INSANE Crowd Reactions, New Champions, No Heel Turn! WWE Bash In Berlin 2024 Review | WrestleTalk

WWE Bash In Berlin Review Kevin Owens doesn’t turn heel. Yet. We have new women’s tag team champions.  And that German crowd was  something else, wasn’t it?  I’m Pete Quinnell, and this is my  review of Bash in Berlin 2024.   Before we dive into the review of the show, I  want to talk about the pre-show. Now I know,   there’s not any wrestling on the pre-show, but  I want to give a massive shoutout to the sitdown   interviews they had with Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes  and Kevin Owens. I know Triple H being in control   of WWE isn’t new anymore, but I keep finding  things, big or small, that are much better   than they used to be. Everything feels so much  more natural, and it’s not a big ask, but them   referencing that if Orton wins the belt he’ll be a  15-time world champion, and Owens and Cody talking   candidly about Cody leaving the company and Owens’  role in that departure, and how they tie that back   in to very natural and relatable feelings going  into their title match, everything just feels   so much easier to connect to on every level. And this also might be a good time to talk   about the crowd in Berlin. They were electric  all night. Insane chants, big cheers, boos,   they had it all. Counting the referee’s count in  German is very fun, I like it, more of that. Once   again an international crowd have elevated what  would have been a good show into one of the better   ones. It’s honestly a recipe for success in WWE -  have every single B-show be an international show,   it’s a cheat code on how to make them feel  more important. And it allows for more fans   across the world to come to shows, it makes  WWE feel like more of a global company,   it makes your shows better and can allow  your international wrestlers to have big   hometown pops. Which is not what Gunther had  on this show, because he’s not from Germany.  So now, the wrestling. We begin  with Cody Rhodes vs Kevin Owens   for the Undisputed WWE Championship. While the build could be argued to be a little   Cody Rhodes vs Kevin Owens jank getting to this point, the potential story  of Kevin Owens vs Cody Rhodes was enticing. Once   again, I enjoy when a wrestler’s own continuity  is referenced. It makes every single wrestler have   their own story, and makes every single story  unique. Owens turns on people, that’s what he   does. But spoilers, he didn’t this time. The match itself was really fun,   with the crowd helping the atmosphere feel  electric the whole time, with the pair even   getting a standing ovation before the match  began. They started feeling each other out,   babyface vs babyface stuff, but they started  getting a little too into it later on. Owens kept   looking pissed off throughout, meaning they both  got into hockey fights and brought the intensity   in what could have been a bland matchup on paper. After a few big moves like a rolling senton off   the middle rope, and a Cody Cutter that was  countered into a Stunner that was countered   into a Cross Rhodes for a nearfall, the intensity  picked up even more, spilling to the outside,   and the story Owens had brought up came to the  fore as Cody went for a top rope Cody Cutter,   but his knee gave out. The target had been set,  the target that Owens said he knew about bit   hadn’t hit a single move targeting the whole  time so far. Cody was struggling, Owens had   the opportunity to take advantage, but stopped  himself. He didn’t want to taint this victory,   he didn’t want an asterisk next to this win like  it was when he won the Universal Championship.  He allowed Cody to recover, Cody yelling  at him that he’s fine, so keep fighting,   so Owens kicked his knee in response. After  hesitating and not wanting to take advantage,   he succumbed. Which you’d think might be the heel  turn. But then he went to do the apron powerbomb,   and stopped himself again. He couldn’t  bring himself to regress to his darkest   point. But he does hit a Stunner, for a  nearfall. Cody got back into it though,   hitting 2 Cross Rhodes and on the third it was  countered into another Stunner for a nearfall.   Owens went for the swanton bomb, but Cody got  the knees up, hit another Cross Rhodes and won.  The match was great, they’re both great  wrestlers and can always put on a good   match at minimum. I think the match hit its climax  at the knee attack and abandoned apron powerbomb,   where I feel like Cody should have hit a  Cross Rhodes and won, rather than hitting two,   then a Stunner, then a countered Swanton, then  another Cross Rhodes to win. The finish felt   a little superfluous, but regardless I had fun.  I don’t think the symbolism of using the knees,   the thing that Owens was targeting, in the  finish, was worth the extra few moves and   going past the climax. But a very fun opener,  and the crowd had set the tone for the night.  Post-match, Owens didn’t turn heel, showed his  respect to Cody, and in a nice little detail,   refused Cody showing him respect back  and didn’t let him raise his hand.   Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre vs Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair Up next was Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre vs Jade Cargill  & Bianca Belair for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.   The magic of video editing was fully present here,  as it actually made it look like Dawn & Fyre had   actually won some matches sometimes. It was  putting over how rough these past few months   for the babyfaces had been, and aside from not  winning the title matches by not being pinned in   a triple threat and losing via DQ respectively,  I fail to see how it’s been rough for them.  The match itself was okay, nothing super special  unfortunately. My biggest issue with the match is   that if you’re so concerned with protecting Bianca  & particularly Jade as your big stars, then there   are no stakes and no peril for them. They need  to have equals or close to equals to deliver   some sort of challenge to them. And this match  wasn’t booked to make the champs look like equals.  I think there was one point where the champs  actually looked like a dominant force,   and that was when Alba Fyre hit a tornado DDT  on Bianca Belair while also kicking Cargill off   the turnbuckle. That was just a good move by a  good wrestler that gave her team the advantage.   Every other time the champs got control or  maintained it, it was through underhanded   tactics or by cheating or just generally feeling  inferior but sneaky. If they’re your tag champs,   make them more imposing. It also means  Cargill & Bianca look better when they   win. Because spoilers, they win. The finish was  fine, and the match was decently worked, I just   wasn’t particularly invested and the booking  of the match didn’t do enough to hook me in.   CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre Following this was CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre  in a Strap Match. And yes, it was the version   of a strap match where they have to tap  all four corners to win, uninterrupted,   whatever that means. Which is bad. I do not like  this version. And you’ll see why when I talk about   the match, which in spite of that, was very good. Drew attacked Punk before the bell and took the   early control, but Punk came right back into it  with a GTS. Now at this point CM Punk could touch   one of the turnbuckles and try and win, but  opts not to because he wants to beat up Drew   some more. One of the lights stays on that Drew  had turned on earlier, and the commentary can’t   decide whether it should stay on or turn off.  I do not like this version of a strap match.  After lots of weapons and brawling on the outside  with chairs and a back body drop on the commentary   table, Drew hits a Claymore on the inside of  the ring and manages to turn on three of the   four lights, but Punk managed to roll to the  outside and pull Drew across the ring into   a chair that was setup in the corner. But Drew  comes back into it again when he drops Punk from   inside the ring to the outside through a table. Drew revealed he still has the bracelet and hits   another Claymore. But he can’t get all four  lights before Punk comes back into it and hits   a GTS. Punk notices the bracelet and gets fired  up once more, hitting another GTS. And he starts   turning the lights on, hitting a GTS after  each light, for a total of five in the match,   taking the bracelet back before tapping  the fourth and final light. It sounds like   the whole red light green light thing was fine  really, what am I complaining about? It was fine,   you’re right, I should stop being such a baby. But would the match really have been worse if   it just ended in pinfall? Was the match really  enhanced by the red and green lights or Drew   managing to turn on three lights, or Punk choosing  to hurt Drew over turning lights on? Or would all   of those story beats have been just as good if not  better in a match with a strap where you just win   by pinfall or submission? It’s a rhetorical  question, having the lights added nothing.  Aside from that though, this was a good match. I  do wonder how Drew will react to this now that the   feud is seemingly wrapped up with Punk getting not  only the win but the bracelet back too. Similarly   with Owens and Rhodes, it felt like this match  reached its climax and then it carried on for just   a bit too long. I don’t know if we needed Punk  hitting four GTSs with each tap of the corner,   it felt a little overkill, especially if  the feud is continuing. But still, good.   Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio vs Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest Next was the mixed tag match of Liv Morgan &  Dominik Mysterio vs Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest.   And this one was a lot of fun. It’s exactly the  match you’d think it would be. Babyfaces standing   tall for a while, heels being sneaky and coming  back into it. Teases of spots you want to see,   before the heels shut them down. They did do a  good job of drawing out the finish here, and this   time I think it was actually done quite well. The crowd went absolutely ballistic, probably   the loudest they were all night for a single  spot, when Ripley got her hands on Dom Dom and   did the head scissor choke in the corner that she  did to him before he was recruited. Hey if that’s   what got him to join Judgment Day originally,  who’s to say he might not turn on Liv again and   rejoin Rhea. Don’t do that WWE, it was a joke. But Rhea then went for a Riptide on Dom and   Liv saved him. But that’s fine, Rhea  will just get to hit it later, right?  Judgment Day came out to cause a distraction,  with Finn Balor hitting a slingblade on Priest   behind the referee’s back, allowing Dom to hit the  619 and Frog Splash for a very good nearfall. They   continued to wreak havoc at ringside, but Priest  overcame them all, while Ripley in the ring hit   the Riptide on Morgan to get the win. It was a  feel good moment, and the pair of them hugging   after the match was great. But they did tease  the moment of Rhea hitting the Riptide on Dom,   and they didn’t do it…which means they probably  still will do it…so…this feud must continue? I   guess? But does it really need to, just for that? And finally it was the main event of Gunther vs   Gunther vs Randy Orton Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight  Championship. The crowd were absolutely   insane here, signing Randy’s theme, giving Ludwig  Kaiser’s introduction all the gravitas it deserved   and doing all sorts of chants and songs for the  entire duration of the match. But quick note to   German crowds, and all crowds going forward.  Don’t do the wave. It makes me feel icky,   because it used to be used to show  boredom, and it feels weird seeing   an excited and invested crowd do it too. The story of the match was a very simple one:   Orton targeted Gunther’s right arm, so Gunther  had to adapt. When I say Gunther is a perfect   wrestler, I do mean it. Every single time he did  anything with that right hand, he sold it. Every.   Single. Time. Constantly reinforcing what a  toll it was to use it. So when he can’t get   Randy up for a powerbomb three times in a row,  it makes sense, you’re invested in his struggle.   So then when he does hit that powerbomb, the  release is even bigger. An RKO was countered   into a German Suplex, Gunther hit a big old splash  from the top rope, and immediately sold his hand   again because he’s a perfect wrestler. The finish was a tried and tested one,   with Gunther locking in a Sleeper hold, Orton  powering out of it, Gunther locking it in again,   Orton countering it again, and Gunther locking  it in a third time to make Orton pass out,   even featuring some nice elbows to  make it that much more effective.  Gunther retained in a very fun match, and that was  Bash in Berlin. A good show that was elevated into   a pretty great one courtesy of a wonderful German  crowd. I don’t have too many more thoughts on it,   but you can be sure I can extend it out to an  hour when I do the podcast review with Dan Layton   later today. I’ll give this show a solid 4/5. For now though, why not check out a new episode of   Survival Series on CutScene, where the competitors  have to name every single Pixar animated movie.