Khali (left) enters the ring taking Kane (center) and Batista (right) on SmackDown!
Monster Bash
By Craig Tello
Written: July 20, 2007
LAREDO, Texas – As infrequent as Triple Threat Matches are in WWE, never has a three-sided ring encounter included as much girth as the one that will be seen this Sunday. Three very large and dangerous monsters will meet in one ring, with one goal, at The Great American Bash, when new World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali defends his freshly seized title against both Kane and Batista.
It was literally one of the biggest nights in the history of the World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown as the 7-foot-3 Goliath won the gold just minutes after former champion Edge was forced to relinquish it. Things got even bigger by the end of the night, when General Manager Theodore Long announced that the new titleholder would defend the championship at Sunday’s Bash, against two of sports-entertainment’s most monstrous competitors, in arguably the largest Triple Threat Match ever.
In a collision involving three men who are each irresistible forces and near-immoveable objects, how can anyone possibly predict what will happen? SmackDown color commentator and former WWE Champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield told WWE.com that, at the very least, there’s one thing that everyone can expect from this match.
“It’s going to be an explosion,” asserted JBL, describing his excitement for Sunday’s event. “You’ve got three real monsters: Kane, who is one of the best big men of all time; Khali, who is a true giant; and Batista, one of the strongest competitors of all time. This [match] is unprecedented.”
JBL is highly familiar with Khali’s sizeable challengers, as well as the rules of this jeopardous match-up. Long before he became the voice of Friday Night SmackDown, Layfield himself battled in Triple Threat Matches and competed (individually) against both the Big Red Monster and The Animal. In a one-fall match where the champion can lose the title without even being pinned, JBL cites that there are very few ways to appropriately prepare or strategize for success, let alone survival.
“You never know what to expect in a Triple Threat Match,” he explained. “As a competitor, you can’t really devise a good enough game plan. It’s simply unpredictable.”
With the prevalence of such unpredictability, the mammoth World Heavyweight Champion may soon regret interrupting the No. 1 Contender’s Match on SmackDown between his Bash opponents. From WWE Champion John Cena to Kane himself just months ago at WrestleMania 23, Khali has conquered many men en route to his title reign. However, as JBL pointed out, it will be the towering Indian’s first battle with Batista, and his very first Triple Threat Match.
“I think Khali is at a disadvantage; he’s used to one-on-one encounters,” he claimed. “It’s Khali’s first-ever title defense, whereas Kane and Batista have both won World Titles in their careers.
“Kane’s been in every match you can imagine here in WWE,” he continued. “I would put the odds on the Big Red Machine to win the World Heavyweight Championship this Sunday.”
At a total combined height that extends over two stories high and a collective weight of more than 1,000 pounds, rarely has so much mass clashed in the same ring. But when all that mass comes together, who will be the last monster standing? Can Khali’s supremacy be curtailed by the force of either – or both – of his colossal opponents? Will the Big Red Monster prevail, as JBL believes? Can The Animal unleash his zeal to regain the World Heavyweight Title? Or will the powerful Indian make it to next week’s SmackDown with the gold still firmly palmed in his oversized hand?
Check back with WWE.com throughout the weekend for exclusive interviews with the two challengers for the World Heavyweight Championship, Kane and Batista, as they prepare for battle at The Great American Bash.
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