Posted on 8/31/124 by Bob Magee
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]
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.