We’re just one day away from WWE’s biggest stadium show in the United Kingdom in 30 years. It’s a moment which has been long overdue. And it’s safe to say that excitement is at a fever pitch. The capacity for the event is reportedly 67,580 and word is that most of those tickets have been sold. The fans in attendance will witness a heck of a card where the outcomes are far from predictable.
Still, this is our prediction column here at NBC Sports EDGE, so below you’ll find our picks for each scheduled match. In addition, we’ve got all the info and details on the show you’ll need from how to watch, start time, date, location, match card and more.
It’s fitting that Drew McIntyre will headline the show, but can he actually dethrone Roman Reigns as undisputed champ? Does Reigns have an insurance policy to hold on to the gold? Can Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle steal the show? Or will that honor fall to what promises to be a hard-hitting matchup between Gunther and Sheamus? Can Liv Morgan withstand the threat of Shayna Baszler and add legitimacy to her title run? That’s just the tip of the iceberg of the questions going into this event. It should be a great one.
WWE Clash at the Castle Event Details: How to Watch, Start Time, Date, Location
| Subject | Information |
| Date | Saturday, September 3, 2022 |
| Start Time | 1PM ET/10AM PT (Kickoff starts at 12PM ET/9AM PT) |
| How to Watch | Peacock (United States), WWE Network (Outside US) |
| Location | Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |
Match Card
| Match | Championship | Match Type |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Reigns (c) vs. Drew McIntyre | Undisputed WWE Universal Championship | Singles Match |
| Liv Morgan (c) vs. Shayna Baszler | SmackDown Women’s Championship | Singles Match |
| Gunther w/ Ludwig Kaiser (c) vs. Sheamus w/ Butch & Ridge Holland | Intercontinental Championship | Singles Match |
| Matt Riddle vs. Seth “Freakin’” Rollins | None | Singles Match |
| Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, & Asuka vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai, & IYO SKY | None | Tag Team Match |
| Rey Mysterio & Edge w/ Dominic vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest w/ Rhea Ripley) | None | Tag Team Match |
Note: (c) indicates the champion heading into the match.
Predictions
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Undisputed Universal Championship Match)
Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre are no strangers to each other. They headlined Survivor Series 2020 against each other and had a program in 2019 where McIntyre was the “heel” and Reigns was the “face.” However, there’s a renewed freshness with this matchup as McIntyre tries to end Reigns’ historic run with a stop in the United Kingdom. McIntyre has also teased the possibility of bringing back his old theme music for the match, potentially adding an interesting wrinkle to his presentation.
Reigns isn’t a steady presence on WWE television these days, so The Usos have picked up some of the slack on the build to this matchup. McIntyre has also carried a heavy load, displaying some strong mic work and some effective video packages explaining his history and motivation to oust Reigns and be a workhorse champion. We have finally seen some one-on-one confrontations in recent weeks, with Reigns showing some vulnerabilities at times, but also confidence when he has The Bloodline in tow.
Obviously one has to account for the possibility of outside interference in this match. It’s unclear if The Usos or Karrion Kross will be in Cardiff, but that still leaves the door open for Sami Zayn to be a factor. There’s been rumors of a call-up for Solo Sikoa from NXT (brother of The Usos) so this would be a good time to debut him. And of course Theory is lurking with his Money in the Bank briefcase. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect Reigns to keep his historic title reign going, but we’re going to go out on a limb here and say that McIntyre will walk away as champion on Saturday.
Thinking back to SummerSlam 1992, the right call was made to have The British Bulldog defeat his brother-in-law Bret Hart at Wembley Stadium in London. There’s a similar motivation here, but it even works going beyond the setting of the Premium Live Event, as McIntyre will have a built-in challenger in Kross. And if Reigns is truly lined up to face The Rock at WrestleMania in Los Angeles next year, that matchup won’t necessarily need the title to be relevant. It makes sense to break him away from the championship, so this could be the best time to do it.
How it happens is unclear, but one obvious possibility is that Zayn tries to interfere and it backfires, perhaps with him accidentally hitting Reigns and allowing McIntyre to capitalize. This chaotic ending protects the “Head of the Table” to an extent, but will also help continue the angle between Zayn and The Usos even after Reigns drops the title of “undisputed” champion. The pieces are all in place, it’s just a matter of whether WWE thinks it’s the right time. We’re guessing that it is. - D.J. Short
Prediction: Drew McIntyre
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Shayna Baszler (Smackdown Women’s Championship Match)
It’s hard to think of a champion who could use a high-profile victory more than Morgan, who cashed in her Money in the Bank contract against a wounded Ronda Rousey and then won the rematch at SummerSlam after the referee missed her tapping out and recognized her three-count instead. That questionable finish has really damaged Morgan’s brief title run thus far, so the question here is whether the work will be done to build up her credibility or to switch gears entirely. Given Baszler’s great NXT run with Triple H at the helm, there’s a real chance they could go that route and set up a matchup against her friend Ronda Rousey.
While a Baszler-Rousey match would be a lot of fun, we’re thinking they won’t cut bait on Morgan this soon. She’s still finding her footing as an underdog who has become a champion. It’s not an easy transition to make. And surely that will be how Saturday’s match will be framed, as well. After all, Baszler employs a similar submission-based style as Rousey. It will be a good test of how Morgan has adapted. Given her recent training session with Matt Riddle, it would seem that she’s taking it seriously.
Nobody is expecting Morgan to force a tapout on Baszler, but she can be defensive and lean into her strengths with her speed and agility. We’re thinking she’ll get a clean pinfall victory without controversy, potentially setting up a rematch against a deserving Rousey. You know, whenever she’s actually allowed to compete again. - D.J. Short
Prediction: Liv Morgan
Gunther (c) w/ Ludwig Kaiser vs. Sheamus w/ Butch & Ridge Holland (WWE Intercontinental Championship Match)
I’m not sure I’ve ever said this about a Sheamus match, but I’m looking more forward to this match than any other on the card. Admittedly it’s mostly because of Gunther, but it does take two to tango. And Shemaus is the perfect opponent for the former WALTER. With the match taking place in Wales, it’s hard to know if either competitor will have a clear homefield advantage. Sheamus is from the United Kingdom, but Gunther was also the longest reigning NXT UK champion in history, and it’s not even close. Sheamus is known for his hard-hitting style, specifically his 10 Beats of the Bodhran, but Gunther may be the one person who may be harder hitting. Gunther has already threatened to turn Sheamus’ chest into “bloody bits” with a barrage of chops, and who am I to doubt him?
There hasn’t been a lot of time to build up this matchup, but their face-off last week on SmackDown was enough to get me hooked. The two were practically nose to nose, and neither flinched, even as chaos ensured all around them as Kaiser was scrapping with Butch and Ridge Holland. The physicality will be off the charts, but in the end, Gunther will have his hand raised, retaining his Intercontinental Championship as the victory will solidify his credibility and continue him on his path to becoming an eventual main eventer. - Ed Williams
Prediction: Gunther
Matt Riddle vs. Seth “Freakin’” Rollins
This one has been percolating for quite some time, but as Ron Bergundy would say, things really escalated on Raw. These two have been going at it seemingly ever since Randy Orton went down with a back injury. Left to fend for himself, Riddle came within a hair of winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, and then all the attention turned to Rollins. The two appeared to be headed for a matchup at SummerSlam, but after a Rollins attack, Riddle was not medically cleared to compete. The two have been brawling with each other every chance they get, including in the parking lot this past Monday on Raw. Later in the episode, the two went back and forth from separate areas in an interview segment, and once they thought the cameras had stopped rolling, things got personal.
Earlier in the interview Riddle said that the only man in Rollins’ family was his wife Beck “The Man” Lynch. Rollins sniped back that he can’t even talk about Riddle’s family because his wife divorced him and his kids don’t want to see him. The part about being divorced is at least legit. And 99 times out 100, with reality-based storytelling, the end product is vastly superior. The real emotions really start flowing, and the audience gets sucked in even more. Both of these guys are stellar in the ring, there’s a great story with layers leading into the match, but it’s Riddle who really needs the win here the most. If it were the old regime, I may not be going this way. But with Triple H heading up creative, the official prediction is for Riddle to come out victorious, continuing to show his more serious side, and proving that he can be a main-event level talent. - Ed Williams
Prediction: Matt Riddle
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss & Asuka vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai, & IYO SKY
This match has been in the works for weeks, but the rivalry has been paced well and there’s been just enough restraint to make this matchup meaningful. Bayley, Kai, & SKY should have some extra motivation after Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah pulled off a shocking victory to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on Monday. Of course, Belair, Bliss, and Asuka played a role in that finish by chasing off Bayley from ringside and causing enough chaos for Aliyah to take advantage.
While Belair, Bliss, & Asuka were able to frustrate their opponents on Monday, we’re thinking they will not be as fortunate on Saturday. Bayley, Kai, & SKY need a win to cement their place as the dominant new force in the women’s division. Belair, Bliss, & Asuka were largely thrown together on the fly. And while they are all great talents, this trio isn’t likely to have the same longevity. Storyline-wise, it also makes sense for Bayley to have the upper hand going into a potential Women’s Championship program with Belair. Just imagine the annoying promos (we mean that as a compliment, we promise) Bayley will cut if her team wins on Saturday. That’s easy money.
Look for Bayley, Kai, & SKY to bend the rules and walk away with the victory in Cardiff. - D.J. Short
Prediction: Bayley, Dakota Kai, & IYO SKY
Edge & Rey Mysterio w/ Dominic vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest w/ Rhea Ripley)
It seems as though WWE has been teasing the breakup of Rey and his son Dominik for at least a year at this point. Every time Dominik seems on the precipice of turning on his father, the storyline changes in the other direction (whether that was by design is debatable) or neither are seen on TV for a while, and when they reappear, all was well in the Mysterio household. If there was ever a time to break these two up, this has to be it. The Judgment Day, and predominantly Rhea Ripley, have been abusing Dominik for weeks. It’s gotten to a point where Dominik may be suffering some kind of Stockholm Syndrome as he was stopped in his tracks by Ripley on Raw and ultimately gave her his kendo stick. Is Dom developing feelings for Ripley? Is he under some kind of Judgment Day spell? One thing is for certain – he’s not happy Rey is teaming up with Edge for this match instead of him.
Rey and Edge are former tag team champions, but that was a long time ago as they haven’t tagged together in 20 years. On the flipside, Damien Priest has been killing it on his promos of late, and Finn Balor is starting to feel more like the NXT Prince, and that’s a good thing. While Edge had a tremendous win over Priest a couple of weeks ago, this really feels like it’s time for the Judgment Day to get a high profile victory. The one wild card in this one is whether Beth Phoenix gets into the mix. I think that may be saved for the follow-up to this match. Give Judgment Day the win, and look for Dominik to turn on his father and officially join his former enemies. - Ed Williams
Prediction: The Judgment Day
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