WWE Clash at the Castle (September 2022)

Original Airdate: September 3, 2022

From Cardiff, Wales; Your Hosts are Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves

Opening Six-Woman Tag Team Match: Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka v Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky: Everyone brawls to get us started, and the dust settles on Bianca and Bayley. Belair throws her around, but Bayley’s partners help block a handspring moonsault. That draws Alexa and Asuka over, and we end up getting a triple suplex spot from the babyfaces. That sets up a triple handspring moonsault from Belair for two, and the heels bail to regroup. The dust settles on Alexa and Sky, and Bliss slaps her around. Bliss with a kneedrop and a standing moonsault for two, so Bayley tags in, and pounds Alexa down. Over to Kai to unload on Alexa in the heel corner, and back to Bayley, but Bliss fights her off, and passes to Asuka. Asuka with a bulldog on Bayley, but she gets too full of herself, and clobbered. Sky tags in with a springboard flying dropkick, and a schoolboy gets her a two count. Back to Kai for a matslam for two, as the heels take control, cutting the ring in half. Bliss gets tagged in, but promptly clobbered as well, and the heels go back to cutting the ring in half on their new victim. Bliss fights Kai off for the hot tag to Asuka, and Roseanne Barr the door! Asuka runs wild, and a shining wizard on Sky gets two. Bayley catches Bliss with the belly-to-belly suplex, and a seated clothesline on Asuka gets Bayley two. Asuka fights her off in the corner for a tag to Belair, and now Bianca runs wild. Spinebuster sets up a standing moonsault on Bayley for two, so Bayley goes to the eyes, and passes to Dakota. Belair dumps her to the outside as her partners tandem superplex Bayley, but Bianca gets into trouble with a triple team from the heels, and Bayley scores the pin on her at 18:37. Good opener. **

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Gunther v Sheamus: Slugfest to start, won by the champion. Gunther tries a vertical suplex, but Sheamus reverses, and they slug it out again. Sheamus with a series of strikes to put the champion on the apron, but a forearm misses, and they spill to the floor. Sheamus manages to send him into the steps out there, but a trip to the top rope ends in Sheamus taking a spill all the way down to the floor. Gunther with a bodyslam on the steps, but the challenger beats the count, so Gunther unloads with chops in the corner. Gunther slaps on a Boston crab, but Sheamus nears the ropes, so the champion shifts to an STF to keep him away from them. Sheamus bites him to force a break that way, so Gunther punishes him with more blistering chops, but Sheamus hangs with him. He tries starting a proper slugfest, but Gunther just wants to let him have it with those chops, and Sheamus is left busted and bruised. Back to the outside, Gunther bodyslams him on the floor, but Sheamus just won’t die, and actually manages to get control. Gunther tries running away, but Sheamus chases after him, hammering him with forearm smash after forearm smash. Inside, Sheamus dives with a flying kneedrop, but Gunther escapes a fireman’s carry, so they slug it out again. Gunther gets the better of it with a German suplex, but Sheamus fires back with a high knee for two. Suplex, but Gunther blocks, and puts the challenger in a sleeper. Sheamus escapes into a Samoan drop for two, but the Borgue kick misses, and Gunther dropkicks him. Powerbomb gets the champion two, so he goes to the top, but Sheamus crotches him before he can dive. That allows Sheamus to bring him down with a crucifix powerbomb for two, and he tries the Brogue, but his back gives out. That allows Gunther another powerbomb, and he levels him with a lariat at 19:34. This was hard hitting, and told a good story, but I also found it to be quite repetitive. I’m also not a huge fan of guys wrecking each other with legit shots. Where’s the artistry in it?  ** ½ 

WWE Smackdown Women's Title Match: Liv Morgan v Shayna Baszler: Liv blocks a takedown with a schoolboy for two, so Baszler goes for the clutch, but Morgan is ready with a victory cradle for two. Morgan tries her own hold, but Baszler reverses, so Liv hooks an Oklahoma roll for two. Liv came to play tonight. Liv with a headscissors takedown and a dropkick, but a trip to the top rope ends in the champ taking a spill to the outside. Baszler follows to send her shoulder-first into the barricade, and inside, that gets the challenger two. Baszler with mounted punches, and she works the shoulder from there. Clothesline gets the challenger two, so she tries a keylock, but Morgan fights her off. Baszler responds with a German suplex for two, and she goes back to the arm. Liv fights back, and manages a kneeling facebuster for two, but a dive collides with Baszler’s knee, giving the challenger two. Baszler toys with her, but Liv surprises her with a triangle choke into a cross-armbreaker! Baszler swipes at the arm to force a break, and a kneesmash gets the challenger two. Morgan fights her off in the corner to allow the champ a powerbomb for two, but Baszler is ready with a cross-armbreaker upon kicking out. Morgan makes the ropes to save herself, so Baszler tries the clutch, but Liv manages a cradle for two. That allows her to drop Shayna with a DDT, and the champ retains at 10:59. I don’t know if I quite bought Morgan as a sudden MMA prodigy, but the match was solid. * ½ 

Edge and Rey Mysterio v Finn Balor and Damian Priest: Rey and Finn start, and Balor hammers him into the corner, where he unloads with chops. Rey blocks a cross corner whip, however, and wins a reversal sequence with a roundhouse kick. Headscissors takedown leaves Finn bailing for a tag, but Priest wants Edge. The babyfaces oblige, so Priest paintbrushes him, and boy, Edge is over big in Wales. Edge outsmarts Priest and tosses him over the top, where Rey hits him with a dive, and Rey tries a springboard moonsault press on the way back in - only to get caught in a falcon arrow. The heels go to work on Mysterio, until Rey manages to fight Priest off long enough for the hot tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Edge hits Balor with a tiger feint kick to set up a flying splash from Rey, but Priest saves at two. Edge responds by spearing Priest off of the apron, and Rey hits him with a rana off the top, so Rhea Ripley stops to beat up Dominik Mysterio on the outside. Rey hits Rhea with a tope, but a 619 on Balor gets blocked. Finn preps a dive, but Dom trips him up, and Mysterio hits the 619 - immediately followed with a spear from Edge at 12:33. This was pretty basic, but totally watchable, and the crowd was into it. Afterwards, Dominik turns on his dad and Edge, shocking the crowd. * ¼ 

Seth Rollins v Matt Riddle: Rollins is dressed like Disco Inferno tonight. Slugfest to start, ending in Riddle hitting a two-alarm rolling gutwrench suplex. Pair of senton splashes get Matt two, so he tries hooking Seth in a triangle choke, but Rollins powers to a vertical base. Both guys end up going tumbling over the top, and Seth gets the better of it by powerbombing Riddle into the barricade. Inside, Seth controls, and a falcon arrow gets him two. Seth goes up with a flying double stomp after hanging Riddle in a tree of woe for two, and he uses a vertical superplex into another falcon arrow - only for Riddle to counter the arrow with a muscle buster. Riddle makes a comeback, and a suplex sends Rollins to the apron. Riddle stays on him with a knee out there, and a springboard flying corkscrew senton follows. Inside, Seth tries fighting him off with a pedigree, but Riddle counters with a GTS. Powerbomb and a kneesmash get Matt two, but a flying corkscrew senton splash hits knees. That leads to a reversal sequence ending in Riddle trapping him in a triangle choke, and Seth is nearly done, before managing a counter with a package facebuster for two. Another reversal sequence ends in Rollins delivering a pedigree for two, and he adds insult to injury with a rope-hung DDT. RKO, but Riddle blocks that one, and unloads on Seth. They spill to the outside, where Riddle continues to wreck him, but a chair shot misses. That allows Seth a curb stomp on the way back in, and a 2nd rope version follows for the pin at 17:20. Good action here, with both guys working hard, keeping a good pace, and coupled with a hot crowd. *** ¼ 

Main Event: WWE Title and WWE Universal Title Match: Roman Reigns v Drew McIntyre: Posturing to start, until McIntyre gets control. He gets distracted by Karrion Kross in the front row, however, and Roman sends him into the steps to turn the tide. Inside, Reigns works him over, until McIntyre finds a rotating spinebuster for two. Note that we’re about twenty minutes into the match, and that was the first pin attempt. Fireman’s carry, but Roman blocks, and delivers a uranage for two. Superman punch, but Drew ducks, and DDTs him. Claymore kick, but Reigns counters with a Superman for two. Spear gets the champion two, as we settle into the videogame portion of the match. Reigns applies a guillotine choke, but Drew powers out, and Roman ends up on the outside. Drew follows to spear him through the barricade out there, and he hustles the champ back in for the Claymore - only for Reigns to counter with a spear for two! Reigns argues the count, allowing McIntyre to recover with a Claymore, and both men are left looking up at the lights. Cue Austin Theory to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but Tyson Fury (in the crowd) takes him out before he can! That was a great bit, actually. Drew with another Claymore for two, leading to a slugfest, and another Claymore. Cover, count, but Solo Sikoa pulls the referee out at two. That allows Reigns to recover with a spear, and we’re out at 30:45. I really wasn’t feeling this. And I really hate not feeling something for thirty minutes. ¾*

BUExperience: The main roster is looking more and more like vintage NXT these days, and that’s not a complaint. 

Except, maybe, for the overlong main events. That’s a bit of a complaint. 

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