WWE Bash in Berlin, Sunday 1st September 2024, 3am AEST (Countdown show at 1am)

[Biggie]

Good quality show. Enjoyed it. Gunther be hard to displace at the top

 

[Cleavy]

Apparently I was the only one who got irrationally angry at the ending of the strap match?

That's not how you win a strap match, especially as a babyface. It's a rubbish stipulation to begin with, but the rules are pretty basic, you have to touch them all continuously. You don't get to stop between turnbuckles and hit more finishers.

Absolutely ruined a good match and a great feud for me, it might be the most enraging thing I've seen in wrestling since... well, last week. (AEW put a really critical part of the Toni Storm storyline on socials, I don't think it even made it to tv.)

at least it's more decisive than the "babyface touches 3 corners behind the heels back and gets the 4th corner" which is what I was expecting for the finish.

 

[Cleavy]

feels weird watching Gunther in peril, but the match was really good.

 

[Cleavy]

LOL

 

[nobbyiscool]

Good show,

I actually enjoyed the Cody vs KO match maybe the most.

Main event was great good to see Gunther close a show.

Love the 5 match PPVs you can really enjoy them more knowing it's not taking up 5 hours on your Sunday.

I always hesitate to bring up AEW in WWE threads, or vice-versa, but I love the dichotomy in their PPVs.

AEW PPVs are a lot. Very little gets time to breathe, great matches don't get much time for reflection.

WWE PLEs have obviously gone the other way. Lots of ads, lots of time to breathe, lots of time to think about the matches.

I don't know what I prefer, cos realistically the "right" answer is somewhere in between - you need time for more great wrestling than WWE PLEs allow (cos it's often not the intention), and you need more time to breathe and relax between matches than AEW PPVs allow.

I do know that it's another really significant point of difference that I love about wrestling, and that I think is great for wrestling, and for fans who are open minded enough to enjoy both companies.

 

[JP Sauce]

I personally loved the final GTS Punk hit. Real nail in the coffin, **** you style move.

Really enjoyably PLE overall. No surprises or swerves, just good shit.

Gunther vs Orton was a masterclass. Hope Randy gets another title reign at some stage.

 

[Nicho50]

As I said initially, it's a shitty gimmick match to begin with.

But of all the gimmick matches you could book, why book the one that is probably most conducive to, and most designed for a screwy heel finish if you have the good guy going over?

I was screaming at my tv during the finish... I think it's because it's been such a good feud and it was such a good match, the finish completely ruined it for me.

It's a subtle difference, but if the babyface is going over, it needs to be pinfall or submission (or do it dog-collar style and make it knock out or submission). I just have no idea why you book the 4 corners bullshit to have the babyface go over in a manner that doesn't even really align with the rules as they were explained to us, and especially doesn't align with what old bastards like me know the match to be.

Not sure what the problem is really, he hit what 4 GTS to keep McIntyre down so he could hit the four corners without being stopped.

 

[Cleavy]

I personally loved the final GTS Punk hit. Real nail in the coffin, **** you style move.

Really enjoyably PLE overall. No surprises or swerves, just good shit.

Gunther vs Orton was a masterclass. Hope Randy gets another title reign at some stage.

They’re probably saving the surprises/swerves for the NXT show today…

 

[Nicho50]

Yeah but Cody is so mid... Drew and Seth shit over mid card slim shady

Terrible take. Was never much of a Cody fan but there is no denying he worked his ass off and got himself to where he is today, credit to him.

 

[Downtown06]

Terrible take. Was never much of a Cody fan but there is no denying he worked his ass off and got himself to where he is today, credit to him.

Still mid regardless if he has worked his ass off.

 

[Nicho50]

Still mid regardless if he has worked his ass off.

Popularity and merch sales says otherwise. Nothing mid about that.

 

[Downtown06]

Popularity and merch sales says otherwise. Nothing mid about that.

Ring wise and character, mid... His "story" was lame, the fact he beat Reigns was a total joke but he'll go back to mid card when Reigns returns and starts having PPV matches

 

[RossFC]

Ring wise and character, mid... His "story" was lame, the fact he beat Reigns was a total joke but he'll go back to mid card when Reigns returns and starts having PPV matches

I thought Roman already returned? Did he disappear for the 7000th time? At least he's not the champ while doing this.

 

[Cleavy]

I thought Roman already returned? Did he disappear for the 7000th time? At least he's not the champ while doing this.

to be fair, his uncle just passed away

 

[Downtown06]

to be fair, his uncle just passed away

And dad

 

[Downtown06]

I thought Roman already returned? Did he disappear for the 7000th time? At least he's not the champ while doing this.

Oh please, like u don't turn in when roman is on... pfft, wait till his champ again or better yet, main eventing PPV while Rhodes is just hanging around on the mid card.

Rhodes needs that title
Reigns doesn't

 

[The Casey Cat]

Ring wise and character, mid... His "story" was lame, the fact he beat Reigns was a total joke but he'll go back to mid card when Reigns returns and starts having PPV matches

You're the only one ignorant and stupid enough to think this.

 

[Downtown06]

You're the only one ignorant and stupid enough to think this.

Nope, I'm a realist... Mid

 

[Blackhawk42]

I always hesitate to bring up AEW in WWE threads, or vice-versa, but I love the dichotomy in their PPVs.

AEW PPVs are a lot. Very little gets time to breathe, great matches don't get much time for reflection.

WWE PLEs have obviously gone the other way. Lots of ads, lots of time to breathe, lots of time to think about the matches.

I don't know what I prefer, cos realistically the "right" answer is somewhere in between - you need time for more great wrestling than WWE PLEs allow (cos it's often not the intention), and you need more time to breathe and relax between matches than AEW PPVs allow.

I do know that it's another really significant point of difference that I love about wrestling, and that I think is great for wrestling, and for fans who are open minded enough to enjoy both companies.

I think about this a lot as well.

I'm more on the AEW side where I want all the in-ring action I can get. BUT, I'm also paying for their PPV's, so it feels like I'm getting my moneys worth.

If I was paying for these WWE PLE's I'd be pissed at only getting 5 matches max.

The problem with such small cards is that if one or two matches stink or you have no vested interested in some then you're left with only a few matches and talent doing the heavy lifting.

However, they have been nailing them for the most part.
I actually think the weakest show they've done with this method was the Elimination Chamber in Perth. Cannot describe how relieved I was to not have forked out the money to go.

 

[Hotel 6]

I think about this a lot as well.

I'm more on the AEW side where I want all the in-ring action I can get. BUT, I'm also paying for their PPV's, so it feels like I'm getting my moneys worth.

If I was paying for these WWE PLE's I'd be pissed at only getting 5 matches max.

The problem with such small cards is that if one or two matches stink or you have no vested interested in some then you're left with only a few matches and talent doing the heavy lifting.

However, they have been nailing them for the most part.
I actually think the weakest show they've done with this method was the Elimination Chamber in Perth. Cannot describe how relieved I was to not have forked out the money to go.

With the international PLE it seems as though the Smackdown the night before has a couple of matches on it that could have been on the PLE. The US Title and the Women's Title were defended on Smackdown. In the past they would have been on the PLE with an angle (or contract signing) done the night before on the Smackdown.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Mixed tag and strap match were great the rest of the ppv I though was pretty meh had no intrest in the other matches

 

[Ry009]

I think about this a lot as well.

I'm more on the AEW side where I want all the in-ring action I can get. BUT, I'm also paying for their PPV's, so it feels like I'm getting my moneys worth.

If I was paying for these WWE PLE's I'd be pissed at only getting 5 matches max.

The problem with such small cards is that if one or two matches stink or you have no vested interested in some then you're left with only a few matches and talent doing the heavy lifting.

However, they have been nailing them for the most part.
I actually think the weakest show they've done with this method was the Elimination Chamber in Perth. Cannot describe how relieved I was to not have forked out the money to go.

Completely agree.

They treat it now like the Royal Rumble too, with both men's and women's matches taking up most of the time of the card. They seem hesitant to put anything meaningful along side it.

Hopefully next event we get isn't a gimmick match PLE.

 

[Cleavy]

Meltzer ratings (just b/c):
Rhodes vs. Owens for the WWE Championship 4.25
Unholy Union vs. Belair & Cargill for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships 3
McIntyre vs. Punk in a Strap Match 4.5
Priest & Ripley vs. Morgan & Dom Mysterio 3.75
Orton vs. Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship 4.5