Road to Clash: WWE Clash at the Castle Scotland Preview
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WWE crosses the pond this weekend for their first ever PLE emanating from Scotland. Glasgow’s OVO Hydro will play host to Clash at the Castle on Saturday, June 15th. The card, while certainly targeted at a Scottish market, is very good. Fans will get two very solid world championship matches, one with a gimmick and one likely ending with a memorable moment. They’re also getting a match for the Intercontinental Championship with a lot of heat behind it. Let’s not forget, there are two women’s title matches featuring Scottish challengers.
Clash at the Castle makes its return after a year away, following a very successful debut event in 2022. The event took place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The event is best known for the five-star classic between Gunther and Sheamus… It’s the first main roster match to be given that distinction since 2011.
The Local Hero
Drew McIntyre will be the focal point, as 11,000 in attendance will be hoping that he can finally finish his story. It was the same event in 2022 where McIntyre faced Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. It really was looking like the Chosen One was about to fulfill his destiny. But, thanks to the main roster debut of today’s self-appointed Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa, he was stopped in his tracks.
These days it’s another faction in the way of Drew’s destiny, that being the Judgement Day. The World Heavyweight Champion, Damian Priest, will stand across the squared circle. While McIntyre has 11,000 people in his corner, Priest will be alone. Thanks to Finn Bálor’s defeat to the Scotsman on Raw, The Judgment Day will be banned from ringside. There is one more man who could have a part to play though…
While nothing has been announced, Saturday feels ripe for a CM Punk appearance. I mean he has to be there, right? It’s Drew’s moment, and like WrestleMania, I’m sure Punk will look to ruin it. Will he be successful this time? There are doubts. But, I’m sure he will relish in a heel reaction for the night.
Who Will Say “I Quit”?
Elsewhere, the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, puts his title on the line for the second time against AJ Styles. This time, it’ll be in an I Quit match after an intense and heated couple of weeks on SmackDown. AJ didn’t don the salmon suit a la Mark Henry, but he did throw a false retirement before viciously proving to Rhodes that the issue wasn’t settled between the two from their Backlash France match on May 4th.
A Hometown Tag Team with a Point to Prove
Piper Niven, Alba Fyre, and Isla Dawn will all challenge for championships in their home country. Niven will face SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bayley, while Fyre and Dawn (which in itself is a better name than Unholy Union) will challenge for Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair’s Women’s Tag Team Championships. The match will also feature the team of Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. Fyre is one of the most underrated, under-appreciated, and underutilized wrestlers in the company, regardless of gender. I’m very excited to finally see her in what seems to be a spotlight where she can shine in her hometown after a tough month in her personal life away from the ring.
Piper Niven’s Time to Shine
The same three descriptors applying to Alba Fyre can also apply to Piper Niven, which is appropriate given their history with each other on the Scottish independent scene. They actually competed against each other at the OVO Hydro twice already, at the 2016 and 2017 iterations of ICW Fear of Loathing.
Niven has largely been a background character since coming to the main roister, first with Eva Marie (remember Doudrop?) and more recently with Chelsea Green. This match with Bayley, like her compatriots in the prior match, provides the biggest spotlight in her WWE career to date. I would go as far as saying that exclusively-main roster watching WWE fans have only seen a tiny fraction of what Viper is truly capable of. Bayley might just be the perfect opponent to show that for the first time…
The former Artist of Stardom Champion (a trios belt which she held with IYO SKY and one of my personal favorites, Hazuki) will be a woman on a mission in this match. Expect many people talking about this one come the night’s end.
A Hot Build for the Intercontinental Championship
The final match to touch on is the Intercontinental Championship match between challenger, Chad Gable, and defending champion, Sami Zayn. I think the build has been nothing short of excellent. Fans at Raw have been desperate to see Otis finally turn his back on Gable and his Alpha Academy teachings. It seems to have set up a perfect crescendo where this happens on Saturday, and it will get one of the bigger reactions on the show. Between Zayn and Gable, it should be an excellent match following on from their classic in Montreal. Which is where Gable cemented his turn on a former friend after the match. That only means that the heat in this match is far higher, largely thanks to some excellent storytelling.
I expect the Hydro to be very loud for this one, because it will likely be the perfect opener to set the tone for a show. However, I think come Saturday, X will be full of fans saying, “You know what? That was a damn good show.” All that will hopefully be capped off by Drew McIntyre finally winning the big one in front of hometown a crowd… And holding it for longer than five minutes.
What do you expect to happen on Saturday? Let us know in the comments below.
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