Add as a preferred source on Google WWE has found one of its best formulas in Europe: turning modest events into nights with a WrestleMania-level feel. Since Clash at the Castle in 2022, the company has realized that European crowds do not just buy in – they often elevate cards that, in North America, might have felt like more of the same.
For this list, I considered the modern era of WWE’s European Premium Live Events starting in 2022, after PLEs became a central part of the company’s international calendar. Clash in Italy, scheduled for May 31, 2026, in Turin, is not included since it has not happened yet.
6 – Clash at the Castle: Scotland 2024
Clash at the Castle: Scotland was not a bad show. Far from it. But within this group, it was the event that relied the most on the strength of the local crowd and the least on a truly memorable card.
Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles delivered a great I Quit Match in the opener, maybe even better than the rematch needed to be at that point. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn winning the tag team titles was also the right call, especially in front of the Scottish crowd. The problem is that the whole event felt like it was building toward Drew McIntyre’s coronation, and once again, WWE chose to deny the local audience that moment.
CM Punk’s interference in McIntyre’s loss to Damian Priest worked for their rivalry, but it left the show with a bitter aftertaste.
5 – Clash in Paris 2025
Clash in Paris had a stronger card on paper than the Scotland event, but it also suffered from feeling more like a bridge than the stage for something truly memorable.
Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed was a solid opener, John Cena vs. Logan Paul carried historical weight as Cena’s final European match, and Rusev vs. Sheamus delivered exactly the kind of physical fight expected from a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook Match. The main event, with Seth Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk, LA Knight, and Jey Uso, also featured Becky Lynch interfering to help Rollins retain.
The issue is that the show had good individual pieces, but it never became greater than the sum of its parts. Paris hosted some strong moments, but it did not have the match or decision that made it feel unforgettable.
4 – Bash in Berlin 2024
Bash in Berlin may be the most solid event on this list. That is both praise and criticism.
WWE made history by holding its first major Premium Live Event in Germany, and the atmosphere inside Uber Arena was strong from start to finish. Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens was a good opening match, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre pushed their deeply personal feud forward in a Strap Match, and Gunther defeated Randy Orton in the main event to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
The problem is that Bash in Berlin was too predictable. Nothing really felt wrong, but very little felt must-see either. It was a strong maintenance show, with big names, good matches, and an excellent crowd. It just lacked the boldness other European events had.
3 – Money in the Bank 2023
Money in the Bank 2023 may be the most important event on this list in terms of consequences.
Damian Priest won the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, IYO SKY won the women’s match, John Cena appeared to tease the possibility of WrestleMania in London, and the main event featured The Usos against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa in the Bloodline Civil War. Jimmy and Jey Uso defeating Reigns and Solo was one of the most impactful moments of the entire Bloodline saga.
What keeps this event from ranking higher is that, despite its major moments, not everything reached the same level. The Ladder Matches were good, and the atmosphere in London was insane, but the show lives more off its major developments than consistent card-wide quality.
Even so, it is impossible to look at modern WWE without seeing Money in the Bank 2023 as one of the pillars of this European expansion.
2 – Backlash France 2024
Backlash France proved that sometimes, the crowd can turn a simple card into something historic.
On paper, the event did not look outrageous. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga vs. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a Street Fight, Bayley defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton, Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso, Kabuki Warriors vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, and Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles in the main event. It was a good card, but not necessarily an impressive one.
In practice, France made the show feel like WrestleMania. The energy from the crowd in Lyon became part of the story, especially during Rhodes vs. Styles. It was Cody’s first major title defense after WrestleMania XL, and WWE made the right call by putting him against someone who could deliver a technically impressive match without overshadowing the new champion’s moment.
It may be WWE’s best European PLE when it comes to the overall arena experience and crowd involvement. It only misses the top spot because, in my opinion, there is still one event with a better card.
1 – Clash at the Castle 2022
Clash at the Castle 2022 remains WWE’s best European Premium Live Event of the modern era.
The atmosphere in Cardiff was impressive, but unlike some other events on this list, the card matched it. Gunther and Sheamus delivered one of the best matches in recent history for the Intercontinental Championship. Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle had one of the best matches of their rivalry.
Edge and Rey Mysterio defeated The Judgment Day, only for Dominik Mysterio to betray his father and launch a new phase of his character. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre after interference from Solo Sikoa, who made his definitive arrival on the main roster that night.
The big debate, obviously, is the finish. Should Drew McIntyre have won? Probably. WWE had a rare catharsis in its hands, inside a packed stadium, in front of a crowd ready to explode for a historic win. Instead, it chose to protect Reigns and The Bloodline.
Even so, looking at the event as a whole, Clash at the Castle 2022 had everything, and that is why it tops this list.
The fact is that WWE may have repeated the European formula after that, but it has never fully surpassed it.