Roman Reigns took everything Drew McIntyre had to offer, but was able to overcome thanks to some outside help to retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Cardiff on Saturday at Clash at the Castle.
Following a ref bump, Austin Theory ran down to attempt a cash-in of his Money in the Bank briefcase, but got knocked out at ringside by Tyson Fury. McIntyre then connected on a Claymore, a spear of his own, and another Claymore. But thanks to outside interference from Solo Sikoa, who made his main roster debut to pull the referee out, Reigns landed a spear and the champ held on for the win.
.@_Theory1 just attempted to cash in his #MITB contract and @Tyson_Fury just decked Austin Theory at #WWECastle!!! pic.twitter.com/ysPJGE9aS5
— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2022
It's @WWESoloSIkoa!!!#WWECastle pic.twitter.com/GFEnDvgk8U
— WWE (@WWE) September 3, 2022
After the match, Fury entered the ring, shook hands with Reigns, helped McIntyre to his feet, and held the challenger’s hand in the air. Fury got on the mic and said McIntyre had done everyone proud despite the loss.
With the loss, McIntyre misses on his opportunity to be a WWE champion who would represent the titles “on a regular basis,” comments the challenger made after Reigns inked a WWE extension with fewer dates.
“I know Roman said things in the past about how he feels, and I’m sure he regrets those comments,” McIntyre recently told Uproxx Sports. “But I would never judge anybody for where they’re at in their life and how they want to live their life. But I do feel strongly that the titles need to be represented on the shows, on a regular basis, at our media events, at our weekly live events. And if you can’t make those commitments, I’m not sure you should be champion. But you should certainly be part of the show because you’re a huge freaking star.”
As McIntyre serenaded the crowd, he remained committed to eventually taking the belts off Reigns and stopping his two-year run on top.