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WWE CLASH AT THE CASTLE 2024
BROKEN DREAMS
Unfortunately Drew McIntyre did not come out to Broken Dreams, and if he didn’t here, he probably never will again. However, CM Punk did deliver Broken Dreams to Drew. If you were shocked by this finish, you haven’t been paying close enough attention to this story. It was a ballsy move from WWE, and one that no doubt pissed off a lot of fans in attendance, but it was the right move when you look at the bigger picture. The bigger story is more important than a one night pop, especially when this story is as hot as it is. Drew vs Punk does not need the title, and will likely be a top Summerslam match, and with Gunther set to challenge for the world title there, it was unlikely that it was ever in consideration for Drew to win. Damien Priest was lucky his career wasn’t ended after that horrific accident, and to deliver the performance he did afterwards was quite amazing. Arguably his career best given the circumstances.
The Punk run in was so brilliantly, and simply shot to maximise Drew’s reaction and slowly reveal that Punk was in the ring. The backstage bit released on social media explaining how Punk ended up with a referee shirt was an excellent touch, and something that just wouldn’t have been explained in years past. The ref bump to get there was fantastically creative too. The argument could be made that given how heelish Punk’s interference was, and how sympathetic it made Drew, they could do a double turn. But I don’t believe that will be the case, as we will be back to normal face/heel dynamics in front of US crowds.
Drew McIntyre losing in Clash of the Castle main events is becoming a tradition. Surely at some point in the future, when Drew is a full babyface again, he will get his moment in front of a UK audience. As for now? I can’t wait to see what happens with Drew driven even more insane by Punk, than he was before.
RETIREMENT RUSE
The above is a phrase I never want to hear Michael Cole say again. AJ Styles has largely gone unnoticed almost since the pandemic. I’m struggling to think of anything he’s done of note since the Boneyard match. It looked like his best days were behind him and maybe his career was starting to wind down, at least as a main event player. Well Styles apparently has different ideas. His work in this Cody Rhodes programme has been some of the best of his career, with his promo on Smackdown this week, arguably one of his career best.
It’s probably been close to two decades since we had a WWE match featuring both competitors bleeding. Whether they bladed, or used blood packets was hard to tell. There wasn’t much of it, but enough to add to the physicality and intensity of the match. Particularly the beating Cody was taking. It is very hard to have these high stakes, blood feud ending grudge matches without this level of violence. This level of believability has largely been missing from WWE programming in recent years. Cody’s mother was somewhat of a red herring in the front row. How many times have I Quit matches ended with a family member being threatened? It is very hard to have a satisfying end to a match like this, because the normal flow and peak of a match that you normally get with near falls is missing. This was a satisfying conclusion, even if it did seem somewhat abrupt.
The post match face off between Cody and Solo Sikoa sets up Cody’s next title programme. Possibly at Summerslam? Maybe a huge Bloodline vs Cody, KO & Orton six man tag at Money in the Bank? Cody vs Orton is surely coming in the future too.
PIPER NIVEN
If AEW gets called out for throwing people into title matches with no build, then WWE should be too. Piper Niven was done no favours with the lack of build to this match. Surely if they had this match planned, some effort should have been made to establish her as a threat or an important figure on TV in the lead up to this. I was stunned at how little they did with her on this week's Smackdown, especially in front of the Scottish crowd.
Bayley was too likeable for the crowd to turn on, and Chelsea Green being part of Piper’s act here, plus the lack of build for her on TV meant that the crowd were only partly into her. This all led to a somewhat muted crowd for a large portion of this. The work in the match was good, of course. Piper Niven is vastly underutilised by WWE. She is a great, experienced worker with a lot to offer. This was easily her best main roster performance, and one that hopefully made some people take notice. Bayley’s music is absolutely atrocious. It’s so bad that it kills the crowd pop for her. WWE’s music in general is probably the worst it’s ever been, with Bayley’s at the top of the list. Please sort this out, because it is a huge part of a wrestler's presentation.
THE BEST OF WWE
Chad Gable vs Sami Zayn was the best of pure in ring wrestling, and sports entertainment theatrics. Arguably WWE’s brand of entertainment at it’s best. This red hot crowd were into every single storyline beat involving Otis and Maxine and were taken along for an amazing ride. No one sells like Sami Zayn, he makes you feel his pain, and does it seemingly with ease. There were some excellent near falls that the crowd completely bought, particularly Gable’s Chaos Theory. Some of the spots involving Otis were extremely creative, especially the one leading to Maxine getting chop blocked, and the amazing camera work after it getting Gable and Otis’ reactions, as the Otis turn continues to simmer. All of this costing Gable the Intercontinental championship again, and his amazing reactions after the match made me want to see what happens this week on Raw. Gable’s character work since his heel turn has been nothing short of excellent, especially for a guy who was once pigeon holed as “Shorty G” by the “genius” that used to be in charge.
AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT
Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn’s tag team championship win was arguably the emotional high of the show. The emotion was as real as it gets after a recent family tragedy for Alba Fyre, so it was an amazing moment for her back in Scotland where it all began. Much like Piper Niven, Dawn & Fyre were seemingly thrown into this match simply because they were Scottish, with very little build for them on TV. However, WWE do get a pass here, as Fyre was off dealing with more important real life issues over the past month. Fyre, the former Kay Lee Ray was long known as one of the best and most respected workers on the UK scene. Someone I have seen up close on many occasions. She is massively underutilised, so hopefully this is the start of something for her and Dawn. My fear is this win was done simply to not have ALL the Scots lose on the night and the belts will be switched back onto Belair and Jade pretty fast.
Some dangerous looking spots and issues with ring ropes (poor Jade) gave this match a real element of danger and unpredictability. I don’t think anyone really expected the Scots to win, so the upset made for an incredibly cool shocking moment for the audience.
I can be reached at matthewmacklin90@gmail.com
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