*Contains spoilers for next week’s Raw*

The 2009 incarnation of The Great American Bash, was fortunate to endure a name change, because it was not a classic pay-per-view fitting of such a lofty reputation. That said, it was one of their superior B-shows, and for the most part, showed innovation, but it was a frustrating, and often bewildering experience. Not least, was the woeful treatment of Randy Orton, by your favourite hatchet (or hammer) man, Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

The show commenced in a satisfying manner, with a fine ECW Scramble match. I say fine, but really, the concept is ridiculous. Fans in the arena apparently had no clue what was happening (like in a King of the Mountain match then, which even Chris Sabin has admitted to being confusing). Taking their cue from TNA however, the wrestlers featured went all out, and pulled off a fairly exciting effort. Dreamer’s retaining of the title surprised me, but then again, hopefully that’s a good thing. Not because Dreamer is over mind (he isn’t, fans offer no response to him whatsoever, as they haven’t done for nearly a decade. Plus, he drags other superstars down to his level of apathy), but because they can maybe switch it to someone when the focus is on that belt, on ECW’s own broadcast.

Dolph Ziggler’s pay per view career could do without collisions such as the one here with the Great Khali. Khali was utterly useless, and this recalled for me, a dim-witted house show match I saw between Kane and Ziggler, that was based around lying on the canvas and meekly selling headlocks (as if Randy Orton from three years ago, was the agent laying it out). Worse still, the climax set up Khali vs. Kane. This feud will not get over. Fans couldn’t care less about Kane’s frequent turns, nor his feud’s with anyone of a lesser skill level than him. For Khali’s health, he needs a new job.

The Intercontinental title match though, raised the bar to a level that nobody else on the night could meet. Chris Jericho’s Mask vs. Title bout with Rey Mysterio was truly a sight to behold. Some will grumble that Rey isn’t what he was in like, 97, or Jericho is too robotic those days. I suggest those fans find a new hobby. These two tore the house down ,and engaged the audience like no one else, as they piled on the innovation and excitement with spots both courageous and unique. The structure of the bout itself was superb, and allowed for such moments to flow in a fashion that WWE fans haven’t seen since Benoit and Guerrero were on our screens. Yes, Jericho visibly called a few spots, but it didn’t detract from the excitement, and given the nature of some of the stuff they did, I’d rather he called it, than someone broke their neck.

Rey’s victory was really the only possible outcome here, but towards the end, Y2J had everyone doubting it would happen. That was the only negative surrounding this awesome clash- they wasted the potential for a Money drawing Mask vs. title match, by giving it away like this. They didn’t even have a proper opening video montage. This could have been massive.

Interestingly, fans turned against Rey here, which always happens in big match scenarios when Rey is matched with an equally talented performer. Think Edge, Jericho, Angle…. Etc… If anything, that tells me, not that Rey is stale, but that the Attitude era fans haven’t gone away entirely, and still prefer shady characters, to white-meat Baby faces. Rey is always popular with the kiddies, but he’s also popular with adults, until someone less bland, who comes across as less of a suck up, is placed against him. It’s the same problem with how they book Cena.

The Divas bout was okay, for a Michelle McCool match. But I follow Shimmer, so the WWE’s brand of women’s “action” doesn’t impress me.

I really looked forward to the Tag Title bout, and in some ways I feel we were cheated out of a quality straight tag encounter between Legacy and the Colons (which we’ll never get now). Plus, DiBiase and Rhodes desperately need some credibility and a victory here would have immensely aided that. On the other hand, they can be given such a helping hand in other ways, whereas the opportunity to have Edge and Jericho across the brands as champions, is too good to pass up. That said, this bout was scrappy, and rushed.

CM Punk’s bizarrely intelligent and complex heel turn continues to unfold magnificently. His match with Jeff Hardy was fine, really picking up in the final 6 minutes or so. But the talking point was certainly more the clever screw-job finish. Seemingly faking an eye injury, in order to excuse his attack on the referee, which in turn saved his title, Punk gave the fans reason to boo him, while being able to justify his actions. It’s a staple missing from many heel performances these days, though when it’s pulled off right, it’s gave us the best of guys like Randy Orton and Jericho. Far from the unsatisfying Disqualification finishes we’re now accustomed to, this one instead made perfect sense, and actually added to the feud. Punk is a classic villain in the making, given that he just happens to have screwed the WWE’s most beloved baby face twice now.

Those who watched Ring of Honor from 2003-2005 can appreciate just how spectacular Punk is in the role of antagonist. I pray the WWE really give him the wall, and don’t fumble the full-turn. Done right, Punk could be an outstanding headline talent. In fact, I’d turn him into a ridiculously spiteful, self-righteous, hypocrite, and have him hold the strap until WrestleMania, when he can be relieved by a babyface Edge, a returning Jeff Hardy or a brand-switching John Cena.

I also felt that JR’s heel undertones were a nice curiosity. Ross went out of his way to overly empathise that Punk had done nothing wrong thus far in his World title reign, and had not intentionally wrong Hardy. It was not the clear cut issue he made it out to be, and I for one, would welcome a change in JR’s character. He could be a wonderful heel commentator…

In the most offensive part of the evening, the WWE completely cut the legs from under The Miz. Having spent months attempting to make fans care about John Cena’s inevitable revenge for Miz being a turd, they killed the Miz by jobbing him in 6 minutes. The psychology of this was all wrong. As the underdog heel, The Miz needed to be portrayed as surprisingly adept, and capable of not just hanging with Cena, but perhaps out-doing him, but realising he couldn’t put him away, then having to resort to nefarious means. Cena would have got the best of it when it became a fight, but Miz would have then tried to pull the rug out from under him. Cena, being as disliked as he is by many people, would have looked better for being somewhat impressed by Miz’s skill, rather than coming across smarmy and arrogant. It looked even worse, because Cena was all cocky, and dominant in straight up wrestling, when everyone knows that is his biggest weakness and let down. He continues to look and behave artificial.

The biggest crime the WWE have been committing this year though, is in the utterly retarded manner they’ve booked Randy Orton. He looks like an absolute loser. Middle-aged nerd Shane McMahon is capable of beating him up, even when he has two people for back up. The fact is, Shane, Vince, and other non-wrestlers should not be beating down Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase (supposedly the future of the company), never mind their leader, Orton.

As soon as Orton took on Batista, confined in a cage, and on his own, he was booked as a chicken-shit. Batista destroyed him because the WWE felt that Dave has lost too often and needed the win. The same thing happened against Chris Jericho last year, which means Dave has earned the title twice in attempts to give him momentum. Both times failed, and harmed the losing opponent. What a waste of time. They could have tried booked him in fresh scenarios instead, but I guess that’s more difficult than squashing someone who’s over. Back to Orton… the same disservice has been done him in his never-ending feud with HHH.

Since 2004, Hunter has constantly proven to be the thorn in Randy’s side, regardless of what side of the coin each has been on. The first instance of this, is of course the worst.

When Orton defeated Chris Benoit for the World title at Summerslam 2004, most felt it was way too soon. But it was at least, an exciting moment. What needed to happen next, was that Orton, as the second to Hunter in HHH’s group, Legacy, show increasing baby face tendencies over the following months. He should have increasingly been able to win off his own ability, and rely on Evolution less. Occasionally, he should have challenged Triple H’s selfish leadership, and became more likeable and edgy. It would set the stage for HHH eventually costing him the title, and booting him out, just as was proving he didn’t need them anymore, and was his own person. That slow-burn would have provided the necessary heat for a bank-busting feud. Alternatively, if fans didn’t rally behind Orton as the months went on, he could have been the one to assume leadership and oust Hunter, taking up the Macho Man role (recalling the wonderful Hogan/Savage feud from the late 80’s).

Instead, the next day saw HHH boot Orton out, and we were supposed to cheer for the new Champion. Why? Because Hunter didn’t like him? Sorry, but neither did we, because we were never given a single reason to. So Orton came off flat immediately, and the WWE felt he was flailing as Champion. The logical step following this was to dump the strap on HHH at Unforgiven. What a waste.

Still, Vince maintained his erection at the thought of Orton/Hunter at the following year’s Mania. But as the months went on, and Orton did the Cena superman act, he didn’t catch on. Instead, Dave Batista did. So when someone needed to fill time at the 2005 Rumble, and job to Triple H, who stared at the ceiling? Yep, emasculated good guy, Randy Orton.

Orton has admitted publicly that he’s had a happier career when booked at a distance from Hunter. It was as well for him then, that from 2005- 2006, the two were kept well apart, spending time on separate brands. It’s no coincidence that this period saw him make huge advancements in his work, turning heel and moving up into genuine main eventer contention.

In late 2006, the Degeneration X machine got rolling like a giant, lumbering steam-train, recycling yesterday’s fuel. The upside was, that Orton united with mega-heel Edge, and the two collided with HHH and Shawn Michaels. The downside was, that over the course of about three months, they only had two decent televised bouts, and the rest, especially the Orton/Hunter singles collisions, absolutely sucked. Most people were relieved in January 2007 when Hunter suffered one of his regular quadriceps tears.

At No Mercy 2007, HHH versus Orton (for the umpteenth time), seemed fresh, because they hadn’t been consistent opponents for months, and rarely in singles competition since early 2005. They fought twice that night, and both matches delivered, with the end result being Orton walking away as champion. But in the process, Trips was put over strong. He beat Orton in the opener, and had an extra match against Umaga afterwards, and was victorious in that. He had endured more by the time Orton rolled over him in that night’s main event.

Jeff Hardy was then introduced to the mix, keeping Hunter at bay from Orton, until WrestleMania 24. This night provided the two with one of their more satisfying encounters, but this was because John Cena was a third man, and public hatred for Cena created a situation that allowed for both crowd heat, and HHH being cheered. Orton retained in opportunistic, but satisfying fashion. Triple H of course, was not pinned.

The following month, Orton dropped the title to HHH in an outstanding elimination bout at Backlash. This was the moment their on-off feud seemingly peaked. They battled for the next two months, but their PPV rematches while solid, were mechanical, and uninspiring. It came to an end at One Night Stand 2008, when Orton broke his collar-bone (following an insane spot where Randy was thrown straight over the top-rope out of an attempted RKO). With Orton out, and HHH drafted to Smackdown, it was again good times for those sick of repeatedly paying for the same bout.

Earlier this year, when the feud was resurrected, it hardly seemed worthy of the Main Event of WrestleMania. However, in lieu of a genuine alternative, and given the first-class way it was initiated, it was the best option available. Orton had been feuding with the McMahon’s since his Royal Rumble win, and was enjoying enough momentum that even bumping all over the arena for Shane McMahon at No Way Out, did not stop him. But make no mistake, he was hurt by selling so much for great-haired super-hero ever week. But despite the flaws, the concept was solid… cocky heel Randy Orton, was dismantling the authority figures one-by-one. First Vince, then Shane, then…Stephanie.

In some great TV, Orton RKO’d Stephanie, prompting an appearance by HHH. The anticipation for those moments delivered and it was great television, giving fans a reason to rally behind Hunter. Several weeks late though, the Mania build peaked too early, in a superb angle. Stephanie was assaulted in the ring, by Legacy, and suffered another RKO, this time with Hunter handcuffed to the ropes, looking on helplessly. With his fallen foe watching, Orton sleazily snogged the unconscious Steph. It was dramatic stuff. Sadly, they still had TV to fill in the weeks that followed, and they botched the momentum with a lame domestic disturbance angle, where hero Triple H broke into Orton’s home. On the go-home show prior to Mania, Shane and Vince returned and blasted Legacy in a huge brawl. They should have had the Steph angle saved for this show. Shane and Vince could have returned a couple of weeks earlier, and been torn apart in their attempts to aid HHH. The numbers gain would have gave Hunter more sympathy, and made the attack on his wife all the more dramatic. The need for revenge would have been stronger.

That said, their Mania match still promised to be good. It wasn’t. Instead of Hunter charging to the ring and an epic brawl unfolding, they fought as if they were strangers. Worse, at the end, when we should have had McMahon run-ins, there was nothing. Just Hunter winning (originally the plan was for loads of interference, but Vince, being Vince, wanted to put his favourite son over as some sort of gladiator). In this month’s issue of Fighting Spirit Magazine, there’s an interview with Bret Hart, where he talks about the problems with the Orton/HHH mania title match. He’s spot on, the psychology of Helmsley (who no doubt laid out his own match) was atrocious. I’m absolutely positive his idea was to work a long, old-school battle that developed as a classic battle of wills, into a bad-tempered final few moments, with a few short cuts to boot. He planned to work a match that would create artificial plaudits for himself, for his ability to engage audiences for a long period, and earn a big crowd pop. He’d walk backstage and be praised by the old boys, the Arn Anderson’s, the Vince’s, the Flair’s, the people that are completely out of touch with pop culture and the young male demographic. But audiences didn’t care. The crowd, and fans at home, may have been willing to support Hunter and cheer him on if the two tore each other apart, and exhibited their hatred. Having back-and-forth exchanges ensured that all suspension of disbelief was gone. The silence greeting Hunter’s win was deafening.

The egos of Shane, and HHH were out of control at Backlash, when they deemed themselves worthy of teaming to take down all of Legacy in a tag match alongside Batista. This should have been a Pier six-brawl, with no titles, just a personal grudge. Instead, it was for Hunter’s world title, meaning he didn’t have to be pinned or submit to lose, as Shane or Vince could be. Fans feared the worst, a replication of the stupid King of the Ring 2000 title loss, where Vinnie Mac dropped Hunter’s title to The Rock. To Helmsley’s credit, he put over Orton pretty strong and the bout was a success. Hunter was written out for a couple of months with an Orton Punt kick to the head. The execution was spot on, but Hunter’s stretcher job, designed to shock, and created sympathy, was hilarious. Fans chanted “Nah nah nah nah, hey, hey, hey… goodbye…” as the “hero” was taken to the ambulance. That must have been knock to the ego of old big-nose (just like the crowd response to him at WM).

Since then, Orton has continued to be made the fool. Shane was eventually taken out in the same manner as HHH, but not until he embarrassed the champion, and his faction once more. At Judgement Day, Orton was scared of Batista, and weaselled his way out of losing the belt, prior to Ric Flair returning. Then Flair, a geriatric ex-wrestler, now retired, slapped Orton about as if he were a nobody for a couple of weeks. What a disgrace that was. What fans will most remember of this period is Shane, Batista, and Ric Flair making Randy look like a complete muppet, then him dropping the belt to Dave Batista at Extreme Rules, in just ten minutes. None of this exactly put Orton over strong for the impending return of The Game.

This was all reinforced, when Super-Humper outsmarted Orton (he sacrificed a fall to get the better of him), out-brawled, and out-wrestled him, all the way at the 2009 Bash. Hunter never looked in peril, and only for Legacy’s interference, The King of Kings would be champion. And even in losing, he was still standing tall and proud at the end.

Shall be get started on Mark Henry? Best not to…that lame, was-stale-ten-years-ago whale will never be successful, but already, the WWE have insisted on showing Orton up in attempt to get him over. Sigh.

As an aside, Ted DiBiase is screwed, and they’re going to bugger up his career temporarily in exactly the same fashioned they buggered Orton back in 2004. Fans have no reason to care about Ted. He’s fodder for Shane O’Mac. He never really wins, or looks competitive. He’s a brainless lackey. We haven’t seen enough of him to even really get behind him, or care enough to boo or cheer him. If not for the incredible charisma of Orton, Legacy would be a complete failure. In next week’s Raw, Orton pins him clean (in a match neither wants to do- it’s forced on them). Still, it’s another misstep in Ted’s development, and if a turn occurs for him before next year’s Mania, it’s going to be a disaster.

Essentially, while the atrocious titled PPV, the Bash, delivered some solid action in parts, it was an example of everything that is wrong with WWE. The Triple H feud with Randy Orton epitomises those flaws. Helmsley’s a dick. People in the arena’s do not respond to him in the way they do Cena (although, ironically, next week on Raw, Cena is booed out of the building in his match with Hunter), and he’s not considered as fresh, and progressive as Orton. He’s a great hand, but hasn’t really been a draw as a good guy since 2002 (aside from popping the odd live gate or buyrate for returns, or lame DX nostalgia appearances), and is increasingly unsympathetic and stale. Give it a rest already. It’s time for the King to leave his thrown, and become gate-keeper, putting over the new generation as they enter the palace.

Thanks for taking the time to check this out. I welcome any and all feedback and I can be contacted at www.myspace.com/michaelwrestlingetc or simply by emailing me at Michael@ifight365.com. I look forward to hearing from you, and will be back soon!