Licensing.biz joined 60,000 fans at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to witness the first live WWE UK stadium event in 30 years.
As invited trade guests from key licensee and retail partners gathered in Cardiff for WWE’s Clash at the Castle, Licensing.biz publisher John Baulch reports.
From the moment I stepped off the train, it was obvious that the WWE juggernaut had rolled into town – literally and metaphorically. My first stop was Cardiff Castle, to experience the Smyths Toys pop-up activation, which featured a life-size version of Mattel’s Wrekkin’ Rig truck, along with activations involving other licensees including a Funko photo op and WWE2K22 gaming stations. There were plenty of WWE fans of all ages enjoying the pop-up, and other WWE-related activities nearby; the queue for The Undertaker Experience within the Castle grounds was apparently two hours long (I loved the sign at the head of the queue; “No touching of the memorabilia, but sitting on the throne is allowed.”)
In addition to the Smyths pop-up, other nearby retailers had also gone to town to celebrate the event, including The Entertainer, which had installed an eye-catching window display featuring a mock-up WWE ring. WWE had also installed its own pop-up store within the shopping centre, and the queues for both stores stretched around the centre.
Cardiff itself was over-run by WWE fans, and the thing that comes across immediately is the passion and engagement of the audience: a sea of exuberant fans created an amazing atmosphere hours before the doors even opened. Kids walked by adorned with giant replica belts, sometimes as large as the child itself. In all, around 62,000 fans are believed to have descended on Cardiff to take in the event, the first live stadium event in the UK for 30 years.
Invited trade guests from key licensee and retail partners – including Mattel, Smyths, The Entertainer, Midco Toys and many others – were given the opportunity to mingle with WWE talent and the occasional celebrity (I noticed Charlotte Church was standing next to me at one point) in a pre-show hospitality reception, before we all headed to the arena to take in the main event.
The atmosphere in the hall was unsurprisingly electric: WWE can never be accused of being understated, and the pyrotechnics, pumping music and visceral nature of the bouts whipped the crowd up into a frenzy. Fans went wild, and even non-aficionados like myself couldn’t help but get caught up in the maelstrom.
All week long, social media had been buzzing with rumours about which Superstars would be appearing, with posts about which Wrestler had just been seen in the Cardiff Superdrug (Ray Mysterio, in case you wondered) only adding to the mystique and anticipation. After several high-octane bouts, the whole event was brought to a close by two WWE titans, with Roman Reigns defeating Drew McIntyre to retain his crown. You can read more about the night here.
All in all, the Clash at the Castle event was a huge success: viewers across the globe switched on in their millions, an unbelievable amount of WWE merchandise was sold and the UK got to witness this incredible spectacle first-hand. Hopefully it won’t be 30 years before the show rolls into town again.
