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

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0:00 - WWE Bash In Berlin Review
1:35 - Cody Rhodes vs Kevin Owens
4:00 - Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre vs Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair
5:16 - CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre
7:24 - Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio vs Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest
8:41 - Gunther vs Randy Orton
INSANE Crowd Reactions, New Champions, No Heel Turn! WWE Bash In Berlin 2024 Review | WrestleTalk
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Transcript

00:00Kevin Owens doesn't turn heel...yet. We have new Women's Tag Team Champions.

00:04That German Crab was someone else wasn't it? I'm Pete Quinnell and this is my review of

00:08Bash in Berlin 2024. Before we dive into the review of the show,

00:14I want to talk about the pre-show. Now, I know, there's not any wrestling on the pre-show,

00:18but I want to give a massive shoutout to the sit-down interviews they had with Randy Orton,

00:21Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. I know Triple H being in control of WWE isn't new anymore,

00:26but I keep finding things, big or small, that are much better than they used to be.

00:30Everything feels so much more natural, and it's not a big ask, but them referencing that if Orton

00:35wins the belt he'll be a 15 time world champion, and Owens and Cody talking candidly about Cody

00:40leaving the company and Owens' role in that departure, and how they tie that back into the

00:44very natural and relatable feelings going into the title match, everything just feels so much easier

00:48to connect to on every level. And this also might be a good time to talk about the crowd in Berlin.

00:54They were electric all night. Insane chants, big cheers, boos, they had it all. Counting

00:59the referee's count in German is very fun, I like that, more of that. Once again,

01:04an international crowd have elevated what would have been a good show into one of the better ones.

01:08It's honestly a recipe for success in WWE. Have every single B-Show be an international show,

01:13it's a cheat code on how to make them feel more important. And it allows for fans across the world

01:18to come to shows, makes WWE feel like more of a global company, it makes your shows better,

01:22it can allow your international wrestlers to have big hometown pops,

01:25which is not what Gunther had on the show because he's not from Germany.

01:29So now, the wrestling. We begin with Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens for the undisputed WWE

01:34Championship. While the build could be argued to be a little jank getting to this point,

01:38the potential story of Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes was enticing. Once again,

01:42I enjoy when a wrestler's own continuity is referenced. It makes every single wrestler have

01:47their own story, it makes every single story unique. Owens turns on people, that's what he

01:52does, but spoilers, he didn't this time. The match itself was really fun, with the crowd

01:56helping the atmosphere feel electric the whole time, with the pair even getting a standing ovation

02:01before the match began. They started feeling each other out, babyface vs. babyface stuff,

02:05but then they started getting a little too into it later on. Owens kept looking pissed off

02:09throughout, meaning they both got into hockey fights and brought the intensity in what could

02:13have been a bland babyface matchup on paper. After a few big moves like a rolling senton

02:18off the middle rope and a Cody Cutter that was counted into a stunner that was counted

02:20into a crossroads for a near fall, the intensity picked up even more, spilling to the outside,

02:25and the story Owens had brought up came to the fore as Cody went for a top rope Cody Cutter,

02:30but his knee gave out. The target had been set, the target that Owens said he knew about but

02:35hadn't hit a single move on the whole time so far. Cody was struggling, Owens had the

02:41opportunity to take advantage, but stopped himself. He didn't want to taint his victory,

02:45he didn't want an asterisk next to his win like it was when he won the Universal Championship.

02:50He allowed Cody to recover, Cody yelling at him that he's fine so keep fighting,

02:54so Owens kicked his knee in response. After hesitating and not wanting to take advantage,

03:00he succumbed, which you'd think might be the heel turn, but then he went to do the apron

03:04powerbomb and stopped himself again. He couldn't bring himself to regress to his darkest point,

03:08but he does hit a stunner for a near fall. Cody gets back into it though, hitting two crossroads,

03:13and on the third it was counted into another stunner for another near fall. Owens went for

03:17a Swanton Bomb, but Cody got the knees up, hit another crossroads, and won.

03:21The match was great. They're both great wrestlers and can always put on a good match at minimum. I

03:26think the match hit its climax at the knee attack in a banded apron powerbomb spot, where I feel

03:31like Cody should have just hit a crossroads and won, rather than hitting two, then a stunner,

03:35then a counter swanton, then another crossroads to win. The finish felt a little superfluous,

03:40but regardless, I had fun. I don't think the symbolism of using the knees, the thing that

03:44Owens was targeting in the finish was worth the extra few moves and going past the climax, but

03:49it was a very fun opener and the crowd had set the tone for the night. Post-match, Owens didn't turn

03:53heel, showed his respect to Cody, and in a nice little detail, refused Cody showing him respect

03:58back and didn't let him raise his hand. Up next was Isla Dawn and Alba Fire vs Jade

04:03Cargill and Bianca Belair for the Women's Tag Team Titles. The magic of video editing was fully

04:07present here, as it actually made it look like Dawn and Fire had actually won some matches

04:11sometimes. The video package was trying to put over how rough these past few months for the

04:15babyfaces have been, and aside from not winning the title matches by not being pinned in a triple

04:19threat and losing via DQ respectively, I failed to see how it's been rough for them. The match

04:24itself was okay, nothing super special unfortunately. My biggest issue with the match is that

04:29if you're so concerned with protecting Bianca and particularly Jade as your big stars, then there are

04:34no stakes for them, there's no peril. They need to have equals or close to equals to deliver some

04:39challenge to them, and this match wasn't booked to make the champs look like equals.

04:42I think there was one point where the champs actually looked like a dominant force,

04:46and that was when Alba Fire hit a Tornado DDT on Bianca Belair while also kicking Cargill

04:51off the turnbuckle. That was just a good move by a good wrestler that gave her team the advantage.

04:55Every other time the champs got control or maintained it, it was through underhanded

04:59tactics or by cheating or just generally feeling inferior but sneaky. If they're your tag champs,

05:04make them more imposing. It also means Cargill and Bianca look better when they win,

05:10and the finish was fine, and the match was decently worked, I just wasn't particularly

05:14invested and the booking of the match didn't do enough to hook me in.

05:16Following this was CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre in a strap match, and yes,

05:20it was the version of a strap match where you have to tap all four corners to win

05:24uninterrupted whatever that means, which is bad. I do not like this version,

05:28and you'll see why when I talk about the match, which in spite of that, was very good.

05:33Drew attacked Punk before the bell and took the early control, but Punk came right back

05:36into it with a GTS. Now at this point CM Punk could touch one of the turnbuckles and try to win,

05:41but opts not to because he wants to beat up Drew some more. One of the lights stays on that Drew

05:45had turned on earlier and the commentary can't decide whether it should stay on or turn off,

05:49I do not like this version of a strap match. After lots of weapons and brawling on the outside

05:52with chairs and a back body drop on the commentary table, Drew hits a Claymore on the inside of the

05:56ring and manages to turn on three of the four lights, but Punk managed to roll to the outside

06:01and pull Drew across the ring into a chair that was set up in the corner. But Drew comes back

06:05into it again when he drops Punk from inside the ring to the outside through a table. Drew revealed

06:11he still has the bracelet and hits another Claymore, but he can't get all four lights before

06:15Punk comes back into it and hits a GTS. Punk notices the bracelet and gets fired up once more,

06:20hitting another GTS, and he starts turning the lights on, hitting a GTS after each light for a

06:26total of five in the match, taking the bracelet back before tapping the fourth and final light.

06:31Now it sounds like the whole red light green light thing was fine really, what am I complaining

06:35about? And you know what, it was fine, you're right, I should stop being such a baby. But

06:40would the match really have been worse if it just ended in pinfall? Was the match really

06:45enhanced by the red and green lights, or Drew managing to turn on three lights, or Punk choosing

06:49to hurt Drew over turning lights on? Or would all of those story beats have been just as good,

06:54if not better, in a match with a strap where it's just won by pinfall or submission?

06:58It's a rhetorical question, having the lights added nothing. Aside from that though,

07:02this was a great match. I do wonder how Drew will react to this now that the feud is seemingly

07:06wrapped up, with Punk getting not only the win, but the bracelet back too, in dominant fashion.

07:11Similarly with Owens and Rhodes, it felt like this match reached its climax and then carried

07:15on for just a bit too long. I don't know if we needed to see Punk hitting four GTS's with each

07:19tap of the corner, it felt a little overkill, especially if the feud is continuing, but still,

07:24good stuff. Next was the mixed tag match of Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio vs Rhea Ripley and

07:28Damian Priest, and this one was a lot of fun. It's exactly the match you'd think it would be,

07:33babyface is standing tall for a while, heels being sneaky and coming back into it,

07:36teases of spots you want to see, before the heels shut them down. They did do a good job of drawing

07:40out the finish here, and this time I think it was actually done quite well. Lots of soap opera

07:44drama nonsense. The crowd went absolutely ballistic, probably the loudest they were all

07:50night for a single spot, when Ripley got her hands on Dom-Dom and did the headscissor choke

07:54in the corner thing that she did to him before he was recruited to Judgment Day. I mean hey,

07:58if that's what got him to join originally, who's to say he might not turn on Liv again and rejoin

08:02Rhea? Don't do that WWE, it was a joke. But Rhea then went for a Riptide on Dom,

08:06and Liv saved him, but that's fine, Rhea will just get to hit it later, right?

08:10Judgment Day came out to cause a distraction with Finn Balor hitting a Slingblade on Priest behind

08:14the referee's back, allowing Dom to hit a 619 and a Frog Splash for a very good nearfall,

08:18and they continued to wreak havoc at ringside, but Priest overcame them all,

08:21while Ripley in the ring hit the Riptide on Morgan to get the win. It was a feel good moment,

08:26and the pair of them hugging after the match was great, but they did tease the moment of Rhea

08:30hitting the Riptide on Dom, and they didn't do it, which means they probably still will do it,

08:34so...this feud must continue I guess? But does it really need to just for that?

08:41And finally it was the main event of Gunther vs Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship,

08:45and the crowd were absolutely insane here, singing Randy's theme, giving Ludwig Kaiser's

08:50introduction all the gravitas it deserved, and doing all sorts of chants and songs for

08:54the entire duration of the match. But quick note to German crowds and all crowds going forward,

08:59don't do the wave, it makes me feel icky because it used to be used to show boredom,

09:03and it feels weird seeing an excited and invested crowd do it too.

09:06The story of the match was a very simple one, Orton targeted Gunther's right arm so Gunther

09:11had to adapt, and when I say that Gunther is a perfect wrestler, I do mean it. Every single time

09:17he did anything with that right hand, he sold it. Every. Single. Time. Constantly reinforcing what

09:23a toll it was to use it. So when he can't get Randy up for a powerbomb three times in a row,

09:27it makes sense you're invested in his struggle. So then when he does hit that powerbomb,

09:31the release is even bigger, an RKO was counted into a German suplex, Gunther hit a big old

09:36smash from the top rope and immediately sold his hand again because he's a perfect wrestler,

09:39the finish was a tried and tested one with Gunther locking in a sleeper hold,

09:43Orton powering out of it, Gunther locking it in again, Orton countering it again,

09:47and Gunther locking it in a third time to make Orton pass out, even featuring some nice elbows

09:51to make it that much more effective. Gunther retained in a very fun match, and that was

09:56Bashing Berlin, a good show that was elevated into a pretty great one courtesy of a wonderful

10:00German crowd. I don't have too many more thoughts on it, but you can be sure I can extend it out to

10:04an hour when I do the podcast review with Dan Layton later today. I'll give this show a solid

10:084 out of 5. For now though, why not check out a new episode of Survival Series on Cutscene,

10:13where the competitors have to name every single Pixar animated movie.

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

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