WWE presented Bash in Berlin from the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany, making history as WWE’s first-ever PREMIUM LIVE EVENT in Germany. Ok, if you read my Official Violent People WWE Backlash France Review you know the deal here. The idea of actually reviewing a PLE is honestly nauseating/hilarious so instead I’m going to spotlight a smaller wrestling promotion local to Germany. 

The local show I watched was, the German Wrestling Federation: Showdown 2024. I watched the five matches I feel lined up best with Bash in Berlin. Though unlike with WWE Backlash France I did actually watch some of Bash in Berlin. Which makes comparing the two events easier, but also less fun. For the record there are two more recent GWF available to watch on YouTube, but those are co-promotions with RevPro so I disqualified them instantly. 

GWF Showdown 2024

08/04/2024

Berlin, Germany

GWF Berlin Title Match Ahura (c) vs Rambo

WWE Universal Title Match Cody Rhodes (c) vs Kevin Owens

I’m admittedly unfamiliar with GWF, but this is a really nicely produced show. It’s got a titantron, everyone has entrance videos, identifying graphics, a well lit large crowd, etc. The ring announcer is pretty great as well. 

I don’t know either of these two super well. Rambo is a short, thick, hairy military man wearing a beret, so I’m obviously into him. Ahura is one half of The Pretty Bastards in WxW. Here he comes out with a large entourage of men I don’t recognize.

They start out with several collar and elbow tie ups, Rambo easily gets the better of these and tosses Ahura around the ring. They go to the outside where Ahura briefly takes over, but Rambo’s power proves too much. That’s the story of most of the match. Ahura having short segments of cocky offense before being man handled by Rambo. 

Rambo had some genuinely impressive strength spots. He catches Ahura out of mid air multiple times before throwing him in various suplexes. 

There is a TERRIBLE strike exchange in the middle of the ring that bears mentioning. Just the worst elbow strikes from Ahura and slow motion body punches from Rambo. 

Rambo does the classic dropping of the straps to power up, but he also pulls out the rarely seen put the straps back up only to immediately pull them down for another, more intense power up move, late in the match. 

Ahura is carrying his end too. He hits a brutal looking leg lariat towards the end. Rambo kicks out which sends Ahura over the edge. He grabs the Berlin title belt. Which the ref grabs, but it leads to a low blow, a finisher, and Ahura retains. 

I have zero desire to watch Kevin’s Owens vs Cody Rhodes in 2024. I’m sure it was over. I’m sure they teased a KO heel turn. I’m sure there were EMOTIONS. I’m sure this Ahura/Rambo match was better. That’s 1 win for GWF. Really happy for Kevin and Cody though.

GWF Tag Team Title Match Two Sweet Heroes (Aytac Bahar & Pascal Spalter) (c) vs Skyliners (Alex Duke & Big Nik)

WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) (c) vs Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill

Only one of the Skyliners is a big boy. It’s at least, fittingly Big Nik. He’s gotta be 6’9+. Cagematch says 6 ’11. If that was legit I feel like he would just claim he’s 7 feet tall. 

I don’t understand what the tag team name Two Sweet Heroes means, but I’m sure I’d hate it if it was explained to me. 

Big Nik starts out doing big tall guy spots. That’s a plus in 2024. Most wrestlers his size would’ve done a kip up or drop kick at this p[point in the match. 

Alex Duke is not good. If Big Nik is doing his thing or the champs are on offense this works, but when Alex is in control it grinds to a screeching halt. 

There’s a really nice finishing run that starts with a miscommunication spot where Big Nik takes out his partner. Nik recovers from this but eventually the champions put him away with some double team moves. 

My thoughts on women’s wrestling are fairly well known. For the most part, those thoughts are partly a bit or at least an exaggeration of my true feelings. Not when it comes to WWE women’s wrestling. I did not and will not watch it, but the WWE women’s tag match was bad and you’re bad and weird if you liked it. This was a pretty bog standard tag team match and It’s an easy 2-0 for GWF

Lumberjack Match Taishi Ozawa vs Erkan Sulcani

CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre

I don’t think I’ve seen Sulcani before and Ozawa is a Pro Wrestling NOAH young lion on excursion. Ozawa is wearing a mask which I don’t think he normally wears, but what do I know. This lumberjack stipulation is a spur of the moment deal with Erkan stablemates out and then baby faces joining the lumberjacks. 

Erkan immediately goes after the mask, which again I think is fairly new. He throws out Ozawa to his lumberjacks of choice. 

This is a weird disjointed match. None of the lumberjacks seem to understand their role and there’s not much of a story or through line in the match. Ozawa does flash when he’s on offense. 

There’s just not much there in this match. It’s two guys doing moves occasionally throwing the other outside to a group of confused and bored lumberjacks. 

Ozawa eventually gets the win with a quick roll up. 

I really wanted to give GWF the win because I was so unimpressed with Punk and Drew. It had a lot of dumb moments and it’s a stupid feud, but it was obviously still a better match than this. Drew and Punk working a match around slappin some turnbuckles is obviously stupid. It was at the very least a cohesive wrestling match.  I have to give WWE the victory. It’s 2-1 GWF.

GWF Mixed Tag Team Title Match Heartbreak And Kicks (Amy Heartbeat & Fast Time Moodo) (c) vs Kurzer Prozess (Loky & Nick Schreier)

Mixed Tag Team Match The Terror Twins (Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley) vs The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan)

Both Triple H and the GWF owners, Decent Society (Ahmed Chaer & Crazy Sexy Mike,) thought it was a good idea to book a mixed tag in a major show. That’s…something. 

Loky and Nick Schreier are the inaugural, and only other team to hold the mixed tag title. When looking through the history of these illustrious titles I see that my boy Rambo challenged for the belts in the past. His partner was Veda Scott. I don’t care what kind of rate Mike Bailey is giving you, put Veda on commentary and keep her far, far away from the ring. Fast Time Moodo regularly teams with Axel Tischer in WxW. Which explains why I haven’t seen much of him. 

The men start out. When Moodo tags in Amy we get a will the man hit a woman spot. Just great stuff. In this case Nick doesn’t and he rages in Loky. 

There’s actually some fun heel work from Amy here, but all the actual work is so slow and sloppy I can’t really appreciate it. There’s finally a hot tag and after the Amy/Loky sequences Nick and Moodo look like Flair and Steamboat. 

The champions retain with a ref bump, man on woman violence and an eye rake. 

I didn’t watch the WWE mixed tag, but it had to have been better. Rhea can get passable work out of Liv and Dom’s schtick probably works pretty well in this stupid match type. Gonna give WWE their first victory. It’s all tied up. 2-2. I could be accused of rigging it to have it tied going into the main events, but I have too much integrity to lie to you guys. I treat this exercise in which I compare a show I watch with a show I kind of watched and was predisposed to hate which honor and dignity. 

GWF World Title Match Mike D Vecchio (c) vs Peter Tihanyi

WWE World Heavyweight Title Match Gunther (c) vs. Randy Orton

I don’t have strong thoughts on Peter Tihanyi, but I’m a big Mike D guy. He’s a highlight in all the wrestling I’ve watched out of Europe this year.

This match is tough because it’s so hot and cold. I love Peter having to throw his body at Big Mike(RIP Elgin) and Mike just constantly grounding him and using his strength and body weight to get control, but there’s a lot of dumb spots here too. Early on they trade leap frogs and it’s eye roll inducing. 

When it hits it hits though. Mike kills him with a couple lariats and elbows. I enjoy Peter having success with the swinging ddt and then proceeding to spam it. I don’t enjoy the SHOCKED faces at the kick outs. 

The finish rules. Mike catches Peters dive to the outside, hits an apron powerbomb, rolls him inside and hits a giant splash for the win. 

I have very similar thoughts on Orton vs Gunther. There’s lots to love there. I don’t fault anyone who liked it, but there were tons I had problems with. It was very clearly a “Randy Orton Match” . I would’ve much preferred Orton to work more towards a Gunther match , but this is what we got. At the end of the day they both were solid main events with lots of issues preventing them from hitting another level. Both had good finishes with the right guy going over.  One of them was over thrifty fucking minutes long. GWF wins 3-2.

GWF is nowhere near as fun to watch as Rixe Catch, but not all promotions can be. It does have good production values and some wrestlers everyone should be following. No promotion should have a Mixed Tag Team Championship. Still probably a much better bet for someone in Berlin to hit up GWF than a PLE.