Gunther Is Perfect Heel and Biggest Takeaways from WWE Bash in Berlin 2024 Results

Saturday, the men and women of WWE put on the first major show in Germany, the Bash in Berlin premium live event.

The fans in the Uber Arena were hyped for the show, which follows the trend of WWE having hot crowds for international PLEs.

In many cases, the crowd has been just as important to the atmosphere of these shows as the wrestlers. Loud reactions, chants and singing echoed around the arena as the Berlin fans took in the festivities.

We saw five bouts on Saturday. Three featured championships being defended, while the other two were grudge matches between bitter enemies.

Let's look at some of the biggest takeaways from the first Bash in Berlin.

Saturday's match results were as follows:

• Cody Rhodes defeated Kevin Owens
• Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeated Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
• CM Punk defeated Drew McIntyre
• Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley defeated Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan
• Gunther defeated Randy Orton

The show opened with Kevin Owens challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The American Nightmare received a warm welcome, but it felt like the crowd in Berlin was a bit more in KO's corner.

The real-life friends shook hands and began with a clean collar and elbow tie-up, ending in an equally clean break. The vibe of this match was different than most of Rhodes' title defenses because, for once, his opponent didn't think he deserved this spot.

Owens' entire story during the buildup has been that he didn't think he had done enough to earn a title shot. Even with Rhodes and SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis telling him otherwise, he was hesitant.

In the first several minutes, KO seemed to go easy on The American Nightmare. He had several opportunities to be more aggressive but held back, which annoyed Rhodes because he didn't want an opponent giving less than 100 percent.

The Prizefighter eventually started using more impactful offense, but the intensity we have seen from him for years seemed tucked away. When he had a chance to hit an apron powerbomb, he decided not to and it ultimately cost him the win.

As commentator Wade Barrett said, KO may have lost his killer instinct, and the only way to get it back might be to turn heel and choose success over personal relationships. A disappointed Owens raised Rhodes' hand to end the segment.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn may have walked into the Uber Arena as the women's tag team champions, but the Berlin crowd was all about Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair.

Fans who have rarely had the chance to see these Superstars perform live could be seen singing and grooving along to their entrance music. The crowd gave them a warm reception, speaking to the star power these women have developed.

Belair will go down in history as one of the best to ever do it. Her athleticism, charisma and power are second to none. In just a handful of years, she has done almost everything there is to do in WWE.

While Cargill is newer to the company and wrestling as a whole, she has made herself into one of the most marketable Superstars in the world.

With just two years and a few dozen matches in All Elite Wrestling under her belt, the 32-year-old became one of the hottest free-agent signings in recent memory. WWE rolled out the red carpet for her and treated her arrival like a big deal at every turn.

Together, these two powerhouses have become the defining duo of the women's tag team division, and on Saturday, they regained the tag titles by defeating the talented pairing of Fyre and Dawn.

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre have been at each other's throats for months. They have cost each other matches and title shots, made each other bleed and fought every time they were within arm's reach.

Saturday in Berlin, The Scottish Warrior and The Straight Edge Superstar continued their bitter rivalry with a Strap match.

The goal was different than most contests. To win, one man had to touch all four turnbuckles without interruption.

The stipulation allowed them to use the strap and other weapons to inflict as much damage as possible but Punk emerged as the victor in the end.

Every time these two meet, they up the ante. If WWE plays this right, this could be a years-long feud that produces several classic matches.

With the feud tied at one victory each, the odds are good that we will see another chapter in the rivalry.

After the PLE concluded, Punk was shown in the locker room, calling out whoever won the main event between Gunther and Randy Orton, so perhaps we'll get a break in the immediate future.

During Saturday's mixed tag match, Rhea Ripley finally got her hands on Liv Morgan and the man who broke her heart, Dominik Mysterio.

While the majority of what we saw was Priest fighting Mysterio and Ripley fighting Morgan, The Eradicator was able to hit Dom with a few moves that popped the crowd as much as anything else we saw on Saturday.

The feud between the current and former women's champions is not over by a long shot, but the real meat of this story is the former lovers and Judgment Day stablemates.

WWE has never been keen on booking intergender matches, but it needs to make an exception to give this feud a proper ending.

Seeing Ripley finally hit her finisher and defeat Dirty Dom is the only way this can have a satisfying ending. Anything else will feel like a cop-out on WWE's part.

They say the best villains are the ones who think they are the hero of their story, and that is absolutely true of Gunther.

He may have been the fan favorite in Berlin, but he was still playing a heel because that is who his character is at its core.

The Ring General sees the mat as sacred and himself as its protector, but he is also a bit of a hypocrite because he has cheated to win before.

However, his best asset is his ability to back up his words. He is a dominant and physical performer who has left countless chests bloodied and bruised across the world.

He faced a legit legend on Saturday when he and Randy Orton did battle, and the 14-time champion found himself experiencing the best The Ring General had to offer. The Berlin crowd ate up every second of it.

Gunther can walk into Berlin as a hero to his fellow Europeans and walk into the next city as a heel without ever changing a single detail of his character. It's similar to what we used to see when a heel Bret Hart would be cheered as a hero in Canada.

The World Heavyweight Championship was given credibility by Seth Rollins, and Gunther will continue to keep it relevant because the WWE Universe has fully invested in his journey thanks to strong booking and great character work.

Bash in Berlin is already another international success for WWE, and Gunther will always be remembered as the man who headlined the first German PLE. What did you think of Saturday's show?