CM Punk and Drew McIntyre have been embroiled in a bitter rivalry for months. (Credit score: WWE/Getty … [+] Photos)
WWE is abroad as soon as once more for the first-ever Bash in Berlin, a star-studded occasion that’s persevering with quite a few high storylines from this month’s SummerSlam.
Headlined by Gunther vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship and the second match of the pink scorching rivalry between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre, Bash in Berlin 2024 ought to proceed WWE’s scorching streak of profitable worldwide pay-per-views. Simply this 12 months, WWE has held main reveals in Australia, France, Saudi Arabia and Scotland, and every worldwide present delivered from high to backside.
Each Backlash France and Conflict on the Fortress: Scotland broke WWE’s arena gate record, and simply as importantly, performed a major position within the growth of a plethora of compelling storylines. On paper, the Bash in Berlin card appears to be like like one other slam dunk match lineup, one that may ship robust in-ring performances throughout the cardboard and set the stage for the upcoming Dangerous Blood occasion.
And with so many principal occasion storylines reaching their peak at Bash at Berlin, WWE could be smart to make these reserving selections in Germany.
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Jade Cargill And Bianca Belair Win Gold Once more
At WWE Conflict on the Fortress in June, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair shockingly lost the WWE Ladies’s Tag Group Championship to the exact same staff they’ll problem for the belts at Bash in Berlin, the duo of Isla Daybreak and Alba Fyre.
That large upset was a head-scratcher on the time, primarily as a result of Fyre and Daybreak—collectively often known as The Unholy Union—aren’t portrayed to be on the identical stage as Belair and Cargill. In essence, that makes Bash in Berlin the best time and place to proper the incorrect from Conflict on the Fortress, the place Belair and Cargill had no enterprise dropping the titles so quickly after successful them
After all, the long-term storyline for Belair and Cargill is probably going a break up and feud, however that’s a WrestleMania caliber match. There’s no have to rush it, and as a substitute, the easiest way for WWE to raise the ladies’s tag titles is to place them on two of the corporate’s largest stars in Belair and Cargill.
Rhea Ripley Pins Liv Morgan In Blended Tag Group Match
WWE has struck viewership gold with the cleaning soap opera-esque love triangle involving Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley, which has since morphed right into a babyface flip for Damian Priest and the implosion of The Judgment Day.
This sophisticated rivalry will doubtless lengthen into the autumn, with the babyface and heel sides buying and selling wins till the nice guys finally topple the unhealthy ones. At SummerSlam, Priest misplaced the World Heavyweight title whereas Ripley didn’t beat Morgan for the Ladies’s World Championship, largely due to Mysterio and Finn Balor.
Provided that SummerSlam was such a down evening for Priest and Ripley, who at the moment are firmly entrenched as beloved fan favorites, essentially the most logical subsequent step is for Priest and Ripley to get some form of revenge. That, ideally, will come at Bash in Berlin, with Ripley choosing up the win over Morgan to earn one other shot on the Ladies’s World title.
Priest has greater points to deal with with Balor, so Morgan taking the loss in non-title motion—resulting in a rematch with Ripley at Dangerous Blood—is the absolute best consequence in Berlin.
Gunther Defeats Randy Orton In Controversial Style
The feud between Gunther and Randy Orton is a first-rate instance of pivoting a storyline when one thing goes awry. This rivalry, in any case, has been reignited largely due to a botched finish on the finish of what had been a improbable championship match between the 2 stars within the King of the Ring Finals.
Now, in just some weeks since SummerSlam, WWE has executed a wonderful job of utilizing Gunther’s controversial win over Gunther to construct to a rematch. However in maybe an ironic twist, the easiest way to finish Orton vs. Gunther II is with, as soon as once more, a controversial end, one which extends their rivalry.
The feud has been a charming one for Gunther, his first as world champion, with Orton being one of many few stars posing a viable risk to “The Ring Common.” Provided that Seth Rollins, Uncooked’s high babyface, is out of motion whereas Punk is feuding with McIntyre and Priest has already feuded with Gunther, Orton is a logical alternative for Gunther’s first title rivalry.
And with the 2 stars demonstrating simple chemistry each within the ring and on the microphone, there’s no want for this rivalry to finish simply but. As an alternative, a controversial win for Gunther—who shouldn’t lose his first title protection—or a DQ win for Orton is the appropriate name to construct to a 3rd match.
CM Punk Evens The Rating Towards Drew McIntyre
Punk vs. McIntyre has been the very best feud in all of professional wrestling in 2024, regardless of the 2 stars having only one match towards each other at SummerSlam earlier this month.
That’s a testomony to the large character work of each stars, with Punk doing so effectively as a serious draw that WWE reportedly already needs to reward him with a new contract. Punk is probably going going to spend many of the the rest of the 12 months feuding with McIntyre earlier than transitioning to a rivalry with Seth Rollins, making his feud with McIntyre one which needs to be constructed round a basic back-and-forth buying and selling of wins.
McIntyre received cheaply at SummerSlam, which is definitely befitting of his character, and though Punk is technically a babyface, it will additionally match his anti-hero persona to do the identical at Bash in Berlin. In spite of everything, WWE’s subsequent pay-per-view is Dangerous Blood in early October, which is the right place for a rubber match, maybe inside Hell in a Cell.
If McIntyre goes up 2-0 on Punk, there isn’t a lot of a motive for the story to proceed. That’s why Punk, particularly after dropping his first singles match in WWE in a decade, badly wants the win in Berlin, with the strap match stipulation giving WWE a solution to defend McIntyre even in defeat.
Cody Rhodes Retains, And Kevin Owens Does Not Flip Heel
WWE has teased the thought of Kevin Owens, who has betrayed just about each associate he’s had in WWE, doing the identical to Cody Rhodes—whether or not he wins or loses at Bash in Berlin.
It’s troublesome to ascertain WWE having Rhodes drop the WWE Championship anytime quickly, on condition that Rhodes has mega matches with stars like Orton and The Rock probably awaiting him. That, sadly for Owens, means he’s virtually assuredly going to lose to Rhodes at Bash in Berlin.
It is going to be fascinating to see how WWE books the result of Rhodes vs. Owens, on condition that Owens’ contract expires soon and he isn’t a lock to re-sign. WWE ought to, nonetheless, make each effort to retain Owens, however that doesn’t imply Triple H, who books out storylines effectively prematurely, will give Owens a world title reign in an try and entice him to remain.
Owens ought to lose cleanly to Rhodes in a prototypical face vs. face evenly booked match at Bash in Berlin after which shake Rhodes’ hand afterward. He’s too common to show heel, which might be an pointless transfer once we’ve been there, executed that about 10 occasions already.
