I guess I should start by asking - Who's going to order this PPV?
I will, and actually, The Bash looks as though it's going to feature some new match-ups which should be pretty interesting.
CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy - This could be the match of the show....if they are given the time. Both are top notch workers, and more importantly, it's a fresh match-up. We haven't seen variations of this combo for months on end (HHH v. Randy Orton), and it's not just a re-hash of the previous PPV main event. This is one of the main reasons I'm plunking down my $40 (sorry no HD for me).
The Colons vs. Legacy - Okay this one isn't too original, but I'm just happy to see the tag titles defended on PPV again! That is kind of a novelty in and of itself.
John Cena vs. The Miz - Another fresh match-up, and one of the only matches on the Bash card that has any kind of lengthy build. I still can't believe The Miz has gotten a bigger push than Morrison since their split...but he's done a great job with it. After Cena no-sold Miz's punch last night on RAW, I'm hoping Miz goes over here. We need a fresh heel on Raw, and Miz has done a great job so far. But if he gets squashed at The Bash, expect that push to end, and he'll be stuck in mid-card hell from here on out.
ECW Scramble Match - I'm not sure the gimmick is really needed here? I mean with Tommy Dreamer headlining the match, it feels fresh, and as someone who only catches ECW occasionally (like most of you as well judging by the ratings), it really wouldn't matter who got plugged in as Dreamer's opponent. The good is that we get Jack Swagger, Christian & Finlay in the match as well. All solid performers. The bad is that Mark Henry will also be involved. I don't get why Vince plugs Henry into almost every PPV? Stonehenge has more mobility!
The rest of the card consists of the Women's Title Match (good chance to take a quick pee and grab another snack) I thought the Women's Title began to mean something when Beth Phoenix held the belt, not so much any more.
Jericho v. Mysterio - Okay this is a re-hash, and Y2J is almost always entertaining. The match stips of Mask vs. Title don't really help the match all that much because without his mask Mysterio looks like a teenager with lots of tattoos and funky contact lenses. WCW made the mistake of unmasking the mighty midget and it did nothing for WCW, Mysterio or the fans. So either Jericho is dropping the belt, or look for a DQ finish.
And we get Randy Orton v. HHH Part 14. Sure you get the 3 Stages of Hell gimmick thrown in...but what that basically tells me is that they are going to take up the bulk of the show, most likely running well over 40 minutes. I am sick of this pairing. Orton has done a decent job, but it's getting stale really quick. Adding HHH into the mix sure as hell isn't going to freshen anything up. I would much rather see more time devoted to Miz & Cena or Hardy vs. Punk. Give us something new.
So while The Bash is moving in the right direction, giving us some fresh new matches, quite a bit of the show is still dedicated to the same old rivalries. Hopefully, some of the fresh faces can steal the show, and the WWE can begin planning some fresh feuds instead of building PPV's around gimmick matches.
