course, is a contrast to his usual stoner bro disposition). Although this is meant to be a blood feud, the match itself was a great wrestling match where both performers threw out impressive moves and equally impressive counters. Rollins remains excellent as a slimy heel and Riddle seemed to do his best to contain his rage. Things change when Rollins goes all in on taunting Riddle, and the latter flies off the handle. Rollins takes advantage of Riddle's emotional outburst to take a victory. This was a much-needed victory for Rollins (who's been losing PPVs lately), and this is bound to lead to a more intense stipulation match at Extreme Rules (which I hope is happening). Roman Reigns (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match) While I think that Reigns more than deserves his two-year long title reign, I feel like it's run its course between the endings of each defense feeling too similar or too predictable, as well as the fact that he and the Usos are now holding four titles hostage between them. They have to be building to a big challenger finally toppling the Tribal Chief at a major event (and freeing up the two titles for both brands), but for how long this has gone on and how many challengers have lost (some in terrible fashion), who on earth could it be, and when? I felt like Drew McIntyre in Britain was a perfect moment to pull the trigger on Reigns finally losing, both for the possibly seismic crowd reaction it'll cause and to give McIntyre the WrestleMania cheers he didn't get because of the pandemic. McIntyre gets a special video package with his original theme Broken Dreams (one of the best goddamn entrance themes ever) before he enters the ring. That song is too good and we need to bring it back proper. As far as main events go, this felt like a proper epic encounter. The crowd was absolutely rabid for McIntyre and cheering pretty much his every move, and the match itself was a gradual crescendo that went from slow action to insane near-falls and counters. Every big move felt like an edge-of-your-seat moment, and that is thanks in no small part to the amazing crowd erupting every time McIntyre survives a pin attempt. Reigns played his heel role to perfection, but I loved the additional layer in his mannerisms that show that he may be second guessing himself since his backup is nowhere to be seen, and the crowd is fully against him. McIntyre was every bit the (sort of but not really) hometown hero, and he held his own against the dominant champion. Things get wild in the final stretches, as the ref is taken out, Austin Theory tries to cash in (and is knocked out before he could get a chance), and in the chaos, McIntyre decks Reigns (who was attempting to use a steel chair) with a Claymore Kick. Just when it felt like McIntyre was going to get his big moment, a hooded figure yanks the ref before he can finish the three-count. Enter Solo Sikoa, the Usos' other brother who had a brief run in NXT 2.0. It appears he is part of the Bloodline now, and his interference was enough to secure the victory for the Tribal Chief. I really hope that whatever they have planned with regards to Reigns losing the titles to a worthy challenger is that damn good, because this match was lightning in a bottle, except you smashed the bottle. Everything about this match was screaming "Drew McIntyre should win," but they decide to have Reigns retain again with some assistance (granted, it's assistance from someone new, but still). I have little doubt that such an ending left the UK crowd (who have been begging for a WWE event of this caliber since 1992) quite deflated, and that's a shame. I still think the match was fantastic (a fact that should not be overlooked), but I won't really blame most fans if they fixate on the ending. I feel like this is one of those moments where the path of least resistance is the best course of action, and WWE not going for it here may be one of the biggest missed opportunities in recent memory. Despite the ending, I thought this show was solid from top to bottom, and I'm glad that the UK fans finally got a WWE PPV event after what feels like a criminally long time. Now, I'm left wondering what's next for McIntyre after such a heartbreaking loss, and how the Bloodline changes with Solo Sikoa now in the mix.
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June 2024
Derryck
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