The Great American Bash (2007)

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The Great American Bash (2007)
Details
Promotion World Wrestling Entertainment
Brand (s) Raw
SmackDown!
ECW
Date July 22, 2007
Venue HP Pavilion
City San Jose, California
Attendance 14,900
Pay-per-view chronology
Vengeance: Night of Champions The Great American Bash (2007) SummerSlam (2007)
The Great American Bash chronology
The Great American Bash (2006) The Great American Bash (2007) The Great American Bash (2008)

The Great American Bash (2007) was the fourth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on July 22, 2007 from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands.[1] The official theme song was "The Church of Hot Addiction" by Cobra Starship.[2]

The main match on the Raw brand was John Cena versus Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, which Cena won by pinfall after executing an FU from the second rope.[3] The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand was The Great Khali versus Batista versus Kane in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Khali won by pinning Kane after Batista delivered a Batista Bomb to Kane.[4] The primary match on the ECW brand was John Morrison versus CM Punk for the ECW Championship, which Morrison won by pinning Punk.[5] The featured matches on the undercard included Montel Vontavious Porter versus Matt Hardy for the WWE United States Championship and Randy Orton versus Dusty Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match.[6][7]

Contents

[edit] Report

[edit] Background

The main feud heading into The Great American Bash on the Raw brand was between John Cena and Bobby Lashley, with the two feuding over the WWE Championship. The feud began on the June 11, 2007 edition of Raw when Lashley was drafted to the Raw brand and stripped of his ECW Championship.[8] Three weeks later, on the July 2 edition of Raw, a "Beat the Clock" tournament was held to determine John Cena's opponent for the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash.[9] The tournament matches included: Randy Orton versus Jeff Hardy, King Booker versus Val Venis, Mr. Kennedy versus Super Crazy, and Bobby Lashley versus Shelton Benjamin.[9] Lashley ended up winning the tournament by defeating Benjamin in less than 5 minutes and therefore becoming the number one contender to the WWE Championship.[9]

The Great Khali as World Heavyweight Champion
The Great Khali as World Heavyweight Champion

The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between The Great Khali, Batista, and Kane, with the three battling over the World Heavyweight Championship. At the previous pay-per-view, Vengeance, then-World Heavyweight Champion Edge defeated Batista in a "Last Chance" match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[10] On the July 6 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long announced that Edge would be defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane at The Great American Bash.[11][12] The next week on SmackDown!, The Great Khali issued an open challenge for a match at The Great American Bash, which was accepted by Batista.[13] Later that night, Edge legitimately injured his left pectoral muscle after Kane, who was disguised as a king, attacked him during his Mardi Gras celebration.[14][15][16] On the July 20 edition of SmackDown!, Edge was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship.[17][15] Theodore Long then announced that there would be a 20-man Battle Royal later that night to determine a new World Heavyweight Champion.[18][17] Khali ended up winning the Battle Royal by last eliminating Kane and Batista.[17] That same night, Kane faced off against Batista to determine Khali's opponent for The Great American Bash, which ended in a no-contest after Khali interfered.[18] Long finalized that both Kane and Batista would end up facing Khali for the championship at The Great American Bash.[17][18]

The main feud on the ECW brand was between John Morrison and CM Punk with the two battling over the ECW Championship. At Vengeance, Morrison (then known as Johnny Nitro) defeated Punk to win the ECW Championship, which was vacant since then-champion Lashley had been drafted to the Raw brand.[19] Nitro was a replacement for Chris Benoit, who was absent due to "personal reasons."[20] On the June 26 edition of ECW, CM Punk defeated Elijah Burke in a two out of three falls match to once again become the number one contender to the ECW Championship.[21]

[edit] Event

Matt Hardy, who challenged Montel Vontavious Porter for the WWE United States Championship
Matt Hardy, who challenged Montel Vontavious Porter for the WWE United States Championship

Before the event started, Chuck Palumbo defeated Chris Masters in a dark match.[22][23] The first match of the event was between Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and Matt Hardy for the WWE United States Championship. Hardy was in control early in the match but later MVP took control of the match and focused his attacks on Hardy's head. MVP delivered a Playmaker to Hardy and pinned him to win the match and retain the United States Championship.[6] The second match was a Cruiserweight Open match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Chavo Guerrero defended the title against Funaki, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore and Jamie Noble. Hornswoggle, who wasn't booked to be in the match, became a part of the match when he entered ring as bell rang. All the cruiserweights were down except Noble. Hornswoggle, who was under the ring for the match, came surprisingly and delivered a Tadpole Splash on Noble. Hornswoggle went on to pin Noble to get the victory and win the Cruiserweight Championship.[24][25]

The third match was a Singapore Cane on a Pole match between Carlito and Sandman. The rules of the match were that the one who retrieved the cane from the pole was allowed to use the cane. Sandman retrieved the cane, but before he could use it, Carlito executed a Backstabber and pinned him to win the match.[26] The fourth match was a Divas match between Candice Michelle and Melina for the WWE Women's Championship. After a back and forth match, Candice executed a Candy Wrapper on Melina, and pinned her afetr to retain the title.[27]

Randy Orton, who faced Dusty Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match
Randy Orton, who faced Dusty Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match

The fifth match was between Umaga and Jeff Hardy for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Hardy started the match attacking Umaga with moves such as dropkicks, inverted mule kicks and a Whisper in the Wind. Hardy had a chance to make the cover, but instead attempted to perform a Swanton Bomb. Umaga avoided the move and charged Hardy in the corner. Umaga then executed a Samoan Spike and pinned Hardy after to win the match.[28] The sixth match was between John Morrison and CM Punk for the ECW World Championship. Punk was on the verge of winning the match until Morrison left the ring. He took the belt and pretended to leave the match but Punk chased him and tackled him. Punk pushed Morrison to the ring. Before Punk could attempt a slingshot maneuver, Morrison hit him with both of his knees. Morrison pinned Punk after to win the match and retain the ECW Championship.[5]

The seventh match was a Texas Bullrope match between Randy Orton and Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes started the match by hitting Orton with a series of elbows on Orton's head. Orton, however, took the advantage after hitting Rhodes' head several times with the cowbell, which was in the middle of the rope connecting the two men. After a final hit to the head, Orton pinned Rhodes to win the match. After the match, Orton attempted to punt Rhodes in the head, but Rhodes' son, Cody, made the save.[7] The eighth match was a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship between The Great Khali, Batista, and Kane. In the beginning, Batista and Kane double-teamed Khali after trying to put him down. Kane and Batista put Khali through an announce table following a double-team front slam and chokeslam. While Khali was laid out, Batista and Kane fought inside the ring, with Batista executing a Batista Bomb. As Batista went for the pinfall, Khali pulled Batista outside the ring and smashed his head into the steel ring steps. Khali then went inside the ring and executed a Khali Bomb to Kane. Khali pinned Kane following to win the match and retain the title.[4]

The main event was between John Cena and Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship. In the beginning, Lashley performed a series of powerslams and spears to Cena. Cena, however, was able to execute the Five Shuffle Knuckle. After a back and forth match, Cena performed an FU from the second rope, and pinned Lashley to retain the title.[3]

[edit] Aftermath

Further information: SummerSlam (2007)

Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and Matt Hardy continued their feud over the WWE United States Championship. MVP and Hardy had an arm wrestling contest on August 3 edition of SmackDown!.[29] On August 18 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Evander Holyfield replaced MVP against Matt Hardy in a boxing match.[30][21] On August 24 edition of SmackDown!, the two had a basketball challenge which was no contest because they were attacked by Deuce N' Domino.[31] At SummerSlam, Stone Cold Steve Austin replaced Matt Hardy in a Beer Drinking Contest against MVP which was no contest because Austin delivered a Stone Cold Stunner to MVP.[32]

John Morrison and CM Punk continued to feud over the ECW Championship. On July 31 edition of ECW, CM Punk defeated Elijah Burke and Tommy Dreamer in a Triple Threat match to earn a 15 Minutes of Fame match with Morrison the next week.[33] On ECW the following week, Punk defeated Morrison in the 15 Minutes of Fame match he earned the previous week.[34] As a result of winning, Punk became the number one contender to the ECW Championship at SummerSlam. At SummerSlam, Morrison defeated Punk to retain the ECW Championship.[35]

On July 27 edition of SmackDown!, Khali had his Championship Celebration which was crashed by Batista. Batista challenged Khali to a match for the World Heavyweight Championship match.[36] At SummerSlam, the two faced each other for the World Heavyweight Championship in a match which Batista won by disqualification after Khali hit him with a chair. Since a championship cannot change hands via countout or disqualification, Khali retained the title.[37]

On July 23 edition of Raw, John Cena teamed with Candice Michelle in a 3-on-2 handicap match against Umaga, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. Cena and Candice went on to win the match. After the match, Randy Orton delivered an RKO to Cena. He was then made the number one contender to the WWE Championship.[38] The two had a match at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship, which Cena won.[39]

[edit] Results

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk (2007-07-27). Cena still champ after busy Bash. SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  2. ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2007-07-19). Cobra Starship rocks The Bash. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  3. ^ a b c Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-22). One WWE Champion, but two champions at heart. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  4. ^ a b c McAvennie, Mike (2007-07-22). The Great Khali wins the big one. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  5. ^ a b c Rote, Andrew (2007-07-22). Morrison enlightens the Straightedge Superstar. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  6. ^ a b c Difino, Lennie (2007-07-22). Bringin' the noise. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  7. ^ a b c Dee, Louie (2007-07-22). A Great American Nightmare. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  8. ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-06-11). One Wild Night. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  9. ^ a b c Dee, Louie (2007-07-02). Time is on Lashley's side. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  10. ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-06-24). Batista's last stand falls. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
  11. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-07-06). A big surprise. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  12. ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-06). Edge Rated-iRate over championship match with Kane. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  13. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-07-13). Officially on. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  14. ^ Tello, Craig (2007-07-13). Monster's ball. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  15. ^ a b Tello, Craig (2007-07-17). Edge stripped. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  16. ^ Brown, Blackjack (2007-07-22). Edge injury puts Khali in title role. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  17. ^ a b c d DiFino, Lennie (2007-07-20). Giant change to Friday nights. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  18. ^ a b c Dee, Louie (2007-07-20). Once, twice, three times a shocker. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  19. ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-06-24). ECW World Title goes A-list. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  20. ^ Martin, Adam (2007-06-24). Vengeance PPV Results - 6/24 - Houston, TX. WrestleView. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  21. ^ a b Clayton, Corey (2007-06-26). Punk makes mark in wild night of ECW action. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  22. ^ a b Martin, Adam (2007-07-23). Great American Bash Notes - Dark Match, photos and exclusive videos. WrestleView. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  23. ^ a b Great American Bash review. hoffco-inc.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  24. ^ a b McAvennie, Mike (2007-07-22). A leprechaun's pot o' Cruiserweiwght gold. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  25. ^ Hornswoggle's first Cruiserweight Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  26. ^ a b Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-22). Carlito Cane do. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  27. ^ a b Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-22). Not just another pretty fluke. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  28. ^ a b Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-22). Firmly in the grip of a Samoan Bulldozer. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  29. ^ Fuhrman, Alissa (2007-08-03). Handing notice. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  30. ^ Saturday Night's Main Event results - August 18, 2007. Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  31. ^ Difino, Lennie (2007-08-24). MVP and Matt Hardy Ballin' together?. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  32. ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-04-26). Austin serves MVP the sting of beers. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  33. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-07-31). A chance for fame. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  34. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-08-07). CM Punk breaks on through. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  35. ^ Difino, Lennie (2007-08-26). Enlightened robbery. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  36. ^ Fuhrman, Alissa (2007-07-27). Who's ready to clash after The Bash. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  37. ^ Dee, Louie (2007-08-26). Punjabi robbery. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  38. ^ Clayton, Corey (2007-07-23). One bad apple leads to Dominator destruction. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  39. ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-08-26). Champ's legend lives on. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.

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