The Great American Bash

WWE Championship
John Cena and Bobby Lashley locked eyes on each other and nodded as our fans at the HP Pavilion stood and applauded. The Great American Bash provided the stage for one of the most anticipated WWE Championship matches in a long time, and our fans knew they had witnessed a special moment in sports-entertainment history.
And so did Cena and Lashley. Though thousands and thousands of eyes were upon them, Cena and Lashley were alone in their moment. Both were exhausted and clutching their ribs. But the only difference was that Cena still had the WWE Championship to comfort his wounds, while Lashley was empty-handed.
Not much was said between the two champions; for the most part, they communicated in a language that only two warriors could understand. Lashley gazed at the WWE Championship that was still in the sweaty hands of Cena and nodded knowingly. Before The Great American Bash, he and his loyal fans believed he was an uncrowned champion. But on this night, the better man had won and he knew it – and extended his hand.
John Cena, the WWE Champion for more than 10 months – 308 days and counting – hesitated at first, but then looked in the eyes of his opponent. Unlike other challengers to his title, Cena had no personal conflict with Lashley. They both prided themselves on fighting with honor and respect; they were both courageous and resilient. Their rivalry revolved solely around the WWE Championship. Cena looked in Lashley's eyes and saw a mirror image of himself – and shook his hand. As our fans erupted, Cena hoisted his championship up high, showing the world that The Champ was still here.
Our fans were divided during the heated battle. Lashley’s fans, who believed he was an uncrowned champion because he never lost the ECW Championship and was stripped of that gold when he was drafted to Raw last month, chanted his name through the match. But Cena’s fans would not be outdone, as “Cena! Cena!” rumbled throughout the arena. Lashley overwhelmed Cena early in the match with his amateur wrestling skills and sheer power.
But Cena would not be denied, and showed the former Army sergeant why he has been able to hold onto the WWE Championship for 24 of the last 27 months. When Lashley charged at him in an attempt at a spear, Cena sidestepped and trapped him in an STFU. Lashley’s face turned purple as he scratched and clawed his way to get to the bottom rope. When Lashley refused to tap out, Cena slumped in amazement and held his head, wondering to himself, “What do I have to do to beat this guy?”
Moments later, that same look washed across Lashley’s face when he successfully speared Cena in his second attempt. Just before the referee was about to slap the mat for the third time, Cena was able to slip his shoulder off the mat. As our fans roared, Lashley tried to position The Champ on the top rope in an attempted superplex. But Cena surprised the former ECW Champion – and made the jaws of the crowd in the HP Pavilion drop – when he delivered a fateful FU from the top rope and fell on Lashley for the victory.

World Heavyweight Championship
Kane thought he was ready. Batista saw it as his ultimate opportunity. But at the end of Sunday night’s Triple Threat Match at The Great American Bash, it was The Great Khali who stood tallest once more, holding the World Heavyweight Championship high above his 7-foot-3, 420-pound frame.
It was a week of shocking surprises that had built toward literally the largest Triple Threat Match in WWE history, with an injury forcing Edge to surrender his championship, Khali winning it in a SmackDown 20-Man Battle Royal, and a No. 1 Contender’s Match in which the giant saw fit to interfere. As a result, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long declared that both the Big Red Monster and The Animal would face the Indian colossus at the Bash. Kane, who was originally supposed to face Edge for the title, saw a challenge to inflict double the torture, while Batista – who couldn’t vie for the World Heavyweight Title so long as it adorned Edge’s Rated-R waist – viewed it as a new lease on life.
As for The Great Khali…well, Triple Threat rules don’t generally favor the champion, especially since they don’t need to be involved in a pinfall or submission to lose their title; therefore, it seemed that he might not be the heavy favorite our fans initially believed. That belief seemed even more convincing when Batista and Kane worked in unison to slam the giant through the ECW announcers table. But on this night, Khali’s resiliency proved as impressive as his stature and might, as he rallied back into the ring and quickly re-established his dominant presence.
With Khali momentarily out of commission following a Kane chokeslam and Batista spinebuster, The Animal unleashed his full fury, spearing a chair-wielding Big Red Monster before hitting him with a Batista Bomb that made the very ring shake. Our fans thought it was all over but the pinfall, until Khali – still on the outside floor – used his extensive reach to pull Batista out of the ring before the referee could count three. Knocking The Animal senseless by tossing him into the steel ring steps like a dart, the Punjabi Goliath returned to the ring to finish off an already staggering Kane.
It would be impossible for our fans to tell you when they last saw the Big Red Machine looking like a helpless child in an opponent’s hands, but that was exactly the case at this moment. Khali’s two-handed chokeslam flattened Kane down on the canvas, making the ring official’s three-count all but a moot point.
Leaving his fallen foes and the carnage behind, the colossal champion then returned to the locker room, standing taller than ever in victory.

ECW World Championship
One swift kick to the knee and John Morrison had locked up his first win under his true name. CM Punk fell victim to the ECW Champion’s vicious style as Morrison got the three-count and retained his gold.
CM Punk seemed to be a man in tune with destiny, simply waiting for his moment at The Great American Bash. Like his first championship opportunity against Morrison at Vengeance: Night of Champions, however, this moment was denied.
Just as CM Punk is a Superstar whose principal morals revolve upon abstaining, Morrison is a man chiseled out of knowledge and understanding.
Morrison may sooner be referred to as arrogant than enlightened; however, he does know something nobody else knows. He is the only man who can call himself the ECW Champion. And it does not appear that CM Punk can do anything about it.

Texas Bull Rope Match
The Texas Bull Rope Match was made famous by WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, and for the first few minutes of his encounter with Randy Orton, “The American Dream” showed why. But in the end, The Great American Bash was a nightmare for Rhodes, as Randy Orton beat the legend at his own game in the first Texas Bull Rope Match in WWE since 2004’s Bash.
The rules of the match were simple. Both men were attached to opposite ends of a 14-foot bull rope, meaning neither man could escape very far away from his opponent. The first man to score a pinfall or submission would win, and the bull rope and cowbell attached to the rope were legal.
Before the bout, Orton looked leery of attaching himself to the end of the bull rope, and seemingly rightfully so; the match is a Rhodes specialty, and one that Orton has never been in. And in the opening minutes, “The American Dream” did what he does best, dishing out some Texas-style clubberin’ to his third-generation adversary.
Soon enough, however, Orton found a prescription for his fever: more cowbell. Orton seized and used the bull rope’s attached weapon to clobber Rhodes in his heavily taped knee, exploiting a possible weakness in the Hall of Famer.
Rhodes nearly made a comeback, even nailing Orton with his signature “Flip Flop ‘n Fly” elbow sequence, but it was once again the cowbell that was his undoing. With a mighty wallop, Orton brought the seven-pound bell crashing down across the Hall of Famer’s skull, and that was enough to gain him the winning pinfall.
But Orton wasn’t done once the bout was over. Prior to the match, the third-generation Superstar reminded our fans of how he “ended Shawn Michaels’ career,” and he tried to do the same to the “Dream.” Fortunately, Rhodes’ son Cody ran into the ring, throwing himself between his legendary father and Orton’s attempt at a vicious kick to the head.