CM Punk and Drew McIntyre have been embroiled in a bitter rivalry for months. (Credit: WWE/Getty … [+] Images)
WWE is overseas once again for the first-ever Bash in Berlin, a star-studded event that is continuing numerous top storylines from this month’s SummerSlam.
Headlined by Gunther vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship and the second match of the red hot rivalry between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre, Bash in Berlin 2024 should continue WWE’s hot streak of successful international pay-per-views. Just this year, WWE has held major shows in Australia, France, Saudi Arabia and Scotland, and each international show delivered from top to bottom.
Both Backlash France and Clash at the Castle: Scotland broke WWE’s arena gate record, and just as importantly, played a significant role in the development of a plethora of compelling storylines. On paper, the Bash in Berlin card looks like another slam dunk match lineup, one that will deliver strong in-ring performances across the card and set the stage for the upcoming Bad Blood event.
And with so many main event storylines reaching their peak at Bash at Berlin, WWE would be wise to make these booking decisions in Germany.
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Jade Cargill And Bianca Belair Win Gold Again
At WWE Clash at the Castle in June, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair shockingly lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship to the very same team they’ll challenge for the belts at Bash in Berlin, the duo of Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre.
That massive upset was a head-scratcher at the time, mainly because Fyre and Dawn—collectively known as The Unholy Union—aren’t portrayed to be on the same level as Belair and Cargill. In essence, that makes Bash in Berlin the ideal time and place to right the wrong from Clash at the Castle, where Belair and Cargill had no business losing the titles so soon after winning them
Of course, the long-term storyline for Belair and Cargill is likely a split and feud, but that’s a WrestleMania caliber match. There’s no need to rush it, and instead, the best way for WWE to elevate the women’s tag titles is to put them on two of the company’s biggest stars in Belair and Cargill.
Rhea Ripley Pins Liv Morgan In Mixed Tag Team Match
WWE has struck viewership gold with the soap opera-esque love triangle involving Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley, which has since morphed into a babyface turn for Damian Priest and the implosion of The Judgment Day.
This complicated rivalry will likely extend into the fall, with the babyface and heel sides trading wins until the good guys eventually topple the bad ones. At SummerSlam, Priest lost the World Heavyweight title while Ripley failed to beat Morgan for the Women’s World Championship, largely thanks to Mysterio and Finn Balor.
Given that SummerSlam was such a down night for Priest and Ripley, who are now firmly entrenched as beloved fan favorites, the most logical next step is for Priest and Ripley to get some sort of revenge. That, ideally, will come at Bash in Berlin, with Ripley picking up the win over Morgan to earn another shot at the Women’s World title.
Priest has bigger issues to handle with Balor, so Morgan taking the loss in non-title action—leading to a rematch with Ripley at Bad Blood—is the best possible outcome in Berlin.
Gunther Defeats Randy Orton In Controversial Fashion
The feud between Gunther and Randy Orton is a prime example of pivoting a storyline when something goes awry. This rivalry, after all, has been reignited largely because of a botched finish at the end of what had been a fantastic championship match between the two stars in the King of the Ring Finals.
Now, in just a few weeks since SummerSlam, WWE has done an excellent job of using Gunther’s controversial win over Gunther to build to a rematch. But in perhaps an ironic twist, the best way to end Orton vs. Gunther II is with, once again, a controversial finish, one that extends their rivalry.
The feud has been a captivating one for Gunther, his first as world champion, with Orton being one of the few stars posing a viable threat to “The Ring General.” Given that Seth Rollins, Raw’s top babyface, is out of action while Punk is feuding with McIntyre and Priest has already feuded with Gunther, Orton is a logical choice for Gunther’s first title rivalry.
And with the two stars demonstrating undeniable chemistry both in the ring and on the microphone, there’s no need for this rivalry to end just yet. Instead, a controversial win for Gunther—who shouldn’t lose his first title defense—or a DQ win for Orton is the right call to build to a third match.
CM Punk Evens The Score Against Drew McIntyre
Punk vs. McIntyre has been the best feud in all of pro wrestling in 2024, despite the two stars having just one match against one another at SummerSlam earlier this month.
That’s a testament to the tremendous character work of both stars, with Punk doing so well as a major draw that WWE reportedly already wants to reward him with a new contract. Punk is likely going to spend most of the remainder of the year feuding with McIntyre before transitioning to a rivalry with Seth Rollins, making his feud with McIntyre one that should be built around a classic back-and-forth trading of wins.
McIntyre won cheaply at SummerSlam, which is certainly befitting of his character, and even though Punk is technically a babyface, it would also fit his anti-hero persona to do the same at Bash in Berlin. After all, WWE’s next pay-per-view is Bad Blood in early October, which is the perfect place for a rubber match, perhaps inside Hell in a Cell.
If McIntyre goes up 2-0 on Punk, there isn’t much of a reason for the story to continue. That’s why Punk, especially after losing his first singles match in WWE in a decade, badly needs the win in Berlin, with the strap match stipulation giving WWE a way to protect McIntyre even in defeat.
Cody Rhodes Retains, And Kevin Owens Does Not Turn Heel
WWE has teased the idea of Kevin Owens, who has betrayed virtually every partner he’s had in WWE, doing the same to Cody Rhodes—whether he wins or loses at Bash in Berlin.
It’s difficult to envision WWE having Rhodes drop the WWE Championship anytime soon, given that Rhodes has mega matches with stars like Orton and The Rock potentially awaiting him. That, unfortunately for Owens, means he’s almost assuredly going to lose to Rhodes at Bash in Berlin.
It will be interesting to see how WWE books the outcome of Rhodes vs. Owens, given that Owens’ contract expires soon and he isn’t a lock to re-sign. WWE should, however, make every effort to retain Owens, but that doesn’t mean Triple H, who books out storylines well in advance, will give Owens a world title reign in an attempt to entice him to stay.
Owens should lose cleanly to Rhodes in a prototypical face vs. face evenly booked match at Bash in Berlin and then shake Rhodes’ hand afterward. He’s too popular to turn heel, which would be an unnecessary move when we’ve been there, done that about 10 times already.
