2024 WWE Bash in Berlin results, recap, grades: Gunther, CM Punk stand tall in physical matches

The world heavyweight champion and undisputed WWE champion retained their titles in very physical encounters

Gunther marches out of Bash in Berlin the same way he marched into Germany's first WWE pay-per-view, as world heavyweight champion. "The Ring General" outlasted 14-time world champion Randy Orton on Saturday in a rare underdog performance from Gunther.

Gunther received a hero's welcome in his longtime former home of Germany. He spent years building a reputation on the German independent scene that would lead him to become world champion, King of the Ring and WWE's longest reigning intercontinental champion. Gunther added another memorable moment to his growing list of accomplishments, earning a handshake from Orton post-match in a symbolic torch passing.

Bash in Berlin also hosted a grueling strap match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre, an incredible undisputed WWE title defense that might be Cody Rhodes' best to date, and more.

CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event, providing updates and highlights as the action goes down in the live blog below.

2024 WWE Bash in Berlin results, grades

Undisputed WWE Championship -- Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens: Rhodes and Owens know each other too well for a tactical clash. The longtime friends countered each other repeatedly through the early portion of the match. Only when their friendship cracked under the weight of their competitive spirits did either man find success. Rhodes repeatedly hunted submission holds while Owens pummeled the champ. Both men also regularly took flight to land diving moves ringside. Rhodes landed the first near fall of the match after surprising Owens with a Cody Cutter. Owens reciprocated with a fireman's rolling senton off the middle ropes. A brilliant piece of business saw Owens counter a Cody Cutter into a stunner setup, only for Rhodes to reverse it into a Cross Rhodes. The champion's hubris got the better of him. Rhodes took Owens back to the corner despite setting up Owens for that rolling senton last time. Owens again countered Rhodes on the middle rope, landing a brutal fisherman brainbuster for the near fall. 

Rhodes bested Owens in an exchange of super kicks but his knee -- which Owens teased was injured on SmackDown -- gave out as he went for a corner Cody Cutter. Owens stopped himself short of kicking out Rhodes' injured knee, hesitant to capitalize on his friend's previous injury. Owens tried to talk down Rhodes but the champion retaliated with forearm shots while claiming, "I'm OK!" Owens kicked out Rhodes' leg and the champ immediately crumpled. Owens considered hitting his friend with a powerbomb on the apron, a move he's used to storyline injure other superstars. Owens' principles got the better of him and he tossed Rhodes aside. Owens snapped at Wade Barrett as the commentator criticized Owens for his lack of a killer instinct. Back in the ring, a series of Cross Rhodes and stunners ended with Rhodes landing the final blow. They embraced post-match as a dejected Owens pushed the camera out of his face. Rhodes' is great on the microphone but he's brilliant at telling stories in the ring. Each of his title defenses has painted a unique story. Owens has been a cutthroat athlete for most of his career. Owens' maturity and recent commitment to friendship cost him his first singles title in eight years. Wonderful work that exceeded the expectations of their short build. Rhodes def. Owens via pinfall to retain the title. Grade: A

WWE Women's Tag Team Championships -- Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn) (c) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill: The four superstars threw fists before the bell rang. The challengers' physical presence overwhelmed the champion's early but Unholy Union's tandem experience paid dividends. Fyre and Dawn used timely interference, angles and Cargill's short fuse to isolate Belair. It all fell apart for the champion's when Belair finally found the opening to tag her partner. Cargill stormed into the ring, effortlessly tossing Unholy Union around the ring. Each team scored a near fall after hitting one of their opponents with an impressive double-team maneuver. The finishing sequence saw Cargill sloppily pull Belair out from under a flipping senton. A tag team finisher on Dawn led to the pinfall. The match started to fall apart the moment Cargill hit the ring. It's an unfortunate trend for her. Cargill has elite star power and presentation but her skills haven't developed at the same rate as her push. Belair and Cargill def. Unholy Union via pinfall to win the titles. Grade: C

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (Strap match): The brutalities of a strap match were introduced before the match started. McIntyre cut Punk's entrance and lashed him several times. McIntyre eventually placed the strap on his wrist, inviting Punk to do the same. Things only got worse for Punk. McIntyre relished in whipping and chopping his rival. McIntyre prioritized abusing Punk over winning the match, which requires touching all four corner turnbuckles in succession. His lack of competitive focus gave Punk a small window to land a surprise GTS. Punk could have won the match but chose to punish McIntyre instead. Punk subsequently countered a Future Shock DDT into a backdrop on the announcers' table and handed out more lashes. 

The match's increasing physicality compelled McIntyre to prioritize the victory. McIntyre regained control, busting open Punk with a headbutt and making his way to the turnbuckles. Punk intercepted McIntyre with a running corner knee. A bloody Punk retrieved a table from underneath the ring but ate a Claymore kick upon his return to the squared circle. McIntyre once again started hitting the turnbuckles, but Punk wisely slid outside of the ring, putting too much tension on the strap for McIntyre to reach the final turnbuckle. Punk gave the strap a firm yank causing McIntyre to go head-first into a steel chair in the corner. Punk wisely carried McIntyre with him from corner to corner but the proximity allowed McIntyre to counter a bulldog into a throw through the table positioned ringside.

McIntyre lifted Punk onto his shoulders and carried him from turnbuckle to turnbuckle. Punk wisely struck each turnbuckle after his opponent did and McIntyre was none the wiser. Punk tried to sneak the victory ahead of McIntyre, starting a power struggle culminating in a brawl that reset both superstars' progress. Punk locked in a sharpshooter that elicited taps from McIntyre, but submissions are not a victory condition in this match. McIntyre hit another Claymore Kick and struck three turnbuckles before Punk intervened. Punk caught McIntyre with a GTS, plus three additional ones during his round of the ring to assure McIntyre wouldn't get up. Punk retrieved the bracelet stolen by McIntyre before striking the final turnbuckle to win the match. A well-paced strap match chock-full of psychology. The superstars nicely balanced feeding their feud while tactically pursuing the victory. Punk def. McIntyre. Grade: A.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan (Mixed Tag Team match): This mixed tag team match was an exercise in catharsis. Priest and Ripley relished in punishing Mysterio and Morgan for their betrayals. Priest effortlessly tossed Mysterio around the ring to start the match. The German crowd pleaded for "Mami" and Priest obliged by trying to tag Ripley in. Mysterio fled -- knowing Ripley would tear his head off -- and tagged Morgan. The women's world champion soon fled under the pain and pressure of Ripley's offense, tagging Mysterio back into the match. The new lovebirds finally took control with a series of underhanded tactics. Morgan repeatedly distracted or attacked Priest, even raking his eyes, behind the referee's back. Ripley got the hot tag and took control. After laying out Morgan, Ripley turned her attention to ex-boyfriend Mysterio. "Dom Dom" begged for reconciliation but was gifted a whooping that sent the live crowd into a frenzy. Ripley's obsession with revenge allowed Morgan to hit a series of big moves, including a crucifix bomb that earned a near fall. 

A hot tag to Priest swung the pendulum back toward the exiled Judgement Day members who planted their teammates with matching Razor's Edges. The former world champion had the match won before Judgement Day members Carlito, JD McDonagh and Finn Balor swarmed. Morgan hit Ripley with a wild projectile sunset flip powerbomb off the steel steps into the ringside barricade. Mysterio hit Priest with a 619 but only got a two-count. Morgan nearly overshot a suicide dive before hitting a modified version of Oblivion for another close pinfall. Priest turned Mysterio inside out with a clothesline on the announcers' table, and Ripley folded Morgan with Riptide to win the match. A dramatic match that the crowd ate up. Ripley and Priest def. Morgan and Mysterio via pinfall. Grade: B+

World Heavyweight Championship -- Gunther (c) vs. Randy Orton: Gunther is an intimidating physical presence but Orton's new, larger frame served him well. Orton, billed at 290 pounds, manhandled the world champion. Orton carried Gunther outside and landed four backdrops on the announcers' table, causing a large bruise on the champ's shoulder. "The Ring General" repeatedly tried to control the tempo with submission holds but couldn't keep Orton grounded. Gunther's damaged shoulder prevented him from throwing everything into his infamous strikes. Orton repeatedly absorbed clotheslines from the world champ and retaliated with a clothesline that dropped Gunther. Shortly after, Orton spiked Gunther with his trademark rope-assisted DDT.

Gunther finally turned the table by countering an RKO into a German suplex followed by a running drop kick and top rope splash. A signature powerbomb only garnered Gunther a two-count and an attempt to repeat the move left him open for an RKO for another near fall. Orton's late career obsession with the announcers' table served him well on Saturday. He went back to it a fifth time with elevated stakes. Orton carried Gunther up a flight of steel steps before launching the champion with a backdrop that drove him through the table. Back in the ring, Gunther locked in a Hail Mary sleeper hold that fatigued Orton. "The Legend Killer" desperately slammed himself backward to break the hold. Gunther released it, only to pop back up like The Undertaker and lock it in again. Orton passed out. The superstars shook hands post-match in a symbolic passing of the torch. A solid match that put Gunther in the unfamiliar role of fighting the babyface champion. The match psychology was well-executed and the finish was memorable. It was a little too plodding for my liking especially as fatigue sets in at the end of a pay-per-view. Gunther def. Orton via submission to retain the title. Grade: B+

[Aug 31, 2024 at 4:04 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

World Heavyweight Championship -- Gunther (c) vs. Randy Orton: Gunther is an intimidating physical presence but Orton's new, larger frame served him well. Orton, billed at 290 pounds, manhandled the world champion. Orton carried Gunther outside and landed four backdrops on the announcers' table, causing a large bruise on the champ's shoulder. "The Ring General" repeatedly tried to control the tempo with submission holds but couldn't keep Orton grounded. Gunther's damaged shoulder prevented him from throwing everything into his infamous strikes. Orton repeatedly absorbed clotheslines from the world champ and retaliated with a clothesline that dropped Gunther. Shortly after, Orton spiked Gunther with his trademark rope-assisted DDT.

Gunther finally turned the table by countering an RKO into a German suplex followed by a running drop kick and top rope splash. A signature powerbomb only garnered Gunther a two-count and an attempt to repeat the move left him open for an RKO for another near fall. Orton's late career obsession with the announcers' table served him well on Saturday. He went back to it a fifth time with elevated stakes. Orton carried Gunther up a flight of steel steps before launching the champion with a backdrop that drove him through the table. Back in the ring, Gunther locked in a Hail Mary sleeper hold that fatigued Orton. "The Legend Killer" desperately slammed himself backward to break the hold. Gunther released it, only to pop back up like The Undertaker and lock it in again. Orton passed out. The superstars shook hands post-match in a symbolic passing of the torch. A solid match that put Gunther in the unfamiliar role of fighting the babyface champion. The match psychology was well-executed and the finish was memorable. It was a little too plodding for my liking especially as fatigue sets in at the end of a pay-per-view. Gunther def. Orton via submission to retain the title. Grade: B+

[Aug 31, 2024 at 3:13 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

The main event of Bash in Berlin is inbound. World heavyweight champion Gunther makes his first title defense against Randy Orton, the man he controversially beat in May to become King of the Ring. "The Ring General" is expected to receive a raucous homecoming in Germany, his longtime home while establishing himself on the independent scene. Orton looks to become a 15-time world champion, a feat that puts him one short of John Cena and Ric Flair's shared record.

[Aug 31, 2024 at 3:10 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan (Mixed Tag Team match): This mixed tag team match was an exercise in catharsis. Priest and Ripley relished in punishing Mysterio and Morgan for their betrayals. Priest effortlessly tossed Mysterio around the ring to start the match. The German crowd pleaded for "Mami" and Priest obliged by trying to tag Ripley in. Mysterio fled -- knowing Ripley would tear his head off -- and tagged Morgan. The women's world champion soon fled under the pain and pressure of Ripley's offense, tagging Mysterio back into the match. The new lovebirds finally took control with a series of underhanded tactics. Morgan repeatedly distracted or attacked Priest, even raking his eyes, behind the referee's back. Ripley got the hot tag and took control. After laying out Morgan, Ripley turned her attention to ex-boyfriend Mysterio. "Dom Dom" begged for reconciliation but was gifted a whooping that sent the live crowd into a frenzy. Ripley's obsession with revenge allowed Morgan to hit a series of big moves, including a crucifix bomb that earned a near fall. 

A hot tag to Priest swung the pendulum back toward the exiled Judgement Day members who planted their teammates with matching Razor's Edges. The former world champion had the match won before Judgement Day members Carlito, JD McDonagh and Finn Balor swarmed. Morgan hit Ripley with a wild projectile sunset flip powerbomb off the steel steps into the ringside barricade. Mysterio hit Priest with a 619 but only got a two-count. Morgan nearly overshot a suicide dive before hitting a modified version of Oblivion for another close pinfall. Priest turned Mysterio inside out with a clothesline on the announcers' table, and Ripley folded Morgan with Riptide to win the match. A dramatic match that the crowd ate up. Ripley and Priest def. Morgan and Mysterio via pinfall. Grade: B+

[Aug 31, 2024 at 2:42 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Bash in Berlin's penultimate match is up next. Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley, dubbed "The Terror Twins," seek revenge after being betrayed by Judgement Day at SummerSlam. Priest and Ripley take on Dominik Mysterio and women's world champion Liv Morgan.