Chris King Revisiting History: WWE Clash At The Castle 2024

Just a few day away from WWE Clash In Italy, Chris King has gone back to look at the 2024 Clash At The Castle in Scotland, and the matches with the most important future implications.

Chris King is revisiting all the WWE Clash PLEs as we look ahead to Clash in Italy, which will air on May 31st. Today he looks at the 2024 edition, Clash At The Castle in Scotland! On this card, Sami Zayn defends his Intercontinental Championship against Chad Gable, and Drew McIntyre looks to become a four-time World Heavyweight Champion and, for the first time, win it in front of his hometown crowd. The card also featured Cody Rhodes defending his WWE Undisputed Championship against AJ Styles in an I Quit Match! 

Cody Rhodes VS. AJ Styles (WWE Undisputed Championship): I Quit Match 

I can’t believe we’re getting this banger first, but I guess it makes sense for Drew McIntyre to close the show in his hometown. This is the first I quit match in Cody Rhodes’ career, but this is AJ Styles’s fourth time. ‘The Phenomenal One’ lost at 

WrestleMania Backlash and did his own Mark Henry-esque retirement ruse to make this feud even more personal. 

The champion was beating the tar out of his challenger, shoving Styles into the steel steps and now fighting through this raucous Scotland crowd and into the backstage area in front of the producers. I personally love this aggressive side of Rhodes, where he feels more serious and his character has more of an edge. Back in the ring, the champion locked in the Figure-Four submission to try and get Styles to quit, but to no avail. 

Both superstars suplexed each other to the outside of the ring, and Styles delivered a nasty-looking brainbuster to Rhodes onto the announce table. A bloody champion and challenger continued their battle over the top prize on Friday Night SmackDown. The overconfident Styles is stopping Rhodes’ momentum at every turn. Styles is in full control as he punishes Rhodes, putting a steel chair around his neck and delivering a knee strike. 

An incensed challenger is pelting away at Rhodes with a kendo stick and a belt to try to get him to quit, but the defiant champion won’t give up. Styles locked in an STF submission hold, and Rhodes passed out, but he couldn’t say the words “I quit” to end the match. Styles has now handcuffed a groggy champion as he continues this unbridled assault.

Styles wrapped a steel chain around his forearm and tried to hit his Phenomenal Forearm finisher, but Rhodes threw a chair in his face, and the challenger fell through the table! An exhausted champion now free from the handcuffs hits a beautiful Cody Cutter and a trifecta of Cross Rhodes! Rhodes handcuffed Styles to the ring ropes and starts a wail on him with a steel chair. Rhodes was about to end Styles with the steel steps, but his challenger quit. An irate champion still hit him with the steps to prove a point! 

• Cody Rhodes would have a great first WWE undisputed title reign, defeating the likes of AJ Styles, Logan Paul, and Solo Sikoa before losing to John Cena at WrestleMania 41. 

Sami Zayn VS. Chad Gable (Intercontinental Championship) 

For months now, WWE has seen this manipulative transformation from the leader of the Alpha Academy, Chad Gable. Gable had been jealous of Sami Zayn for getting an Intercontinental title match at WrestleMania 40 and Gable having to sit on the sidelines. Gable then delivered a German suplex to Zayn in front of Zayn’s wife in Montreal after losing the match. 

For weeks, Gable has used Otis and Maxinne Dupree to his advantage to get the jump on Zayn ahead of their title match. 

This highly confrontational match opened up with a deep lockup between champion and challenger. The Scotland crowd was red-hot for Zayn as Gable tried to get the upper hand, but the champion was well-prepared for his tricks. The brilliant and arrogant Gable starts to work on Zayn’s injured arm, utilizing his Olympic background. The challenger is getting nastier by the minute, as he slaps and slams Zayn to the mat. 

A desperate champion countered with a beautiful one-armed Michinoku Driver for a near-fall! Zayn wanted his signature Blue Thunder Bomb but couldn’t muster the strength; Gable delivered a nasty powerbomb followed by a flying headbutt for a two-count. Both superstars delivered German suplexes with arms locked, and then Zayn hit a reverse snap suplex but only for a two-count. The

submission specialist locked in the ankle lock, but Zayn reversed into a roll-up for two. 

A desperate Gable tried to win by any means necessary, even using Otis and Maxxine to take the bullet for him, but Zayn powered through and successfully retained his Intercontinental Championship in a great match! 

• Sami Zayn would have a great title reign of 118 days where he would defend it against Chad Gable and Bron Breakker. He would lose the title to Breakker at SummerSlam. 
• This match continued to showcase the inevitable breakup of Alpha Academy. Otis was tired of being used and abused by his tyrant leader. Later that year, The Wyatt Sicks would debut and target Gable for being a hypocrite and a liar. Gable would also form a new group with The Creed Brothers dubbed American Made. 

Damien Priest VS. Drew McIntyre (World Heavyweight Championship) 

For the second time in two years, ‘The Scottish Warrior’ Drew McIntyre looks to win the World Heavyweight Championship in the UK. Can McIntyre do the unthinkable, or will Damien Priest solidify his title reign with a dominant title defense? At WrestleMania 40, McIntyre had won the world title for about five minutes until Priest cashed in his MITB to win the title. Despite being a heel, The Scottish Warrior received a hero’s welcome entrance in his hometown. Here comes the “Oh, Drew McIntyre” chants from this raucous crowd. “El Campeon” Priest made his entrance to the WWE Universe serenading the challenger. The hometown hero started the match off, taking down the champion, proving his dominance, and delivering a Tope con Hilo! The challenger is fired up as Priest bounces back, shoving McIntrye into the barricade back-first. The challenger hit a beautiful spinebuster and followed up with a jackknife pinfall attempt for two. The champion answers back with some power and a throwing Broken Arrow for his first pinfall attempt. 

The fight spilled outside the ring as the challenger was beating the hell out of Priest, throwing him head-first at the announce table and into the Prime stand. El Campeon tried to flip over and nearly injured himself getting his foot caught in the ropes. The challenger took advantage and delivered a suplex for another near-fall. The champion wanted South of Heaven, but McIntrye countered and hit Future Shock DDT for a long two-count. Both superstars wanted to hit something big here, and Priest hit Razor’s Edge for a two-count. The crowd is fully behind McIntrye as a slugfest ensues between the champion and challenger with stiff punches and nasty-looking kicks. Priest takes McIntrye outside the ring and gets taken out with a Claymore Kick through the barricade! The champion delivered South of Heaven for a 2.99 count. An exhausted Priest managed to fight through the pain and delivered a hurricanrana from the top rope, but McIntryre hit a Claymore Kick for another two-count. The Scottish Warrior was seconds away from being world champion again after hitting a massive Claymore Kick, but the referee was knocked out. CM Punk ran down to the ring in a referee shirt to screw him over. Punk hits a low blow as Priest hits South of Heaven for the victory. 

• CM Punk and Drew McIntyre had one of the best rivalries of 2024. McIntyre had been mocking and making fun of Punk for getting injured for months now. Punk cost his rival the world heavyweight championship on two occasions now. They would have one of the best Hell in the Cell matches in WWE history at Bad Blood 2024! 
• Damien Priest would have a great first title reign under his belt, successfully defending against Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins. He would get screwed out of the championship by his Judgment Day brother Finn Balor at SummerSlam. Priest and Balor would end their highly intense feud on the January 13th episode of Monday Night Raw, in a brutal Street Fight with Priest getting the victory.