A massive wrestling event which brought £21 million to the Welsh economy is moving to Scotland, albeit in a much smaller venue, it has been announced. WWE brought its Clash at the Castle event to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff back in September 2022, in what was its first major event in the UK for 30 years.
A crowd of 62,296 people embarked on the capital to attend the event itself, whilst there were many other unofficial events taking place in Cardiff on the days around it. The Welsh Government revealed that the event made £21.8m for the local economy, with 75.3% of spectators attending from outside Wales, and 57% of non-locals indicated the event experience made them want to explore other parts of Wales.
Hopes had been high that the event would return to Wales once again after the success it enjoyed in the city. But WWE announced on Tuesday morning that it is not to be. The Clash at the Castle event will return on June 15, 2024, but it will instead take place at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow. One of its flagship weekly TV shows, Friday Night Smackdown, will also be held the night before the major event. Find out about the latest events in Wales by signing up to our What's On newsletter here.
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WWE President Nick Khan said: “We are excited to bring both Friday Night SmackDown and Clash At The Castle: Scotland to our amazing fans in Scotland at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow this June. The world will see that this is one of the UK’s best venues and Scottish crowds are some of the loudest, craziest and most passionate on the planet.”
At the time, the Clash at the Castle event in Cardiff became the most-viewed and highest-rated international premium live event in the sports entertainment company's history. The event was backed by the Welsh Government as part of their 'Major Events Strategy' but they never revealed how much financial backing they put into the event. You can learn more about the Glasgow event by clicking here. Try WalesOnline Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “These are not comparable events. Clash in the Castle Cardiff hosted 62,000 fans and this event announced for the in the OVO Hydro in Glasgow will host around 12,000. The 2022 event in Cardiff was a huge success and we would remain open to discussions about a WWE event of that scale returning to Wales in the future.”
