Drew McIntyre's Loss Was The Right Call, Hot Takes From WWE Clash at the Castle 2024
Drew McIntyre losing in Scotland at WWE Clash of the Castle because of CM Punk's interference was the right creative call.
That may seem like an absurd comment to the fans in Glasgow who were emotionally invested in McIntyre winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Damian Priest on Saturday.
However, there is an argument for a major premium live event headliner that does not need a title to enhance it.
That hot take is just one from the latest international show from WWE.
What other topics elicited a reaction and why? Find out with this recap of Clash at the Castle.
WWE Made Right Call in Drew McIntyre-Damian Priest Main Event
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Much will be made of Drew McIntyre returning to Scotland on Saturday at Clash at the Castle and losing another major world title match.
The crowd in Glasgow was molten-hot for its fellow countryman, more than ready to see him win the World Heavyweight Championship from Damian Priest and celebrate with the 11,000-plus fans packed into the OVO Hydro.
Instead, his title aspirations were dashed by CM Punk, who pretended to be a referee and screwed his heated rival out of the belt for the second time this year.
While some will criticize WWE for not calling an audible and going with the McIntyre victory, the decision was the correct one.
A win for the Scot would have resulted in a great moment that the company could replay for years, but where would it have gone? McIntyre wins the world title and challenges Gunther in a battle of heels at SummerSlam?
That is hardly the marquee match McIntyre vs. Punk is, especially given all that has gone into getting that contest into the ring.
McIntyre and Punk have an established feud, which has intensified through intensely personal verbal confrontations, and they have not settled it in any official match.
The Best in the World's rehabilitation from a torn triceps muscle was the only thing preventing that from occurring.
With the revelation by the Chicago-born competitor that he is expecting to be medically cleared by next Friday's SmackDown in his hometown, the match is as close to being realized as it has been.
Having Punk cost McIntyre not just the world title but also doing it in his home country, was the latest bit of retribution from Punk after The Scottish Warrior injured him at the Royal Rumble and cost him the main event of WrestleMania 40.
It made sense within the story's context and set in motion what will inevitably end with the official announcement of Punk vs. McIntyre at SummerSlam in a match that does not need the World Heavyweight Championship to be a legitimate main event.
The hatred between them is enough to attract fans to Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 3 and create interest in the event while allowing the world title to be reserved for another high-profile match on the card.
It is the right call, no matter how much you may have been invested in the idea of McIntyre raising the world title to close out Saturday's show in Glasgow.
Too Early for Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
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Randy Orton glanced at Cody Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship Saturday after he and Kevin Owens assisted The American Nightmare in fending off The Bloodline, hinting that the long-awaited rivalry between former Legacy teammates may be coming soon.
Perhaps, even, as early as SummerSlam.
As much as that match is a legitimate draw and a marquee contest deserving of one of the industry's biggest stages, it feels too early for it to take place.
Assuming it happens in Cleveland on August 3, the match has just six weeks to build. Considering the Money in the Bank pay-per-view is sandwiched in between and the two have unfinished business with Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, the prep time is halved.
Any sudden heel turn from The Viper or quality story that could get them to SummerSlam and a championship encounter would need more time and attention than some rushed-together program, especially when considering the star power at play.
There is such a rich history between Rhodes and Orton, including how The Legend Killer taught his ex-teammate everything he knew early in his WWE career and has bested his star pupil in the majority of their previous encounters, that it would do a disservice to the match to rush it.
WWE could go the babyface vs. babyface route, with Rhodes narrowly earning the victory by countering an RKO into a quick pin and the challenger's frustration necessitating a heel turn days later on SmackDown.
While that would be a valid creative choice, that first match should mean more and maximize the established backstory.
On paper, is it a contest deserving of such a stage? Absolutely, but maximizing the attraction and getting fans properly excited for it should be the priority, and barring some extraordinary angle, it does not feel as though there is enough time to execute it and achieve that.
Chad Gable Never Needed Intercontinental Title to Realize Potential
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Like McIntyre, it will be argued that Chad Gable should have defeated Sami Zayn and won the Intercontinental Championship in Scotland.
While there is a case to be made, especially after he announced earlier in the day that he had re-signed with WWE, this was another creative call that the company got right.
Gable does not need the IC title for the story he is currently telling.
He is the heel who took credit for Sami Zayn defeating Gunther for the gold at WrestleMania and has sought to make up for his own disappointment by targeting him.
Along the way, he has berated, humiliated and disrespected Maxxine Dupri, Akira Tozawa, and Otis, all of whom trusted him to help guide their careers.
Otis has repeatedly teased standing up to his tag team partner and severing their relationship, only to back down as he remembers that Gable was the only one there for him when he had lost everything else.
That is the story that has hooked fans, with the audience wanting desperately for the big man to finally unload on the Olympian. It's a match about escaping an abusive relationship and standing up for yourself, not about competing for a title.
In that regard, it's bigger than the Intercontinental Championship and can get over as an addition to any card based on that personal rivalry alone.
Keeping the title on Zayn and letting him find another opponent, perhaps one who could go on a long run that builds them up while retaining the prestige of the gold, is the best creative decision for the championship and further bolsters the card.
Gable will be just fine, shining as one of the elite heels on the roster regardless of whether he holds championship gold in the next three months. He is too great not to.
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Sami Zayn's Next Step Should Be World Heavyweight Championship
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Speaking of Zayn, the intercontinental champion continued his run Saturday with another successful defense.
While he has mileage left on this reign and plenty of great matches still to wrestle against opponents, there is also more for him to accomplish, such as fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship at the top of the card on WWE Raw.
A beloved babyface who makes every story he is involved in better because of the conviction with which he performs, The Underdog from the Underground is ready to explode into the main event scene and enhance that portion of the flagship show.
The pieces are in place for him to do so, too.
Gunther won the King of the Ring tournament in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last month, thus earning him a world title shot at SummerSlam, presumably against Damian Priest.
Assuming he wins that, there is no better way to catapult Zayn into the stratosphere by having him inevitably be the guy to take that title from the Austrian as history repeats itself.
Zayn defeated The Ring General to end his historic reign as intercontinental champion at WrestleMania 40. It was a magical moment, the second of its kind on the grand stage for one of the most beloved Superstars of this generation.
A rematch on the grand stage should not be ruled out, and the idea of Zayn capturing a third title in three years at 'Mania is one that WWE Creative can play up ahead of the industry's biggest show.
That is merely fantasy booking at this point, but if there is one star who is genuinely loved by the fans, it's Zayn. That connection with the audience, and his work both as a character and in the ring, has earned him a significant run atop one of the company's main brands.
With Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns seemingly locking down the SmackDown side of things, Raw is the most logical setting for Zayn's ascension to the main event scene.
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