This weekend, the Uber Arena in Germany will play host to a night of unfettered mayhem and violence at WWE Bash in Berlin. The buildup to the country’s first ever WWE pay-per-view has been one for the books, with some of the company’s most brutal and personal rivalries taking center stage.

And, as always, I’m here to compete for pure prediction perfection!

A Royal Rematch

In what’s sure to be the show’s main event, the “Ring General” Gunther will defend his newly-won World Heavyweight Championship against “The Viper” Randy Orton.

The champ and challenger first crossed paths in the finals of the King Of The Ring tournament some months ago. The match ended in controversial fashion when the referee counted the pinfall on Orton despite one of his shoulders clearly being raised off the mat, which should’ve broken the three-count.

This messy finish cast a pall on what was otherwise a tremendous match between the two athletes. Nevertheless, Gunther was crowned King of the Ring, and rode that wave of momentum to SummerSlam where he beat Damian Priest to win his first ever world title on WWE’s main roster.

Gunther’s title celebration on the following episode of Raw was short-lived, however, when Randy Orton himself crashed the party. The SmackDown superstar’s surprise appearance was punctuated by a challenge to the new champ.

“I’m the only reason you’re carrying the World Heavyweight Championship in the first place,” Orton said, clearly agitating the Ring General. “You got your title shot at SummerSlam because you beat me at King Of The Ring…but did you really beat me at King Of The Ring?”

Orton’s callback to the murky finish of their first match successfully got under Gunther’s skin, prompting the champ to accept Orton’s challenge for the world title at Bash. These two powerhouses tore the roof off in their first match. Odds are good the rematch will be even more brutal with world championship gold, and both men’s pride, on the line.

Drew vs. Punk II

Drew McIntyre has been on cloud nine since his dramatic victory over CM Punk at SummerSlam. In the weeks since, however, the Scottish Warrior has not been a gracious winner.

For weeks McIntyre has rubbed his victory in the face of his longtime rival, sparking Punk’s ire at every opportunity he’s gotten. All the provocation came to a head on Raw when Punk finally got his hands on Drew, attacking him with McIntyre’s own belt in a show of extreme retribution.

A week later, Punk challenged Drew to a strap match at Bash In Berlin, fully intent on whipping the tar out of his foe and putting him away for good. Will McIntyre go 2-0 against Punk, or will the Voice of the Voiceless finally silence the Scottish Warrior and reclaim his stolen friendship bracelet? (Wrestling is weird and I love it.)

Prediction Perfection

My SummerSlam picks were almost perfect, and were it not for two matches on the card I would have walked away with a flawless record.

But that’s in the past, and I’m looking ahead to the future. And this Saturday at WWE Bash In Berlin, I will achieve 10/10 prediction perfection. (I also resisted the urge to do a “nein out of ten” joke since the show is in Germany. Aren’t you proud?)

Here are my picks for the show!

• The Unholy Union (C) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair - WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

  My pick: Unholy Union

  I won’t lie, I was absolutely gob-smacked when Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre won the Tag Team Championship at WWE Clash at the Castle. Well, it’d be more accurate to say I was shocked that Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill LOST the belts so soon after winning them earlier this year.

  This one was hard to pick for. On one hand, Isla and Alba won the titles under the rules of a triple threat tag team match, and they didn’t even pin either of the defending champs to win the match. And their championship rematch against Jade and Bianca ended in DQ when Blair Davenport joined the Union by attacking their opponents.

  At this point it’s hard to see how the Unholy Union can fare against the combined strength and power of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair in direct competition. But on the other hand, the addition of Blair could reap major rewards for them in Berlin this weekend, using the numbers to their advantage to secure a successful defense against the former champs.

  It’s a long shot, but I’m going with my gut and saying Fyre and Dawn retain.

• Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan

  My pick: Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley

  Man, the tag matches on this show have proven to be the toughest for me to call. Nonetheless, I see Damian and Rhea (aka the newly-minted “Terror Twins”) getting a win over the toxic tandem of “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan. And after seeing how viciously the Judgment Day turned their backs on Rhea and Damian, I don’t think anyone will mind the two of them getting their pound of flesh.

• CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

  My pick: CM Punk

  Picking Punk to win at SummerSlam was ultimately my undoing. I didn’t factor in the always present possibility that Punk’s temper would get the better of him and cost him the match.

  However, a strap match is the perfect pretense for tempers to flare and fists to fly. McIntyre may have the size and strength advantage over Punk, but the addition of the strap bounding them together opens up Pandora’s Box, which Punk will be all too happy to explore.

  Come on Punk, don’t make a fool out of me twice!

• Cody Rhodes (C) vs. Kevin Owens - Undisputed WWE Championship

  My pick: Cody Rhodes

  After constantly coming to the aid of Cody Rhodes in his fight against the Bloodline, Kevin Owens was charitably granted a WWE Championship match by the champ himself.

  KO was initially hesitant to accept the match on account of his recent string of self-perceived failures. Try as he might though, Cody refused to defend his title against anyone else in Berlin. Kevin accepted the match, albeit reluctantly, and is now set to face his longtime friend for the gold.

  Recently, however, Owens’ track record of betrayals and scummy behavior from his past has been called into question. Superstars and fans alike have been wary of Kevin’s authenticity when it comes to his friendship with Cody, to the point where the American Nightmare himself seemed worried that KO was about to attack him last week in the closing moments of SmackDown.

  Either way, whether Kevin ends up betraying Cody’s trust or not, I see the defending champ emerging victorious from the match and walking out of Berlin with his hand held high.

• Gunther (C) vs. Randy Orton - World Heavyweight Championship

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6SP4kv1y0s My pick: Gunther Gunther is a fierce and deadly opponent everywhere he competes. But when you have him walk in to his first world championship defense, in an arena just a hop, skip and a jump away from his native Austria, against a man that many are questioning whether or not he can definitely beat? No way he loses. Gunther’s King of the Ring win against Randy Orton may be considered a fluke to some, but this weekend I believe the Ring General will rectify the issue, thereby removing all doubt that he can crush the Viper. Orton can hit all the RKOs he wants, but Gunther isn’t losing this one.

• How To Watch

  You can watch WWE Bash In Berlin on Saturday, August 31 at 1 p.m. ET, only on Peacock!

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