The Great American Bash (2006)

The 2006 Great American Bash was the third annual

I will beat this peasant (Mysterio), and take the World Championship at the Great American Bash. I want it all. I want my entire kingdom to rejoice in my royal splendor. King Booker will soon be King of the world.

— 

King Booker commenting on his future World Championship match against Rey Mysterio^[7]

Great Khali, you dare challenge me. There's an old saying that says you should quit while you're ahead. At The Great American Bash, I will face you in your Punjabi Prison match, and you will, Rest in Peace.

— Undertaker accepting The Great Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash.^[7]

Event

Before the

The first match of the event was

The third match was Gregory Helms versus Matt Hardy, who was substituting for Super Crazy, who was also suffering from elevated enzymes in his liver. The match went back and forth, as each man was able to gain the advantage. In the end, Helms pinned Hardy while holding onto his tights to win.

The match that followed was Big Show versus The Undertaker in the first-ever Punjabi Prison match. In order to win the match, one must escape both the inner and outer bamboo structures. On-screen, General Manager Theodore Long put Big Show in the match instead of The Great Khali for attacking Undertaker backstage. In reality, Khali was not medically cleared to compete as, like Lashley and Super Crazy, he had elevated levels of enzymes in his liver. Both Big Show and Undertaker managed to escape the inner structure. While fighting in the space between the two structures, Big Show threw Undertaker through the outer. Undertaker's feet hit the floor first, therefore being declared the winner.

The following match was a Fatal Four-Way Bra and Panties match between Ashley Massaro, Kristal Marshall, Jillian Hall, and Michelle McCool. Massaro won the match after last stripping Kristal of her top.

The sixth match was between

Following Chavo Guerrero's interference in Rey Mysterio's World Heavyweight Championship match with King Booker, Guerrero and Mysterio began a storyline with one another, which would last for three months. The following week, Guerrero explained why he attacked Mysterio at The Great American Bash. He claimed Mysterio was a leech living of the Guerrero family name, and that he was using that to elevate his career.^[20]

Rey Mysterio betrayed me. Rey Mysterio is a thief. Let me tell you what he stole. He tried to steal the spotlight, my spotlight. He did everything he could to tie himself to Eddie Guerrero because Rey couldn't stand on his own two feet. I saved you from losing your title over and over. He used the Guerrero name... I'm the Guerrero, Rey—not you. Rey, you didn't just steal Eddie from me, you didn't just steal him from the Guerrero family, you stole the memory of Eddie from each and every one of those people out there. You're nothing but a leech living off the blood of the Guerrero name.

— Chavo Guerrero explaining why he attacked Rey Mysterio at The Great American Bash.^[21]

Two weeks later, on the August 18 episode of SmackDown!, General Manager Theodore Long announced that Mysterio and Guerrero would face off against one another at SummerSlam.^[22] Guerrero won the match after executing a frog splash following interference from Vickie Guerrero.^[23]

A rivalry between Matt Hardy and Gregory Helms began after facing off at the Great American Bash. On August 25, on SmackDown!, Helms interfered in a match between Mr. Kennedy and Hardy, in which Kennedy won.^[24][25] The following week, Hardy and Helms met in a non-title match, in which Hardy won.^[26][27] The two continued their feud over the following months, including a match at No Mercy won by Hardy.^[28]

The Undertaker and The Great Khali would continue to feud until the August 18 edition of SmackDown!, where Undertaker defeated Khali in a Last Man Standing match.

The 2006 Great American Bash would be the final to be SmackDown!-exclusive, as following WrestleMania 23 in April 2007, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive PPVs.^[29]

Results

References