Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
WWE Clash at the Castle 2024 results, grades and analysis: CM Punk costs Drew McIntyre in the main event
A strong show was bookended by excellent matches involving the top two men's champions in WWE
WWE's Clash at the Castle was the fourth consecutive premium live event to take place away from U.S. soil. Emanating from the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday's show marked just the second time ever WWE has held Clash at the Castle, the last coming in 2022, when it took place in Wales.
There were five matches on the card, and all of them had championships at stake. Of those five matches, three featured Scottish natives — Drew McIntyre, Piper Niven, Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre.
The night kicked off with Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles in an "I Quit" match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The main event was Scotland's own McIntyre challenging Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. The bookend matches were the best of the card.
Dawn and Fyre were the biggest hometown winners in front of the Glasgow crowd, capturing the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships in the night's only title change.
WWE Clash at the Castle results
Cody Rhodes def. AJ Styles in 27:50 to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Grade: A
Best spot: Rhodes countered a Phenomenal Forearm
Analysis: Rhodes and Styles put on a much different match than the one we saw a few weeks back at Backlash France. While it was almost certain that Rhodes was not going to mutter the words “I quit,” Styles was on the offensive for most of the match. We saw a different, more violent side of Rhodes in the closing segment, with the champion showing a ferocity by hitting Styles with the steel steps even as he was defenseless and the match ended. After the match we got a glimpse at potentially the next challenge for Rhodes, a six-man showdown alongside Kevin Owens and Randy Orton against The Bloodline.
Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre def. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark and Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill in 12:19 to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
Grade: B
Best spot: Belair/Cargill finisher and Dawn/Fyre stealing the win
Analysis: A legitimate surprise as it felt coming in that Belair and Cargill’s reign was not close to ending. Fyre and Dawn pick up the biggest win of their careers and get an awesome feel-good moment in front of their hometown crowd. Aside from the title change, the segment where Cargill appeared to tap to Baszler’s Kirifuda Clutch is the first time we have seen any weakness from her character since arriving in WWE. It seems as if we could be heading for a split between the dethroned tag team champions.
Sami Zayn def. Chad Gable in 22:13 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
Grade: B+
Best spot: Gable/Zayn exchanging German suplexes
Analysis: This was an entertaining match from both technical and storytelling perspectives. It followed a similar format to what we have seen with recent Gable/Alpha Academy matches, but it appears as if we have finally seen Otis and Maxxine Dupri make their decisions when it comes to the Academy leader. We likely see a feud between Gable and Otis develop and pay off in the coming weeks while Zayn starts an entirely new program for the Intercontinental Championship — perhaps with someone like Finn Balor or Bron Breakker.
Bayley def. Piper Niven in 13:35 to retain the WWE Women's Championship
Grade: B+
Best spot: Bayley’s crucifix driver for the victory
Analysis: Chelsea Green of course factored into the match multiple times here, and while she was entertaining, Niven showed yet again that she’s good enough in the ring to not need the hijinx. The sudden ending of this match was very well done, showing the threat Niven posed to Bayley’s reign and even earning a nod of respect from the champion. Niven probably enters the Money in the Bank ladder match as Bayley turns her attention to SummerSlam and a showdown with Nia Jax.
Damian Priest def. Drew McIntyre in 20:18 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
Grade: A
Best spot: Priest delivering Razor’s Edge on one leg
Analysis: It was clear that CM Punk was going to get involved in one way or another to cost McIntyre the championship yet again, but this match still delivered on every level. An excellent bookend after opening with Styles-Rhodes, it probably could have been even better if Priest hadn’t clearly suffered an ankle injury after getting tied up in the ropes. That said, it was impressive he was able to continue at the level he did for another 10-15 minutes. As for what’s next, we’ll have Punk and McIntyre — which feels a little more like a SummerSlam payoff — and Priest is locked into a showdown with King of the Ring winner Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.
For full match breakdown and analysis, check out the recaps from our live coverage below.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER9 updates