WWE hosts a pay-per-view event in Scotland for the first time this Saturday when Clash at the Castle goes down at OVO Hydro in Glasgow. In the main event, Drew McIntyre is hoping to achieve a new career-best moment in his home country.
McIntyre will challenge Damian Priest for the world heavyweight championship in what is sure to be a wild atmosphere as his countrymen cheer him on. McIntyre has been spiraling of late, viewing himself as a victim of many different circumstances blocking him from the success he deserves. One of the main antagonists in McIntyre’s story is CM Punk, who should soon be returning from injury, but cost McIntyre the title at WrestleMania by setting up an easy spot for Priest to cash in the Money in the Bank contract.
Also on the card, Cody Rhodes will again defend his undisputed WWE championship against AJ Styles. Their first match happened at Backlash in May and is one of the best wrestling matches of the year. This time around, the pair meet under “I quit” stipulations, where the first man to say those words will lose.
Let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports experts are picking to win in each match on Saturday’s card.
WWE Clash at the Castle 2024 predictions
World Heavyweight Championship — Damian Priest (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre getting the win in front of his home crowd would be a great moment, and one he deserves for the work he has done for WWE, especially during the height of the pandemic. After Priest cashed in at WrestleMania to end McIntyre’s title reign in minutes, someone on X pointed out that no one has ever paid for a ticket to watch McIntyre defend a world title. That’s not a shot at McIntyre, but a product of the pandemic and the cash-in. The thing is, the story of McIntyre being screwed out of the title — preferably by CM Punk — at this event is too good to pass up. McIntyre has the ultimate villain thing working for him right now in that most of his complaints are valid, it’s just his reaction that is the issue. Priest hasn’t come across as “the guy” who can lead a show as world champion, but most wrestlers aren’t, if we’re being honest. But the story is better with McIntyre being screwed over and also being free for the impending Punk return while the winner of this match is more or less locked in to face Gunther at SummerSlam. Pick: Damian Priest retains the title — Brent Brookhouse (also Shakiel Mahjouri)
I know the overwhelmingly popular pick right now is to have CM Punk cost McIntyre once again, but I can’t shake the feeling WWE wants to go in a different direction. Without Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, Raw has been starved of star power lately and has been heavily leaning on The Judgement Day to carry the bulk of the show each week. And no disrespect to Priest, but he hasn’t been able to properly fill the role of “top guy” the show needs. There are simply better options right now with McIntyre, Gunther, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn. And if they booked Punk to screw over Drew yet again they’d need to immediately pivot to that match, and I’ve heard nothing that definitively confirms Punk is cleared from his triceps tear. McIntyre vs. Punk is still the endgame and Gunther will likely be world champion by the end of the summer. But, at least for now, it’s time to shake things up and get the title off of Priest. Pick: Drew McIntyre wins the title — Connor Casey
Undisputed WWE Championship — Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles (“I Quit” Match)
So after the latest Saudi Arabia filler arc with Logan Paul, Cody is back to business with AJ Styles. While I’ve always believed Styles is at his best as a heel, there’s no chance they’re having Cody drop the title via the “I Quit” Stipulation. Also, they need to hurry up and get to the Cody vs. Randy Orton program people have been waiting for. In a landscape where Roman Reigns and The Rock’s returns are inevitable, the last thing Rhodes’ title reign needs is to start spinning its wheels. Pick: Cody Rhodes retains the title — Casey (also Brookhouse and Mahjouri)
WWE Women’s Championship — Bayley (c) vs. Piper Niven
Anyone who has spent any time around wrestling knows a stay-busy short-term title feud when they see it. It’s great Niven is getting a big spot in Scotland but I don’t think anyone is buying her as a winner here. Bayley’s championship run hasn’t been great and that makes such an obvious match a bit more disappointing, but we know Nia Jax gets the title shot at SummerSlam and Bayley vs. Jax is the obvious play there over a heel vs. heel showdown. Pick: Bayley retains the title — Brookhouse (also Casey and Mahjouri)
Intercontinental Championship — Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chad Gable
It would be great to see Gable finally capture singles gold but I’m losing faith in it happening soon. A triple threat match with Bronson Reed seemed like a convenient way to get the title on Gable while extending the Zayn feud, but the reigning champ retained. It’s also clear WWE’s current regime favors long title reigns. The inner turmoil of Alpha Academy is solid pro wrestling television. Otis’ role in particular makes the outcome of their title match a wild card. Otis, however reluctantly, has sided with Gable at every turn. He’ll be the difference maker in this match one way or another. I’ll side with Zayn but would be thrilled to hear “and new.” Pick: Sami Zayn retains the title — Mahjouri
Assuming Gable is staying, WWE can easily pivot to having him feud with Otis and the remaining members of Alpha Academy alongside his new proteges in The Creed Brothers. Meanwhile, assuming WWE wants to shake up Raw’s main event scene, Zayn can easily transition into the main event via The Money in the Bank Ladder match and/or a program with Drew McIntyre and a rematch with Gunther. Pick: Chad Gable wins the title — Casey (also Brookhouse)
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship — Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill (c) vs. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn vs. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark
Belair and Cargill are some of the biggest favorites on the card. The champs defeated Baszler and Stark on a recent episode of Raw, making their inclusion in the match head-scratching. The same goes for Fyre and Dawn who’ve been non-factors on the main roster. Unlike most of the matches scheduled for Clash at the Castle, this is all about getting bodies on the card. Belair and Cargill are high priorities for the promotion and need to rack up title defenses. The abrupt inclusion of Fyre and Dawn is primarily to get Dawn a match in her home nation of Scotland. No complaints there. It’s great WWE is showcasing so much Scottish talent on a major show. Chalk this up as an easy title defense for the champs. Pick: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill retain the titles — Mahjouri (also Casey and Brookhouse)
