WWE Has Winning Formula with Foreign PLEs Like Bash in Berlin—but Something's Missing

WWE's Bash in Berlin premium live event on Saturday was a laser-focused, five-match spectacle that, top to bottom, probably had the best in-ring action seen from the company in 2024.

But it was also missing something huge.

In that way, Bash followed many of WWE's big international PLE landmarks of the last few years. The matches were downright fantastic, quick-hitting affairs in front of near-or-outright historic crowds.

But the absolute spotlight matches of the night, like most international PLE matches before them, were about as predictable as they could be.

Look at the opener, where Cody Rhodes obviously retained his undisputed WWE title over Kevin Owens, only for the two best friends to shake hands on their way to the back while fans applauded them. Or CM Punk ho-humming to a victory over Drew McIntyre in the Strap match.

Then, in the main event, what was predictably a slugfest of the best kind between Gunther and Randy Orton resulted in the former retaining the World Heavyweight Championship while making the latter still look strong. The two shook hands afterward and just went on their way.

Arguably, the only big-time occurrence was Rhea Ripley getting her hands on Dominik Mysterio, which was a genius bit of booking to have unfolded in front of such a reactionary crowd.

However, as a whole, for a company starting the march to a PLE titled "Bad Blood" on October 5, the whole thing felt like a missed opportunity. Owens should be a heel. This version of Orton feels PG-rated and is, without a doubt, not for everyone. If those two appear on the next weekly broadcast of their shows to keep these feuds going, it retroactively makes Bash look bad.

While the Vince McMahon era based its entire booking principle around moments, it's true that "sports entertainment" is still a pretty big part of the equation. When an event like Bash occurs, it almost veers too close to being a real sporting event, which just isn't what pro wrestling is supposed to be.

This isn't exclusive to Saturday's show. It's not the case at every foreign PLE, either, but some huge examples stick out.

At Backlash France this year, Rhodes fought...AJ Styles in a match nobody thought the champion would lose. Few fans should have thought LA Knight would dethrone Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel in November 2023.

And who can forget that infamous stumble in Cardiff, Wales, when McIntyre lost to Reigns, then got on the mic and sang with the crowd? These events are also sometimes the land of the Logan Paul title opportunity, for whatever reason.

One could argue that Triple H's NXT days, with compact cards and rowdy crowds, are the big influence here. But those Takeovers and others weren't missing moments and big changes.

Granted, this still beats the tar out of those early Saudi Arabia events when part-timers with ring rust and other ailments got one-off matches that were both stinkers and borderline, if not seriously dangerous for the performers.

Maybe this is just the happy balance WWE needs to strike. Like others, Saturday's event started mid-afternoon, right in the middle of another big sport (college football) for the majority of its target audience on the East Coast. Throwing major title changes and story beats there, even in the streaming era, might not be the best idea.

And yet...there's a tricky balance WWE must find here. Too many international specials can or will go the way of Bash—another quality PLE that, sans the main event's result perhaps, is otherwise forgettable in hindsight.

Yes, WWE finally prioritized long-form storytelling, which has produced this golden era. It even helps the overstated weekly shows feel important to watch. But it also drags down these foreign events as the company tries to expand its vast global reach further while hitting extremely deserving markets.

If this all sounds like a good problem to have, well, it is. One might even throw out the term nitpicking, which would be fair. This newfound golden era isn't going to fall apart because of this balance WWE still needs to manage like Kofi Kingston trying to avoid a Royal Rumble elimination.

Even throwing out a curveball here or there, heck, every third international PLE, though, might be enough to keep all of them super-important in the minds of all fans. That would be a boon because what's happening inside the ring at them is a peak for the sport.