It’s time for Clash at the Castle, WWE’s first U.K. stadium show since SummerSlam 1992, and the card is pretty stacked, with multiple titles on the line. One of those championships is the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship, which Liv Morgan currently holds. Shayna Baszler, the former UFC fighter known as “The Queen of Spades,” is her opponent at the event, which airs at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) on Peacock. While this isn’t necessarily our prediction, it’s very easy to see that Morgan’s title reign could be done.
Morgan, a former member of the Riott Squad, became a fan favorite over the last couple of years, especially during her singles run throughout 2022. She had impressive (albeit unsuccessful) showings at Day 1 against Becky Lynch and at Elimination Chamber. She won Money in the Bank’s titular ladder match in July, successfully cashing it in on then-championship Ronda Rousey later that night. Like most MITB cash-ins, it was not exactly a fair fight, with Rousey just finishing a match against Natalya. Rousey got her rematch at SummerSlam but was unsuccessful in a controversial finish.
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Rousey locked Morgan (real name Gionna Daddio) into an armbar but allowed herself to be rolled into a pin in the process. Morgan tapped out to the submission, but the referee did not see it, and instead counted a pin against Rousey. From there, Morgan was heckled during the next SmackDown episode as she showed off an injured arm (the injury is believed to be kayfabe). Baszler soon became No. 1 contender for this Clash at the Castle match, and it’s not hard to imagine the former Ultimate Fighter contestant taking home her first solo WWE since she left NXT.
WWE hasn’t exactly booked Morgan as a strong champion yet, given she gave up during her first title defense. Plus, that negative reception after SummerSlam (paired with an on-air expletive during her in-ring promo) might have caused some within WWE to change their minds about Morgan as champ, especially given the shakeups occurring since Vince McMahon’s departure. Baszler is a real-life threat when it comes to fighting and that believability could be in favor with WWE’s current creative head, Paul Levesque (former WWE Superstar Triple H). Baszler taking home the championship would also line up a possible bout with Rousey, which just has attraction potential all over it (though one could argue it be one without a championship on the line, as well).
A defeat might even work in Morgan’s favor, either positioning her for a heel turn based on the recent negative fan reception or simply putting her back in the “underdog” babyface role she’s excelled in during this singles run thus far. Bianca Belair made a successful run in that position, losing to Lynch at SummerSlam 2021, only to set up a long-term chase for the belt that led to her regaining the title at WrestleMania 38.
Win or lose, Morgan is in for a fight at Clash at the Castle, which is going down at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. As with all WWE premium live events, wrestling fans can watch it via Peacock. The streaming service has both mid-tier and ad-free plans available. Click here for sign-up info.
