The critically-acclaimed Intercontinental Championship match between Sheamus and GUNTHER at Clash at the Castle 2022 was reportedly not the original plan.
In a recent interview with Robert Jackman of Uncrowned, Sheamus revealed that Shinsuke Nakamura was initially scheduled to be GUNTHER’s challenger for the title. “The original plan was actually meant to be GUNTHER defending his title against Shinsuke Nakamura,” Sheamus stated.
The match, which Sheamus refers to as one of the best of his career, took place in Cardiff, Wales. Despite losing the bout, he received a memorable standing ovation from the crowd of over 60,000. The contest was widely praised for its raw physicality and in-ring storytelling.
From the opening bell, the nearly 20-minute match was a brutal, hard-hitting affair. GUNTHER’s devastating chops left Sheamus’s chest visibly bruised and welted. The storytelling of the contest built around Sheamus’s resilience, highlighted by a moment where he successfully delivered more than ten of his signature “Beats of the Bodhran” clubbing blows, drawing a massive reaction from the audience.
Though that classic encounter didn’t result in a title win, Sheamus’s pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship continues. It remains the only men’s main roster title he has not yet won in his career. His next scheduled match is a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook against Rusev at Clash in Paris on August 31.