The Great American Bash Report (07/23/06)
Submitted by Chad Matthews on Sunday, July 23, 2006 at 10:50 PM EST





The Great American Bash (July 23, 2006)


Match 1: WWE Tag Team Champions Brian Kendrick and Paul London vs. The Pitbulls
-Kash and London started it off, w/ the KID going after London’s feet. A lock-up followed and the two wrestled around on the mat into a stand-off. Another lock-up, this time with Kash grabbing a headlock. Kash followed with a hard shoulder tackle. Another lock-up and again Kash grabs a headlock and follows with a second hard shoulder tackle. Kash then tried for an arm drag, but London countered and hit a dropkick. Kendrick tagged in and hit a flying cross body block. He kept momentum with a series of armdrags, but Kash soon came back and tagged Noble. Jamie rammed Kendrick’s head off the turnbuckle a couple of times and then went for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Brian countered and a landed in a pinning combo. A few quick tags followed as the champs began to take control. London came off the top rope with a double axe handle and synched in a key lock. Noble came back when he threw London into the turnbuckle. The champs regained control soon after with a double arm drag on Noble and simultaneous dropkicks that knocked both challengers to the outside. London and Kendrick then hit simultaneous suicide dives. Kendrick proceeded to the top rope to put it away, but ended up getting shoved off, allowing the heels to take control. Kash and Noble then hit a double running shoulder tackle before Kash hooked in a chinlock. Kendrick made the hot tag to London following a head scissor. Paul came in and cleaned house, using a vaulting armdrag over the top rope. His offense lasted for a sequence or two before he went to the apron looking for a springboard. Unfortunately for him, Kash tried to prevent it and, although he was unable, he bought Noble the time to connect on a dropkick as London tried to skin the cat back into the ring…London took a nasty bump to the floor as a result. Back in the ring, Noble worked over Paul’s back and ribs before hitting a running leg lariat. Kash then tagged back in and used simplistic, but effective offense to keep things looking good for the bad guys. London nearly made an escape to his corner, but Kash unleashed a series of forearm shots before tagging Noble back into the match. Trapped in the opposing corner, London again tried to make an escape attempt. He fought back and hit a dropkick on Kash that sent the K.I.D. into his partner. Noble ran around the ring and clobbered Kendrick, preventing the tag, but London was persistent and finally made the hot tag. Kendrick came in on a roll and gained several near falls in rapid succession. Noble tried to go for the Tiger Bomb, but London came back in and caught him with a spinning heel kick. He received a running clothesline for his troubles, though. Meanwhile, Kendrick took out Jamie Noble on the outside with a flying cross body block. The finish came soon after when London hit a dropsault that’s momentum sent Kash into a Brian Kendrick sunset flip for the 1, 2, 3. London and Kendrick retained at 13:24. (CMV1 rating- ** ¾) (CMV1 note- it was an exciting match, but it had a few rocky moments. Those rocky moments and the usual WWE tag team match format brought the rating down a bit for me)

Backstage, Davairi was screaming at the Great Khali not to call out the Deadman now, but wait until later. Khali insisted in his, well, broken dialect that he wanted Taker now.

SD General Manager Teddy Long came to the ring to announce that Bobby Lashley would not be competing tonight. Lashley then came out to the ring to a nice pop, got a little emotional, and said that he didn’t think there was a damn thing wrong with him. He said he came all the way here to get his title back and he’s ready fight. TRL reasoned with him as the crowd chanted, “Let him fight.” Long said he wanted Bobby to compete tonight, but he owes it to everyone to make sure that Bobby is healthy in the long-term and promises him a title match whenever he becomes medically cleared to compete. Lashley, looking quite distraught, walked away. Finlay and Regal came out to the ring. The US Champ said that the whole “elevated enzymes in the liver” thing was bogus and that Lashley was actually scared. Finlay asked TRL to award him the match by forfeit. Long didn’t think much of that idea and told the two members of the King’s Court to get ready for their match.

Match 2: United States Champion Finlay vs. William Regal
-Regal wanted to know if the Little Bastard was under the ring. When the match finally got underway, Finlay tried for the quick pin with a roll-up, but Regal kicked out and slapped the champ. They then locked up in the center of the ring, but rolled to the outside of the ring with the lock-up still hooked. They kept the collar-and-elbow tie-up as they walked up the steps, to the apron, and finally into a corner in the ring. Regal broke the lock-up with a slap to the face and swept Finlay’s leg out from under him. He locked in a toe-hold, but Finlay used his leg strength to flip his challenger over. Finlay took Regal down with a shoulder block and grabbed a headlock. Regal then threw Finlay out of the ring and hit a European uppercut with Finlay lying on the apron. As Regal tried to get back in the ring, the Little Bastard grabbed his foot and whacked him on the leg with the shillelagh. Back in the ring, Finlay hit a short-armed clothesline for a near fall. The two then traded European uppercuts. Finlay eventually took control with a poke to the eye. He then whipped Regal hard into the turnbuckle, but Regal eventually came back with a double-underhook suplex. The Little Bastard got involved again, though, and bit Regal’s hand. Finlay took advantage and worked over the newly injured hand, but Regal used a drop toe-hold and grabbed a side headlock, which he turned into a rear chinlock. Finlay kicked his way out of the hold as the crowd started getting restless. He followed with a jumping clothesline and running hip drop. Finlay then tossed Regal out of the ring and rammed him back-first into the apron. Back in the ring, Finlay synched in a rear chinlock. Regal escaped and tossed Finlay toward the turnbuckle. Finlay leaped up to the second rope and came vaulting back, but he cracked heads with Regal in the process. Regal took control and buried his chin into Finlay’s neck. A knee drop followed as Regal attempt a series of pin covers. Regal proceeded to connect on a dropkick, an exploder suplex, and a running knee drop. The crowd started a “boring” chant as Regal tossed Finlay out of the ring. Regal tried to jump out of the ring onto Finlay, but the champion pulled back in ring skirt and trapped Regal b/t it and the ring. Finlay wailed away with a forearm shots. Regal eventually made it back into the ring, but was missing a boot (probably from the Little Bastard’s doing). The finish came when Regal grabbed the shillelagh, but got stood up by the ref. Meanwhile, the Little Bastard handed Finlay Regal’s boot. Finlay blasted Regal and got the win via pinfall w/ his feet on the ropes. Finlay retained at 13:48. (CMV1 rating- ** ½) (CMV1 note- good, hard hitting, and uniquely styled action…but it was a little slow. A match like this needs a lot of time to reach high ratings, in my opinion, because it struggles to get out of second gear. It didn’t get enough time…)

Backstage, Chavo Guerrero approached Rey Mysterio and said that Rey may as well be a Guerrero. He said he was proud of Rey for living his dream. Chavo said one of Eddie’s last dreams was to regain the World title, so essentially Rey was living Eddie’s dream. He said he was here to ensure that the dream continued.


Match 3: Matt Hardy vs. Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms
-A lengthy lock-up started things off, but Hardy got first strike points with an armdrag. The crowd chanted for Matt as he grabbed a headlock before hitting a hip toss. Hardy used a headlock takeover to ground the match, but they battled back to their feet. Matt mocked Helms’s old “wassup wit dat” pose and clotheslined him over the top rope. Hardy came out after him with a plancha. Back in the ring, Hardy got a near fall w/ a roll-up. Helms came back with a swinging neck breaker. He used another neckbreaker to score a near fall. JBL mentioned that Hardy’s weakness and what held him back from the main-event was his love of the fans. Hardy, meanwhile, tried to make a comeback with a jawbreaker. The CW Champ came back quickly, though, and kept Hardy grounded with a chinlock. Hardy rose to his feet and broke the hold with an armdrag. Matt started rolling with a side Russian leg sweep and tried for the Side Effect. Helms countered into a pin cover, though. Matt kicked out and eventually chased Helms up to the top rope. The two ended up fighting for position, but Helms proceeded to hit a swinging neck breaker from the top rope. A beautiful spot! Helms made the covered, but Hardy kicked out. The CW champ used a lengthy mat hold to maintain control, but Hardy came back with a series of right handed shots, a back elbow smash, and the Side Effect. Hardy then hit a running clothesline in the corner and followed with a bulldog. Helms then countered Hardy’s next move and looked for the formerly called Eye of the Hurricane. Hardy countered and looked for the Twist of Fate, but Helms countered and hit a modified Vertebreaker (more of a neckbreaker). 1…2…No! Helms later followed with a running enziguiri, but Hardy again kicked out. The CW Champ tried to set-up Matt for a sky high back drop, but Hardy pushed him off and hit a moonsault for a near fall. The finish came when Helms defeated Hardy w/ a roll-up and handful of tights at 11:45. (CMV1 rating- ** ½) (CMV1 note- good action and given enough time to actually amount to something. It was hurt by that lengthy and unnecessary resthold in the middle of the match, but other than that this was well done)

Backstage, the Great Khali was shouting some words about Taker as Davairi tried to prevent him from calling out the Deadman before the Prison match. Taker showed up, threw Davairi out of the way and went after Khali. However, he never got to him, as Big Show came into the picture and laid Taker out.

A hype video for the Punjabi Prison match was shown.


Match 4: Punjabi Prison Match: Undertaker vs. Big Show
-(CMV1 note- before the match, Teddy Long changed the match to Taker vs. Show. To borrow from the Cole report…this match features two cage-like structures, both made of bamboo "as thick as a man's arm". The bamboo is "joined by a rope that is prickly and sharp to touch". One structure surrounds ring and is 16 feet tall with four "Tiger-like" entrance doors, which are 4 feet by 4 feet. Second structure surrounds that: 20 feet high. The top is protected by razor-sharp bamboo spikes, to prevent escape. The object is to escape both structures…It’s quite an impressive sight, actually…very unique. There’s also a table full of weapons lying off to the side). Show looked terrified and teary-eyed as the match got underway. Nonetheless, he ambushed Taker before the opening bell, stomping away on him in the corner. He hit multiple headbutts as the crowd got loudly behind the Deadman. Taker came back and the two traded blows in the middle of the ring. The Deadman took control and lived up to his title as the best pure striker in the business. Big Show regained control and kicked Taker into the bamboo structure. He proceeded to choke him with his boot, follow with a headbutt, and come roaring towards Taker in the corner looking for a splash. However, Taker got his boot up. The Deadman hit a chop block on the ECW champ’s knee and tried to climb out of the first structure. Unfortunately, he had to deal with sharp spikes. The spikes bought Show the time he needed to catch up to Taker and crotch him on the bamboo. At that point, Show was on the top rope choking Taker with a strap that was hanging from the top of the structure. Show stepped down from the top, grabbed hold of Taker, and rammed him back-first into the turnbuckle. The crowd chanted for Taker, but Big Show drilled him with a running clothesline and an elbow drop. Taker fought back with elbows, punches, and kicks before ramming Big Show back-first into the bamboo. He then caught him with a running back elbow smash. He connected on a second and went for a third, but Show goozled him, walked back into the ring, and attempted a chokeslam. Taker countered it into a DDT! One of them proceeded to ask for the door to open, giving them 60 seconds to escape the first structure. Back on their feet, Show connected with a sidekick. He then walked over and yanked the hanging strap off the structure. Meanwhile, 60 seconds expired and the door closed, meaning that particular entrance was now closed for good. There were still three more to go, though. Back to the match, Show removed the covering off the top turnbuckle…or he tried at least. Taker came back with a series of jabs and body shots before hitting his patented jumping clothesline. He then torqued the arm and went for Old School, but Show punched him in the gut and threw him off the top rope. Big Show called for another door to open, but wasn’t quick enough to escape. Taker tried an escape of his own, but Show grabbed hold of his foot. In the middle of the ring, the two traded blows, with Show gaining the big advantage with a chokeslam. Meanwhile, time ran out on door #2. Show was not happy about his inability to beat the clock, so he took out some of that anger on Taker w/ a series of knee strikes. He then rammed the Deadman’s face into the exposed turnbuckle, busting him open. A “Big Show sucks” chant rang out as the ECW champ continued to clobber the Phenom. Show then tried to climb the structure and escape, but Taker gave him a low blow. Taker climbed up to meet Show on the top rope and gave him a superplex! The Deadman called for the third door to open and managed a quick escape. Show, meanwhile, still had 50 seconds to escape that same door. Taker, though, still had to escape the second structure. As time expired on the 3rd door, Show quickly called for the 4th door to open. Taker proceeded to try and climb the second structure, as Show escaped the first one and headed out after him. Show grabbed Taker and threw him through the table full of weapons. Meanwhile, there was still time left on the 4th door, so Show threw him back into the ring. As time expired on door #4, Taker found himself trapped with no doors to escape. Big Show began climbing structure number two, as Taker scaled the walls of the first structure. The Deadman climbed more quickly and once over the walls of the first structure, found himself ahead of the Big Show in the race to escape #2. Show grabbed his foot before the Deadman could escape the second structure. Taker grabbed a rope hanging from the bamboo and crashed into Show, feet-first like Tarzan. He followed with a leg drop through the other weapon’s table, busting the ECW champion open. At that point, Davairi and the Great Khali came out to the ringside area and started climbing the walls of the outside structure. Taker, meanwhile, climbed the inside structure and vaulted onto the Big Show from high in the air. Show rocked backwards and fell into the second structure’s wall. The finish came when the wall broke, and Taker tumbled out of the Prison first. Thus, Taker defeated Show at 21:35. (CMV1 rating- ** ¾) (CMV1 note- It was a complicated idea that got a little hard to follow at times, but at the end of the day I walked away entertained. It was a strange match built on spectacle, but it was also a good brawl. Definitely a unique match, but the finish was pretty dumb. They technically exited the cage at the same time. I imagine I’m going to be in the minority on my rating of this one)

Backstage, Sharmell hyped up Booker T, saying that he would be the King of the World if he beat Mysterio tonight. Book kept shouting “king of the world” in a botched British accent…amusing…


Match 5: Bra and Panties Match: Ashley vs. Kristal vs. Jillian vs. Michelle
-(CMV1 note- sorry, but I’m going to do what everyone else does during this and take a break). Ashley won at 5:25. (CMV1 rating- ¼*) (CMV1 note- terrible and sloppy)

Backstage, the Miz interviewed MIIISSSTTTEEERRR KEN-NEDY…Kennedy! Kennedy said he thought it took guts for Batista to accept his challenge, but it didn’t matter…he’s going to beat Batista. He said Mark Henry can’t beat Batista, but Kennedy could.


Match 6: Batista vs. Ken Kennedy
-(CMV1 note- still got plenty of time left, so this could get more time than I expected it would. It’s only 8:55). Batista came out to a really strong reaction. Kennedy tried to do his usual schtick before the match, but Batista clobbered him. Ken came back quick with a thumb to the eye, but Big Dave recovered and regained momentum. On the outside, Batista rammed Ken back-first into the guardrail and slammed his face into the steel steps. Kennedy got busted open in the process. Back in the ring, Batista hit Kennedy with a running clothesline in the corner. Kennedy played like he was going to quit and walk away, but when Batista turned his back, Kennedy attacked. Unfortunately for Ken, Batista realized what was going on and speared him. Kennedy’s wound was really opening up as the match went on, but he finally gained control with a running boot. Ken choked the former champ before hitting a powerful clothesline. He proceeded to stomp away at him in the corner and follow with a running knee to the face. Kennedy went to the outside and wrapped Batista’s arm around the ring post. Back in the ring, Kennedy scored a near fall and then hooked in a rear chinlock. He switched it to a key lock (modified) and yelled at the ref to ask Batista if he wanted to give up. Batista started his comeback with several shoulder thrusts in the corner. He then tossed Kennedy shoulder-first into the steel post on three separate occasions. The finish came when Batista rammed his boot into Kennedy’s throat and wouldn’t let up. Kennedy defeated Batista via DQ at 8:41. (CMV1 rating- ½ *). After the match, a frustrated Batista destroyed Kennedy with several spinebusters and a sit-out powerbomb. (CMV1 note- a bad match with a crappy finish. It was mildly entertaining, but what we just saw was an unimaginative effort)

A hype video aired for the World Championship match.


Match 7: World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio vs. Booker T (w/ Sharmell)
-(CMV1 note- Booker’s entrance took like 7-minutes…Chimel did some really long ring introductions, too…A lot of time wasting). Before the match, Book yelled that Eddie can’t help Rey in this match. When the bell rang, Book backed Rey into the corner and slowly backed away, taunting the crowd all the while. Book backed Rey into the corner again and tried for a punch. Rey moved out of the way, though. Book avoided a third lock-up with a boot to the gut followed by several chops. Rey came fighting back with forearm shots and used a snapmare takeover to set-up a quick leg drop. A stand-off ensued w/ both men smiling at each other. An “Eddie” chant rang out. Book regained control with several knee lifts and a body slam. He followed with a back elbow smash, then back mounted the champion and hooked in an armbar. Back on their feet, Rey jumped in the air and used the leverage to escape the armbar w/ a snapmare. Mysterio followed with a low drop kick and an eventual leg scissor. Book regained control with a thumb to the eye and several shoulder thrusts in the corner. He proceeded to go for a running shoulder thrust in the corner, but Mysterio moved out of the way, sending the challenger crashing shoulder-first into the post. Book rolled to the outside. Mysterio then went to the top and caught him with a Seated Senton to the outside. Back in the ring, Mysterio scored a near fall after a springboard splash. He then went for a springboard Lionsault, but Book moved. Rey landed on his feet, but the challenger caught him with a pressing kick. Booker followed with a couple of short-arm clotheslines and choked Rey via the bottom rope. The King then hit an arm-wrench and hook kick combo for a near fall. Another “Eddie” chant rang out as Booker grabbed a key lock. Rey tried to do the same snapmare counter to the hold that he used earlier, but Booker countered and tossed him across the ring. To counteract the Eddie chants, Book mocked the late, great Guerrero with the Three Amigo rolling vertical suplexes. The crowd chanted “619” as Booker went for the axe kick. Rey countered and eventually got Book in the 619 position. Book countered the special, but got kicked in the back of the head for his troubles. Rey managed to get the challenger back in position, but when he went for the 619, Sharmell tripped him up. The ref then threw Sharmell out of the ringside area. The distraction allowed Rey to catch Book with a running kick and try to follow with a wheelbarrow bulldog. However, when Rey got him up, Book fell backwards rather than falling forwards, connecting with a nice back drop for a near fall. Book then went to the top, but when he came off Rey got his feet up and caught the challenger in the jaw. Rey followed with a running low dropkick to Book’s knee. Book tried to regain control with a spinebuster, but Rey countered into a hurricanrana (barely). Mysterio then hit a springboard cross body for a near fall. Again, Book tried for a spinebuster, but again Rey countered…this time into a DDT. Mysterio could not put the challenger away, though, and eventually end up getting tossed into the ref. With Nick Patrick down, Mysterio connected on a Seated Senton and followed with the 619. Rey then went to the top rope and hit the Frog Splash, but the ref was still out. Book recovered and hit a low blow…he then hit the Book End and grabbed a chair from the outside. Book took a swing, but missed. Mysterio dropkicked the chair into Booker’s face. At that point, Chavo Guerrero came to the ring, grabbed the chair, and acted as if he was going to hit Book. However, he turned and drilled Rey with a wicked chair shot. The finish came when Booker T pinned Rey to become World Champion at 17:32. (CMV1 rating- ***) (CMV1 note- A good match, with the finish that I pretty much expected. After that segment from earlier in the night, it was fairly obvious that Chavo would get involved. Book and Rey worked well together, and despite a few shaky moments, they pulled off the match of the night by far)

Backstage Segments and Interviews - (CMV1 rating- **) (CMV1 note- it was not much of a night for strong backstage stuff…)



(CMV1 note- Okay, so I’m going to be grading events and here’s how it’s going to work. I’m going to rate PPVs out of five-stars. I’ll average the number of stars given to each match, plus the star rating I give to the quality of the backstage skits and interviews…Just as a for instance, Wrestlemania 22, by my scale, received a ** ½ via a match average of 2.3 and a backstage rating of 3. Oh and, by the way, I’ll be rounding up just in case there’s some confusion)

0-1.5 stars = Demand a refund and don't take no for an answer. If it was this bad, they should pay you to watch the next two PPVs, at least. (Great American Bash 2005)
1.75-2.25 stars = A below average PPV that wasn't worth the money spent watching.
2.5-2.75 stars = An average to above average event that was worth watching on that given night. (Wrestlemania 22)
3.0-3.50 = A really good show that you'd buy on DVD and watch again (Summerslam 2002, No Way Out 2006)
3.75-5.0 = You never thought a PPV could be this good...

Great American Bash’s Final Score = ** (CMV1 note- This was an OK show, but the Kennedy-Batista and women’s match dragged down the event. Nothing really stood out until the main-event, and while the Punjabi Prison match was definitely worth a watch, it still could’ve been a little more quickly paced. This was actually a lot like a SD show…it had it’s moments, but I’ll wake up tomorrow and probably forget that I watched)



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