WWE The Great American Bash 2006 (2006)

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Match 1: Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs The Pit Bulls (Kid Kash & Jamie Noble) for the WWE Tag Team Championship - Not a bad match actually. I think that the four of these guys actually got overlooked and were just put into this so the pay per view could have enough matches. All in all it went pretty quick and entertained the fans. In the end London & Kendrick retain the belts.Match 2: Finlay (c) vs William Regal for the United States Championship - On this night we saw a load of replacements for all sorts of matches. Regal was originally scheduled, but Lashley was also scheduled to compete in this match and thus making it a triple threat. The match was pretty dull and boring. Both of these guys can perform really well, but this just didn't work for them. Finlay retains the title with help from Hornswoggle.Match 3: Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms vs Matt Hardy - Originally Helms was set to defend against Super Crazy, who was taken out of the event due to injury. So instead they placed Matt Hardy into a non title match with Helms. It was a fairly decent time filler, but honestly Hardy should have already been booked instead of being just a last minute replacement. Helms and Hardy put forth a pretty nice match and Helms wins in the end with a shining wizard.Match 4: The Undertaker vs ECW Champion Big Show in a Punjabi Prison Match - Yet again we have another replacement. The Great Khali originally requested a Punjabi Prison Match with Undertaker, but at the event General Manager Theodore Long decides to replace Khali with the Big Show. It was a pretty nice match, back in 2006 Big Show really couldn't compete to the standard he does now in 2009. It was a little useless and uninteresting, but it still turned out to be just decent. Undertaker escapes both structures for the win.Match 5: Ashley vs Kristal vs Jillian vs Michelle McCool - It was a four way bra & panties match. Pretty much to get the male audience off their seats and interested. Ashley ends up winning, nothing special in the wrestling category.Match 6: Mr. Kennedy vs Batista - Mr. Kennedy, just as Matt Hardy, should have already been booked instead of being a last minute replacement guy. Originally Batista was scheduled to face his rival Mark Henry, with basic revenge on the line for Henry sidelining Batista for the early portion of 2006. A pretty short match, that could have been a lot more decent than it was. Batista gets himself disqualified and beats the hell out of Kennedy. It wasn't the best.Match 7: Rey Mysterio (c) vs King Booker for the World Heavyweight Championship - King Booker earned the title shot by winning a battle royal on the road to The Great American Bash. Mysterio at this point had only defended it successfully twice against Randy Orton and JBL, so he really looked prominently to retain once again. Booker brings Sharmell out with him, to give him the extra advantage. In the end though we see Chavo Guerrero jump ships and nail Mysterio with a chair. Booker scraps up the pin to score the World Heavyweight Championship. Farily above average main event.

Whenever WWE has PPV's lined up such as this one, New Years Revolution and No Mercy, you can guarantee that they will fail to deliver, and this is exactly what I'm on about. Some factors were beyond the WWE's control like they had to medically disqualify several superstars from the card like Super Crazy (liver problems), Bobby Lashley (liver problems), The Great Khali (not that anyone was complaining) and Tatanka. Mark Henry was scheduled to wrestle Batista on the card but he was injured on the Saturday Night's Main Event special so his replacement was Mr Kennedy, but there was no storyline purpose to it.Held before a crowd of 8,750 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the following results were: Gregory Helms defeated Matt Hardy to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship in a decent match - Paul London & Brian Kendrick defeated Jamie Noble and Kid Kash in a good match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships - Finlay defeated William Regal to retain the United States Championship which bored fans stupid - Mr Kennedy defeated Batista via DQ in a passable match - The Undertaker defeated The Big Show in an abysmal Punjabi Prison Match - Ashley won a lame gauntlet match which also involved Kristal, Michelle McCool and Jillian Hall - King Booker defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship in a good match.WWE NEEDS to end this stupid brand extension. The main eventers on Smackdown! are Booker, Batista, The Undertaker and possibly Rey Mysterio, but who have you got on Raw? HBK, HHH, John Cena, Kane, Randy Orton, Edge and even Umaga! Perhaps the rumor of Cena going to Smackdown! will help but WWE really needs to pull their finger out if they want to survive! Overall Grade - C

Indianapolis Indiana was the venue of choice for the WWE's third attempt at The Great American Bash pay-per-view. Due to the draft lotteries of the past two years, the Bash has been mediocre at best. Nothing like the WCW and NWA attempts of the past. The card looked fairly solid despite losing JBL, Chris Benoit and Randy Orton in recent weeks. This all changed after Saturday Night's Main Event when Mark Henry was added to the injured list. Followed soon by the popular Bobby Lashley and the useless Great Khali the WWE needed to do something pretty special on the night to satisfy the fans interest. They didn't.The Punjabi Prison was an impressive sight to say the least. Sure it looked as though it came flat packed from IKEA but I thought we were going to be in for a gore fest. The Big Show was slotted in to replace Khali. At least storyline wise, this move made sense. Unfortunately The Show showed us once again why he has turned into one of the biggest bores to watch lately and put on another mediocre performance. The Undertaker wasn't even able to save this from being a disaster. Undertaker picked up the win but it looks like his feud with The "Great" Khali will be continuing.Bobby Lashley was not replaced in the Triple Threat match for the United States Championship. This was never going to be on the par of the Intercontinental Championship match at Vengeance but it should have been entertaining. Instead the title match between Regal and Finlay wasn't even half of the match it could have been. Sure, it was hard hitting and the Leprechaun always makes me laugh but this should have been a lot better.The WWE Tag Team Championship match that opened the show was the match of the night. Kendrick and London looked flawless in their successful defence against The Pitbulls. Matt Hardy and Gregory Helms was a pleasant surprise. The woman's four way Bra and Panties contest was the usual rubbish.Batista came out to a thunderous ovation and gave the fans what they are used to seeing. Himself smashing his opponent's head in. Mr Kennedy looked great as he took the bumps for Batista. Unfortunately his head was busted open in the process of his disqualification win. A wound that required 20 stitched to heal.The main event of the evening had already been given to us for free the previous Friday night on Smackdown! as World Champion Rey Mysterio battled King Booker. I don't understand the rational behind that at all. The match itself was good but the screw job ending wasn't a surprise at all. Surely I wasn't the only one who had been waiting on Chavo Guerrero to turn heel for weeks now. So Rey's dream came to an end at the hands of a steel chair, Booker T and perhaps more importantly a Guerrero. Looks like now as we head into SummerSlam we will have a program between Batista and King Booker and Rey Rey and Chavo.The Great American Bash 2006 will only be remembered for two things. The night Mysterio lost his Championship and the first time we witnessed the Punjabi Prison. Neither of which where to thrilling and worth watching again.

Well, just when it seemed that WWE and Smackdown could finally pull off a "Great American Bash" that would actually be "great", fate screwed them and us again. OK, so yeah, the opening match was good, the Punjabi Prison Match was entertaining, and the main even delivered, but all in all it was just plain average.First off, the much hyped about match between Batista and Mark Henry was canceled, then the triple threat match for the U.S title was turned into a one on one piece of crap, and then the Punjabi Prison match was turned last minute into a snort fest between Undertaker and The Big Show????? OK so lets review Match 1 - London and Kendricks vs The Pitbulls for the WWE Tag TitlesReally good opener with high flying action and risky moves. All four of the competitors were amazing and delivered excitement. I wasn't to sure about this one, but once the bell rand and the action started I couldn't keep my eyes off the TV. The end resulted when Kendricks got the pin and both him and London retained the titles. Rating 8 out of 10Match 2 - Finlay vs Regal for the U.S. Title So Teddy Long comes out and tells the crowd that Lashley will not be able to compete tonight because of elevated enzymes in his liver, uh, OK ????. When I saw that the match would continue without Lashley and continue with only Finlay and Regal I was ready to take a nap, but my money was already going to the cable company so i just forced myself to watch this. Boring action and sluggish fighting made the crowd grow restless and boring chants started. Little Bastard interfered a lot but nobody cared. It finally ended when Finley used the ropes to get the pin. Rating 4 out of10 Match 3 - Gregory Helmes vs. Matt Hardy Matt Hardy comes out and gets a huge ovation ( Its only a matter of time before WWE realizes hes a big deal and deserves a title shot push). Surprisingly good match but the crowd was just not bringing this one to life. Nothing really spectacular but both men but a decent effort. Rating 6 out of 10 Match 4 - The Undertaker vs. The Big Show in a Punjabi Prison MatchAfter all the hype, a ridiculous backstage segment of Big Show attacking Taker, and Daivari and Khali getting the blame, now made the match between Undertaker and Big Show. The Punjabi Prison Match definitely was an interesting type of match and had interesting stipulations that lived up to its name, so now it was just a question if Big Show and Undetaker could make history. The match started off very slow with punches and heavy blows from both wrestlers but the best action didn't start until they made their way into the second part(section) of the match. Both were slammed through tables, and both beat the hell out of each other with the surrounding walls busting each other open. Undertaker even did a hilarious Tarzan looking move when he grabbed a swinging rope and used its momentum to kick the Big Show. The match was just getting rubbish after that and fans were just ready to end it (some even chanted boring for awhile). The end finally happened when Undertaker jumped over Big Show from the top of the structure causing both of them to break through the prison and Undertaker hitting the floor first to win. Khali then came to ring side to interfere but the match was already over. Rating 8 out of 10 Match 5 - Kristal vs Michelle vs Jillian vs Ashley in a bra and panties match The match was fairly interesting but rubbish at times. Usuall Diva wrestling with slaps, sucker punches and kicks. Slow pace made the match tiring to watch but it was just a fun piece to enjoy. Ashley won after stripping one of them completely to just bra and panties. Rating 4 out of 10 Match 6 - Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy Mark Henry is on Kurt Angle, but him and Batista against each other would have been a more brutal, nasty, and definitely more exciting match. But because Mark was put out of action, we get instead this very rushed match between the Animal and Mr. Kennedy. Your usual Batista match of him just completely dominating his opponent. Batista whooped the sh*t out of Mr. Kennedy with hard hits and slams, even busting him open. Mr. Kennedy got some offense but nothing mattered anymore. Fans in the crowd lost interest ( as well as I did) and just let this one fly by. Mr. Kennedy won after Batista refuse to let go of his hold. A aftermath resulted when Batista gave him three spine busters and a Batista Bomb. Rating 5 out of 10 Main Event - Rey Mysterio vs King Booker for World Title Very good and solid main event with great action and wrestling. Both wrestlers performed with great athleticism and technicality. Almost every offense and defense that Booker and Rey have was used. I however, as I'm sure like a lot of other people, thought this match was very predictable and though that we would just see Rey win again. I was dead wrong, because out of nowhere Chavo Guerreo committed the ultimate act of betrayal and slammed Rey with probably one of the hardest chair shots I have ever seen. As Chavo left the scene, Booker Capatalized and got the pin and became the new World Championship. A very shocking end to a night that could have had more potential, but still all in all was a decent PPV.Rating 8 out of ten