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PWInsider.com spoke with WWE's Piper Niven earlier this week to discuss next week's Clash at the Castle, which will see Niven return to her home country of Scotland to challenge WWE Women's Champion Bayley.
Reflecting on what a major moment it is for her personally, Niven commented, "It's going to be a real full circle moment, because I have performed in the Hydro before with Insane Championship Wrestling. We did Fear and Loathing there. I think it was 2019 and it's certainly going to feel a bit different. I'd always hoped and dreamed, that one day I'd be wrestling for WWE in front of my home country and now, it's actually happening so I'm gonna be sure just to take an extra beat and soak it all in when I'm ready I make my entrance and I'm hoping I'm going to see a lot of familiar faces. I'm hoping I'm going to see a lot of new faces as well. Like, we've known that the Scottish fans are some of the best fans in the whole world, and I can't wait to hear them roar again."
As a lifelong professional wrestling fan, Niven reflected on what she hopes the moment provides for younger Scottish women who were her age when she fell in love with the genre.
"Hope," Niven said after a long pause.
"Scotland is an incredibly beautiful country, but it can also be an incredibly difficult place to live," she explained. "A lot of people struggle to survive in Scotland an I hope us being there and seeing us perform, whether it's live or whether it's on TV or however they manage to see I hope it brings them hope for their future and things that they can achieve and not even just in a wrestling sense. I want them to see that it's possible to come from a small town and a small country and not come from much and achieve their dreams. I hope they see a bigger woman wrestling breaking the mold in an industry that usually caters to people that maybe look more like fitness models or whatever, and I hope that it gives them hope that they can achieve what it is that they want to achieve. That's what I want for them."
In discussing WWE's pivot towards larger-scale events internationally leading to Clash at the Castle in Scotland, Niven said, "It's huge for me. There's quite a huge Scottish contingency now in WWE, and we always knew that Scotland was a bit special and when it came to wrestling stuff and now, that's been acknowledged. Now that's being realized and this Premium Live Event in Scotland is such a long time coming. There's been such a huge wrestling boom in Scotland and I really feel like the fans deserve this. Hopefully this will be one of many."
As far as the energy Scottish fans will bring, Niven noted she's counting down to the moment of the show.
"I'm very excited for it. [The fan energy] really just brings a whole 'nother level to it when the fans are as excited as they are with the UK crowds and the France crowds. We feed off that energy as well and it really makes us kick it up another gear and it just becomes this mad power exchange. It really it helps us perform better and when we are performing better and we're enjoying the moment and the crowd are more into it. It really just makes it a great experience for everyone. Like you said, I do feel like the Scottish fans have got some tough competition and because the fans in Lyon [Backlash: France] were really going at it, but I have no doubt that [Scotland is] gonna go for it and do not just as well....I think they're going to do it one better."
Niven isn't overlooking that next week will be the biggest opportunity she has had to date inside a WWE ring, either.
"I absolutely recognize this is the biggest match in my career so far," Niven noted, "And sometimes I have to take a step back and look at the big picture, and it certainly has made it all worth it. There's been there's been a lot of life that I've sacrificed for wrestling. Birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries, whole relationships that I've forgone to be in this position and yeah this certainly makes it all feel worth it and I always feel that wrestling isn't the destination. It's the journey. And I feel like this will be one of my pit stops on the journey that I'll remember forever."
Niven vs. Bayley will take place on Saturday 6/15 as part of WWE's Clash at the Castle 2024 from Glasgow, Scotland on Peacock and the WWE Network, as well as other outlets internationally.
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