For the first time in WWE history, a premium live event will be held in Germany. Bash in Berlin takes place this afternoon and features a five-match card, three of which have championships on the line. Bash in Berlin is the seventh WWE/NXT PLE to take place on foreign soil this year.
The event will be headlined by the first title defense by World Heavyweight champion, Gunther. Gunther, an Austria native, will likely be the heavy hometown favorite against longtime star Randy Orton. The two previously squared off in the King of the Ring finals earlier this year, with Gunther emerging victorious.
Elsewhere on the card, Cody Rhodes continues his Undisputed WWE Championship reign against Kevin Owens, WWE Women’s Tag Team champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn take on former champs Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair, and we have two personal feuds culminating in a strap match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre and a mixed tag-team match between Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan.
Here’s a look at the full card for today’s event:
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c.) vs. Randy Orton
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c.) vs. Kevin Owens
Women’s Tag Team Championship: Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (c.) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
Strap Match: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk
Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan
Yahoo Sports will be with you all day, offering live coverage, analysis and grades from the event.
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Bash in Berlin predictions
Here’s how we see the five matches on Saturday’s card playing out. A title change would be truly unexpected, while the two non-title matches are unlikely to bring an end to two of the more enthralling storylines in WWE today.
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c.) vs. Randy Orton – Similar to what we saw with Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle in Scotland earlier this year, Gunther vs. Orton will almost certainly be the main event for Bash in Berlin. I’m expecting the crowd to be red-hot for this match and it to be a showcase of the two heavyweights, much like the match we saw between these two in the King of the Ring final. Gunther’s reign isn’t going to end so quickly and he’s the perfect World Heavyweight Champion on Raw across from Cody Rhodes on SmackDown. Prediction: Gunter retains the World Heavyweight Championship.
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c.) vs. Kevin Owens – Although the Bloodline and Roman Reigns still remain the biggest threats to Rhodes, this match should provide another refreshing break in what has become a two-year feud between the champion and the Bloodline faction. What will be most interesting is how the finish is handled here. With Rhodes likely to retain, will we see Owens begin to turn heel and perhaps run it back at Badd Blood? Rhodes may be the champion — and his run has been filled with excellent matches — but Owens’ angle is going to be what I’m watching for in particular. Prediction: Cody Rhodes retains the Undisputed WWE Championship.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (c.) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair – Cargill and Belair are absolute stars, yet it seems as if them being paired together in the tag division is burying them a bit, especially without the championships. Keeping the championships on Fyre and Dawn can continue to help build their stars and another loss could perhaps propel Cargill and Belair to a split, feud and more prominent singles runs. Prediction: Fyre and Dawn retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Strap Match: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk – Arguably the best feud of 2024 continues with a rarely seen strap match, which is a logical step up from Punk and McIntyre’s SummerSlam contest. If McIntyre wins, the feud ends at Bash in Berlin. If Punk wins, we’re going to get a third showdown between the two before the year is up, with an even more drastic stipulation tied to it. My money is on the latter happening. Prediction: CM Punk wins.
Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan – Ripley and Priest should win here after both were screwed over by the Judgment Day at SummerSlam. BUT, if we’re looking in the not-so-distant future at War Games in November, a Priest/Ripley faction going up against the Judgment Day could be a really unique end to this ongoing feud. The babyface pair winning here would certainly garner a big pop, but I believe there is a more rewarding payoff down the line. We’ve seen WWE practice plenty of patience with storylines like this and it would be prudent to do it again. Prediction: Mysterio and Morgan win.
