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Whistle Stopper - WWE: The Great American Bash 2008
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List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $10.95
Your Save: $ 14.00 ( 56% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: World Wrestling
Starring: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michelle McCool, John Cena, Triple H, Batista
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: WWE: GREAT AMERICAN BASH 2008 (DVD MOVIE)
EAN: 0651191946747
Format: Color
Label: World Wrestling
Manufacturer: World Wrestling
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: World Wrestling
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-08-19
Running Time: 180
Studio: World Wrestling
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Is CM Punk A Fluke...We Will Find Out!!!
Comment: 2008 Great American Bash
July 20, 2008
Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, Long Island, New York
Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship:
John Morrison & The Miz (Champions) V. Finlay & Hornswoggle V. Jesse & Festus V. Curt Hawkins & Zach Ryder
Ok opener here. It was below average from where I sit, but it's watchable I guess. Nothing worth spending alot of time on. Hawkins & Ryder win the titles. **
WWE United States Championship:
Matt Hardy (Champion) V. Shelton Benjamin
good match here. good wrestling too. I have always been a Shelton fan and I was glad to see him win the title here in a good match that told a good story, but there really wasn't any build-up so it's bitter sweet. Shelton wins!!! *** I saw Shelton wrestle at a house show last weekend and he looked a little lazy in the ring. Like, he really didn't want to be there. I hope that doesn't hurt his chances on getting a championship push anytime soon.
ECW Championship:
Mark Henry (Champion) V. Tommy Dreamer
umm...SQUASH....Herny wins...DUD. Pointless ending with Colin turning on Dreamer because Dreamer didn't even have the match won...or was he even close to having it won so...
Shawn Michaels V. Chris Jericho
very, very, good and emotional match here. Jericho plays the ruthless heel to perfection and Michaels plays the gutsy wrestler trying to fight his way though injury. Jericho wins because the ref stops the match for Michaels well-being. ***3/4 Jericho is the best heel in the company right now and his Title win at Unforgiven was a shocker, but I think it will be good (even if I am a CM Punk fun).
Match to Determine the First Ever Diva's Champion:
Michelle McCool V. Natalya
not a good match at all. Natalya is a better worker than Michelle, but she just didn't have it here. McCool wins the title, but only cause she is dating Taker. *
World Heavyweight Championship:
CM Punk (Champion) V. Batista
Good match here with the psychology being that Batista is too strong and Punk is a fluke champion. They have a good match that keep me interested for the whole thing. I really don't like the ending here because Kane comes down and causes a double DQ but there was really no follow up and I think Punk should have gotten the clean win here to prove that he wasn't a fluke, but good match either way. ***1/4
New York City Parking Lot Brawl:
John Cena V. JBL
ok...first of all, they weren't in NYC, but long island. Second, it wasn't even in a parking lot. Third, there were TOO MANY big spots and not enough selling of those spots to make this match. Fourth, all but the end was taped the night before, so some of the "magic" that live TV has was gone. The right man won and that was...JBL. **3/4
WWE Championship:
Triple H (Champion) V. Edge
very good match. I think this match could have been better, but the storyline actually hurt the match in my eyes. They really didn't build up to the match. All there was was the stupid wedding thing. Triple H wins. ***3/4
I really think that last year's was a better event. It was more solid and it had better matches and storylines, but this year's wasn't too bad. Jericho/Michaels was match of the night and the two World titles match was pretty good (I don't think of the ECW Championship as a world championship anymore, WWE has made it into a second Intercontinental title).
Customer Rating:
Summary: This show rules!
Comment: This is a great show that I can watch from beginning to end.
Fatal Four Way tag team match
John Morrison and The Miz vs. Jesse and Festus vs. Finlay and Hornswoggle vs. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
What a great opener to kick off the show, and very good opener too I might add. 10/10
United States Championship Match
Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin
Another match with great non-stop action. 10/10
ECW Championship match
Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer
No rating. skip.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho
Wow, what a great match from these two. The ending was brutal, and I love it. 10/10
First ever Diva's Championship Match
Michelle McCool vs. Netalya Neidhart
Great women's match between these two. Great ending with a win by tap out. 10/10
CM Punk vs. Batista
What a great match from these two. The ending was pulled off perfectly, and the aftermath was good also. 10/10
New York City Parking Lot Brawl Match
JBL vs. John Cena
Wow, how many matches have these guys had. First, they have an I Quit match at "Judgment day three years ago, then a First Blood Match at "One Night Stand" this year, and now this. Instead of the usual weapons like chairs, and other weapons you see in the ring, you get...cars. When I say "cars", that's exactly what you get in this match. JBL and Cena did it all out with Cars, Jumper Cables, Forklifts, and a moment where JBL sets a car on fire with John Cena inside it. Great match, and match of the night without a doubt. 10/10
WWE Championship Match
Edge vs. Triple H
What a great way to close the show. It was a great maine event with non-stop action, plus the interference worked well in this match. 10/10
This is a great PPV that is worth every buck. Highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars for the Bash '08
Comment: The Great American Bash 08 to me is the second best Bash the WWE has put on. The matches were all decent, but most of them was just there to continue most of these storylines they had going on at this time. Good card though.
1. WWE Tag Team Titles
Jesse & Fetus vs. The Miz & Morrison vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Hawkins & Ryder
Talk about an eye opener. These four teams really impressed me. Each team had their time to show off their abilities and use some good double team moves. All the teams had a very good showing and it never got boring or uninteresting. Very good opener. 3.5/5
2. United States Title
Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin
Matt and Shelton really mesh well with each other. These two men put on a very good showing as well. Shelton pulled off some good submission holds to wear down Hardy which added some hard punishment on Hardys back. The match had some very good back and forth action with some great counters. Great U.S. title match. I really enjoyed watching this one. 4.5/5
3. Ecw World Title
Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer
Squash match but it wasn't that bad. It had a few nice impact moves from Henry. Dreamer did everything he could to make Henry look like he was dominate. The ending worked in alright but we all knew it was coming sooner or later with Colin Delannie splitting away from Dreamer. 3/5
4. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
Very personal match right here. Michael's ribs took a hard blow in the early going which weaken him a little bit. HBK would then try to work on Jericho's leg, even applying an inverted figure four on Jericho. Jericho would also dish out hard shots onto Michaels injured ribs. Some good wrestling here and there with some nice high risk. Michaels get very bloody and just beaten down. The match came to a very brutal end, pretty good match to watch though. 4.25/5
5. Divas Title
Michelle McCool vs. Natalya
Decent match. Both divas tryed some wrestling in the beginning which led to some hard pops used by both divas. Natalya pulled off an impressive surfboard on McCool. Both gals used submissions. I really like Natalya using the sharpshooter as her finishing move, I think it works pretty well for her. Wasn't really all too fond of the conclusion but oh well. Average women's match. 2.5/5
6. World Heavyweight Title
Batista vs. CM Punk
I must say before hand, earlier in the ppv Cm Punk had a pretty interesting interview that I recommend on checking out. The match was very good too. Punk used those viscious and hard kicks of his very effectively on batista. Batista did showed his strength by just overpowering the smaller Punk. Punk pulled off some great counters and the match had some very close near falls. Punk also takes a hard slam onto the floor late in the match. The dq by Kane really took away from the match in my opinion but the after match beatdown by Batista made up for it. Good title match. 4/5
7. NYC Parking Lot Brawl
JBL vs. John Cena
I have to say I wasn't really all into this one while Cena and JBL fought in the parking lot. Both men dished and recieved hard punishment out there. They both took some sickening impact blows into the car windshields and windows. JBL would even set a car on fire with cena in the car. I really enjoy the match once it got taken to the stage area. JBL took some very hard slams on the steel stage. I felt it had a very good ending as well and I really enjoyed that part the most. Brutal end in this one too and the bloody arm of cena and the beaten body of jbl proved it. 3.5/5
8. WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Edge
I also have to say for this match that it had a pretty weak storyline building up to it. But the match made up for it. The match started out very fierce and intense. The match had some good outside ring action. Edge really works on Triple H's ribs. Both men took a lot of hard impact shots. Edge would also hit the edgeacution on Triple H on the floor. The inteference was only to continue Edge's storyline with Vickie but it didn't take away from the match at all. Good main event but I did expected a little bit more from these two talented superstars. 4/5
The Bash 08 was a good but not nearly as good as 2007's. I recommend this as a rental.
Customer Rating:
Summary: WWE's Best Bash Yet
Comment: WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Miz vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Jesse & Fetus vs. Zach Ryder & Kurt Hawkins - This did the job that an opening match should do in that it was fast paced while everyone got their moments to look strong. The ending heavily reflected the disadvantage of the champions walking into the match as the Edgeheads walked off as champions without Morrison & Miz being involved in the fall.
United States Champion Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin - This was an enjoyable solid "ground wrestling" match with a solid pace throughout the bout. It wasn't your typical "high flyin'/spotfest/entertaining" type match that both men are more famous for but it was enjoyable.
ECW Champion Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer - The first flop of the evening as Mark Henry just can't put on a "better than average" match when he's the one "in charge" of the match. This was just a glorified squash match in that Tommy's heavily weak offense was just no match for Henry and the moment Tommy started gaining some momentum, Colin Delany turned on Dreamer to help Henry pick up the win. Just a poor match that in retrospect was pointless concidering how Delany ended up getting released within the next month.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho - Unlike their previous encounters, this wasn't about putting on a showstealing much but heavily putting over the personal issue between both men...even to the point where HBK was so serious that he didn't do his normal "on his knee & pray" fireworks entrance & just walked to the ring never taking his eyes off Jericho. HBK was selling injuries to his ribs & eye right from the start while Jericho used a more impactful & relentless offense than normal as well. The real highlight here was the closing moments with Jericho just being the most vicious anyone has seen from him in a long time (if ever) by just beating on a bloody HBK & attacking his eye with Lance Cade getting in a shot as well. Again, not their best match but you got the story they were putting over.
Divas Championship Match: Michelle McCool vs. Natalya - With the recent heavily developments in the womens division on RAW for the past couple of months in terms of stepping up & being more of the way it was back in 2002-2004 were they were putting more of a focus on the inring action, this was time for the SmackDown divas to put on a show. It just turned out to be very disappointing match as it was only decent at best & nothing really noteworthy here past McCool being the first "Divas" Champion.
World Champion C.M. Punk vs. Batista - This was the shock of the night here as I didn't expect Batista's style of wrestling (when he wants to put in an effort) to clash well with Punk's but it did & put on quite the performance here as it was Punk's wrestling style vs. Batista's power style. Eventhough the ending involving Kane was kinda a jip, it didn't take away from what was a good encounter between these two
NYC Parking Lot Brawl: John Cena vs. J.B.L. - Well I guess WWE finally figured out what made their "I Quit" match so well recieved...they didn't try to make them play to their weaknesses in straight wrestling, they played to their strengths & just let them brawl plus gave them toys to play with...in this case, cars. This match resembled the old Broiler Room Brawls or other parking lot matches (Cena/E. Guerrero & Shamrock/Blackman) in that they started the brawl away from the arena & eventually made their way to ringside. They used the cars, jumper cables, forklifts, and even gasoline & fire (which was a little too "over the top") as weapons in this brawl. They eventually made their way to ringside before JBL pulled a quick one by throwing Cena onto the hood of the car for him to finally get his victory over Cena.
WWE Champion Triple H vs. Edge - After these two having minor interactions between each other for years now (Edge chasing the World Title in 2004/2005, with John Cena in Apr. 2006, the Rated RKO vs. DX feud, ect.), these two finally meet one on one for the WWE Title on PPV. As you saw via highlights throughout the PPV, Edge's marrage was off to a rocky start (to say the least) when Triple H revealed that Edge cheated on Vickie with the wedding planner before the wedding so Edge was out for revenge which showed as he rushed towards Triple H right from the start before HHH overturned Edge's momentum. HHH ended up hurting what looked like his wrist which Edge focused on for a while before the match went back & forth between both men including Edge continuing to block Triple H's pedigree. However the ending with the wedding planner & Vickie Guerrero (who took one hell of a spear) getting involved, Triple H capitalized on the distraction to retain his championship.
DVD extras include Vickie Guerrero & La Familia backstage after the main event along with Kane backstage talking about what's in his bag.
In the end, I felt like this PPV was better than Royal Rumble, No Way Out, and Night Of Champions but it's right behind all the PPV's from WrestleMania to One Night Stand. The only real flops are the ECW & Divas title matches so this is one event I would recommend.
Customer Rating:
Summary: WWE's Flavor of Choice --> Sweet and Sour
Comment: This isn't going to be a traditional match-by-match review. This time, I'll try something different, and save the scores for the very end.
This is WWE's fifth crack at THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH. Year after year, this PPV has been a disappointment. Thankfully, the WWE has been improving each time around, making this 2008 edition their best one to date. Instead of just being a passable experience, this year's BASH was a smooth presentation, with each match telling its own story. Some stories I liked, and some I didn't.
The most unique stories were two of RAW's marquee matches. In the middle of the card, Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels continued their exceptional feud. For months, I've been hooked by every promo and every PPV encounter. But this time, I was a tad disappointed. I like seeing superstars try new things, but the one thing I never want to see in a HBK/Jericho contest is a heated fistfight. The storytelling made perfect sense, but the action suffered a bit because of it. This match was hyped as a non-traditional match; I guess I should've listened more.
Even stranger was the NYC Parking Lot Brawl between John Cena and JBL. The word "match" doesn't fit; "production" is more like it. There were over a dozen camera angles, no commentary until the very end, and I think there were a few enhanced sound effects. I haven't been happy with Cena/JBL matches for a while, but this is the last straw. There was a bunch of broken glass & car pieces, yet no blood. One man got trapped in a burning vehicle, yet emerged unscathed. And the finish was rather weak. Folks, I loved the Cena/JBL "I Quit Match" 3 years ago, too. But like all the other PPV encounters with these two men: interesting, but unsatisfying.
The third RAW match was also a tad weird. CM Punk defended his World Heavyweight Title against Batista in a remarkable contest. Both men looked impressive, and showed some unique offense to complement each other's differing physiques. But in a strange booking move, Kane came out and ruined the match with a double-DQ. I don't always hate disqualifications on PPV championship matches, but this one led to nothing whatsoever. A very good match with a crappy ending.
ECW's "main event" (if you can call it that), was a total bore. While better than the NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS Triple Threat, Tommy Dreamer and Mark Henry proved that realism isn't always a good thing. I can appreciate Henry dominating against the smaller challenger, but it gets boring after a while. Plus, Colin Delaney reminds me of Danger Dan from "Million Dollar Baby".
Thankfully, the other title matches from THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH faired much, much better. The Fatal Fourway opener for the WWE Tag Team Championships was surprising, and a good crowd-pleaser. Each team got to look good, and things were kept to a nice pace. I wish the affair was a little longer, because I know each man had more to contribute. But overall, I can't complain too much.
The second match of the night was the impressive United States Title Match. Matt Hardy and Shelton Benjamin overcame the sudden WWE.COM booking with one of the PPV's best showcases. The Long Island crowd was into the entire match, and even split among who to cheer for. Both men kept coming up with creative counters and innovative offense. When it comes to the WWE BASH PPVs, the U.S. Title usually gets a good showing. This might be my favorite.
A new belt was officially entered into the ranks when Michelle McCool defeated Natalya to become the first Divas Champion. The match was a tad short, and slightly tainted by Jericho's post-match promo. But both women still put on a technically-sound contest while they had the time. I've been saying it for months, and I'll say it again - The Divas Division is on the rise again.
Last, but certainly not least, the WWE Championship main event was worth the wait. Edge is one the greatest heels to grace the business. He constantly entertains audiences, while still making sure they hate him before he leaves. And Triple H has really impressed since October, too. His WWE Championship reign has made for good TV, and revitalized his character. The Vickie Guerrero storyline that started (and ended) this main event is beyond stupid. But like the Taker/Edge matches earlier this year, the PPV showdowns have been worth the trouble. Some might dislike the run-ins that conclude the main event, but Edge and HHH still wrestled a PPV-worthy match.
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OVERALL
---Every WWE PPV review that I write - or that anybody writes - is gonna have some positives and negatives. In this case, I think my criticisms are forgiveable nitpicks. Even though RAW's title match came to an illogical finish, I can still enjoy the match that preceded it. No crappy storyline can take away from the excellent match that Edge & Triple H delivered. Jericho and HBK didn't impress me this time, but at least they tried something new. ECW has a lot of improvements to make, but all four of SMACKDOWN's title contests were well-done. And the Parking Lot Brawl......well, I didn't expect much anyway.
THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH 2008, from production to in-ring action, took a lot of chances. In my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives.
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MATCH SCORES
Fatal Fourway Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships
John Morrison & The Miz v. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder
v. Jesse & Festus v. Finlay & Hornswoggle
"6.5 / 10"
United States Championship
Matt Hardy v. Shelton Benjamin
"7.5 / 10"
ECW Championship
Mark Henry v. Tommy Dreamer
"4.0 / 10"
Chris Jericho v. Shawn Michaels
"6.5 / 10"
Divas Championship
Michelle McCool v. Natalya
"6.5 / 10"
World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk v. Batista
"7.0 / 10"
NYC Parking Lot Brawl
JBL v. John Cena
"6.0 / 10"
WWE Championship
Edge v. Triple H
"7.5 / 10"
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Editorial Reviews:
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Coming off a Night of Champions that saw every WWE championship defended, new challengers arise and former champions seek retribution at the Great American Bash. Former Bash events have seen some unique match types, including a Texas Bullrope Match, the first-ever Punjabi Prison match, and more. This year's event promises to hold new surprises.
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