– Michael Cole welcomed everyone into the show as footage of Berlin aired.
– Video of Cody Rhodes walking earlier in the day was shown. Ditto for Kevin Owens, Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton. LA Knight’s music then hit and Knight came out to massive pop.
The commentary team was Cole and Wade Barrett.
The LA Knight open challenge
A fun opening segment in front of another hot international crowd. I’d like to think The International Crowd Pop will eventually fade for AEW and WWE, but I’m not so sure it will. If it does, it’s going to be a long, long time from now. Either way, it makes the viewing experience a lot more fun. Not only are these fans hungry to see these products, but it creates an interesting dynamic when you have a hometown hero – in this case, Kaiser – who is supposed to work as a heel, but those fans just don’t quite know how to respond, especially when said hometown hero heel is working with one of the company’s hottest babyfaces. It’s a nice wrinkle and that wrinkle didn’t disappoint here.
Knight stood in the ring and held the microphone out, soaking in “LA Knight!” chants. Knight said, “Let me talk to ya!” and spoke about how it’s been 27 years since WWE was in Berlin to do a major televised event. The crowd broke into “LA Knight!” chants again. Knight talked about how he had his first successful U.S. title defense in D.C. last week. “You deserve it!” chants began. Knight said if he was going to defend his title in the capital of the U.S., he wanted to defend it in the capital of Germany. Knight then called out anyone who wanted to come challenge him. Ludwig Kaiser’s music hit and the crowd went nuts. Kaiser then walked out.
Kaiser said “Berlin!” and spoke in German to a loud pop. Kaiser said if Knight is the champion he says he is, he should want to defend his title against the very best all over the world. Kaiser said himself and the entirety of Berlin can promise Knight that there is no one better on German soil than Kaiser. As Kaiser stepped in the ring, he said he’d beat Knight, take the title, make it bigger than it ever was and call it the European Championship. Chants broke out for Kaiser. Knight said that was impressive for Gunther’s stooge. Knight said he won’t let Kaiser win the title and the crowd didn’t really know how to respond, but they did rally behind Knight when Knight did his catchphrase. The show went to break before the match started.
LA Knight defeated Ludwig Kaiser to retain the United States Championship [12:02]
A very good LA Knight television match. Both Kaiser and the crowd helped, but these two worked hard and had those fans with them each step of the way. I’m into the idea of Knight continuing an open challenge series, but we’ll see if this is just a one-off. If it was, there was a lot to appreciate here even if it never felt truly possible that Kaiser would come away the winner. Knight is getting better in the ring when it comes to the WWE style and the booking braintrust is smart enough to pair him with people who can get the most out of him. That sounds like shade, but it’s not meant to be. This could be a very entertaining title run and though it hasn’t been a long time, it’s been a good short run so far.
“Ludwig Kaiser” chants echoed through the arena and they were loud. Things were slow early on as the two felt each other out. Knight eventually took Kaiser down and Kaiser popped up so the two could go face-to-face. Kaiser then worked a head-lock until Knight worked out of it and regain control, but Kaiser cut Knight off and stomped on Knight. Things spilled outside and Knight slammed Kaiser onto the ring apron. Kaiser came back and ran Knight’s back into the ring steps. Kaiser then ran around the ring and dropkicked Knight into the ring steps. The show went to a commercial break after that.
Back from said break, Kaiser was beating down Knight inside the ring. The two eventually traded blows as they stood up. Kaiser got the best of the exchange with a chop and a boot to Knight. Knight fired up and things went back outside the ring, where Knight slammed Kaiser’s head onto the commentary table. Back in the ring, Knight landed a neck-breaker and an elbow from the second rope for a two-count. Knight stomped on Kaiser and hit a running knee on Kaiser. Knight ran the ropes and ran into an enziguri from Kaiser for a good near-fall.
The two went back to trading shots until Knight slammed Kaiser. Knight went for a BFT, but Kaiser rolled Knight up for a two-count. Kaiser hit a clothesline and a knee to the head, and, before long, a Kaiser Roll for another near-fall. Kaiser set up for his finish, but Knight countered with a quick slam and the BFT for the win.
– A Randy Orton/Gunther video aired.
Los Garza (Berto & Angel) defeated Apollo Crews & Baron Corbin [9:07]
Crews and Corbin got a lot of offense, so that was fun while it lasted. Neither team does much for me these days, though to be fair, Crews and Corbin are a lot earlier in their journey as tag partners than Angel and Berto are. Foreign crowds love Corbin, so it was a nice to see Germany be the latest to get behind him for reasons that may or may not be ironic. The match was just kind of there. It’s hard to think Los Garza are gearing up for a tag title challenge, so there weren’t a lot of stakes here. Still, a nice win nonetheless.
Berto & Angel go by Los Garza now. They also have Wolverine-esque scratch marks on their chests. So, there’s that. Crews started the match and got the babyfaces working from ahead before Corbin tagged in, much to the delight of the crowd. Corbin had control over Angel, until Berto got involved and the heels went on the offensive. Berto was the legal man and Corbin threw him over the top rope. Crews tagged in and Corbin hip-tossed Crews over the top onto Los Garza on the outside. The show went to a commercial break after that.
The show returned and the action was back inside the ring, but in the interim, Los Garza took over. They both worked over Crews, Angel hitting a splash on Crews. The advantage didn’t last for long because Crews moved when Angel ran at him and Angel hit the post. Corbin then received the hot tag and took care of both Berto and Angel. Crews tagged in and went to the top only to hit a cross-body on Angel. Crews followed it up with a German Suplex on Angel. Berto stopped the momentum with a springboard kick. Things broke down between all four men and all of them were down in the ring.
Corbin chokeslammed Angel on the commentary table, but Elektra Lopez distracted the ref and Santos Escobar ran Corbin into the ring steps. Crews went to the top, but Berto cut Crews off and Los Garza hit the MTY to get the pinfall victory over Crews.
– A Bloodline video aired. Solo Sikoa said next week, the Street Profits and #DIY will take on the Bloodline. Sikoa then went through his own accomplishments in WWE. Sikoa said those four other wrestlers will acknowledge him. Sikoa turned his attention to Owens and Rhodes and said whomever is champion after Bash In Berlin, Sikoa will come for them.
– Nick Aldis was in the ring and he said it was great to be there. Naturally. Aldis said Bash In Berlin could change the trajectory of WWE forever on Saturday. Oh. OK. Anyway, Aldis introduced a video recapping the company’s recent European tour. Aldis said on behalf of SmackDown … and then he spoke in German. Aldis said the most important match on Saturday will be for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Aldis then introduced Owens. Owens walked to the ring and Aldis then introduced Cody, who did the same.
The Kevin Owens/Cody Rhodes segment
These two showed good fire and the drama with Owens leaving the ring after whispering something in Cody’s ear is a common trope in pro wrestling these days, but it packs a little more punch when someone like Owens does it to someone like Cody. And this, for a match that feels like a throwaway main event on a throwaway PLE, mind you. It’s hard to trust Owens, and at this point, I almost prefer to see Owens fully turn on Cody at some point this weekend because Owens is a better heel than he is a babyface. The only complaint is that perhaps there were too many inside baseball things that a common wrestling fan might not know or care about in this exchange, what with the references to KO helping Cody get started on the indies and then Cody ultimately helped begin AEW. Not everything has to be ultra meta or ultra smart. Anymore, it feels like pro wrestling leans on those things too much.
Aldis said the floor was theirs and left the ring. A whole bunch of chants began in the crowd. Owens started with, “Cody … what do you wanna talk about?” Cody responded in German and Owens had no idea what Cody said. Cody got everyone riled up about their match on Saturday. Owens said there was something he wanted to talk about – what happened to Cody’s knee during the recent European tour. Cody said his knee was good and pivoted to what happened last week, which was Cody and Owens beating Grayson Waller & Austin Theory.
Cody brought up what happened after the match, when it looked like Owens was going to hit Cody with the belt from behind. Cody said with Owens’s track record, he had to ask about it. Owens dismissed the questions about his track record. Owens reiterated how everyone he ever turned on – except for Kofi – deserved it. Owens talked about the relationship he had with Cody’s dad and wondered how Cody could think Owens would do that to him. Cody said maybe Owens is a little angry with him. Cody referenced his indie run and said when it comes to the renaissance in the pro wrestling industry, Kevin Owens doesn’t get enough credit, but Cody gets too much. The crowd cheered.
Owens responded said he didn’t need to hit Cody with a cheap shot because he knows Cody got hurt on the European tour. Owens said he got a lot of text messages saying Cody was limping all week backstage. Cody said Owens is sabotaging his shot at the title. Owens said if Cody’s knee is fine, he wondered why Cody didn’t take a knee during his entrance, which he usually does. Owens said yesterday marked eight years since he won the Universal Championship. Owens said people told him he didn’t deserve the title and that tainted his run as champion. Owens said that made him mad.
Owens kept rambling until Cody cut him off and said Owens was speaking out anger. Cody said Owens was angry because he had to share the spotlight the night after WrestleMania 38 because Owens’s match with Stone Cold was overshadowed by Cody’s return to the company. Cody said he loved Owens and asked Owens if even after the match, Owens and Cody would still be friends. Owens threw is microphone down, whispered something into Cody’s ear and left the ring. Owens’s music hit and Owens left the ring to end the segment. Michael Cole made a vague reference to Chris Jericho as Owens walked off.
– Crews and Corbin were walking backstage and they ran into Waller and Theory. Corbin got in Theory’s face and Crews had to calm Corbin down. Theory was annoyed with Waller because Waller instigated the confrontation. Theory said he thinks he and Waller are falling apart. Waller said it was just banter and Theory is Waller’s “best mate.” Waller asked Theory if they were good and the two shook hands.
– Another Giovanni Vinci video aired. It wasn’t unlike the one from a week ago.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Andrade [13:13]
I just love this booking. Hayes gets his two wins back, but the first felt like a fluke and the second involved an exposed turnbuckle. This on top of the great in-ring action that nobody expected from, as I said last week, a seemingly throwaway mid-card feud. These two worked hard again and their chemistry only really gets better with each match. That’s an impressive thing considering their chemistry was already pretty good merely just going into that aforementioned throwaway mid-card match weeks ago. Great stuff from both guys. Again. I’m excited to see Match Five.
Hayes ran into the ring and the two brawled to begin the match. Andrade quickly landed a corkscrew plancha on Hayes, who was on the outside of the ring. Back inside the ring, Hayes came back with a springboard clothesline. Hayes went to the top, but Andrade cut Hayes off. Andrade then hit a double-stomp on Melo, who was draped on the turnbuckle. The show went to a commercial break after that and it was about one minute into the match.
Back to the action, Hayes had the advantage over Andrade inside the ring. Andrade fought back with a dragon-screw leg-whip and a leaping elbow to regain control. Andrade went to the top and the inevitable moonsault/miss moonsault/standing moonsault combination occurred. Andrade got a two-count out of it. Andrade fired up the crowd, but ran into a First 48 from Hayes. Melo followed it up with a Meteora and that was good enough for a two-count. Hayes chopped Andrade repeatedly. Hayes went for a suplex, but Andrade countered with a Three Amigos attempt, which was thwarted by Hayes. From there, Andrade landed a wild one-handed slam for a two-count. A turnbuckle was exposed.
Andrade went to the corner without the buck, but realized it was exposed and stopped. From there, Andrade turned into a super-kick from Hayes, which got Hayes a two-count. With both men on the second rope, Andrade landed a springboard Spanish Fly for a nice near-fall. The show went to a second commercial break in the middle of this match.
Getting back into it, the two were battling on the top and Andrade did a flip powerslam from the top for a good near-fall. The two traded strikes will on their knees and they eventually got to their feet, where Andrade hit a back elbow for another good near-fall. Andrade perched Melo on the top in the corner where a buckle was missing. Andrade set up for something, but Melo slipped out and Andrade fell on the exposed top turnbuckle. Melo went right to the top and hit Nothing But Net for the win to even the series at 2-2.
– A video chronicling the women’s tag team title match set for Saturday aired. The commentary team then ran down the card for Bash In Berlin.
Nia Jax defeated Michin to retain the WWE Women’s Championship [10:54]
Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Down
A good WWE-style weapons brawl. I’m almost getting a kick out of the Stratton/Jax dynamic, with Stratton potentially cashing in, and here I thought it would instantly become predictable and boring. Bayley coming back was a nice touch and boy, did that crowd love it. I can’t imagine a world where taking Jax’s finisher feels good while wearing a trashcan, but God bless Michin for doing it. In all, this was a fun title defense.
Michin cut a promo backstage with a kendo stick in hand. She said after this match, nobody will forget her. From there, Michin’s music hit and the camera followed her through the curtain, where she walked out with a shopping cart filled with weapons. Michin started in with the kendo stick, but Jax quickly shut her down. Michin got her stick back and Michin hit an awkward, draping head-scissors(?). Whatever it was, Michin earned a two-count. Michin reached under the ring and got a table, much to the intense delight of the crowd. Jax responded by hitting Michin with the kendo stick and pushing the table back underneath the ring.
Michin fought back, went back under the ring, and re-grabbed the table, again much to the intense delight of the live crowd. The show then went to its final commercial break as Michin had a table in her hands. The show came back and Michin was beating the hell out of Jax with the kendo stick. Jax fought back and slammed Michin on the ring’s apron. Jax then set up the table Michin had grabbed earlier. Jax went to grab Michin, but Michin had a fire extinguisher and sprayed Jax with it. Michin hit Jax with some trash can lids before landing a Tornado DDT on Jax.
Michin set up another table and grabbed a trash can from under the ring and threw it into the ring. Jax eventually got up and attacked Michin with a chair. Jax put Michin on a table, but Michin got off the table and powerbombed Jax through a table. From there, Tiffany Stratton’s music hit and Stratton ran to the ring with her MITB briefcase. Instead of cashing in, Stratton hit Michin with the briefcase and went for her moonsault, but Bayley’s music hit and Bayley took out Stratton. Back in the ring, Michin kicked Jax until Jax Samoan Dropped Michin through a table. After that, Jax hit her finish, complete with a trashcan on Michin’s head, for the win. Holy God that had to hurt. After the match, Jax kept beating Michin up with weapons. Jax looked angry and held her title to end the show.
Overall: Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up
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