Clash at the Castle (2022)
Clash at the Castle | |||
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Promotion WWE | | ||
Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
Date | September 3, 2022 | ||
City | Cardiff, Wales | ||
Venue | Principality Stadium | ||
Attendance | 62,296[1] | ||
WWE Network event chronology | |||
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Clash at the Castle chronology | |||
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WWE in Europe chronology | |||
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The 2022 Clash at the Castle was a
Seven matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event,
Production
Background
On October 25, 2021, the American
The event aired on
In the first 24 hours after the event's initial announcement, it was reported that 59,000 people had pre-registered for tickets. This broke a company record at the time, with more fans registering for pre-sale tickets than any other WWE event, including WrestleMania.[9] Tickets went on sale on May 20, with hospitality packages also available.[10][11] By August 19, 2022, 63,803 tickets had been sold.[12]
Storylines
The event comprised seven matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed
On the July 8 episode of SmackDown, Drew McIntyre was scheduled to face fellow European native
On the August 5 episode of SmackDown,
After
At SummerSlam,
On the August 19 episode of SmackDown, Sheamus won a
At SummerSlam,
Event
Role: | Name: |
---|---|
English commentators | Michael Cole |
Corey Graves | |
Byron Saxton | |
Spanish commentators | Marcelo Rodriguez
|
Jerry Soto | |
Ring announcer | Samantha Irvin
|
Referees | Shawn Bennett |
Dan Engler | |
Jessika Carr | |
Eddie Orengo | |
Charles Robinson | |
Rod Zapata | |
Pre-show panel | Jackie Redmond |
Matt Camp | |
Peter Rosenberg |
Pre-show
During the Clash at the Castle Kickoff pre-show,
Preliminary matches
The actual pay-per-view opened with Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair facing Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky) in a six-woman tag team match. In the end, Sky performed a moonsault on Belair and Bayley pinned Belair to win the match.[1]
Next, Gunther (accompanied by the reformed
After that, Liv Morgan defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Shayna Baszler. In the end, Morgan performed the Oblivion on Baszler to retain the title.[1]
In the fourth match, Edge and Rey Mysterio (accompanied by Dominik Mysterio) faced The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Bálor; accompanied by Rhea Ripley). In the closing moments, Rey and Edge performed the
In the penultimate match, Matt Riddle faced Seth "Freakin" Rollins. As Rollins attempted a
Main event
In the main event, Roman Reigns defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre.
Reception
The event received universal acclaim from fans and critics, particularly for the Intercontinental Championship match which received five stars from Dave Meltzer, making it WWE's second five-star match of 2022. The main event, however, was criticized by some for its ending. The match received a 4-and-a-half star rating, while Rollins vs. Riddle received a 4-and-a-quarter star rating. Triple H said that Clash at the Castle was a massive success, stating that Clash at the Castle was the number one international PPV in WWE history, the highest rated UK PPV in WWE history, and the best-selling non-WrestleMania event in WWE history.[31]
Wesley Roesch of Wrestling Inc. called Clash at the Castle the "best 2022 Premium Live Event", stating that "from start to finish, the event was a classic". He stated that the six-woman tag team match "set up a feud between Bayley and Belair", and the SmackDown Women's Championship match was "a good women's title match". Roesch stated that Edge and Rey vs. Judgment Day was "an entertaining match", and Dominik "earned massive heat" with his attack on Edge and Rey. Roesch called the three "standout matches" on the card the Riddle vs. Rollins match, which "blew off an outstanding, personal jab-filled matchup", the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match, which was a "30-minute clinic" between Reigns and McIntyre, and the Intercontinental title match, which Roesch stated as "the best match of the night" and a "five-star match of the year candidate", stating that Sheamus vs. Gunther was "an absolutely brutal, hard-hitting match that the crowd clearly loved", and that Gunther retaining the title was "a great way to put him over as a major threat in WWE".[32]
Brent Brookhouse of CBS Sports stated that "from start to finish, Clash at the Castle brought it in the ring, including one of the best matches of the year". He called the six-woman tag team match "a very fun match", Dominik Mysterio's betrayal on Rey "a long time coming, but WWE needed to pull the trigger eventually", and the Rollins vs. Riddle match "a good, hard-hitting match". Brookhouse called the main event match "a very good match that could have used a bit better pacing early on and a fine way to keep the belts on Reigns while keeping McIntyre strong", and gave the Intercontinental Championship match a grade of A+, the highest rated match of the night, stating that the match "was a perfect match for what these two men do. An old-school bout featuring true physicality".[33]
Wade Keller of Pro Wrestling Torch gave the six-woman tag team match 2.25 stars, stating that the match had a few "clunky spots", but "the crowd was red-hot and still into it late despite the length". He called Dominik Mysterio's betrayal on Rey getting "a ton of old school heat", and gave the Intercontinental Championship match 4.25 stars, stating that the "95 percent of the offense as chops and forearms" "added up to a brutal and compelling and effective match". Keller gave the highest rated matches of the event the Rollins vs. Riddle match and the main event, both receiving 4.5 stars, stating that Rollins vs. Riddle was an "excellent match". He said that "not only were the moves well-executed, but so many had a psychological back story by either using the other person's moves or Orton's", and that "a lack of selling big spots in order to keep the action going" "baked into the modern "big match" style, so be it". Keller called the main event "an amazing main event in so many ways", stating that "Reigns's current reign is so special and effective, it's hard to question the decision to keep the belt on him". He called the finish "a copout", but "in Levesque's defense he inherited this match on the schedule and shouldn't be criticized for doing such a good, convincing job building up Drew as a possible winner here", and also said that "Theory's run-in was a fun moment".[34]
Aftermath
Due to the success of Clash at the Castle, on January 5, 2023, WWE announced a return to the United Kingdom for the annual
Raw
On the following episode of Raw, Edge came out and stated that he had known Dominik Mysterio for a long time and recounted his history with the Mysterio family. Rey, Dominik's father, then came out and wanted an explanation for Dominik's actions. Dominik then came out, flanked by The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) and ignored his father. After Rey sadly walked backstage, Edge then vowed to get an answer out of Dominik, however, Judgment Day viciously attacked Edge. Later that night, Rey faced Priest in a losing effort.
Also on Raw, footage was shown of Seth "Freakin" Rollins rejecting Matt Riddle's rematch challenge immediately after their match at Clash at the Castle.
Also, Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky) continued to target Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair. Kai and Sky went on to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship on the September 12 episode of Raw.[39] The following week, Bliss, Asuka, and Belair interrupted Damage CTRL's celebration for Kai and Sky's victory, leading to a match between Bliss and Asuka for that episode's main event, where Bayley won. After the match, Kai, Sky, and Bayley attacked Bliss. Belair made the save, but was also attacked by the three, as was Asuka. Bayley then stated that she wanted a Raw Women's Championship match at Extreme Rules, reiterating the fact that she pinned Belair at Clash at the Castle.[41] On the September 26 episode, Bayley challenged Belair to a ladder match for the title at Extreme Rules, and Belair accepted. Belair then defeated Sky.[40] The following week, Sky defeated Bliss due to Bayley and Kai preventing interference from Asuka and Belair. After the match, Damage CTRL laid out Bliss, Asuka (who would both be out of action for four weeks), and Belair before heading on the top of a ladder.[43]
SmackDown
On the following episode of SmackDown, Solo Sikoa officially joined The Bloodline, thus making his main roster debut. Later that night, Sikoa fought Drew McIntyre where he lost via disqualification due to Karrion Kross attacking McIntyre, who would begin a rivalry with Kross.
Also on SmackDown, Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci) defeated The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch) in a six-man tag team match.
On the October 14 episode of SmackDown, Rey Mysterio was traded to SmackDown to avoid The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, Finn Bálor, and Dominik Mysterio) on Raw.[50] However, Rey and Dominik's paths would cross again at the 2023 Royal Rumble. Rey was supposed to compete in the men's Royal Rumble match, but he never came out when his entrance music played. Dominik then entered, carrying Rey's mask, implying that he attacked his dad to prevent him from entering. With Ripley winning the women's Royal Rumble match[51] and choosing to challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship,[52] the group began appearing on SmackDown, thus Dominik began tormenting his dad again. After weeks of Rey refusing to attack Dominik,[53][54][55][56] on the March 24 episode of SmackDown, Dominik disrespected Rey's mother and sister, forcing Rey to intervene and hit Dominik. It was then confirmed that Rey and Dominik would face each other at WrestleMania 39.[57]
Results
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Undisputed WWE Universal Championship[64] | 30:47 | |||
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See also
References
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