The stakes for the Mercedes-Benz Arena

WWE is returning to Germany, and frankly, they need to do better than the last outing. While the atmosphere in 2024 was hot, the card felt like a glorified house show masquerading as a premium live event. For Bash in Berlin 2026, Triple H cannot afford to play it safe with generic mid-card filler.

We need stakes that actually move the needle for the European market. If they want to cement this as a recurring destination, they have to stop treating international fans like secondary citizens who just want to see a greatest hits reel.

The main event showdown

Gunther is the centerpiece of this show. Booking him against anyone other than a top-tier babyface would be a massive dereliction of duty. I fully expect the main event to be Gunther defending his title against Bron Breakker in a brutal, stiff encounter.

Breakker has the raw intensity to test the Ring General in ways we haven't seen since the Dragunov feud. Pitting them together in Berlin is the only logical move to pop the crowd. My prediction is a hard-fought win for Gunther after a lariat that puts Breakker through the mat at the 22:45 mark.

Mid-card chaos and title changes

The Women's World Championship needs a reset. Rhea Ripley should be the one holding the gold, and I see her defending it against Tiffany Stratton. This match could easily steal the show if they let them go over 15 minutes without interference.

As reported by WWE's official site, the roster depth is at an all-time high, yet we keep seeing the same stale tag team dynamics. The Judgment Day needs to finally implode here. A match between Finn Balor and J.D. McDonagh, or perhaps a tag title bout featuring the Creeds, would offer the necessary intensity to keep the momentum high.

The rest of the card

  • Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa: Cody keeps the title, but the interference from the new Bloodline makes it a messy 18:30 affair.
  • Ilja Dragunov vs. Andrade: A technical clinic that ends with Ilja hitting the Torpedo Moscow for the pin.
  • Jade Cargill vs. Lyra Valkyria: A showcase for Jade to display her raw power against a technical wizard.

The booking of the women's division has been hit or miss lately. Lyra Valkyria deserves a massive push, and losing to Jade in a squash would be a mistake. They need to let them work a competitive 12:00 match to show both women can hang in a big-match environment.

The missed opportunity

My biggest fear is that WWE plays it safe with a bunch of multi-man tag matches to get everyone on the card. That is exactly what killed the pacing of some recent international shows. Fans in Berlin are paying premium prices for a spectacle, not a chaotic mess of ten-man tags that mean nothing for the long-term storytelling.

If they go the route of a multi-man ladder match for the Intercontinental title just to fill time, I will be the first to call it out as lazy booking. Triple H has the talent to build a focused, high-stakes tournament-style card. Let's see if he actually commits to it.