"Don’t Trash this year’s Great American Bash"

I am just as surprised as most that this year’s installment of the Great American Bash was better than expected. I have to say, overall, I found the show pretty good. It had its ups and downs, but when it was over, I wasn’t totally disappointed I shelled out the $39.95 to watch what Glenn Beck affectionately called the All-American Bash.

Let us start from the beginning. A good opener pitted United States champion MVP against Matt Hardy. I was a bit surprised that MVP got no reaction when it’s clearly evident that he has improved in the ring. The real test for MVP is now that he is no longer programmed with Chris Benoit. While MVP is growing on me, he needs a better finishing maneuver.

I have never been a fan of Dusty Rhodes as a booker, but this guy could be a great coach/teacher. He needs to mentor somebody because his promos are still awesome. I had a flash back listening to Rhodes cut a promo on young Randall Orton. Priceless, if you will. Later in the show, Orton cut a great promo talking about taking out HBK. For a flash, Orton looked like a star.

Hornswoggle left the Great American Bash as the Cruiserweight champion. Ok, this was a low point for me. I thought the cruiserweight open would have been a better match, and perhaps it would have been if all five guys weren’t allowed in the ring at the same time. Hopefully Hornswoggle drops the title at this week’s Smackdown tapings, because this is a joke.

Ok, they gave us a Singapore cane match. Fine, this isn’t ECW, but oh well. But this stipulation had nothing to do with the outcome. The Sandman grabbed the cane, swung and missed, and got pinned. If you don’t think Sandman can do anything on PPV, then don’t put him on PPV! It’s really too bad Carlito isn’t motivated, because he could be a more high profile feud.

Candice Michelle defeated Melina. This was a decent ladies match, nothing more, nothing less. Jim Ross said that Michelle was one of the prettiest Women’s champions in WWE history, which inspired me to create a poll on the topic. Michelle debuted a new finishing move, yet Lawler wasn’t sure if it was her newly named Candy Wrapper. Hmmm.

Next we got a Divas Unleashed segment. This was good. Candice returns backstage as Jeff and Matt Hardy converse. Matt tells Jeff to stay focused, and then Candice grabs a bottled water and pours it all over her self. Matt and Jeff’s facial expressions where superb. You would have thought Candice was stripping down for a Playboy shoot. And of course, to top it off, in came Ron Simmons.

Umaga against Jeff Hardy was far better match than I expected. Umaga can be a top player when pushed correctly, but if rumors are correct, he will be involved in the â€�"Jackass’ match at Summerslam. I really wish they would bring back Estrada now that he is now longer with Mr. McMahon. The Hardy Boyz were truly over last night, as they usually are.

Its clear fans don’t care about ECW, and who can blame them? I think the John Morrison gimmick has a chance of working, but the brand is a disaster. Morrison vs. Punk was a good match, but ended too quickly. It was one of those matches that I was digging, and then it abruptly ended. It did little to peak your interest to tune into ECW this week.

The Texas bull rope match went the way you’d expect. The old man gets beat up by the younger grappler, only to be saved by the old man’s kid. I thought this would have been the match to have some color. It brought me back to the Rhodes-Corino matches, and remembering how the juice job really sold the match. I would have liked to have seen Bob Orton Jr. return as well.

The World Heavyweight triple threat was a train wreck waiting to happen, and it derailed at the Bash. I have no earthly idea why they put the strap on Khali when he is beyond horrible in the ring. Are they setting up another giant killer program for Rey Mysterio? My preference would have seen Kane win the belt, and revert back to the masked Kane.

The King Booker-â€Å"Jerome” Lawler segment was a Raw type angle, not sure why they did it on the PPV, unless it was time filler. Poor King Booker is going to be feed to the jacked up â€Å"King of Kings” when he returns to the fold.

Talk about a major surprise. Bobby Lashley against John Cena was a solid main event. Well booked and well excused. TNA should take notes. Both guys were great last night, but give special props to Lashley. Maybe with all the steroid controversy, Lashley wanted to prove that he can actually wrestle. Whether you like these guys or not, these are the future WWE superstars.

Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a Great Bash, but a big improvement over recent installments. This show was much better than it probably should have been. Perhaps WWE really wanted to deliver after all the media scrutiny. I have to give the show a thumbs up as for the most part, I enjoyed the show. Believe it or not, best match of the night for me was the main event. Go figure.