WWE PPV Flashback – June 2009 The Bash: C.M. Punk vs. Jeff Hardy for the World Hvt. Championship, Randy Orton vs. Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell match, Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio in an IC Title vs. mask match

The following is Jason Powell's review of the June 28, 2009 WWE The Bash pay-per-view. Check back tonight for Jason Powell and Chris Shore's live coverage reviews of the WWE Payback event. Dot Net Members can look forward to an exclusive audio review with Jason and Chris after the show. Join us on the ad-free version of the website by signing up now via the Prowrestling.net/amember/signup.php.

WWE The Bash
Aired live on pay-per-view
Sacramento, California at ARCO Arena

Powell's POV: Rich Twilling is in attendance and noted that it appears the ECW Title match will open the show.

Michael Cole opened the show with Jerry Lawler at ringside. They hyped six title matches for the show...

1. Tommy Dreamer defeated Christian, Finlay, Jack Swagger, and Mark Henry (w/Tony Atlas) in a Championship Scramble to retain the ECW Title in 14:45. Josh Matthews and Matt "Beer Can" Striker checked in and ran through the rules of the match. Christian came out first and started the match with Swagger. After three minutes of back and forth action, Finlay came out and went after both men. Can we please change his music now that Hornswoggle isn't part of his act?

The first pin of the match occurred at 4:45 when Swagger took a shot at Finlay's injured eye and then rolled him up for the 1-2-3. Christian and Swagger fought until Tommy Dreamer came out at 6:00. Dreamer did the "ECW" chant. Moments later, Swagger threw him toward the corner toward Christian. Dreamer took a gingerly roll onto the mat and the crowd booed. It may have been Christian's fault, but it was awkward.

At 8:10, Finlay hit the Celtic Cross on Swagger and pinned him. Boo! The final entrant was Mark Henry, who came out at 9:35. Henry hit the World's Strongest Slam on Dreamer and pinned him with roughly four minutes left before the clock expired to end the match.

At 12:00, Henry climbed up to the second rope and waited until Swagger nailed him from behind to knock him off the ropes. Swagger hit a Vader Bomb on Henry and pinned him to become the interim champion with two minutes left. At 13:25, Dreamer pulled Christian off Swagger, DDT'd him, and pinned him. They went into near fall mode with everyone going for pins during the closing seconds. The clock expired and Dreamer was listed as the "new" ECW Champion...

Powell's POV: Technically, Dreamer is the new champion because the guys who scored pins during the match were interim champions. I hate that part of the match. Anyway, they were racing through the entrances faster than advertised. Perhaps they picked up the fact that the live crowd didn't seem to care about the match. The fans reacted more for the countdowns than anything. The fans had no idea who won. They cheered when Dreamer's music played to signify his win. It's worth noting that Dreamer went for a cover during the closing seconds, which made no sense since he had scored the last pin. He should have been in defensive mode.

A Gillette ad aired with Vince McMahon and John Cena...

Powell's POV: How messed up is it that there were no commercials during Monday's Raw, yet there's already been an actual commercial on pay-per-view?

Backstage, Edge lobbied Teddy Long to add him to the World Hvt. Championship match. Teddy said he should have thought of that before he decided to divorce his wife. Edge threatened that Teddy would end up jobless like Vickie if he didn't comply...

2. Rey Mysterio beat Chris Jericho in a mask vs. Intercontinental Title match to win the IC Title in 15:40. Rey can't wear a match ever again if he loses the match. Fortunately, Rey lives in California rather than a cold weather climate because ski masks are necessary attire on extremely cold days in some northern cities. Anyway, Todd Grisham and Jim Ross checked in. Grisham lied (or ignored WCW history) by saying Rey has worn a mask since his first match as a pro.

Rey jumped out to the advantage early, but Jericho caught him at ringside and flung him into the guardrail. A vocal minority chanted "Y2J." At 6:45, Rey hit the West Coast Pop off the top rope onto Jericho, who was standing on the floor. Rey's knee appeared to buckle when he hit the ground, but he popped right up and seemed fine. Back in the ring, Rey hit a wild double springboard moonsault for a great near fall.

A short time later, Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho, but Rey reached the ropes. A small chorus of boos could be heard from the pro-Jericho fans. Rey went for the 619, but Jericho missed and then stood up and clotheslined Mysterio. Cool spot. At 11:20, Rey went for a huracanrana off the top rope, but Jericho turned it into a powerbomb. Jericho put his feet on the ropes while going for the pin, but Rey kicked out. Cool spot.

Jericho went for the twisting slam he does out of the Torture Rack position, but Rey countered with a tornado DDT for another good near fall. At 13:05, Rey springboarded off the second rope toward Jericho and was caught with a great Codebreaker for another awesome near fall. Ross raved about Rey's passion and will to win.

At 14:30, Jericho went for a Codebreaker off the top rope, but Rey blocked it and Jericho landed on his back. Rey came back with a 619, but Jericho came right back with a Walls of Jericho. They traded near falls. Jericho pulled Rey's mask off, but Mysterio had a second mask on. Rey hit the 619 and followed up with a springboard splash for the clean pin...

Powell's POV: Phenomenal match! Great back and forth action and a clever finish with the second mask. Here's hoping this culminates with a hair vs. mask match at Summer Slam. I can't say enough good things about that one. Just a blast to watch with great near falls and tremendous innovation. Rey pulled out some old school moves. The West Coast Pop off the top rope was scary, though.

A SummerSlam pay-per-view ad aired. Shawn Michaels footage was included... Highlights aired from the commercial-free Raw...

A backstage shot aired of Hunter having his left knee wrapped. Cole said Hunter has won the two "Three Stages of Hell" matches in WWE history...

In another part of the backstage area, Jericho insisted that Teddy Long give him his rematch immediately. Long said he's a month away from celebrating his fifth anniversary as a general manager. He said he didn't last this long by giving in. Long told Jericho to get out of his office. Jericho said he'd know where to find him when he changed his mind...

Grisham and Ross introduced a Dolph Ziggler video...

3. Dolph Ziggler defeated The Great Khali (w/Runjin Singh) in a No DQ match in 5:00. Less than a minute into the match, Ziggler was standing on the second rope punching Khali, who responded by dumping him over the top rope. The bump drew some gasps from the live crowd. Khali went to ringside and tried to chop Ziggler, who moved and Khali struck the ring post.

Khali didn't sell the hand, though, as he delivered a hard chop to Ziggler's chest. Grisham compared it to being struck with a skillet. Ross said he was struck with a skillet once before. "Second marriage," Ross said. Hilarious. Dolph grabbed a chair and hit Khali with it. He followed up with a Fameasser, but Khali kicked out right away.

Khali took control of the match and appeared to be setting up for his finisher when Kane's pyro went off. Kane walked to the ring and Ziggler struck Khali with a chair in the back of the leg. The announcers quickly reminded viewers it was a no DQ match. Kane entered the ring and Ziggler took off. Kane grabbed the chair and hit Khali with it repeatedly and then left the ring. Dolph covered Khali and scored the pin...

Powell's POV: Quick, painless, and a surprise return. I guess Kane's appearance explains why they opted to put this match on pay-per-view. Rich told me that the guy sitting next to him stinks horribly. Sir, if you're reading this, try some deodorant and cut back on the garlic.

Backstage, Vince McMahon entered Teddy Long's dressing room and said he was going to apologize for putting him on probation on Friday, but then he heard him say he's on the verge of celebrating five years. Vince said he realized that Long has accomplished nothing during that time. He mentioned that Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, William Regal, and Mike Adamle all contributed something. Vince said the only thing Long does is the dance move, and he said Teddy doesn't have rhythm. Vince said Teddy is still on probation...

Powell's POV: Pay-per-view party attendee Pooch pointed out that Long established the ECW talent exchange with Raw and Smackdown, and the new talent initiative. Plus, he's babbling on endlessly about how Vickie Guerrero and Tiffany were both promoted from his assistant to general manager. Dave and I were interested at first, but now we're just ignoring him.

Ring introductions for the tag title match took place. Before the bell, Teddy Long walked out and announced it would be a Triple Threat match for the Unified Tag Titles. Edge and Chris Jericho made separate entrances...

Powell's POV: I think everyone was hoping for Edge and Christian, but this could be fun.

4. Edge and Chris Jericho defeated Carlito and Primo and Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes to capture the Unified Tag Titles in 9:35. After back and forth action that received a mediocre reaction, Edge reached in and tagged Cody, who was trying to avoid the Backstabber. Carlito hit the move and went for the pin, but Cody wasn't the legal man. Carlito stood up to protest and was greeted with a spear from Edge, who scored the pin...

Powell's POV: The live crowd seemed pleased by the finish. There was nothing special about the match until then. A nice pay-per-view surprise. Apparently, the story is that Teddy felt the need to impress Vince, so he added E&C to the match.

Backstage, Randy Orton told Cody and Ted not to worry about losing the tag title match. He said the important thing is that they help him keep the WWE Championship. Ted got upset and questioned whether they're simply henchmen for him. Ted told Randy, "Good luck with Triple H." After Ted stormed off, Cody told Randy that he'd talk to him...

Powell's POV: I'm guessing this won't be the night Ted turns on Orton. Rather, it was just a way to make it seem like Randy is flying solo against Hunter. I'm hoping for a long, slow build toward Ted finally turning...

5. Michelle McCool (w/Alicia Fox) pinned Melina to win the WWE Women's Title in 6:35. At 3:30, Michelle placed Melina over her knee and bent Melina's foot so that it touched her head. The live crowd didn't react since they saw Beth do something similar to Melina previously. At 5:35, Melina hit a facebuster off the ropes, but came up holding the knee that McCool had been targeting throughout the match.

Melina went for a cover, but Fox reached in and broke up the count. A short time later, McCool hit the Styles Clash (or whatever she calls it) and scored the clean pin. The announcers made a big fuss over McCool being the first woman to win the Women's Title and the Divas Title...

Powell's POV: McCool has negative charisma. She's improving in the ring, but her the live crowd's apathy toward her is impossible to ignore.

Grisham and Ross set up a C.M. Punk vs. Jeff Hardy video package...

6. Jeff Hardy defeated C.M. Punk by DQ in a World Hvt. Championship match in 14:55. Justin Roberts handled the in-ring introductions. More boos than cheers for Punk, but not a strong reaction overall. Big Hardy chant from the live crowd right before the bell. Punk hit an early shoulder block that knocked Hardy to the mat. He stopped to get a reaction from the crowd. The fans booed Punk, who responded with a sinister smile.

Punk continued to show heel tendencies by sitting in a corner and cheerleading as the referee came close to counting Hardy out at ringside. Punk controlled the action throughout the majority of the match. Hardy made a comeback, but missed the Swanton.

At 12:25, Hardy hit the Twist of Fate and followed up with a Swanton. Hardy went for the cover and the referee counted the three even though Punk's foot was under the bottom rope. The building popped huge, but quickly figured out what was going on. The referee informed Hardy of his decision, which was that Punk's foot was under the bottom rope so the match would continue. Hardy was frustrated.

The live crowd chanted Hardy's name as they went back to work. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate, but Punk put him in position for the GTS. Hardy slipped out. Hardy threw a flurry of punches at Jeff. Punk came up holding his eye. The referee stood between Punk and Hardy. As Punk was selling the eye injury, he kicked the referee in the back. The ref turned around and disqualified Punk for the kick. Hardy flashed Punk an awesome look of disbelief.

The fans chanted "bullshit." Punk started to leave the ring. Hardy followed and they bickered at ringside. Jeff attacked Punk and slid him back inside the ring. Hardy threw punches at Punk until a few referees pulled him off. Jeff broke free and attacked Punk again, but the refs pulled him off. Punk continued to sell the eye injury and the crowd booed him heavily. A ref helped Punk get backstage. As Punk was covering the bad eye, he flashed a quick smile that the announcers either missed or were instructed not to call...

Powell's POV: I loved the finish given that Punk is clearly turning heel. Ross said he'd like to believe Punk was blinded and didn't know he kicked the referee, but he was skeptical. A creative finish. I'm not a big fan of cheap finishes, but this one was perfectly logical given their story. The live crowd was really hot over the finish. Punk entered to a limited reaction, but left to massive boos.

Backstage, Carlito and Primo stormed into Teddy Long's locker room and complained about Edge and Jericho being added to the match. He asked if they expected him to get fired? Carlito responded: "Why not? You've been around here long enough." Hilarious. Teddy told them to get to steppin'...

Backstage, Randy Orton left a phone message with Cody Rhodes seeking information on his conversation with Ted DiBiase. Orton instructed Cody to call him back...

Cole and Lawler narrated footage of the Rev Theory and whatever band does the WWE Superstars theme concert that took place outside the building. Lawler was playing air guitar when they cameras went back to ringside. They pimped the theme of The Bash and then introduced a John Cena vs. The Miz video...

7. John Cena defeated The Miz via submission in 5:40. Miz kicked Cena early. Cena no-sold the kick. Miz ran to ringside and Cena followed. Miz climbed back inside the ring and kicked Cena when he crawled in and took control of the match. Miz targeted Cena's neck for a few minutes. Cena regained control of the match late, hit the FU, and locked in the STF for the submission win...

Powell's POV: This was one of those rare times when I was hoping for outside interference so that Miz could score an actual pinfall victory over Cena just to keep the feud going. They stretched out Cena vs. Big Show for two pay-per-views and it still appears to be going, but they race through Cena vs. Miz in one match. Too bad. They could also do something to change my mind on Raw, but right now I'm looking at this as a missed opportunity.

A Randy Orton vs. Triple H video aired...

Powell's POV: By the time they get to the ring and do introductions, they could have less than 30 minutes for the three falls. Well, no call from Cody, so I'm assuming we'll get Cody and Ted in the main event, but I guess we'll find out shortly.

8. Randy Orton defeated Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell match to retain the WWE Title in 21:25. Lilian Garcia handled the in-ring introductions. Orton targeted Hunter's wrapped knee early and went to slam it into the ring post, but Hunter used the leg to pull Orton into the ring post. "What a nice move," Cole exclaimed. Sigh. At 2:03, Hunter went for the Pedigree, but Orton took a shot at his knee to break it up.

At 5:00, Hunter grabbed a chair and struck Orton with it, so the referee disqualified Hunter to end the first fall. Triple H continued to attack Orton with a chair, but it was anything goes in the second fall so the chair was legal.

At 6:20, Hunter Pedigreed Orton at ringside and pinned him on the floor to win the second fall and even the match at one fall each. The referees wheeled a stretcher out for the third fall stretcher match. Hunter placed Orton onto the stretcher and wheeled him up the ramp, but Randy came to at the top of the stage. He stood up and kicked the stretcher into Hunter's injured knee.

They continued to fight in and around the ring for the next several minutes. Hunter rammed the stretcher into Orton's back at ringside at 15:30. Orton swore, but they censored it off the broadcast. Moments later, Orton DDT'd Hunter off the stretcher and onto the very bottom of the entrance ramp.

At 16:45, Orton went Charlie Brown on Hunter by winding up for a big punt kick and missing. Lawler pointed out that Orton may have kicked the stretcher. Hunter came back briefly, but Orton backdropped him onto the comfortable padded stretcher. For some reason, Hunter was down and out. Hard foam? Orton pushed the stretcher to the top of the stage, but Hunter hopped off just before he could cross the line.

They fought onto the stage and Orton went for the RKO, but Hunter pushed him off into the video wall. Hunter came back with a Pedigree at 18:45. There wasn't much of a crowd reaction, but there were more boos than cheers. Hunter placed Orton onto the stretcher a foot in front of the finish line.

Cody Rhodes ran out and stopped Hunter from crossing the line. Cody punched Hunter, but Hunter came back and got the better of the physical exchange. Hunter went back to Orton and was about to push him over the line when Ted DiBiase ran out and stopped him. Cody and Ted beat up Hunter on the stage with punches and kicks. The live crowd booed.

At 20:55, Hunter pulled a piece of the steel grating off and pulled out a sledgehammer. Hunter beat up Rhodes and DiBiase with the sledgehammer. Randy recovered and kicked Hunter low. Randy grabbed the grate that Hunter pulled off earlier and slammed it over Hunter's head. Hunter fell onto the stretcher. Orton pushed him across the line to win the third fall.

After the match, Orton raised the title belt over his head at the center of the stage. Hunter recovered and then stood behind Orton with the sledgehammer in hand. When Orton turned around, Hunter creamed him with the sledgehammer. Hunter left the stage briefly, but came back, stood over Orton, and did the DX crotch chop before leaving for good.

The camera focussed on Orton lying on the stage. Lawler said that if that's what it looks like to be a winner, he doesn't want to be one. They announcers recapped footage from the match. "Despite an amazing effort by Triple H here tonight, Randy Orton is still the WWE Champion," Cole said. The referees helped Orton afterward. He stumbled a few times and eventually got to his feet and held the belt to close the show...

Powell's POV: Good effort from Hunter and Orton, but there was nothing truly memorable about the match. They've yet to have a great match together, but I'm sure that won't stop WWE from giving us countless matches between the two. I enjoyed the Jericho vs. Mysteiro, and Hardy vs. Punk matches more than anything else on the show.