The Great American Bash 2007: Cena and Lashley Dragged a Messy Card Across the Finish Line

MVP and Matt Hardy open with the kind of straightforward championship match that immediately gives the card credibility. Hardy controls enough early exchanges to make the title feel vulnerable, while MVP gradually redirects the match toward sharper counters and targeted offense. The running boot is the nastiest strike of the bout, and Hardy sells it like a genuine knockout attempt rather than just another transition. Both men receive believable near falls without rushing into a finishing sequence. MVP eventually lands the Playmaker and retains cleanly, which matters because the rivalry still has room to grow. The match is not spectacular, but it is balanced, competitive, and professionally paced from bell to bell.

The Cruiserweight Open has enough fast movement to stay watchable, but the match is ultimately remembered for a comedy surprise rather than the division's wrestling. Chavo Guerrero, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore, Funaki, and Jamie Noble all cycle through quick offense while Hornswoggle hides underneath the ring after entering unexpectedly. The crowd is quiet through much of the early action and responds more strongly once the finish becomes clear. Hornswoggle appears, hits the Tadpole Splash on Noble, and wins the championship without ever functioning as a serious participant. The moment gets a reaction, but it also changes the title's tone immediately. The wrestlers work hard; the booking turns the match into a punch line.

Carlito and The Sandman are hurt by a stipulation that promises one thing and then refuses to provide it. The entire point of a Singapore Cane on a Pole match is the anticipation of someone finally reaching the weapon, so the crowd waits for that escalation instead of investing in the ordinary wrestling underneath it. Sandman eventually retrieves the cane, but Carlito immediately cuts him off with the Backstabber and wins before the weapon creates any meaningful payoff. The finish is technically clever for a heel, yet it leaves the audience with the sense that the match avoided its own reason for existing. At barely five minutes, it feels more like an unfinished television angle.

Candice Michelle and Melina receive just over six minutes for a championship rematch, which leaves the bout with almost no time to develop beyond basic exchanges. Candice has clearly improved and hits several athletic spots cleanly, including the top-rope crossbody, while Melina supplies the steadier connective work and attacks the arm. The problem is rhythm. Transitions arrive too quickly, several sequences look loose, and the crowd never becomes fully invested in the possibility of a title change. Candice wins with the Candy Wrapper to retain and gets a positive celebration afterward. The result is fine, but the championship deserves a match with more structure and more breathing room.

Umaga and Jeff Hardy deliver the night's best undercard match by making the size difference the entire story. Umaga controls with brutal power, whips Jeff into the turnbuckles, and uses the vice grip to slow a challenger whose only real path is movement. Jeff's selling is excellent because every comeback feels like it costs him something. The crowd grows louder with each escape, then fully buys the Swanton Bomb as a possible finish when Jeff finally lands it. Umaga surviving, countering the Twist of Fate, and finishing with the Samoan Spike restores the monster presentation without erasing Jeff's effort. The last five minutes are especially strong and turn simple heavyweight psychology into genuine drama.

John Morrison and CM Punk again produce a match that is perfectly competent without matching the talent involved. Punk gets the stronger crowd reaction and creates the better bursts whenever he strings together kicks and counters, while Morrison tries to slow the challenger and repeatedly looks for ways to escape pressure. The match has a few awkward transitions, and the crowd never reaches the intensity expected from a world-title program. The finish is flat but logical: Punk attempts a springboard attack, Morrison raises a knee into Punk's leg, and the champion immediately covers for the pin. The result keeps the rivalry moving, yet nothing about the eight minutes feels like a definitive championship chapter.

Randy Orton versus Dusty Rhodes is built around age, hatred, and the bullrope rather than athletic ambition, which is the correct approach. Dusty uses the rope to yank Orton into the post and creates sympathy through his selling, while Orton gradually shifts the match toward the cowbell and targeted punishment. A long chinlock slows an already short bout, but the closing sequence is clear and effective. Dusty starts his elbow comeback, Orton avoids the elbow drop, then uses the cowbell to the head for the pin. The post-match threat brings Cody Rhodes into the story. As Dusty's final match, it is more important as a generational handoff than as wrestling.

The Great Khali, Batista, and Kane are forced into a match created by Edge's injury, and the emergency construction shows. Khali dominates with basic strikes and holds until Batista and Kane finally cooperate long enough to drive him through the announce table. That is the best idea because it removes the champion and lets the two challengers produce the match's fastest stretch. Several near falls briefly wake the crowd, especially Kane's Chokeslam and Batista's power offense. Khali eventually returns, pulls Batista away from a pin, and defeats Kane with the two-handed Chokeslam. The finish protects Batista, but the match never escapes the limitations created by centering the action on Khali.

John Cena and Bobby Lashley deliver exactly what the promotion promises: two heavily pushed athletes trying to prove which man belongs on top. Lashley starts with power and speed, Cena answers with experience, and the match gradually increases the scale instead of rushing through signature moves. The first Attitude Adjustment produces a strong near fall, Lashley's spear looks like a believable championship-winning moment, and the crowd stays loud because neither wrestler is treated as obviously secondary. The finish gives the match its best image, with Cena lifting Lashley from the second rope and landing the elevated Attitude Adjustment. The handshake afterward keeps Lashley strong and gives a serious main event a respectful ending.