WWE SmackDown: Cardiff transport plan for wrestling

Wrestling fans have been warned to plan ahead with 70,000 people expected at WWE's first UK stadium show in 30 years.

The Clash in the Castle is at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday.

Three Ed Sheeran gigs at the stadium caused travel chaos in May, including motorway tailbacks, parking pandemonium and railway station queues.

Transport for Wales [TFL] said it had a "well-established plan in place" to avoid disruption.

WWE's last major UK stadium event was the 1992 Summerslam at Wembley Stadium.

Scottish WWE star Drew McIntyre has said he is excited to perform in front of UK fans - "the best in the world".

Viewers from all corners of the globe are set to tune in to the event.

The wrestling organisation also announced it will fund all 12 UK Childline centres on the day of the show at a cost of £30,000.

People going have been advised to leave extra time for the journey to Cardiff.

Rail upgrades and routine roadworks are suspended to avoid disruption.

Roads in Cardiff city centre will begin to shut from 07:00 BST on Saturday, with a full closure in place from midday until midnight on "health and safety grounds to ensure people can safely enter and leave the stadium".

Park and ride to the event is available for £10 from 09:00 at Leckwith Stadium, accessed from the M4 via exit 33.

Rail passengers have also been told that all services around Cardiff will be busy and are being encouraged to plan their journeys carefully.

"Queues are unavoidable with so many people wishing to travel," said Jan Chaudhry-Van der Velde, managing director of TfW.

"We have a detailed and well-established plan in place for after the event and it's vital that people familiarise themselves with the post-event queuing system," he added.

A queuing system will again be in place at Central Square and Great Western Railway (GWR) is putting on extra late trains to Newport, Bristol Temple Meads and Swansea.

"We're doing all we can to help customers home following the wrestling," said Richard Rowland of GWR. "But Cardiff Central is going to be especially busy after the WWE and we would encourage customers to check journey times."

All bus services into the city centre - including Cardiff Bus, Stagecoach and NAT services - will be affected and diverted.

Thirty years after the WWE's last UK event featured only male wrestlers, women are now top of the bill.

One of them, Bianca Blair Crawford, said to be in such a "high profile spot" in an event outside the United States was "important for the world to see".

"Walking around and seeing so many women's faces on all the posters on all the streets..." said the wrestler whose ring name is Bianca Belair. "It's an amazing feeling."

Irish wrestler Fergal Devitt, who uses the ring name Finn Bálor, said it was not his first time competing in Cardiff.

"A long time ago I wrestled in Cathays leisure centre in front of about 55 or 60 people," he said. "Tomorrow is going to be a little increase in the amount of people."

Wrestling fan Charlotte Peacock, of Cardiff, and a Welsh knitting group knitted a WWE belt and jumper with the Welsh flags.

"The reaction's been absolutely awesome," she said. "There's a very small group of knitter and wrestling fans and I think I found all of the ones in Wales and together we've done this amazing project."

The card for WWE's Clash at the Castle includes six matches: