By One of the newest premium live events in WWE will take place Saturday with Bash in Berlin, marking another pay-per-view across the pond for the company, but the first ever in Germany.
It’s not a heavy card with only five matches scheduled to take place, but three of them will be for titles, including the Undisputed WWE Championship match between friends Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens, as well as the World Heavyweight Championship bout between Gunther and the icon Randy Orton. The women’s tag titles are on the line as well, and two of the top feuds in wrestling will have another battle. European crowds have given WWE an electric atmosphere this year, and expect the same this time around.
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This fight started before the match began. During CM Punk’s entrance, McIntyre took advantage when Punk turned his back and started attacking Punk before the pair were even strapped together.
After McIntyre threw Punk back into the ring, McIntyre strapped his own arm and then asked the referee to start he match. The ref refused though, forcing McIntyre to strap Punk on his own. Finally, the match begun, and McIntyre continued his onslaught, including touching one corner.
Punk was able to flip the match on its head though. He had every opportunity to start touching turnbuckles, but instead, Punk was reveling in the opportunity to beat McIntyre to a pulp. Even after McIntyre had been down for a minute, Punk did not turn on a single light in the corners.
The next several minutes of the match didn’t take place in the ring at all. The pair traded blows with Punk flipping McIntyre on the announcers’ table. McIntyre launching Punk into the corner headbutting him. The fight would eventually move back into the ring with CM Punk bleeding from his forehead.
Both fighters landed serious blows after this. McIntyre landed a devastating claymore. Punk dragged McIntyre into a chair in one of the corners that McIntyre had set up earlier. Each fighter had tapped three turnbuckles, but neither was able to secure the fourth and the victory. The closest either fighter came to victory though was after McIntyre launched CM Punk into a table and started carrying his battered body through the ring. As McIntyre touched each corner, Punk sneakily touched them all as well, leaving just one corner for both fighters to touch. Unfortunately, neither would get there before the lights reset.
Following a few more blows from each fighter, McIntyre started to get cocky, and even started wearing the bracelet with Punk’s wife and dog’s names. That’s the very bracelet that has caused Punk so much distress. However, this move would give Punk some extra motivation. After falling to a Claymore, McIntyre nearly hit all four turnbuckles, but Punk would retaliate by putting McIntyre into the floor with four GTS’s, one before each corner to win the match, but not before stripping McIntyre of that annoying bracelet.
The second match of the bash featured two of the biggest stars in WWE – teammates Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill – vying for the women’s tag team championship against the Unholy Union, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn.
Belair and Cargill wasted no time establishing themselves as the favorites. Both Belair and Cargill landed massive blows on Alba Fyre. In fact, it took interference from Isla Dawn in order for Fyre to land a single blow on Bianca Belair, finally throwing Belair through the ropes by her hair, then jumping through the ropes to attack Jade Cargill.
The tide of the fight had been turned. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn were being menaces to Belair, who could not tag Cargill to get out of the ring. Fyre even landed a move that not only countered a grab from Belair and turned it into a DDT, but also kicked Cargill in the face, knocking her off the apron.
After a suplex to Isla Dawn, Belair was finally able to tag Cargill. Cargill was fresh and wasted no time putting Dawn to the mat over and over, but Dawn refused to get pinned.
Cargill had the champs’ numbers, but still tagged Belair back in sooner than expected. That gave Fyre and Dawn exactly what they wanted as the pair landed a devastating tag team move on Belair, which would’ve ended the match if Cargill didn’t dive into the ring to break up the cover.
Each team had their opportunities to win the match after, but it would be Belair and Cargill to get the last laugh. After the pair teamed up to take Fyre out of the match, Dawn could not handle the onslaught from her opponents. Cargill landed the pin, and we officially have new women’s tag team champions.
The crowd in Berlin wasted no time demonstrating their love for WWE. As the Universal Champion Cody Rhodes made his way out to the ring, the entire crowd was singing his theme.
Even after the match started, it took several minutes for Owens and Rhodes to go after one another, waiting for a moment of lapse in the German crowd’s cheers. Once the match got going, Owens was the first person to land a major shot, knocking Rhodes to the mat with a shoulder bash bouncing off the ropes.
Owens appeared to have the upper hand on Rhodes early on. Even when Rhodes would get Owens into position for a Crossrhodes, Owens would escape the hold and attempt a counter of his own. Rhodes would jump through the ropes to attack Owens, but Owens would catch him and land a blow of his own.
Rhodes would actually be the first person to land a cover though. Owens faced no trouble kicking out, but Rhodes immediately followed the cover up with a leglock attempting to get Owens to tap out, but Owens was never in serious danger.
This whole sequence was a masterclass from Rhodes, who constantly kept up his attack. Owens showed remarkable resiliency though, forcing Rhodes into a a slugfest, where Owens definitely holds the advantage.
The match would bounce back and forth between both competitors for a long while afterwards. Rhodes would land more hits, and had several opportunities to win the match, including a cody cutter from the ropes, but Owens never wavered. Rhodes constantly landed blows, but the few blows Owens landed did some serious damage. The most obvious example was a neckbreaker that took Rhodes out of commission for nearly a minute.
The back and forth continued. Rhodes lands a crossrhodes, Owens lands a slam from the corner, the pair trade super kicks. Every move from one of the fighters was met with equal retaliation. The moment this stopped was when Rhodes’ injured knee buckled while attempting to jump off the corner. Owens refused to go after Rhodes while he was injured, he had several opportunities to attack Rhodes, but passed up on many of those chances in order to win “legitimately.”
Owens would eventually land a stunner after Rhodes convinced Owens he was good to go, but Rhodes would kick out. He followed that kick out up with two consecutive crossrhodes. Rhodes attempted to land a third, but Owens broke out and landed yet another stunner, but that would only prolong the inevitable. Owens showed mercy, and it came back to bite him. Cody Rhodes won the match after countering a swanton by putting his knees up. That was the turning point Rhodes needed to secure the victory.
When is Bash in Berlin 2024? Start time
Bash in Berlin is Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. ET. It will begin locally at 7 p.m.
Bash in Berlin is taking place at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.
The event can be streamed on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on WWE Network.
Watch WWE action with a Peacock subscription
WWE fans in the United States can catch the Bash in Berlin preshow on Peacock or on YouTube. The preshow is being streamed live on both sites.
Stream the WWE: Catch Bash in Berlin with a Peacock subscription
The kickoff show streamed on YouTube yesterday, August 30, preparing fans across the world for both Friday Night Smackdown and Bash in Berlin. Michael Cole kicked off the show to outstanding applause, before introducing The Miz as his first guest. However, the two of them didn’t interact much before The Miz gave way to CM Punk.
Punk was met with uproaring applause and cheers. Cole and Punk talked about Punk’s rivalry with Drew McIntyre, and his success in strap matches throughout his career. Punk played to the crowd of course, even listing them as his biggest advantage in his match against McIntyre tonight.
The cheers quickly turned to boos when Cole’s next guest appeared on stage, Drew McIntyre. McIntyre turned the tides on the crowd though, reminding them that through thick and thin, he has remained with WWE while Punk left and attempted to make it big through other avenues. The crowd wasn’t having it though, calling McIntyre an “a**hole.” Michael Cole commented, “That’s English, Drew.” No interpreter needed.
Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio were the next to take the stage. The Bonnie and Clyde of WWE have never shied from angry crowds, and boy, was the Berlin crowd upset with them. They were much more excited to see Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley, the Terror Twins, reminding everyone that Dom made an awful choice choosing Morgan over Ripley.
Of course, the show couldn’t finish without the man that the entirety of Germany is rooting for: the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther. The man who has held at least one title for nearly three-quarters of his career with WWE will certainly be the most popular pick to win tonight. A loss to Randy Orton would certainly make for some upset German fans.
Matches not in order
- Undisputed WWE Championship match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens
- World Heavyweight Championship match: Gunther (c) vs. Randy Orton
- Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (c) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
- Mixed tag team match: The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan) vs. The Terror Twins (Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley)
- Strap match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre
- Undisputed WWE Championship match: Cody Rhodes (c) def. Kevin Owens
- World Heavyweight Championship match: Gunther (c) def. Randy Orton
- Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill def. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
- Mixed tag team match: The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan) def. The Terror Twins (Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley)
- Strap match: CM Punk def. Drew McIntyre
CM Punk and Drew McIntyre will take their rivalry to another level with a strap match. A strap match is when both competitors are tied together to the opposite ends of a leather strap, meaning they’ll be in close proximity for the entire contest.
The strap can be used as a weapon, but the unique twist is a pinfall, submission or count-out will not result in victory. Instead, only a competitor can win by touching the top of all four turnbuckles in succession without interruption, meaning they’ll need to drag the opponent as they do so.
Punk has been featured in two strap matches on WWE before, and is undefeated in this style of brawl.
The first came in 2006 against Brent Albright with the OVW Heavyweight Championship on the line. The second came against Umaga during Extreme Rules 2009. Punk won both of these matches, and both were considered incredible efforts from Punk, who nearly lost to Umaga after having touched three of the corners.
WWE has been taking its premium live events all throughout the world this year with Bash in Berlin marking the sixth premium live event to take place outside of the United States. The international shows this year have been:
- WWE SmackDown New Year’s Revolution – January 5 in Vancouver, Canada
- Elimination Chamber – February 24 in Perth, Australia
- WWE Backlash – May 4 in Lyon-Decines, France
- King and Queen of the Ring – May 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Clash at the Castle – June 15 in Glasgow, Scotland
- WWE Money in the Bank – July 6 in Toronto, Canada
- WWE NXT Heatwave – July 7 in Toronto, Canada
- Bash in Berlin – August 31 in Berlin, Germany
- Crown Jewel – November 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Survivor Series: WarGames – November 30 in Vancouver, Canada
- Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes
- World Heavyweight Champion: Gunther
- WWE Women’s Champion: Nia Jax
- Women’s World Champion: Liv Morgan
- Intercontinental Champion: Bron Breakker
- United States Champion: LA Knight
- Women’s Tag Team Champions: The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn)
- WWE Tag Team Champions: The Bloodline (Tonga Loa & Tama Tonga)
- World Tag Team Champions: The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh)
- WWE Speed Championship: Andrade
Nothing. In fact, that is the core storyline for this event. Although Owens has been a massive help to Cody Rhodes, helping him maintain his Universal Championship since he beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, Owens has not won many individual matches since, and Owens knows it.
Prior to the start of the show today, WWE aired a short interview with both Owens and Rhodes where Owens said he wished he could’ve earned this title shot in a more honest way. Whether that was a tournament, or a match against any of the men who Rhodes had already defended his title against, it wouldn’t have mattered. Owens says he is grateful for the chance and would love the title, but he doesn’t love how he has performed as of late.
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