Wwe: Great American Bash 2006 [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

My SmackDown steak continues as this was the best Great American Bash that WWE has pulled off yet. It's funny how RAW gets more effort put into it yet SmackDown has the events that are worth watching. The Great American Bash in the past two years of the WWE has usually been one of the worst (if not, the WORST) PPV of the year & it looked like the same way with alot of last minute changes (CARD IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!) but it still came off good.

Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. Kid Kash & Jamie Noble - Sorry but out of respect to the ORIGINAL PITBULLS (from ECW), I won't call Kash & Noble by that name. It's no secret that I'm a fan of crusierweight action & you got that here in the tag team division. Great opening match that was actually given time to turn into something good.

United States Champion Finlay vs. William Regal - Lashley couldn't wrestle due to health issues so it was just a singles match. This was unique in the fact that both guys were heels so the fans didn't know who to cheer at times and that these guys were just two straight up wrestlers so it was a good wrestling match. Finlay's "little [...]" got involved at times to keep the match humorous (Regal has priceless facial expressions) but overall, it was a good wrestling match.

Crusierweight Champion Gregory Helms vs. Matt Hardy - Hardy replaced Super Crazy who also had some health issues but again, it was a nice match. For those trivia buffs, Hardy & Helms grew up together & actually started wrestling together back in their OMEGA promotion along with Jeff Hardy & Shannon Moore. This was a case of both guys can wrestle & go in the ring when they are allowed to do so & it didn't disappoint here.

Punjabi Prision Match: Undertaker vs. Big Show - Talk about a bait & switch because eventhough it leaked out on the internet for a week that Khali couldn't wrestle due to health issues, they kept advertising Khali before the ring entrances when Big Show took his place. The prision was created out of bamboo & looked similar to the "Kennell From Hell" (Hell In A Cell & a steel cage match in one). The match rules were a unique concept in which that you had 60 sec. to escape through a trap door in the first cage that had spikes at the top of it and then escape the second cage to win the match. Undertaker & Show did their best & it was better than the original "Kennel From Hell" match with Al Snow & Bossman but still, we've seen better performances from these two.

Four Way Bra & Panties Match: Ashley vs. Krystal vs. Michelle McCool vs. Jillian Hall - It's a bra & panties match...what can be said that hasn't been said already about bra & panties matches for the last 5 years.

Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy...Kennedy (sorry, just had to do that) - It was suppost to be Mark Henry but he got injured (surprize surprize!!!) so Mr. Kennedy stepped in at the last minute but he was nothing more than a body for Batista to completely massacre. Kennedy got a few shots in but the match was all Batista & he ended up getting disqualifed but Kennedy was the ultimate loser as his head was just absoluely bloody.

World (Heavyweight) Champion Rey Mysterio vs. King Booker - The match was actually really good but it was nothing more than a setup for the heavily teased (and predictable) heel turn of Chavo Guerrero on Rey Mysterio. Booker became the most deserving World Champion in WWE since Chris Benoit.

DVD extras included a Paul Heyman talking to Big Show after the match & King Booker's celebration on SmackDown followed by his match with Rey Mysterio on SmackDown which was very similar to their Bash match with the same ending of Chavo Guerrero costing Mysterio the match.

Again, third time is the charm as this was the best Great American Bash that WWE has put on. I recommend.

WWE presented "The Great American Bash" six times from 2004 to 2009. Although they continued to improve over time, something stupid always seemed to tarnish the rest of a good card.

In 2004, two Match-of-the-Year candidates were overshadowed by forgettable undercard matches and a murder.

In 2005, any good part that came out of that PPV was tarnished by a sleep-inducing main event that went on forever and ended with a cheap finish.

In 2006 --- as we'll explore here --- the whole event is comprised of switcharoos and last-minute changes.

I actually like the 2007-2009 editions, especially the 2009 PPV (which most people hate). But after this debacle, you'd never guess that "The Great American Bash" was worth bringing back.
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1) WWE Tag Team Championships
Paul London & Brian Kendrick (champions) v. The Pitbulls
---For better or worse, JBL said that these four guys could steal the show. I won't go quite that far, but this opening contest was one of my favorite matches on the card. Jamie Noble & Kid Kash are equally as talented as the champs, giving this one a dose of Cruiserweight juice. It's a little slower-paced than you might think, but I've come to realize that patient action can be more gratifying. I really didn't like the 2006 "Bash", but I'll admit this kickoff made it easier to swallow.
"7.0 / 10"
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2) United States Championship
Finlay (champion) v. William Regal
---The advertised Triple Threat Match also including Bobby Lashley didn't take place, but I give credit to the "SmackDown" team for trying to give this turn-of-events some depth. Lashley pleaded to wrestle, but was denied, much to the dismay of fans. Unfortunately, I was astonished that Finlay and Regal pretty much bored me from bell to bell. It wasn't because Lashley wasn't involved. It wasn't because both men were bad guys. It wasn't because the advertised match was changed. Quite frankly, Finlay and Regal were such amazing technicians I don't know why after three viewings I can't get into this one. It just moves at a plodding pace, and seemingly goes nowhere. Folks, I would pay to watch a Regal/Finlay match anytime, but trust me, this one isn't as good as hardcore fans want it to be.
"5.0 / 10"
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3) Matt Hardy v. Gregory Helms (Cruiserweight champion)
---As much as I would've loved to see Super Crazy take on Helms for the belt, I have to admit that their "Judgment Day 2006" encounter didn't blow me away like I'd hoped. Besides, Matt Hardy and Helms have much better chemistry. This is a last-minute change that worked, in my opinion. With all respect to the dazzling athletics of Super Crazy, Matt Hardy was starting to hit his stride on "SmackDown" TV, and deserved some kind of PPV exposure. With the seesaw action we saw, I'd bet "SmackDown" viewers were happy with the result.
"7.0 / 10"
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4) Punjabi Prison Match
Big Show (ECW World champion) v. The Undertaker
---This is the match that will probably make or break "Bash 2006" for people. As limited as The Great Khali was, his dominance over Undertaker was refreshing, in my opinion. I was looking forward to seeing how Taker & Khali would pull off this debut of the Punjabi Prison Match. After some non-sensical brawling backstage, Big Show as punished to be Khali's replacement. I strongly believe that even though Big Show and Taker had some good matches before this night, people were bored of Big Show once he became ECW's champion. But never mind that analysis, this match just sucks. It's just an endless barrage of punching, clotheslines, and slams...with some bamboo shenanigans thrown in. Both men bled and broke through a table, and the match still sucked. This is one of the most boring matches I've ever seen, and the storyline behind makes it even dumber.
"2.0 / 10"
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5) Bra-and-Panties Elimination Match
Jillian Hall v. Michelle McCool v. Kristal v. Ashley Masarro
---I'm gonna catch all kinds of crap for liking this one more than the Punjabi Prison Match. But you know what, at least these ladies gave me something pleasing to the eyes. I dare say that there've been good Bra-and-Panties Matches before, but this isn't one of them. What can I say? Sometimes I like them, and sometimes they bore me. This one didn't do much for me. But I can't fault the ladies for trying.
"3.0 / 10"
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6) #1 Contender Match
Batista v. Mr. Kennedy
---Another change to the PPV, as a 7-month buildup was derailed when Mark Henry got injured. I gotta admit that at this point in time, Batista was very boring, so seeing him go against a smaller opponent like Kennedy was refreshing. Besides, wouldn't you rather see loudmouth Kennedy get the crap kicked out of him, rather than seeing two mammoths just slug away? The big problem with this match is that it's too short, and that we didn't have enough time to care about the match before it took place. But for what it was, it kept my attention. Big props for the unexpected outcome, too.
"5.5 / 10"
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7) World Heavyweight Championship
King Booker v. Rey Mysterio (champion)
---Thankfully, this dismal PPV is bookended by a very good main event. Say what you will about Mysterio's 1st title run, but he went out under very good circumstances. King Booker was quickly becoming an easy-to-hate villain, Chavo Guerrero's betrayal was cemented with one of WWE's hardest chairshots, and the contest itself was very good. Both men went back and forth, giving each other a run for their money. Even though these two squared off just days before their advertised PPV contest, it was still worth my time back in 2006. Unfortunately, King Booker's matches as champion were pretty dull, and the Rey/Chavo feud went into some distasteful territory. But at the time, I thought "Great American Bash 2006" came to a very strong close. I still do.
"7.0 / 10"
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"Great American Bash 2006" is sandwiched between two huge problems:
1) Everything you wanted to see on this PPV didn't take place
2) Most of what resulted from this PPV was a letdown.

Seriously, think about that for a moment.
* The U.S. Title Triple Threat could've been salvaged if Finlay & William Regal, two great technicians, didn't bore just about everybody.
* The Punjabi Prison Match was a tough sell to begin with, made worse when Big Show was brought into the mix. I dare say that Great Khali and Undertaker would've had a better match together.
* Batista and Mark Henry had 7 months of history, and instead we got a one-sided squash. Also, Kennedy's victory didn't matter, since Batista became the #1 Contender anyway.
* While Booker and Mysterio had a very good main event together, Booker's title run resulted in some very disappointing matches, while the Mysterio/Chavo angle wasn't either man's best.

2006 was a rough year for the WWE. Want proof? Give this "Great American Bash" a look.

Pitbulls vs. London & Kendrick

A very good tag match that was high flying and didn't contain too many of the regular tag match clichés.

RATING: 81/100

Finlay vs. Regal

This match wasn't as good as I hoped it would be as nothing much really happened in its 11 minutes. Not bad at all just a bit boring for my liking.

RATING: 75/100

Hardy vs. Helms

This was a good match. I don't know why the cruiserweight title wasn't on the line considering weight obviously doesn't matter with titles in WWE. It had good back and forth action and was won at the 12 minute mark via a roll up by Helms (with the tights).

RATING: 81/100

Undertaker vs. Big Show

This match really was going to be unpredictable. I am pleased to say that it definitely wasn't as bad as it could have been but it also wasn't as good as it could have been. Big Show wrestling instead of Khali was a good thing and the match was indeed more than watchable because of it. It was given a lot of time (21 minutes) but unfortunately so much more could have happened in that time. There were no submission holds or any of the Undertaker's moves from his arsenal. I liked the way the "prison" was incorporated into the match thus making this match a breath of fresh air. Good to see the Deadman win creatively before Khali could screw him. Not HIAC material, but much better than a singles match would have potentially been.

RATING: 86/100

Bra & Panties Match

Nothing special. Quite crap in fact.

RATING: 55/100

Batista vs. Kennedy

A very intense match. This was going very nicely but the disqualification ending left a lot to be desired match quality-wise. A nice flurry of rage after the match from Batista though.

RATING: 77/100

Booker vs. Rey

I was expecting a lot more from this match. This wasn't too different from their foolish decision of a Smackdown match. The ending came from one hell of a chair shot by Chavo and it looks like they are going to feud again. I don't know if giving Booker the title is a wise choice but its sad to see the title off Rey again.

RATING: 81/100

536/700 = 77%

Overall Impression = 73%

75% - Pretty good matches on this PPV but nothing great enough to get a 90%. The overall impression was affected slightly by the slightly disappointing Booker title victory. Still a strong PPV that was much better (8% on my ratings) than last years and will be remembered for the Prison Match.