Germany will host a WWE pay-per-view event for the first time when the first Bash in Berlin event kicks off on Saturday. World Heavyweight Champion Gunther returns to his longtime home with a card that also features undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
Gunther has made a name for himself in the German independent season in the years leading up to his WWE run. Gunther returns to Berlin – a seven-hour drive from his birthplace of Vienna, Austria – to defend his newly acquired world heavyweight title. Gunther will take on King of the Ring finalist Randy Orton, who is seeking his 15th world title reign.
Additionally, the rivalry between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre will reach new levels of intensity when the two clash in a strap match. The two feuded for most of the year, with Punk costing McIntyre several title opportunities after McIntyre gave Punk a real injury that kept him out of action for months. Now what is expected to be a brutal affair continues.
Two more title fights complete the picture. The new women's tag team champions, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, will defend their titles against the team with which they won them: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. And undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will face his long-time friend Kevin Owens.
Check out the confirmed games for Bash in Berlin below. The event will be broadcast live on Peacock, with the main card starting at 1:00 p.m. ET.
2024 WWE Bash in Berlin games
World Heavyweight Championship – Gunther (c) vs. Randy Orton: Gunther secured a shot at the world title at SummerSlam by defeating Orton in the King of the Ring finals in May. Günther has made the most of his opportunities, but there is a small black cloud hanging over his young title reign. Orton's shoulder was off the mat as Gunther proclaimed him king of the ring. Orton challenged Gunther to a world championship match that will reinforce Gunther's success against Orton or give the “Viper” a run for his money.
Undisputed WWE Championship – Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens: Rhodes offered Owens a title shot to show his gratitude for Owens' support against The Bloodline. Owens declined, arguing that his recent win-loss record didn't justify the opportunity. Rhodes forwarded the request to SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who booked the match for Berlin.
Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan (Mixed Tag Team Match): Priest and Ripley have been on the warpath since both were violently thrown back from Judgment Day. Priest's bigger problems involve Finn Balor, but he's more than happy to get his hands on Mysterio too. After Mysterio left Ripley to join Morgan, Ripley's problems with the Women's World Champion reached new levels. Morgan did everything she could to stop Ripley from retaliating physically, but now they must share the ring for the first time since Mysterio helped Morgan to a victory in their SummerSlam match.
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (Strap Match): McIntyre defeated Punk in their long-awaited match at SummerSlam because Punk was distracted by guest referee Seth Rollins and stole the bracelet from McIntyre. If there was a major criticism of this match, it was the lack of “hate” in the match in favor of the drama surrounding a stolen friendship bracelet made by Punk's wife. After taking another beating with a belt, Punk was inspired to challenge McIntyre to a strap match that would give fans the level of violence they wanted from their first meeting.
WWE Women's Tag Team Championships – Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill: Unholy Union pinned Shayna Baszler to win the title in a triple threat tag match involving defending champions Belair and Cargill. The former defending champions were never pinned and will have the chance to reclaim their belts at the bash in Berlin.
