This weekend, the Uber Arena in Germany will play host to a night of unfettered mayhem and violence at WWE Bash in Berlin. The buildup to the country’s first ever WWE pay-per-view has been one for the books, with some of the company’s most brutal and personal rivalries taking center stage.
And, as always, I’m here to compete for pure prediction perfection!
A Royal Rematch
In what’s sure to be the show’s main event, the “Ring General” Gunther will defend his newly-won World Heavyweight Championship against “The Viper” Randy Orton.
The champ and challenger first crossed paths in the finals of the King Of The Ring tournament some months ago. The match ended in controversial fashion when the referee counted the pinfall on Orton despite one of his shoulders clearly being raised off the mat, which should’ve broken the three-count.
This messy finish cast a pall on what was otherwise a tremendous match between the two athletes. Nevertheless, Gunther was crowned King of the Ring, and rode that wave of momentum to SummerSlam where he beat Damian Priest to win his first ever world title on WWE’s main roster.
Gunther’s title celebration on the following episode of Raw was short-lived, however, when Randy Orton himself crashed the party. The SmackDown superstar’s surprise appearance was punctuated by a challenge to the new champ.
“I’m the only reason you’re carrying the World Heavyweight Championship in the first place,” Orton said, clearly agitating the Ring General. “You got your title shot at SummerSlam because you beat me at King Of The Ring…but did you really beat me at King Of The Ring?”
Orton’s callback to the murky finish of their first match successfully got under Gunther’s skin, prompting the champ to accept Orton’s challenge for the world title at Bash. These two powerhouses tore the roof off in their first match. Odds are good the rematch will be even more brutal with world championship gold, and both men’s pride, on the line.
Drew vs. Punk II
Drew McIntyre has been on cloud nine since his dramatic victory over CM Punk at SummerSlam. In the weeks since, however, the Scottish Warrior has not been a gracious winner.
For weeks McIntyre has rubbed his victory in the face of his longtime rival, sparking Punk’s ire at every opportunity he’s gotten. All the provocation came to a head on Raw when Punk finally got his hands on Drew, attacking him with McIntyre’s own belt in a show of extreme retribution.
A week later, Punk challenged Drew to a strap match at Bash In Berlin, fully intent on whipping the tar out of his foe and putting him away for good. Will McIntyre go 2-0 against Punk, or will the Voice of the Voiceless finally silence the Scottish Warrior and reclaim his stolen friendship bracelet? (Wrestling is weird and I love it.)
Prediction Perfection
My SummerSlam picks were almost perfect, and were it not for two matches on the card I would have walked away with a flawless record.
But that’s in the past, and I’m looking ahead to the future. And this Saturday at WWE Bash In Berlin, I will achieve 10/10 prediction perfection. (I also resisted the urge to do a “nein out of ten” joke since the show is in Germany. Aren’t you proud?)
Here are my picks for the show!