Ahead of Clash At The Castle in Cardiff (which isn’t actually in a castle but has a great ring to it, right?), allow wrestling superfan Chris Andrews to get you hyped for the WWE’s historic arrival on Welsh shores.
From humble beginnings as small-time territorial wrestling promoters in the 50s, the WWE is now a multibillion-dollar global sport entertainment conglomerate. The man behind the company’s meteoric rise is Vincent K McMahon – who revolutionised the “wrasslin business” in the 1980s when he saw the potential for cross-marketing the company with established TV and movie stars, turning wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant and Roddy Piper into household names, and who announced his retirement as WWE’s CEO in July 2022.
The popularity of the WWF (as it was known then) boomed, and by the time 1992 came around, fans in the UK – who previously had to rely on limited TV coverage, tape trading and magazines – finally had the chance to go to a meaningful event. SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium saw 80,000 delirious WWE fans finally get to witness their heroes in the flesh.
This effect on the British wrestling scene should not be understated either. The days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks were long gone, and the domestic landscape was dire at best – but there was a noticeable upturn in wrestling events in the UK after the WWE’s visit, even if they tended to be cheap copies of the American aesthetic. This spawned more and more indie events, to the point where we now find ourselves inundated with wrestling talent in the UK. Stars like Pete Dunne, Doudrop, Becky Lynch, Paige, Drew Mcintyre and Wales’ own Mark Andrews have all carved out careers in the WWE.
Since that seminal event, we’ve had more-or-less yearly visits from the WWE on these shores – but limited mainly to the occasional TV taping or house show, a means of touring the current storylines without progressing them. That all changed in April, when WWE announced their first UK pay-per-view since SummerSlam 1992, and in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Playing host to the mildly confusingly named Clash At The Castle on Sat 3 Sept, WWE superstars including Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins and Drew Mcintyre are all due to appear.
With the card yet to be announced and this year’s Summerslam still to take place at press time, there’s plenty of speculation as to who may be facing who – but the presence of WWE Champion Roman Reigns may cause ‘The Scottish Warrior’ Drew Mcintyre to step up to the challenge again. After his own less than fulfilling run as WWE Champion, performing in empty arenas during COVID, Mcintyre will be keen to re-establish himself, although Reigns currently has his hands full with the ‘Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar.
Former WWE Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will be looking to gain her title back to current champion Bianca Belair; from the SmackDown brand, meanwhile, we may get a Summerslam rematch featuring ex-UFC star Ronda Rousey, who is challenging current SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan at the annual summer extravaganza. There have even been rumours circulating for months that Tyson Fury will move rings from boxing to wrestling, after a brief crack at the latter in 2019. A gimmick match with somebody like Kevin Owens would be a huge attraction for the WWE crowd – and for the ‘Gypsy King’ himself, contemplating retirement of late.
Speaking of gimmick matches, retired NFL kicker Pat McAfee has moved from behind the commentary desk in recent times, and his current feud with former Indianapolis Colts teammate Happy Corbin could culminate with a bout in Cardiff. Finally, recent weeks saw one of WWE’s biggest stars, John Cena, put in a guest showing at a WWE Raw event: there are no further confirmed plans in place at present, but could a stadium show of this size prove enough of a pull for the 16-time World Champion?
Whatever the card, WWE unquestionably know how to put on a show, and this one will be an event for the ages – wrestling fan or not.
WWE Clash At The Castle, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Sat 3 Sept. Tickets: from £35. Info: here
words CHRIS ANDREWS
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