WWE Bad Blood 2024, a show of returns, a classic Hell in a Cell match and a very mediocre middle portion of the show.
Airing live in Atlanta, Georgia with just over 16,000 fans in attendance, WWE Bad Blood opened with the match of the night as CM Punk defeated Drew McIntyre in one of the best Hell in a Cell matches in recent memory.
The other major match to take place on the show saw Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns defeat Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, which also saw the returns of The Rock and Jimmy Uso. As for the rest of the show, it sadly was nothing to write home about.
WWE Bad Blood 2024 Match By Match Review
CM Punk Defeated Drew McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match [31:25]: In interviews ahead of time CM Punk admitted that the pressure was on to restore the Cell match to its former glory. When all was said and done, it was definitely mission accomplished. Keeping the match inside the cell and not making it into a stunt show with brawling around and on top of the cell, McIntyre and Punk used the structure to inflict as much pain as possible with a toolbox, spanners and metal table leg used effectively as opposed to comedy spots. Both men bled heavily and were hell bent on destroying each other and bringing the rivalry to a conclusive end. Feeling authentic and just the right amount of violence, Punk hit a GTS with a chain wrapped around his leg to win the match. The only nitpick was that the black bag should have been something more damaging than beads or just not used at all. This was a classic and a fitting ending to the blood feud – *****
Nia Jax defeated Bayley to retain the WWE Women’s Championship [14:10]: Both competitors were put in the unfortunate spot of having to follow the excellent Hell in a Cell match, meaning that there was some fatigue in the crowd. Unfortunately, there were some clunky spots and communication issues at times, making the opening portion of the match not quite flow the same way that their previous encounters have. The ref bump was creative and a ref knockdown in a women’s match is quite rare so was nice to see, but from there the match became quite predictable. Tiffany Stratton yet again teased a cash-in and was caught by Jax, resulting in a brief argument. Bayley tried to capitalise but Stratton helped Jax secure the victory – ***
Damian Priest defeated Finn Balor [12:45]: Considering this was supposed to be the big blow off and grudge match given the events that took place at SummerSlam, the match felt rather pedestrian as a result. With predictable Judgment Day interference and Priest overcoming the odds, there was nothing wrong with the match per se, but considering that a 3-way ladder match took place on SmackDown the previous night and a World Title match is scheduled for Raw, it feels that this match could have been bumped from the show – ***
Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley Ended In DQ [14:00]: A standard match with a convoluted finish that saw an audible forcibly called. Dominik Mysterio being raised in a shark cage and acting terrified was entertaining and Ripley taunted him throughout. The match saw Morgan target Ripley’s leg and looked to take advantage but could not put Ripley away. Looking to have the match won, Ripley hit a Riptide onto Morgan near the shark cage resulting in Mysterio hanging from the cage by his leg. Ripley sacrificed the title win to attack Mysterio with a kendo stick but was herself attacked by Raquel Rodriguez. In what was reportedly supposed to set up a Morgan win, the referee accidentally saw the interference and had no choice but to end the match in a DQ. While it was good to see Rodriguez return, it’s unfortunate that the finish was how it all kicked off – **1/2
Roman Reigns And Cody Rhodes Defeated Solo Sikoa And Jacob Fatu [25:50]: Considering that Reigns and Rhodes teased dissension in the lead up to the match, both worked well against The Bloodline. Rhodes was isolated by Sikoa and Fatu and Reigns was taken out on the apron to tease a hot tag. With Reigns finally back in the match, the crowd came alive to see The OTC have an extended offensive run. Fatu looked great once again as was taken out when Rhodes took him out by diving to the outside and driving Fatu through the table to mirror the angle from Fatu’s WWE debut. Reigns was left to deal with Sikoa and had to fend off the Tag Team Champions before a returning Jimmy Uso neutralised the duo. Reigns hit the spear to win the match – ****
After the match Reigns and Uso saved Rhodes from a Bloodline beatdown before The Rock returned to stare down the trio and walk back through the curtain to close out the show.
Bad Blood Final Thoughts
Fans should definitely go out of their way to watch the Hell in a Cell match, which could rank highly on match of the year lists when all is said and done. Unfortunately, the mid-card let the show down with standard matches and an unfortunate DQ finish that wasn’t planned. Also while it is not going to change the lengthy spots featuring legends and an extended segment with Triple H, Gunther and Goldberg all being in place of another match is always going to be a point of contention among fans regarding the new format.
While it was understandable that the tag team match was the main event given The Rock returned, the fact that the Hollywood star didn’t speak to the live crowd and saved it all for social media was a letdown for all as his return could have been the closing angle of a future SmackDown show. Some may not think it matters, but the Cell match really should have been the main event to end WWE Bad Blood the right way.
Featured image: WWE
