Thoughts on the Bash

Great American Bash has come and gone, and once again it seems the fans were given very few title changes. It almost appears as if some of the Pay Per Views should be televised on USA or a Direct TV wrestling network, because spending $40-50 on each one seems extreme for what fans are being given. The matches are still entertaining but it seems as if the Creative Team is either trying to massively build up the current title holders, or is fresh out of ideas. The surprises come few and far between, with the exception of maybe Santino Marella showing up to the ring in Italy to capture the IC title, but that was no pay per view. Perhaps the WWE writers are perplexed by the injury bug which continues to hit its champions and contenders. The Great American Bash was a continuation of just about all of the championship title reigns.

One title change occurred at this year's Great American Bash, the Cruiserweight title which went to under-the-ring dweller, Hornswaggle. I wasn't surprised at the results from the rest of the card, although Matt Hardy has been built up alot lately and has been on quite a roll with victories. A victory over MVP seems deserved, but maybe they are saving it for later, say Summerslam. I'm not sure what direction the Khali title reign will take right now. He's definitely no Andre the Giant in the ring, but he's got that dominating size in his favor. It's funny, because you'd think if the Edge injury hadn't happened, Batista would be defeating Khali in their singles match at the Bash and building up his resume. While Khali is clumsy in the ring, its tough to just defeat a guy that big (unless Cena comes over to Smackdown for some reason, he's beaten him 2 or 3 times now). I'm not sure how long they will allow Khali to hold the title, but he makes Big Show, Andre the Giant and El Gigante look like they could have won Oscars for their work.

Khali, John Morrison, Candice Michelle, Umaga, Orton were all expected wins as they are generally recent title winners. There were some weapons style matches thrown in with the Bullrope and Singapore Cane on a Pole match that provided some unique entertainment for the show. Dusty Rhodes' son has set up a mini-feud with Orton until Triple H gets back. I think they still want Orton as the "Legend Killer" so that when Triple H finally returns he can claim to be the one legend Orton just can't get rid of. Maybe an "Orton Invitational Stretcher Battle Royal" would be a good way to speed things up for Orton's resume while we're waiting. Orton vs. Sgt Slaughter, Tatanka, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Doink, Ron Simmons and any other "legends" hanging around backstage. Orton would need to throw a guy over the ropes, and the wrestler would then be taken out on a stretcher. Getting carried away here, but the "legend killer" gimmick does get old, because we have seen it over and over now and we definitely get it.

That said, the one very bright spot and creative idea of the show was Hornswaggle entering the Cruiserweight invitational and winning the title. It's surprising and funny, and almost lends credence to how maybe this title holds very little value (it's starting to look like the Hardcore title which changed hands once or twice about every 1-2 hours). My thoughts on this: will a superstar actually challenge Hornswaggle? Who wants to be the wrestler who goes after a small leprechaun to win a title? Possibly Hornswaggle will just keep the title under the ring with the rest of his gold spoils. It makes you wonder if they are getting rid of the title for a while or for good. The other possibility I see here is that someone does go after Hornswaggle and Finlay comes to his rescue, starting a new feud.

In closing, many fans continue to be disappointed that John Cena is still WWE champ. While I agree that maybe it's time for a title change, At Summerslam, Cena will have been the WWE champ for over a year. So why not just give him the year, and then give up the title reign? However, I'd most like to see Triple H holding that title on Raw of any competitor there is today. A triple threat match with Cena, Orton and HHH at Summerslam wouldn't be such a bad idea and would be well worth the Pay Per View purchase price.