Calling Spots: Bash in Berlin 2024
Making story-based predictions for the latest WWE Premium Live Event
At its core, professional wrestling is storytelling. The in-ring athleticism is an incredible bonus, but it’s all in service to the narrative being told onscreen on a week-to-week basis. Think of it as Game of Thrones with more powerbombs and less incest. Stories have to make sense. Characters do something, and their actions have consequences. Cause and effect. If we follow the breadcrumbs being left by the WWE writing team, perhaps we could figure out where the stories are headed — aka, the results of their matches.
Let’s preview the upcoming WWE Premium Live Event, Bash in Berlin, and make some match predictions based on the ongoing stories being told each week on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown.
THE UNDERCARD
Before we look ahead, let’s look back and see how our predictions fared last month at Summerslam.
Undisputed WWE Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Solo Sikoa
Prediction: Cody retains after a bunch of shenanigans. (I put odds for a ref bump at -10,000.)
Result: ✅ Cody retains after shenanigans galore — including the return of the Original Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. I should have known no ref bump was needed due to the Bloodline Rules stipulation. 🤦🏽♂️ But otherwise, this went as planned.
WWE Women’s Championship
Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax
Prediction: Nia Jax is your new Women’s Champion. No Tiffy Time cash-in, yet.
Result: ✅
World Heavyweight Championship
Damian Priest (c) vs. Gunther
Prediction: Finn helps Damian retain, much to his chagrin.
Result: ❌ Oof. Okay, here’s where I went wrong. I got the start of the Damian/Finn feud correct, I just misjudged the way they would get there.
Women’s World Championship
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
Prediction: Liv retains her title with the help (intentional or not) from Dirty Dom.
Result: ✅ Dom, you dirty rascal.
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre
(w/ Special Guest Referee Seth “Freakin” Rollins)
Prediction: CM Punk wins with help from Seth Rollins, setting up a triple threat match between all three men at Bash in Berlin.
Result: ❌ [Chandler Bing voice]: Could I BE more wrong?!
Intercontinental Championship
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker
Prediction: Bron’s gonna break him.
Result: ✅ Sami got broke.
United States Championship
Logan Paul (c) vs. LA Knight
Prediction: Logan tries to cheat, but LA Knight wins his first singles title clean.
Result: ✅ THANK YOU HUNTER. Your fruit basket is on the way!
Final Tally
5-for-7. That’s a solid .714 batting average.
THE MAIN EVENT
World Heavyweight Championship
Gunther (c) vs. Randy Orton
I spent the majority of this week thinking there was a decent chance that this match would open the show. Perhaps Randy losing early in the evening would impact the Undisputed WWE Championship match later in the night. But after watching the Bash in Berlin kickoff — and seeing Berlin’s explosive reaction to Ludwig Kaiser on tonight’s Smackdown — this match absolutely has to close the show.
First off, I love that Randy is Gunther’s first championship defense. It was the perfect way to tie up the loose end that was their fantastic (though controversial) King of the Ring matchup, and it makes Randy look like the smart opportunist that we know he is.
The story of this matchup hasn’t been too complex. Randy is cashing in his promised rematch, and this past Monday he admitted he wants to regain his favorite world title — putting him one step closer to the all-time record. Gunther is continuing his superiority shtick by calling out Randy’s checkered past while also taking the time to disrespect his father and grandfather.
If Gunther loses this I will get a ‘Ring General’ tattoo on my face. The question will be what is Randy’s reaction after he loses. Could a loss make Randy snap, causing him to go after another world title currently being held by someone establishing their own Legacy?
Prediction: Randy puts up a fight, but Gunther wins clean and decisively with a barrage of finishers.
Undisputed WWE Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens
Let’s start with the origins of this match. Kevin Owens never wanted this title opportunity. Cody insisted that KO face him in Berlin because KO was a good friend who continually saved him from multiple Bloodline attacks. Kevin reluctantly agreed to the match, not because he felt like he deserved it but because Roman Reigns would get the title shot if he declined.
The next question people had is will Kevin turn on Cody? It would make sense now that Roman is apparently a babyface1. The wrestling gods demand balance, and if Roman is now a good guy we’re going to need a few new baddies to take his place. And KO is a perfect candidate. Last week on Smackdown they even called it out directly, as A-Town Down Under compiled a video package of the most recent Kevin Owens heel turns. Kevin’s response?
Every one of those guys, they kind of had it coming. . . . And Cody, you and I have never had that kind of relationship. We’ve been close, we’ve been tight ever since we met. So that’s not gonna happen.
I mean. . . I believe him. In addition to this response, we’ve gotten three fake outs of KO seeming like he’s about to attack Cody but in reality he’s just being a good friend. This isn’t a story of KO turning on Cody. This is a story of Cody thinking KO is going to stab him in the back. Cody even showed up to tonight’s Smackdown with a bodyguard — something he never does. Is this the start of Cody’s paranoia? Will he react in the same way Roman dealt with his paranoia ever since he was betrayed by Seth Rollins2 in their Shield days?
And going back to the previous match, what about Randy Orton? Could Cody’s paranoia come to fruition not in KO, but someone even closer to him?
Prediction: Cody retains but with possible Bloodline/Randy Orton shenanigans.
Mixed Tag Team Match
Judgment Day vs. The Terror Twins
This is a tough one. We’ve seen both groups in this feud stand tall over one another recently — Judgment Day completely decimating Priest and Rhea on Raw two weeks ago, and The Terror Twins getting the upper hand on Carlito and JD McDonagh this past Monday. There is one thing I’ve noticed: Dom absolutely needs Liv to win a match. During his last few matches he’s been moments away from defeat before his little güera3 steps in to sway the results.
The Terror Twins could win this. They are definitely the more dominant team. But if they win I’m going to need to see more story to understand what they do next. If they want to keep this feud going Damian and Rhea would need to come out on Raw on Monday and say that they’re just getting started with their own revenge tour on the Judgment Day.
Damian will eventually need to start his one-on-one feud with Finn Bálor (likely at next month’s Bad Blood) and we have a least one more Rhea/Liv one-on-one match in the future, so I can see a world where Finn gets involved here and costs The Terror Twins this match. These two programs feel like they are just getting started, so there’s plenty of time for mayhem and revenge to ensue.
Prediction: Rhea finally gives a Riptide to Dom, but outside interference allows the new look Judgment Day to take this round.
Strap Match
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre
Drew has been very cocky since he beat CM Punk at Summerslam last month. He’s mad at the fans for adoring and enabling a man he sees as a selfish, entitled [enter your preferred Scottish swear word here]. Punk, on the other hand, still abhors Drew. He’s done more sneak attacks (and Instagram Lives under wrestling rings) in recent weeks than actual on-mic promos. The strap match was his idea — a clever play on the bracelet that Drew stole from him which has been the distracting source of Punk’s ire and fury for the Scotsman.
Punk is currently 0-for-2 in his WWE return. It’s time for him to even the score with Drew before we get to Bad Blood, where I imagine the blood will indeed be the star of the show for these two.
Prediction: Punk gets his first win, and, potentially, his bracelet back.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
The Unholy Union (c) vs. Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill
Readers of this Substack will recall that I am very pro-Scottish witch, so I could understand if you think I would lean towards The Unholy Union in this matchup. However, even earlier readers know I’m ride-or-die for Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. And recently the Big Three — Bianca, Jade, and Naomi4 — have started to team up again, which makes me think another tag team title reign is in the near future for this crew.
Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn were able to win the tag team titles off of Bianca and Jade at Clash at the Castle without needing to pin the champs. Over the past few months anytime these two teams were in the ring together Alba and Isla would put up a good showing. But Bianca and Jade are a super team. They have it all. As Jade said herself in a recent promo, “it’s inevitable.”
And easy money says we’re heading towards an eventual Bianca versus Jade match at Wrestlemania. Which means it’s time to put the titles on them one more time and have them establish their dominance over the next few months — before it all comes crumbling down around them.
Prediction: [Samantha Irvin voice] And NEWWWW…
Those are my called spots. Tell me yours! Who do you think is walking out on top tomorrow night morning at Bash in Berlin?
Though Roman still hasn’t said one word on mic yet. All we know is he’s going after Solo and the new Bloodline. I’m curious what he’ll say when he finally speaks.
But that’s a story for the future.
His words, not mine!
GLOW! GLOW! GLOW!
jfc, please renege on your face tattoo claim if Randy wins