Batista's beast mode vs. JBL's limo-riding ego in a blood-soaked Buffalo brawl.
The Great American Bash (2005) was a professional wrestling PPV that took place on July 24, 2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. The event featured wrestlers and other talent that performed on the SmackDown! program. The main event was Batista defending the World Heavyweight Championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). One of the featured matches on the undercard was Rey Mysterio versus Eddie Guerrero while the other was Orlando Jordan versus Chris Benoit for the WWE United States Championship. The event grossed over $375,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 8,000, and received about 233,000 pay-per-view buys, the same amount as the following year's event. The event was also available free of charge for Armed Forces members and their families.
Stunts
Rey Mysterio's 619 setup still defies physics and human spine durability.
Acting
Eddie Guerrero's heel turn—lying, cheating, and stealing your whole heart.
Practical Effects
That Texas Death Match brutality—no CGI, just actual blood and bruises.
Director
Kevin Dunn
John Layfield
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Dave Bautista
Batista
Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio
Rey Mysterio
Eddie Guerrero
Eddy Guerrero
Melina Perez
Melina
Torrie Wilson
Torrie Wilson
Mark Calaway
The Undertaker
Mark Copani
Muhammad Hassan
Jason Reso
Christian
Booker Huffman, Jr.
Booker T
Francisco Rueda
Super Crazy
Dionicio Castellanos
Psicosis
Eduardo Hernández
Juventud Guerrera
Michael Manna
Big Stevie Cool
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was the first Great American Bash under WWE after acquiring WCW's intellectual property in 2001.
The Armed Forces free viewing initiative began post-9/11 WWE patriotism era—military recruitment via suplexes.
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