WWE Clash at the Castle 2024 results, grades and analysis: CM Punk costs Drew McIntyre in the main event

A full Scottish band, the Inveraray and District Pipe Band, played Scotland their way ringside ahead of Drew McIntyre's entrance, which as expected drew a massive reaction from the Glasgow crowd. McIntyre grabbed a Scotland flag from the crowd and showed it off on his walk to the ring. The crowd serenaded McIntyre well after his music finished.

The crowd's chants of "Oh Drew McIntyre" continued as the World Heavyweight Champion, Damian Priest, made his way to the ring.

The two heavyweights locked up in the middle of the ring, with McIntyre overpowering Priest and pandering to the crowd early. McIntyre sent Priest outside the ring and landed a front flip onto the champion. Priest began to work heel early, going for McIntyre's eyes and then slamming the challenger into the ring post and fan barricade.

The first near-fall of the match came as McIntyre landed a spine buster and bridged into a pinning combination. His momentum was not sustained as the back-and-forth nature of the match continued with Priest landing a series of moves and picking up a near-fall of his own.

McIntyre showed off his speed and power combination, rolling through a dodged top-rope jump and hitting a Michinoku driver on the champion. As Priest escaped a Future Shock DDT attempt and rolled out of the ring, McIntyre followed, driving the champion into the announce table and Prime hydration station.

Priest went to dive outside the ring but appeared to slip on the middle rope and got his ankle inadvertently hung up. Eventually, McIntyre helped Priest get freed the champion continued to power through the match. Priest went for a South of Heaven chokeslam, but McIntyre avoided, sending the champion shoulder-first into the ring post and hit a Future Shock DDT for a near-fall.

As the hobbled champion went to the top rope, McIntyre stalked him, going for Sheamus' finisher, the White Noise. Priest countered into a Razor's Edge for a near-fall. It was an impressive moment even moreso as Priest lifted his injured leg before finishing the maneuver.

The two men went blow-for-blow in the center of ring. Eventually, Priest would whiff a roundhouse kick and McIntyre would send both men to the ground with a neckbreaker. McIntyre was first to his feet, kipping up and setting up a Claymore Kick. Priest rolled out of ring for a brief reprieve but was hit with a Glasgow Kiss headbutt and a Claymore into the timekeeper's area.

Back in the ring, McIntyre went for another Claymore but Priest turned the tables and delivered the South of Heaven for a near-fall, drawing the first "this is awesome" chants of the night.

Priest landed a top-rope hurricanrana but McIntyre immediately rebounded for a Claymore and yet another near-fall. McIntyre kept up the momentum, hitting an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. The referee then got inadvertently taken out and the two men countered each other's finishers, with McIntyre coming out on top.

The crowd counted well beyond three and then a new official ran out to the ring. Unfortunately for McIntyre, it was actually CM Punk who did not count to three and hit McIntyre with a low blow. Priest — and the referee — recovered, with the champion hitting another South of Heaven finisher for the three count and the win.

Damian Priest def. Drew McIntyre in 20:18 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

Piper Niven, wrestling in her home country, came out first with Chelsea Green. Bayley, a crowd favorite wherever she goes, actually drew a bigger reaction from the Glasgow crowd. Once Niven was announced officially by Samantha Irvin the crowd did erupt.

As the bell rang (and even during introductions) Bayley made sure to point out her concerns about Green's presence to referee Charles Robinson. After two brief staredowns, Niven hit a shoulder tackle and bodyslam on Bayley, sending the champion outside the ring. Green got involved with a slap and distracted the champion, allowing for more offense from Niven, drawing "let's go Piper" chants from the crowd.

Green got involved again, trying to trip up Bayley and then berated Robinson, earning an ejection from ringside less than three minutes into match. The latest distraction was enough for Bayley to gain the upper hand, leveraging speed and counters for a brief reprieve.

Niven was undeterred, however, landing a cannonball senton from the ring apron to the floor and then adding a running senton inside the ring for a near-fall. Bayley's attempt to fight back was thwarted with a headbutt from Niven.

Another near-fall came on a big suplex from Niven to Bayley, where the champion landed low on her back. After the failed pin, Niven went for another suplex that Bayley countered into a rolling DDT, sending the challenger outside the ring. Bayley then hit a suicide dive, a pair of middle-rope elbow drops, a rolling senton and big elbow in her biggest flurry of offense yet.

Just as Bayley looked to be in control, a vicious counter from Niven came in the form of a uranage and yet another senton. As the two women battled on the top rope, Bayley landed a top-rope Bayley-to-Belly finisher. Just as it appeared as if the champion would retain, a masked Green ran back ringside, distracting Robinson again.

Bayley turned her attention to Green outside the ring and Niven would use that to her advantage as when the champion returned into the ring she got hit with a massive finisher, but Bayley kicked out.

A chaotic closing sequence crescendoed with Bayley countering a Niven hold into a crucifix driver for the win.

Bayley def. Piper Niven in 13:35 to retain the WWE Women's Championship.

Gable and Alpha Academy were first to enter, with Otis and Maxxine Dupri looking very uncomfortable. The crowd erupted as Zayn entered, and during his entrance we got the latest interruption/tease for what is believed to be the debuting Uncle Howdy.

The match began with a pair of fierce collar-and-elbow tie up, with each man winning one. The two technically excellent wrestlers continued to go back and forth before Gable dodged an arm drag and nearly cinched in the ankle lock on Zayn.

As Zayn sent Gable outside the ring and lined up a high-risk move, Gable moved out of the way and the champion recognized it and did a backflip off the ropes. The challenger taunted Zayn to come outside the ring, but then he fled inside the ring, setting up a staredown between Zayn and Otis.

Back in the ring, the foes exchanged slaps and Gable was able to gain the upper hand with an ankle lock and then shifting his focus to Zayn's shoulder. The first near-fall of the match came on a bridge attempt from Gable, but Zayn kicked out at two.

Even as Zayn attempted to mount offense, he sold the shoulder injury and was hampered by it. Gable reminded Otis to focus outside the ring and then returned to deliver punishment to Zayn. Finally, the champion was able to build some momentum with a series of strikes, punctuated by a pair of middle-rope elbow drops. The champion's biggest move to this point came when he landed a rope-assisted springboard moonsault on Gable outside the ring.

Gable turned the tables once again back inside the squared circle, countering a top-rope maneuver with a dropkick for a near-fall. His momentum would be short-lived as Zayn quickly hit a Michinoku driver for a near-fall of his own. As Zayn made several attempts at the Blue Thunder Bomb, he played up his shoulder injury, allowing Gable to recover for a flying headbutt and yet another near-fall.

The next exchange saw both men attempt to land a trio of German suplexes, only to be countered on the final one. In the end, Zayn hit a suplex and Gable landed on his head but kicked out at two. Exhausted, the two men exchanged blows in the center of the ring. Gable eventually used his speed to lock in a crossface submission and then the ankle lock.

Rather than staying on the offensive, Gable stepped outside the ring and grabbed the Intercontinental Championship, handing it to Dupri and ordering her to hit Zayn. With the referee distracted, Dupri refused, angering Gable. As Gable berated his Alpha Academy student, Zayn set up a Helluva Kick. Gable ducked, Zayn stopped before hitting Dupri and nearly lost the match.

In a frenzied sequence, Gable focused on lecturing Dupri and Otis, allowing Zayn recover and hit a somersault on Otis. Gable capitalized into a moonsault. Back in the ring, Zayn hit an exploder suplex but was unable to land his finisher, the Helluva Kick.

The action again returned outside the ring, with Gable inadvertently taking out Dupri and Otis having to decide whether or not to aid Gable. Rather than harming Zayn, Otis carried Dupri away from the ring and distracted Gable. Zayn finally hit a Helluva Kick and score the pinfall to retain his championship.

Sami Zayn def. Chad Gable in 22:13 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

The hometown team of Fyre and Dawn entered first, followed by Stark and Baszler. The champions, Cargill and Belair, entered last, with Belair getting a significant reaction from the crowd.

The match began with Baszler, Dawn and Belair. The commentary team noted that the only tags that could take place would be among team members. Dawn was forced outside the ring relatively early, allowing Belair to unleash a flurry of offense on Baszler.

Eventually all three other women were tagged in, with Stark and Fyre teaming up to take down Cargill. The double-team attempt failed as Cargill overpowered both women and unleashed a series of turnbuckle splashes on both women and a double fallaway slam/Samoan drop combo.

Cargill and Belair then unleashed their patented tandem offense and showed off their strength with a pair of vertical suplexes on Stark and Baszler. With the two challenger teams outside the ring, they began to strategize in how to take down the champions. As the match turned into a de facto four-on-two, Cargill and Belair found themselves on the defensive.

The alliance between the teams would be short-lived as Stark and Baszler turned on Fyre and Dawn, isolating the latter in their corner. Stark landed a great missile dropkick, and Baszler a gut-wrench powerbomb for a near fall. Fyre got a hot tag and cleared the ring, setting up Stark and Baszler up for a top-turnbuckle dive outside the ring.

Fyre and Dawn's focus turned to Baszler in their own corner, but a counter led to a Tower of Doom spot between the four women. Belair, back in the equation, landed a massive superplex on Stark. Cargill worked her way back to the ring apron. After being tagged in, Cargill landed a series of high-impact moves before being locked into the Kirifuda Clutch. Cargill appeared to tap, but the referee didn't see it.

As Cargill appeared to be passing out, Belair landed a 450 splash on Baszler, setting up Belair and Cargill's dual finisher. As Cargill went for the pin, Dawn capitalized, landing a German suplex on Cargill while Fyre held back Belair. Dawn then pinned Baszler to win the match and become the new women's tag team champions.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre def. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark and Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill in 12:19 to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

As Rhodes celebrated at the top of the ramp, Solo Sikoa snuck up behind him. As the Undisputed WWE Champion and the Bloodline leader stared one another down, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa attacked Rhodes.

Amid the beatdown, Randy Orton's music hit and he came to the rescue along with Kevin Owens.

After closing the past four WWE premium live events (including both nights of WrestleMania), Cody Rhodes kicked off the show against AJ Styles in a rematch of Backlash France's main event.

As expected, Rhodes was the overwhelming crowd favorite heading into the contest. It was Rhodes' first "I Quit" match, which the commentary crew hammered home early, also noting that Styles is undefeated under such stipulations.

Rhodes started fast, hitting his patented drop slap before working Styles in the turnbuckles. Rhodes played the hits early, landing a scoop powerslam before going for a Disaster Kick that was countered by Styles, giving the challenger brief momentum. Rhodes used a Bionic Elbow and a big dropkick to force the referee to ask Styles for the first time if he quit.

The crowed popped as Rhodes broke out a pair of tables and began to stalk Styles around the ringside area. After being sent into and over the steel steps the referee again checked in on Styles. Rhodes continued the offensive into the crowd, high-fiving fans and hitting Styles with a patron's drink.

Styles recovered and the fight carried on into the backstage/locker room area, Styles began to use some of the wires from Gorilla position to choke out Rhodes. After that brief backstage stint, both men worked their way down the entrance ramp and back to the ringside area.

Back in the ring, Rhodes locked Styles in the Figure Four and sparking the referee to ask the challenger if he wanted to end the match again. Styles would reverse a standing suplex and land a suplex of his own, sending both men outside the ring again. Styles then slammed Rhodes onto the announce table twice, the second time being a brainbuster. Rhodes refused to quit when asked by the referee after the high-impact maneuvers.

With Rhodes incapacitatied and bleeding, Styles taunted Rhodes mother, who was seated ringside. Styles kept up the punishment in the ring, mixing in offense and taunts of the crowd. After a modified neckbreaker, Rhodes was asked if he quit two more times, responding "absolutely not" and "no."

As Styles set up for a Styles Clash onto the steel steps — a callback to an earlier spot in the build to this match — Rhodes countered with a back-body drop. Rhodes would gain his first sustained momentum in a while, landing a Disaster Kick and setting up Styles for a CrossRhodes. Instead, Styles countered into a Pele kick and DDT. Styles again gained the upper hand and introduced steel chairs into the equation.

Styles set the chair up around Rhodes' neck, landing a knee drop and sparking another inquiry from the referee. Styles grabbed a kendo stick and began unloading on the champion. A defiant Rhodes answered "hell no" when asked if he was giving up. A frustrated Styles began to hit Rhodes with a belt and locked in a submission hold, causing Rhodes to pass out.

The next weapon introduced by Styles was a pair of handcuffs, which he used to bind Rhodes in the center of the ring. Styles again unloaded on Rhodes with the kendo stick, but the champion again did not surrender. Styles then pleaded with Rhodes mother to get her son to quit, but she slapped the challenger.

Styles returned to the ring and set up a Phenomenal Forearm with the assistance of a steel chain, but as he leaped to the top rope, Rhodes threw a steel chair at him and sending the challenger through one of the tables set up outside the ring.

Now free from the handcuffs, Rhodes used the handcuffs as a weapon on Styles, busting him open. Rhodes landed a Cody Cutter and the crowd erupted before he hit a trio of CrossRhodes, the last of which came onto a steel chair. Rather than having the official ask Styles if he quit, Rhodes waived the referee off, opting to deliver more punishment by cuffing Styles to the middle rope.

Rhodes delivered a flurry of steel chair hits, the final one to Styles' injured ankle. When asked if he quit, Styles responded with "I ... screw you Cody Rhodes."

As Styles cowered into the corner, Rhodes raised the steel steps over his head and threatened to hit him with them, forcing Styles to quit in fear. Despite the match ending, Rhodes hit Styles with the steps anyway.

Cody Rhodes def. AJ Styles in 27:50 to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Regal, one of the most iconic European wrestlers in history, gives a rundown of the style and journey many of the stars on today's card had to go through to get to WWE. Here's the clip WWE posted earlier today.

In total, four of the wrestlers on Saturday's card have Scottish roots — Drew McIntyre, Piper Niven, Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre. Saturday marks the first time WWE is hosting a premium live event in Scotland.

Here are the promotional posters for the matches on today's card:

"I Quit" match for the Undisputed WWE Championship — Cody Rhodes (c.) vs. AJ Styles – I’m not going to overcomplicate things for this one — there is next to a zero percent chance that we hear Cody Rhodes say the words “I Quit” two months after he won in the main event of WrestleMania. That isn’t to say this match won’t blow the roof off the building, however. Styles and Rhodes are special performers and this feud has been entertaining, if not entirely threatening to the American Nightmare’s reign. This is likely the closing chapter between these two, and will provide a fitting end. Prediction: Cody Rhodes retains the WWE Undisputed Championship.

World Heavyweight Championship match — Damian Priest (c.) vs. Drew McIntyre – CM Punk is going to get involved here and cost McIntyre the championship again, adding insult to injury by doing it in front of McIntyre’s home crowd. We’ll potentially start to see the Raw side of the SummerSlam card come out of this match, with Punk-McIntyre blowing off a monthslong feud and Priest setting up his showdown with Gunther in Cleveland. Prediction: Damian Priest retains the World Heavyweight Championship.

WWE Women's Championship match — Bayley (c.) vs. Piper Niven – Does Piper Niven deserve this shot at the WWE Women’s Championship? Yes. Will she win at Clash at the Castle? No. Niven’s time will come, but Bayley is the bigger star and much like the Priest-McIntyre matchup does, the outcome here will set up the SmackDown women’s side of SummerSlam. Prediction: Bayley retains the WWE Women’s Championship.

Intercontinental Championship match — Sami Zayn (c.) vs. Chad Gable – We’re all waiting for Otis to turn on Gable, and all signs would point to it happening at Clash at the Castle, but I believe WWE can build this story out a little while longer. Otis can remain conflicted and not directly help Gable win the Intercontinental Championship, which is exactly what I think happens. It’s time to have Gable go on an even bigger power trip with gold around his waist. Prediction: Chad Gable wins the Intercontinental Championship.

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match — Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill (c.) vs. Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre vs. Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler – Belair and Cargill have been nothing short of dominant since winning the championships at Backlash France last month. Their reign will continue and I don’t expect them to be dethroned until they make a significant push for the longest run as women’s tag team champions in WWE history. Prediction: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.