Image: WWE
Today’s WWE Bash in Berlin in Germany (1 PM Eastern on Peacock/WWE Network) should be another fast-paced, three-hour PLE.
The Paul “Triple H” Levesque era is all about these five-match shows. It’s how he ran TakeOver events back in the first black & gold era of NXT and now he’s brought that philosophy to the main roster. The idea is they save some matches for SmackDown, such as LA Knight’s US title defense this week, and each PLE match gets all the time it needs. On top of that, keeping the shows under the three-hour mark helps ensure fans stay hot throughout.
Still, I’ve heard fans express they don’t like the short lineups. When you look at the international shows that have followed this format, however, they’ve all been well-reviewed. Backlash France, King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, Money in the Bank in Toronto, and Clash at the Castle in Glasgow were all excellent shows.
Many of the above-mentioned PLEs benefited greatly from having a hot crowd and Berlin’s fans will likely be bringing their A-game to this show. I’m expecting Gunther to receive a hero’s welcome. I think when this show was announced, many felt this would be where Gunther wins the World title rather than his first defense, but this works too. It’s almost as if Saturday is his home championship parade after having won the title in an away game.
Wrestling fans are spoiled with good PPV/PLEs right now and this won’t be any different. Below are previews and predictions for each match at Bash in Berlin.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
Rhodes heads into this title defense against Owens as a -6000 favorite and it’s hard to disagree with those odds.
While the result is not in question, how we get there should be interesting. In recent weeks, WWE has done a good job of reminding the audience (and Rhodes) about all the times Owens has turned on someone who was seemingly his friend. So, will he do it again? It doesn’t feel like anyone is asking for a KO heel turn at the moment, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
The possibility that Owens will turn heel during this program with Rhodes seems high, but it also feels likely Randy Orton and Rhodes will run a similar program sometime before WrestleMania. There’s more history with Orton and Rhodes so if they are going with the jilted friend angle, it makes more sense with Orton.
Rhodes will win clean and either Owens will remain a babyface or we will start to see some signs of him breaking bad again.
Prediction: Rhodes retains
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Randy Orton
Gunther is also a -6000 favorite to successfully defend against Orton and I, along with many others, would be shocked if anything other than that happens.
This will be a straight match with a clean finish and a chance for the live fans to give Gunther his flowers. I also think many will be surprised at how well these two pair up and the kind of chemistry they have. On the surface, it’s two guys from completely different generations and backgrounds, but this will probably be the best match on the show.
I’m also very interested to see Orton’s approach to taking Gunther’s chops. It feels like it could go either way. Either he won’t want to take many of them, or he’ll want to take more of them than anyone else on the main roster has so far. No middle ground.
Prediction: Gunther retains
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) defend against Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair
Belair & Cargill are listed as -175 favorites to defeat the Unholy Union, but there are a couple of scenarios that would see the champions retaining.
At some point, either Cargill is turning on Belair or vice versa. It’s just not clear how exactly this match will play into this eventuality.
Three possible things could happen here:
- Cargill and Belair go full Road Warriors and run through the Unholy Union to take back their titles
- Either Cargill or Belair turns on the other and Fyre & Dawn retain
- There is a miscommunication or some other type of mild breakup tease between Cargill and Belair, resulting in the Unholy Union retaining
Blair Davenport and Naomi will also get involved. but will likely just cancel each other out.
As for whether it is Cargill turning on Belair or Belair turning on Cargill, I think it’s more likely that Cargill ends up heel. I have a hard time picturing a heel Belair, but they may go that route too.
Admittedly, part of the reason I’m picking Fyre & Dawn to retain is that I just don’t want to pick all the favorites but I also think there’s a decent chance they win.
Prediction: Unholy Union retains
Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan vs. Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley
The Terror Twins are listed as -250 favorites and those seem like fair odds.
Normally, a new or recently restructured faction would win in their first big PLE match but that doesn’t make the most sense here. Ripley and Priest are both coming off losses at SummerSlam, Morgan is on fire right now, but then there is good ol’ Dominik. You can always pin Dominik.
The most likely finish is Dominik taking a Riptide from Ripley and Priest pinning him shortly after. That is the way.
You could have Ripley pin Morgan to set up another title match between them, but that wouldn’t be as satisfying to the audience as Dominik getting his comeuppance. There are lots of ways to get to another match between Ripley and Morgan, and they don’t have to have Morgan take a pin in a tag match to do that.
Prediction: Priest & Ripley
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre in a strap match
Punk is listed as a -500 favorite to win and probably will.
It was mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio recently that the rules of this match tend to favor the heel going over. They are going with the touch all four corners rule which is a prime breeding ground for either a fluke or a dirty win. There are examples of babyfaces winning these matches like Eddie Guerrero beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at No Way Out in 2004. I think that match might be a blueprint of sorts for what we see in Berlin.
During his AEW run, Punk was often portrayed in his matches as not being as good as the other guy but he uses his veteran skills and high ring IQ to find a way to win. He may do something similar here. The rules of this strap match also provide an opportunity for Punk to win in a fair way, which could be considered clean, but he wins by being smarter, not more athletic, stronger or just being a better wrestler.
Another factor is that it’s rumored/heavily believed Punk vs. McIntyre III will take place inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood. So, whatever happens in Berlin should lead to that.
Prediction: Punk
