The Great American Bash (2007)

The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event established in 1985. Following World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) acquisition of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001,[3] WWE revived the pay-per-view (PPV) in 2004.[4] The 2007 event was the fourth annual Great American Bash produced by WWE and 18th overall. It took place on July 22, 2007, from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.[5] While the previous three years' events featured wrestlers exclusively from the SmackDown! brand, the 2007 event featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands, as following WrestleMania 23 in April, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive PPVs.[6]

The main feud heading into The Great American Bash on the Raw brand was between John Cena and Bobby Lashley over the WWE Championship. The feud began on the June 11 episode of Raw, when Lashley was drafted to the Raw brand and stripped of his ECW Championship.[7] Three weeks later, on the July 2 episode of Raw, a "Beat the Clock" tournament was held to determine Cena's opponent for the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash.[8] The tournament matches included: Randy Orton versus Jeff Hardy, King Booker versus Val Venis, Mr. Kennedy versus Super Crazy, and Lashley versus Shelton Benjamin.[8] Lashley ended up winning the tournament by defeating Benjamin in less than 5 minutes and therefore becoming the number one contender to the WWE Championship.[8]

The Great Khali as World Heavyweight Champion

The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between The Great Khali, Batista, and Kane, with the three battling over the World Heavyweight Championship. At the previous pay-per-view, Vengeance: Night of Champions, then-World Heavyweight Champion Edge defeated Batista in a "Last Chance" match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[9] On the July 6 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long announced that Edge would be defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane at The Great American Bash.[10][11] The next week on SmackDown!, The Great Khali issued an open challenge for a match at The Great American Bash, which was accepted by Batista.[12] Later that night, Edge legitimately injured his left pectoral muscle after Kane, who was disguised as a character, attacked Edge during his Mardi Gras celebration.[13][14][15] On the July 20 edition of SmackDown!, Edge was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship due to his legit injury.[14][16] Theodore Long then announced that there would be a 20-man Battle Royal later that night to determine a new World Heavyweight Champion.[16][17] Khali ended up winning the Battle Royal by last eliminating Kane and Batista.[16] That same night, Kane faced off against Batista to determine Khali's opponent for The Great American Bash, which ended in a no-contest after Khali interfered.[17] Long finalized that both Kane and Batista would end up facing Khali for the championship at The Great American Bash.[16][17]

The main feud on the ECW brand was between John Morrison and CM Punk with the two battling over the ECW World Championship. At Vengeance, Morrison (then known as Johnny Nitro) defeated Punk to win the ECW World Championship, which was vacant since then-champion Bobby Lashley had been drafted to the Raw brand.[18] Nitro was a replacement for Chris Benoit, who was absent due to "personal reasons".[19] On the June 26 edition of ECW, CM Punk defeated Elijah Burke in a two out of three falls match to once again become the number one contender to the ECW World Championship.[20]

Matt Hardy, who challenged Montel Vontavious Porter for the WWE United States Championship

The first match of the event was between Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and Matt Hardy for the WWE United States Championship. Hardy was in control early in the match but later MVP took control of the match and focused his attacks on Hardy's head. MVP performed a Playmaker on Hardy and pinned him to win the match and retain the United States Championship.[23]

The second match was a Cruiserweight Open match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Chavo Guerrero defended the title against Funaki, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore and Jamie Noble. Hornswoggle, who wasn't booked to be in the match, became a part of the match when he entered the ring as the bell rang. All the cruiserweights were out of the ring except Noble. Hornswoggle, who was under the ring for the match, entered and surprisingly and performed a Tadpole Splash on Noble. Hornswoggle went on to pin Noble to get the victory and win the Cruiserweight Championship.[23]

The third match was a Singapore Cane on a Pole match between Carlito and Sandman. The rules of the match were that the one who retrieved the cane from the pole was allowed to use the cane. Sandman retrieved the cane, but before he could use it, Carlito performed a Backstabber and pinned him to win the match.[23]

The fourth match was a Divas match between Candice Michelle and Melina for the WWE Women's Championship. After a back and forth match, Candice performed a Candy Wrapper on Melina, and pinned her after to retain the title.[23]

The fifth match was between Umaga and Jeff Hardy for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Hardy started the match attacking Umaga with moves such as dropkicks, inverted mule kicks and a Whisper in the Wind. Hardy had a chance to make the cover, but instead attempted to perform a Swanton Bomb. Umaga avoided the move and charged Hardy in the corner. Umaga then performed a Samoan Spike and pinned Hardy after to win the match.[23]

The sixth match was between John Morrison and CM Punk for the ECW World Championship. Morrison left the match, but Punk chased, tackled, and pushed him to the ring. Before Punk could attempt a springboard clothesline, Morrison raised his knee. Morrison pinned Punk after to win the match and retain the ECW World Championship.[23]

Randy Orton, who faced Dusty Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match

The seventh match was a Texas Bullrope match between Randy Orton and Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes started the match by performing a series of elbows on Orton's head. Orton, however, took the advantage after hitting Rhodes' head several times with the cowbell, which was in the middle of the rope connecting the two men. After a final hit to the head, Orton pinned Rhodes to win the match. After the match, Orton attempted to punt Rhodes in the head, but Rhodes' son, Cody, made the save.[23]

The eighth match was a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship between then World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali, Batista, and Kane. In the beginning, Khali dominated most of the match, applying a nerve hold on Kane and attacking Batista. Outside the ring, they both tried to perform their separate finishers on Khali, who countered both attempts. Batista and Kane performed a double-team spinebuster and chokeslam through a broadcast table. Kane performed a Chokeslam on Batista for a near-fall. Kane then retrieved a steel chair, but Batista countered a chair shot with a Spinebuster, and then performed a Batista Bomb on Kane. As Batista went for the pinfall, Khali pulled Batista outside the ring and threw Batista into the steel steps. Khali executed a Khali Bomb on Kane to win the match and retain the title.[23]

The main event was between John Cena and Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship. In the beginning, Lashley performed a series of powerslams on Cena. Cena applied the STF on Lashley, who escaped. Cena performed an FU on Lashley for a delayed near-fall. Lashley performed a Spear on Cena for a near-fall. Cena performed a Super FU to retain the title. After the match, Cena and Lashley shook hands.[23]