Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes takes on close friend Kevin Owens in an incredible title fight. Catch WWE action on Peacock, WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more. #WWEBash
Who stole the show at Bash in Berlin? What comes next for the likes of Cody Rhodes, CM Punk and Randy Orton? Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly breaks down everything worth talking about following the WWE PLE.
The Undisputed WWE Championship Match led off the show, and it accomplished what it needed to — get the crowd into it from the first bell. The budding “rivalry” between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens has every indication that it is in its infancy even following Rhodes’ hard-fought victory, and this match did nothing but stoke the speculation of what’s next. There is still a lot of meat left on the bone, and the performance and passion put out by these two makes this something with plenty of intrigue moving forward. After Rhodes was able to retain his title, it now allows Owens to turn ruthless in future matches. His friend put him in a situation to fail by doing him a “favor” by demanding he get a title match. Surely that led to KO not attacking the injured knee of Rhodes during a key part of the match.
Owens’ energy was unmatched on the card by a significant margin. That combined with his willingness to pull off crazy high-impact moves makes him well-deserving of a title run, if that is in his future. The rolling senton, the Stunner, the cannonball, the fisherman buster and others were quite the impressive arsenal Owens rolled out in Berlin.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair have long singles careers ahead of them. They are that good. After getting the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title back from The Unholy Union of Alba Frye & Isla Dawn after a couple of months, when do Belair and Cargill go their separate ways?
CM Punk and Drew McIntyre in a Strap Match — with their recent history — had to be a brutal match, and you knew it would be from the start. You can’t spend 20 minutes beating the hell out of each other with a leather strap, so this match had to set a tone early before settling down. The incorporation of tables and chairs to keep the violence in the match was clever. The lights on top of each corner were a nice touch and made it easier to follow (which paid off when both Superstars had three of the four lights engaged late in the match).
With Punk forcing McIntyre to tap out and being able to connect on the GTS four times in a row as well as reclaiming his much-adored bracelet, it’s hard to imagine there will be a return match (although I guess it is possible). Even though it has been entertaining throughout the past few months and you hate to see it go away, it just seems like there is no logical place for it to be taken to right now.
WWE is much better with CM Punk in its ring than without him.
With so many different storylines involved in the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Randy Orton and Gunther, who would’ve thought this was the time that Orton (who was going after his 15th world championship) would pass the proverbial torch to Gunther? With two of the better technical big-man wrestlers in the company, it was a perfect gesture that it would happen near Gunther’s hometown and be topped off with a respectful handshake at the end.
Gunther sure took a lot of punishment from The Viper, but it was The Ring General who retained his title and did it by not blowing up Orton’s legacy in the process. It may just have enhanced it. Orton not getting pinned or even submitting yet losing was an appropriate way to end the match. You have to give it to the two big men going 30 minutes in the main event. It was a big ask, and it was delivered.
Mixed Tag Team Matches aren’t my favorite because of the limitations put on them simply by the rules. But the match between Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley and "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan made for an entertaining 25 minutes. You just knew that Ripley was going to get her shots in on Dom, and she didn’t disappoint.
This rivalry between The Judgment Day and The Terror Twins is just too good to stop right now. Mysterio is one of the best villains in the company and doesn’t need to have a rivalry with a specific individual to be booed out of the building — even though the Rey Mysterio sighting last week and Dom using both the 619 and the Frog Splash in this match was interesting. Being Morgan’s eye candy is enough for Dom. This match seemingly paves the way for Ripley and Morgan to eventually meet for the Women’s World Championship and keeps the new version of The Judgment Day relevant with Finn Bálor still being sore with Priest. It’s not going away, nor should it.