Away from Vince McMahon, Triple H Books Outstanding Clash at the Castle

Clash at the Castle was a textbook Triple H-booked card

For decades, people within WWE proclaimed Vince McMahon had a knack for overseeing every single department.

In more recent years, that was one of the more repeated critics of McMahon’s leadership.

Particularly when it came to his booking.

As a booker, McMahon helped engineer some of professional wrestling’s most iconic moments. But that skill faded over the past decade-and-a-half, especially when it came to adapting to the modern style currently on display.

Yet that is where Paul “Triple H” Levesque shines.

WWE Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative Paul Levesque / WWE

Levesque grew up in the WWE system of booking, but he also does not object to wrestling’s evolution. Instead of McMahon, who seemed content to purposely frustrate his fan base, Levesque capitalizes on the small victories. Those add up, which was on display at Clash at the Castle.

Levesque put Cody Rhodes in front of a hot crowd in the opening match. He booked hometown favorites Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn to win the tag titles on home turf. He let Sami Zayn and Chad Gable go all-out in an exceptional wrestling bout, then put a realistic story around Piper Niven’s pursuit of Bayley’s championship. Bayley wasn’t losing that match, but the way the story was built, it planed a seed of doubt.

If the card looked familiar, it’s because it was. This is exactly the type of card Levesque would book with his famed NXT TakeOvers. And Levesque jumped into the deep end by having CM Punk cost Scotland’s own Drew McIntyre the world title, a decision that will decidedly move WWE business forward over the summer.

Here are the results from Clash at the Castle:

• Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes defeated AJ Styles in an I Quit match

• Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn won the women’s tag titles in a triple threat against Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill and the team of Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark

• IC champion Sami Zayn defeated Chad Gable

• WWE women’s champion Bayley defeated Piper Niven

• Damian Priest defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the world heavyweight championship

Rhodes opening the show was a tell that McIntyre and Priest were closing the show. In an extremely well booked finish, Punk cost McIntyre the match, preventing him–again–from a title reign. The McIntyre-Punk feud has reached the point where, if needed, it can headline one of WWE’s premium shows. It will also be tasked with carrying Raw, which it is well positioned to do.

Levesque knows the WWE style better than anyone. In a tight five-match card, he put forth outstanding wrestling, furthered feuds (Rhodes, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton against The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa), and even foreshadowed a new villain (the ominous message directed at Zayn). It also showed Priest’s vulnerability, which is important, as he is destined to drop the title to Gunther at SummerSlam.

Levesque hit all the right buttons at Clash / WWE

After leading WWE to unprecedented heights, McMahon had an adverse affect on the company in the latter years. That doesn’t even begin to capture the amount of harm he committed with his illicit activity, actions currently under review by a federal investigation.

In terms of overseeing the WWE’s wrestling, Levesque clearly knows how to connect with a massive audience. Without stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, or Becky Lynch, the Clash show still delivered. And as the crowd in Glasgow showered Punk with boos to close out the show, it was clear that Levesque knows precisely what he is doing.