WWE Reportedly Turned Down Wembley Stadium In Favor Of Cardiff For Clash At The Castle

The United Kingdom is undoubtedly a hot market for professional wrestling, with AEW's upcoming All In show currently moving tens of thousands of tickets in pre-sale, while WWE prepares to hold a sold-out Money in the Bank at the O2 Arena in London on July 1. Last year, WWE also ran Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales, but according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, that was not the original plan. In fact, WWE had originally intended to use Wembley Stadium, but the company was offered more money to hold the event at Principality Stadium, so the decision was made to change plans.

Despite their decision to run a smaller venue, WWE Clash at the Castle reportedly had 62,296 fans in attendance. Additionally, according to WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, the show became the company's largest-ever European gate, with more merchandise sold than at any other event apart from a WrestleMania.

Clash at the Castle was headlined by Drew McIntyre challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and featured additional matches such as Sheamus vs. GUNTHER, Seth Rollins taking on Matt Riddle, and Edge teaming up with Rey Mysterio to face The Judgment Day.

Although Money in the Bank sold out well ahead of time, the O2 Arena has a much smaller capacity compared to Principality Stadium or Wembley Stadium. The company has said that they hope to continue running major international events, and some difficult decisions will no doubt have to be made with regard to venue size moving forward.