WWE Bad Blood is behind us, and what a PLE it was!
The October 5th event went down at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena in Georgia. Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi hosted the PLE.
Here’s what went down at the 2024 Bad Blood Premium Live Event.
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre – Hell in a Cell match
CM Punk and Drew McIntyre delivered the opening match-up at WWE Bad Blood. Both men just tore into each other with the sound of the opening bell. McIntyre introduced a toolbox, but Punk made the first move by bruising McIntyre with a wrench. Punk busted himself open first. McIntyre took a nasty hit to the forehead with the toolbox. Both men went through a table.
McIntyre missed a claymore and hit back-first into the steel steps. Punk shoved the remains of his prized bracelet into McIntyre’s mouth and hit him with a chain-infested GTS for the win.
Both men meant every word when they said they would kill each other inside Hell in a Cell. This match was an epic combination of brutality and in-ring prowess. Punk showed a side to himself he would’ve never shown if it wasn’t for the extremely personal nature of the McIntyre feud. I think Drew may have broken the Muta Scale with the buckets he bled. The Scottish Warrior was still dropping f-bombs while getting stitched up for his wounds. Kudos to everyone who helped contribute to this epic match-up.
Nia Jax (c) vs. Bayley – WWE Women’s Championship match
Bayley tried to keep Nia’s momentum at bay through her speed, but Nia’s strength proved otherwise. The champion treated the challenger like a ragdoll. Bayley gained some momentum with a Samoan Drop. Tiffany Stratton showed up with her Money in the Bank briefcase, but Bayley prevented the cash-in. Nia took advantage of the distraction to plant Bayley with a Banzai Drop for the win at WWE Bad Blood.
This was a very good 14-minute match between Nia Jax and Bayley. Nia has improved by leaps and bounds since returning to WWE full-time in September 2023. Props to Bayley for carrying the majority of the match as well. Tiffany’s interference was inevitable, but they didn’t pull the trigger on the cash-in. With Bayley presumably out of the title picture, it remains to be seen how Triple H books the Role Model moving forward.
Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor at WWE Bad Blood
Priest caught Balor with a massive forearm. The Archer of Infamy dominated the early goings of the match before Balor hit a sling blade on the outside. Balor attacked Priest’s core with a couple of stomps. The Judgment Day tried to interfere but Priest took care of them. A South of Heaven later and the former world champion emerged as the winner.
This was a solid hard-hitting match-up between two former tag team champions. That said, I thought there was something missing from this match-up. Perhaps the WWE Universe was too focused on the next Ripley versus Liv match-up they overlooked the intensity Priest versus Balor brought to the ring.
In-ring segment ft. Triple H, Gunther, Goldberg & Sami Zayn
Triple H came down to the ring. The Game announced WWE’s plans for an annual event beginning at the 2024 Crown Jewel PLE. Gunther showed up and claimed he’d add another title to his impressive resume. The Ring General saw Goldberg in the crowd and told him it wasn’t true when he told Bret Hart Bill was his favorite wrestler. Goldberg crosses the barricade but Sami Zayn attacks Gunther inside the ring. Triple H raises Goldberg’s hand as the segment comes to a close.
It seems they are scrapping the champion vs. champion stipulation for Survivor Series by putting it on Crown Jewel. It also seems that the Saudis want another Goldberg match after paying him loads of ‘blood money’ to work Roman Reigns in 2022. The possibility of Gunther versus Goldberg has me intrigued, I’m not going to lie. If they are really gunning for the match, then let Bill officiate Cody versus Gunther at Crown Jewel to set up The Man vs. The Ring General. Oh, and Sami isn’t winning against Gunther on RAW tonight.
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley – Women’s World Championship match
Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan had a custom entrance only for Dom to enter the shark cage. Rhea Ripley attacked Liv but the champion actually managed to control he majority of the match. Dom escaped the cage but found his leg attached to the chain. Ripley took her time beating the crap out of her former Latino Heat with a kendo stick. Raquel Rodriguez attacked Ripley to cause a DQ ending to the match.
I thought Rhea was going to make a ragdoll out of Liv but she didn’t, which was quite surprising. Rhea reversing Liv’s finisher with a kipup was cool. The referee telling Rhea that Dom deserved a beating was hilarious. Raquel’s intervention was the biggest letdown in this match-up.
Yes, she has some major history with Ripley but Big Mami Cool got a minimal reaction when she showed up. It didn’t help that the end was a bit confusing, as Raquel dragged Liv onto Rhea to make the pin after the ref called for the bell. It looks like there was some kind of miscue, but let’s see how they book this feud moving forward.
Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu – WWE Bad Blood main event
Rhodes and Fatu kicked off the action. Reigns got the tag. Sikoa entered next. Both teams went back and forth until the match picked up pace towards the end. Rhodes put Fatu through the broadcast table with a splash from the top rope. The Tongans tried to interfere but were taken care of by a returning Jimmy Uso. Reigns planted Sikoa with a spear for the win. The Bloodline ganged up on Rhodes inside the ring. Jimmy and Reigns made the save. As the two rivals pose for a staredown, The Rock returned with his title around his shoulders. The Great One delivered a cryptic tease as the show went off the air.
The in-ring action made it seem like a standard SmackDown tag team main event. This match didn’t pick up pace until the closing moments. The crowd popped big time to finally see Reigns and Fatu duke it out. Cody taking out Fatu with a splash was arguably the highlight of the match. It’s great to see Jimmy finally back on TV and reunite with Reigns. Now it’s only a matter of time before Jey joins the mix. Rocky’s return was ruined, to some extent, by Pat McAfee on his podcast. Still, I couldn’t be more hyped for what WWE has in store for us fans at Survivor Series 2024.
Check up on everything that went down at WWE Bad Blood here.
How would you rate WWE Bad Blood on a scale of one to ten? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
