Reviews

The John Report: WWE Bad Blood 2024 Review

By John Canton • Published 5th October 2024
WWE Bad Blood Review tjrwrestling

It’s WWE Bad Blood featuring CM Punk-Drew McIntyre inside Hell in Cell and Cody Rhodes teaming with Roman Reigns against The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu.

The Bad Blood PLE is back after 20 years. They used the Badd Blood (with two D’s) name way back in 1997 when Shawn Michaels beat The Undertaker in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match thanks to a debuting Kane. Many people feel that it’s still the best HIAC match ever and I am inclined to agree with that. That match took place on October 5th, which is the date of today’s show, so I assume when WWE knew that this would be a PLE date, somebody mentioned the history and here we are with the Bad Blood name again.

Bad Blood has a 6 p.m. local start time in Atlanta, so it’s one hour earlier than the usual 7 p.m. ET start time that WWE is going with. That’s because there’s a UFC PPV later tonight and since WWE & UFC are together under the TKO Group corporate umbrella, the bosses wanted this show to be done before the UFC PPV takes place. These PLE’s usually go around three hours, plus a post-show with a press conference, so it all should be wrapped up in four hours or less.

There was a one-hour Bad Blood Countdown Show on WWE’s YouTube channel, but I don’t watch those. Let’s get to the main show with the CM Punk-Drew McIntyre match up first.

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WWE Bad Blood
From State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday, October 4, 2024

The WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin sang “God Bless America” and she did a great job as always.

They showed CM Punk hanging out with fans earlier in the day while Drew McIntyre was walking around the Hell in a Cell structure. The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor was shown with his buddies while Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley were hanging out earlier in the day.

A cold open video package aired setting up the Bad Blood PLE while hyping up the big matches on the show.

They showed Paul “Triple H” Levesque walking backstage with Michael Cole saying that Triple H had a historic announcement tonight.

Cody Rhodes, the Undisputed WWE Champion, was shown driving up with singer Metro Boomin since they were featured in the commercials and the cold open for the show.

Let’s Hear from WWE Bad Blood Hosts

The Bad Blood hosts were WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill along with Naomi. Jade welcomed us to Bad Blood. They were all in red outfits. Belair said that it will be a historic night. Naomi said it’s their job to get this started with Hell in a Cell.

Analysis: That was quick. Thanks, ladies. I don’t know why the show needed hosts, but there you go. I like all three of them.

The steel Hell in a Cell structure was lowered for the 53rd Hell in a Cell match in WWE history. At that point, the Hell in a Cell structure lowered around the ring.

Drew McIntyre made his entrance for the first match of the night. The fans were booing him while Drew looked very serious going into this match. They had that cool 4K camera on him as he made his entrance. Drew is 0-2 in Hell in a Cell matches with losses against Randy Orton and Bobby Lashley inside the cell.

It was Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary. I think they should have Wade Barrett with them to make it a three man team, but WWE likes just having those two guys there.

They showed Bill Goldberg sitting at ringside with his son Gage. A hip-hop singer Kiler Mike was beside Goldberg. Cole said he was a big fan.

CM Punk made his entrance to a big ovation. Some of the fans were singing his theme song on his way to the ring. Punk had a long stare at the Hell in a Cell structure as he made his way down to the ring. Punk is 2-2 in Hell in a Cell matches with Cole mentioning Punk beat Ryback in a HIAC match. A Ryback mention? Those are rare. It is factual information at least. The Prime logo was in the middle of the ring as usual for WWE PLE shows.

Hell in a Cell Match: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk

It was 16 minutes into the show as the bell rang. That’s not a complaint. I’m just telling you when the action began. They started with punches and the bigger McIntyre overpowered Punk. Drew sent Punk out of the ring and Punk bumped into the cell. Drew left the ring, so Punk sent him into the cell. Punk hit a shoulder tackle on Drew against the cell. Punk rammed Drew’s head into the cell. Punk pulled out a table from under the ring, which drew cheers from the fans of course. Drew managed to get a chair and he hit Punk in the back with the chair. Cole said that this won’t be some five star wrestling classic. Hey Cole, that’s my job pal. I get what Cole was saying to put over the idea that it’s going to be a fight. Drew stomped on Punk’s head by the steel steps. Drew dumped a toolbox on the apron and Drew tried to attack Punk with a wrench, but Punk avoided it and Drew hit the ring post. Punk used the wrench to grind it against Drew’s head or at least he did that in theory while probably not touching his head that much. They were back in the ring and Drew hit a boot to the head. Drew ripped the legs off a table and tried to attack with that steel weapon, but Punk avoided it. Punk sent Drew into the table that was on the mat. Punk used the steel bars from the bottom of the table and gouged it to Drew’s head. Punk slammed Drew’s back hard onto the steel legs of the table two times in a row. Drew blocked Punk’s attempt to drive Drew’s eye into the table leg. Drew left the ring, Punk went after him there, Punk wanted a GTS, Drew was able to avoid that and Drew hit a running Claymore Kick on the floor. Drew picked up Punk and launched him into the cell, which led to Punk doing a blade job and he was bleeding on the right side of his head. Drew walked away to the other side of the cell, so that gave Punk the time to do the blade job. It’s a new era of WWE. Drew picked up the steel steps and hit Punk in the head with them.

They went back into the ring where Drew jabbed the wrench into the open wound on the side of Punk’s head. The audio on my feed here on Sportsnet in Canada has been having issues, but I’m trying to enjoy it. Drew punched Punk in the head. Punk managed to get some offense going with the running high knee against the turnbuckle. Punk jumped off the top rope and hit a double axhandle to Drew’s head. Punk tried using the wrench for an attack, but Drew avoided it and Drew hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex across the ring. Drew did a kip-up to show he was doing just fine. Drew set up for a Claymore Kick, but Punk rolled out of the ring. Drew walked over to Punk, who hit Drew in the head with the toolbox. Drew was busted open and bleeding heavily from the forehead. That’s a big gusher. Punk hit Drew with the toolbox to the head again. Punk jumped of the top and hit Drew in the head with the toolbox. Punk hit the running knee to the head three times in a row. Punk followed up with a bulldog out of the corner. Drew went for a move, Punk got out of it and Punk hit a GTS, but Drew fell out of the ring to avoid being pinned. The fans were chanting “this is awesome” for them and that’s right. Punk sent Drew into the ring, Drew was back up and Drew hit a Claymore Kick for the one…two…and no! Punk got his left shoulder up. Drew went for another Claymore Kick, but Punk avoided it and Punk went for a Sharpshooter. Punk didn’t apply it perfectly right away, but then he got it right and had the move locked in. Drew managed to grab the wrench and hit Punk in the back with it. The two guys collapsed to the mat. Referee Shawn Bennett wiped their heads to help clear the blood a bit.

Punk and Drew got back to their feet as they exchanged exhausted punches about 20 minutes into this match. Drew went for a Future Shock DDT, Punk countered with a lift attempt and then Drew got out of that. There were chops followed by Punk hitting a roundhouse kick that knocked Drew down. They were back up on the apron where Punk hit Drew with a knee to the head. Drew picked up Punk and gave him a suplex from the apron through a table that was on the floor. The fans were going crazy for that and chanting “this is awesome” for it. That was a very innovative spot and they nailed it perfectly. Drew brought the steel steps into the ring while selling a back injury. Graves said that he’s glad the referee was there because Punk won’t quit until his heart stops or the lights go out for him. Drew tried a move, but Punk came back with a GTS for the one…two…and no because Drew got his left shoulder up. Drew gave Punk a White Noise slam (Air Raid Crash) on the steel steps so that Punk’s back hit the steps hard. That got a two count for Drew. Drew picked up Punk going for a slam, but Punk applied the Anaconda Vice submission on the left arm/shoulder. Drew grabbed the wrench, Punk took it from him and Punk hit Drew in the head with the wrench a few times. Drew was on his need praying, but then Drew hit a low blow uppercut and there was a lot more blood flowing from Drew’s head at that moment due to those wrench shots to the head. Drew grabbed a black bag from outside the ring and brought it into the ring. The referee Shawn Bennett tried to wipe Drew’s forehead, but Drew shoved it away. Drew poured out the bag that was full of plastic beads on the bracelet that Drew stole from Punk for months. Drew charged for a Claymore Kick, Punk avoided it and Drew went back first onto the steel steps! Ouch. That was painful. Punk put a steel chain around his left knee and put some beads in Drew’s mouth. Punk hit a GTS with the left knee that had the chain and Punk covered Drew for the one…two…and three. It went 31:27.

Winner by pinfall: CM Punk

Analysis: ***** It was an incredible match. It’s a five star match to me. Good luck to the rest of the card following this bloody battle. It was an epic Hell in a Cell match that had a lot of hype and I think they lived up to it. They used a lot of weapons around the ring, they used weapons in the ring and they took some big bumps along the way. That Punk bump through the table on the floor was nasty and then Drew took that huge bump on the steel steps in the ring and that was awful to see. They had a lot of chemistry together in terms of their moves, their nearfalls and just how believable it was as a fight. This wasn’t just some wrestling match. It was a very unique, bloody brawl that certainly lived up to the legacy of the great Hell in a Cell match. I also think this match solidified these two for the WWE Feud of the Year as well because the only thing that was missing was an amazing match and they delivered that here. These two veterans put on a masterful performance because they sold everything well, they took their time and they didn’t rush through it. A lot of wrestlers in today’s business can learn from this because it’s important to slow down, sell the big moves and make everything matter. When people go too quickly to do a bunch of cool moves, it’s not the right way to do a long match like that. Take your time, tell a story and do it this way. It’s a match that reminded

CM Punk celebrated the win. They showed some replays of the key spots in the match. Drew was down on the mat for a while selling the finish, which is the right thing to do. When Punk left the cell, he slammed the cell door as if to say that he was done with McIntyre for now. During his walk in the aisle, Punk collapsed to sell the idea that it was a brutal match. Raw GM Adam Pearce was there along with other officials and EMTs to check on Punk. They put an oxygen mask on Punk’s face while Drew finally got back up in the ring. Punk said “let me call my wife” as he slowly went to the back. The camera cut away when the EMTs got to Drew in the ring.

Analysis: I liked all that post match stuff. It adds to the realism and how special of a match that was.

A commercial aired about how The Fiend is now available in the WWE 2K24 video game.

There was a commercial for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas on April 19-20, 2025. Tickets are on sale later this month.

There was a video package for the Nia Jax-Bayley match.

They showed WWE Hall of Famer Jaqueline at ringside along with former ring announcer Lilian Garcia and two-time WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, who is literally on WWE TV weekly as an NXT announcer.

There was a VIP Suite shown with Cathy Kelley talking to Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Naomi and others. The great Mickie James was there along with Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso, Tully Blanchard, Diamond Dallas Page, X-Pac and others. The women hosts said they were excited about Liv and Rhea. Naomi said that Bayley was going to do it tonight. Belair wished Bayley the best of luck since Belair is an old rival of Bayley. They didn’t always get along.

WWE Women’s Championship: Nia Jax vs. Bayley

I missed a few minutes at the start and when I came back, Jax was going for a bearhug until Bayley got out of it. Bayley did a sunset flip, but Jax got out of that leading to a submission where she wrenched on the left knee. Bayley got to the ropes to break the hold. Jax hit a running splash on Bayley against the ropes. Bayley slid under Jax to avoid her and Bayley sent Jax to the apron. Bayley hit a leg drop to the back of the neck while Jax was by the ropes. Bayley hit a baseball slide dropkick that knocked down Jax to the floor. Bayley hit a neckbreaker off the ropes. Jax was on the floor, so Bayley went for a suicide dive. It didn’t look smooth, but they sold it anyway. Back in the ring, Jax hit a headbutt. Jax slammed Bayley upside down against the turnbuckle followed by a running splash. Jax hit a running hip attack. Jax teased the Annihilator, but Bayley got back up and hit forearms to the back of the knees. Bayley went for a Powerbomb, but Jax reversed it into a headscissors (sort of) and Jax hit a belly-to-belly slam for two. Bayley managed to counter Jax and Bayley hit a knee to the head. The fans were chanting “We Want Tiffy” for Tiffany Stratton. Bayley hit a running Powerbomb into the turnbuckle. Bayley went up top and hit a top rope elbow drop for a two count where Jax shoved Bayley from inside the ring out to the floor. Jax went for a charging attack, Bayley moved and Jax hit the steel steps. Bayley went back into the ring to break the referee’s count. When Bayley went back out, Jax punched Bayley to stop a leaping attack. Jax gave Bayley a safe Powerbomb on the steel steps where she held onto her and Jax sent Bayly hard into the barricade.

They were back in the ring where Jax hit a sloppy looking Samoan Drop for a two count. Jax went to the turnbuckle, Bayley went after her again, but Jax hit a back elbow to knock Bayley down. Bayley showed off her power by hitting a Samoan Drop on Jax for two. Jax powered out Bayley so that Bayley landed on referee Jessika Carr. Bayley hit Jax and Jax splashed referee Carr by accident. Bayley hit a Stunner-like move followed by the Roseplant into the mat. Bayley had Jax covered, but there was no referee to count. Tiffany Stratton ran out to the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase and Stratton hit Bayley with the MITB briefcase multiple times. Stratton got referee Jessika Carr to get back up, the briefcase was in Carr’s hands and Jax sat back up, so Stratton denied that she was going to cash in. Bayley drove Jax into Stratton and got a rollup where Bayley sat on top for one…two…no because Jax powered out of it. That was a good spot for a two count. Jax charged, Bayley moved and Jax hit the turnbuckle. Bayley went up top, Stratton threw her briefcase at Bayley and Bayley threw it back at her. That allowed Jax to get back up and Jax hit a top rope Samoan Drop. Jax followed up with the Annihilator splash for the pinfall win at 14:11.

Winner by pinfall: Nia Jax

Analysis: *** The match was solid with some sloppy moments because it’s a Nia Jax match and she’s not always smooth out there. Bayley did a good job of selling Jax’s power while also doing some impressive power moves of her own like that Samoan Drop. The big story was about Tiffany Stratton teasing yet another cash in, but it didn’t happen. Anyway, Jax getting the win was the obvious result here. I think Stratton will be the one to beat Jax maybe before year’s end or early next year. A returning Charlotte Flair in early 2025 could be a factor too.

Nia Jax left as the WWE Women’s Champion while Tiffany Stratton was at ringside with her Money in the Bank briefcase.

Analysis: Whenever Stratton cashes in Money in the Bank on Jax, Stratton is going to be a massive babyface. They need to keep building it up with Jax being a jerk to her so that the fans gain more sympathy for Stratton. Don’t rush it and it will work very well.

A commercial aired for SummerSlam on August 2 & 3, 2025 in New Jersey.

There was a commercial promoting NXT on Tuesdays on the CW.

Xavier Woods was featured in a video trying out the Dragonball Sparking Zero game. I have no idea what’s going on. I quit gaming over a decade ago and don’t know a thing about Dragonball Z other than my younger relatives like it. If you like it, that’s cool.

A video package aired about the Damian Priest-Finn Balor match that saw them be allies for over two years in The Judgment Day until it all fell apart. Balor was jealous of Priest’s success so Balor turned on Priest and Priest became a babyface.

They showed WWE Hall of Famers at ringside: X-Pac, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. Good ovations for all of them.

Finn Balor was up first with a hood on his head. Balor is one half of the World Tag Team Champions. Balor had some black face paint on the left side of his face. Damian Priest got a nice ovation from the crowd for his entrance. They showed rapper Quavo at ringside. Rapper Lil Baby was at ringside too. Cole was so excited for these rappers. Metro Boomin was also at ringside for the match.

Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

This match is sponsored by the Dragonball Sparking Zero game with the logo all around the ring. Priest was in control early on as he sent Balor hard into the turnbuckle. Balor left the ring, Priest went after him and Balor hit a Slingblade on the floor. Back in the ring, Balor stomped on Priest a few times. Balor raked Priest in the eyes followed by a chinlock. They were back up with Priest charging at Balor, who got his feet up and Balor jumped off the turnbuckle so Priest punched him in the jaw. Balor came back with a side Russian legsweep for just a one count. Balor went for an abdominal stretch, Priest powered out of it and Priest slammed Balor down with an arm drag across the ring. Priest punched Balor in the face a few times followed by a forearm to the face. Priest hit a running back splash on Balor. Priest countered a Balor move with a Broken Arrow slam for two. Balor avoided a Priest move leading to Balor hitting a Slingblade. Priest came back with a spinning kick to the head two times in a row followed by a running clothesline for two. Priest delivered a kick, then Balor avoided a kick and Balor hit an overhead kick that he does so well. Both guys were down selling for a few moments. Balor tripped up Priest leading to a stomp to the chest. Priest blocked a lift and Priest hit a Razor’s Edge for a two count. Balor left the ring, so Priest hit him with a shoulder tackle onto the commentary table. Priest gave Balor a Razor’s Edge onto the edge of the ring apron.

Priest pulled the straps down, so that was the cue for The Judgment Day to come down to ringside. Carlito distracted the referee and JD McDonagh did a necksnap to Priest on the top rope, which the referee didn’t see. Balor dropkicked Priest into the turnbuckle. Balor went up top and hit the Coup de Grace double foot stomp on Priest for a two count. Good nearfall. Balor was shocked by that. I was not shocked. Priest punched Carlito off the apron and gave JD a back body drop over the top to the floor. Balor got a rollup on Priest for two. Balor countered Priest and hit a reverse DDT with an elbow drop. Balor went up top and hit Coup de Grace to Priest’s back. Balor went up top again and hit a Coup de Grace to Priest’s back again. Balor jumped off the top, Priest caught him and Priest hit South of Heaven for the pinfall win after about 12:41.

Winner by pinfall: Damian Priest

Analysis: ***1/4 It was a pretty good match with Balor nearly getting the win thanks to The Judgment Day’s involvement, but I didn’t expect a Balor win here. Priest kicking out of Coup de Grace wasn’t a surprise. Priest managed to take care of Carlito & JD easily, which led right into Priest picking up the win. It was like a Raw main event match rather than some epic PLE match. It was fine for what it was and it was a way for Priest to get some revenge against his former allies in The Judgment Day group. It’s fine for what it was, but nothing that special about it.

A commercial aired for Survivor Series on November 30th.

They showed Triple H sitting in the Gorilla Position with Cole saying that Triple H will join us shortly.

This Monday on Raw:

* Jey Uso defends the Intercontinental Title vs. Xavier Woods

* Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook Match: Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

* Gunther defends the World Heavyweight Title vs. Sami Zayn

Let’s Hear From WWE CCO Triple H

It’s time to play The Game because here comes WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and there was a huge ovation for him. Triple H was in a suit as he made his way into the ring.

Triple H was in the ring standing beside a podium that had a Crown Jewel logo on it and something that was underneath a cover. Triple H said it’s hard to believe it was 30 years ago when he was living in Atlanta and “Terra Ryzing” WCW. Triple H said now they are making history with 16,092 fans in attendance. Hunter said it was their 60th sellout of 2024 and their largest-grossing arena event in WWE history. They keep jacking up the prices, I guess. They are in a position to do that with how hot the company is right now.

Triple H said in just four weeks, one of the biggest events of the year takes place, it is Crown Jewel. Hunter said this year at Crown Jewel they will make history because it will be the beginning of a new era. Hunter said that the reigning WWE Champion will face the World Champion for both the men and the women. Hunter said that neither title will be on the line, but he promises us there will be a definitive winner. Triple H revealed a new championship saying that the winner will be 2024’s Crown Jewel Champion. It was a flashy title. Hunter said it was 50 karats of diamonds that would signify the winner as the best of the best.

Analysis: I was excited about the Triple H major announcement, but it wasn’t that major to me since it’s just a way of promoting the Crown Jewel PLE in four weeks. That means that the matches would be Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther and Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan if there are no title changes before that, but there certainly could be title changes. It looked like the rich Saudi guys paid for two ridiculously expensive title belts that really don’t mean much, but it will go to whoever wins the men’s and women’s matches between the top champions in the company.

The World Heavyweight Champion Gunther made his way down to the ring in dress clothes as usual. Triple H shook Gunther’s hand when he got in the ring. Gunther said what would Bad Blood be without the World Heavyweight Championship? The fans booed. Gunther said that last time in Saudi Arabia, Triple H handed him the King of the Ring trophy and we’ll do the same with the Crown Jewel Championship. Gunther mentioned he’s defending the World Championship against Sami Zayn on Raw. Gunther said they both know that people like Sami have their role, but they aren’t cut out to be a top guy. Gunther said that as a future legend himself, he wanted to spotlight on the legends. The fans chanted “Goldberg” because he was shown earlier.

Gunther mentioned Bill Goldberg sitting at ringside. Gunther said that he was happy they could meet in this fashion. Gunther wanted to clarify something. Gunther said it wasn’t true that Goldberg was a childhood hero. Gunther wondered how he could be impressed by a one trick pony like Goldberg. Gunther said no disrespect and said he was busting balls. Gunther mentioned Bill’s son Gage saying that he hopes Bill is a better father than he is a professional wrestler.

Goldberg got up and went over the barricade. The fans were loving it. Gunther said he had three minutes for him. Security went to ringside and they were mostly short indy wrestlers. Sami Zayn showed up out of nowhere and attacked Gunther with punches. Zayn jumped over the top rope to dive onto Gunther at ringside. Zayn was held back, so Gunther kicked Zayn in the head. Gunther tried to go backstage, but Zayn went after him and Zayn knocked Gunther down again. Raw GM Adam Pearce told Zayn not now and to wait until Monday.

Triple H raised Goldberg’s hand in the ring. Goldberg posed in the ring while the fans chanted “Goldberg” or maybe it just plays in the song.

Analysis: Gunther did a great job with that promo in terms of getting heat by trashing Goldberg, who is beloved in Atlanta. Gunther also made it personal by mentioning Goldberg’s son Gage and trashing Goldberg as a father and wrestler. This makes me think that WWE might give Goldberg that one final match he wants by having him face Gunther perhaps at Survivor Series or Royal Rumble. I really don’t want to see another Goldberg match, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he has a deal for one final match. Anyway, I liked Zayn going after Gunther as well to build up their match on Raw as well.

The 2025 Royal Rumble is coming to Indianapolis on February 1st. Get your tickets now.

A video package aired to set up the Rhea Ripley-Liv Morgan match.

They showed more legends at ringside including WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page, the great (and future Hall of Famer) Mickie James and the WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner as well. They were all cheered as well.

The VIP Suite was shown featuring the Bad Blood hosts. Metro Boomin was asked by Cathy Kelley about what he told Cody Rhodes. Metro said he told Cody to handle his business. Chelsea Green walked into the room, so everybody acted like she still smelled from the Dumpster Match on Smackdown. Green said she didn’t want to be here anyway and Piper Niven said she was going to stay. Green left.

Analysis: Poor Chelsea Green still selling the dumpster smell. That will likely be a running gag for a few weeks.

There was a video of Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan driving around in a low rider. They drove by State Farm Arena. There were very few cars around so I assume it was filmed late last night. They cut to a live shot of Dominik and Liv driving into the arena in the low rider.

Rhea Ripley made her entrance and had some Dominik Mysterio toilet paper with her. Ripley left some of the toilet paper in the shark cage where Dominik will have to spend this match. The fans loved Ripley as usual.

Dominik Mysterio was placed into a Shark Cage at ringside. The Shark Cage was raised above the ring. The storyline is that Dominik is claustrophobic and afraid of heights, so Dominik had to sell the idea that he was very uncomfortable in there. Rhea Ripley did a promo saying that Dominik was afraid of heights, so as the Shark Cage lifted, Dominik had to act like he was panicked by it.

WWE Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley dropkicked Morgan and tossed Morgan across the ring. Ripley hit a fallaway slam on Morgan. They were out on the floor where Morgan shoved Ripley into the steel steps. Ripley slammed Morgan into the apron. Dominik was in the elevated Shark Cage that was in the aisle, so it was not above the ring. Ripley hit a running dropkick on Liv on the floor. Ripley tossed Liv into the barricade. There were “Mami” chants from Ripley. Graves said he hopes one day Ripley meets a nice guy whose Australian with big muscles (a reference to her husband Buddy Matthews/Murphy), so that was a nice line. They left the ring where Morgan kicked Ripley in the left leg. Back in the ring, Morgan kicked Ripley’s left leg again and Morgan hit a running dropkick to the left leg. Morgan rolled through with a half crab submission on the left leg of Ripley. Morgan pulled back on Ripley’s left leg while on the mat. Ripley came back with a headbutt along with two clotheslines. Ripley kicked Morgan in the ribs followed by a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Dominik was looking scared in the Shark Cage above the ring. Morgan took control again by wrenching on Ripley’s left leg and slamming the knee against the ring apron. Dominik was looking scared in the Shark Cage. Morgan rammed Ripley’s left knee against the ring post multiple times to knock Ripley down on the floor. Morgan sent Ripley into the barricade a few times. Morgan broke the referee’s count and Morgan hit a spinning kick to the head. Morgan hit a sunset flip Powerbomb that sent Ripley back-first into the barricade. Back in the ring, Morgan jumped off the middle turnbuckle with a Codebreaker for two. Nice move. Morgan went for Oblivion off the ropes, but Ripley was able to counter it and landed on her feet. Ripley hit a knee to the face. Morgan hooked Ripley’s arms leading to a Crucifix Bomb for two. Graves said that Morgan calls that the Home Wrecker, which is a funny name for the move.

Morgan slapped Ripley repeatedly followed by a Latino heat shake. Morgan hit two vertical suplexes in a row, but Ripley blocked a third attempt. Ripley kicked Morgan in the ribs followed by Ripley hitting a release Powerbomb. Dominik managed to get the door open somehow and he was still up in the air. Ripley went to the turnbuckle and she saw Dominik in the Shark Cage with the door open. Ripley hit a Frog Splash on Morgan for two. Ripley applied the Prism Lock submission, but Morgan got out of it. They left the ring so they were fighting under the Shark Cage that Dominik was in. Ripley sent Morgan into the barricade a few times. Ripley did a “Suck It” gesture at Dominik. Ripley hit a Riptide slam on Morgan on the floor. The referee Dan Engler was letting them fight on the floor and then he was doing a very slow count. Dominik leaned forward and then got his right leg caught on a rope or chain. Dominik wanted some guys nearby to get him down, but they didn’t do it. Ripley told the referee Dan Engler, who had a camera on his earpiece, that she had unfinished business and Ripley left the ring. The referee wasn’t counting as Ripley grabbed a kendo stick and Ripley hit Dominik with the kendo stick repeatedly. Ripley said happy birthday to herself. Raquel Rodriguez showed up and she hit Ripley in the back with a double axhandle that knocked Ripley down. The referee called for the bell so it was a DQ finish. Back in the ring, Raquel gave Ripley a Texana Bomb and put Morgan on top of Ripley. The match went 14:04.

Winner by disqualification: Rhea Ripley (Liv Morgan retains WWE Women’s World Championship)

Analysis: **3/4 A decent match with a confusing finish. I didn’t expect a title change, so I knew that somebody was likely going to interfere and I just didn’t know who it was. It’s a good spot to bring back Raquel Rodriguez, who has been having health issues for most of the year, so it’s good to see Raquel back. Anyway, this was more about the story of Liv finding a way to keep her title by cheating. It really wasn’t about having some amazing match or anything like that.

UPDATE: The finish was supposed to be Raquel helping Liv beat RIpley but when the referee saw Raquel hit Rhea right in front of him, he called for the DQ, which was right by him. There was some sort of mixup with this ending.

Raquel Rodriguez handed Liv Morgan the Women’s World Title. Cole mentioned that Raquel & Liv are good friends who have been Women’s Tag Team Champions in the past. Liv was laughing about it while Raquel was there supporting Liv and Dominik. Rhea Ripley was down in the ring.

Analysis: I think Raquel Rodriguez is better off as a heel, so having her with Liv and friends is a good spot for her.

A video aired about somebody or something “Coming Soon” with a bit of a car theme. It’s for the Motor City Machine Guns coming to Smackdown soon.

The WWE Crown Jewel PLE is four weeks from today on November 2nd, which is two days before my birthday. Just saying.

There was a graphic showing some of the upcoming major WWE shows in the months ahead.

It was main event time so here’s the video package for Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes teaming up against Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu.

The Bloodline team of Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu were up first. This was Jacob’s second WWE PLE match and he’s in the main event. That’s an impressive feat. Referee Jason Ayers was wearing the referee cam like Dan Engler was in the previous match.

The University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff marching band surrounded the ringside area where they played the Cody Rhodes “Kingdom” theme song. After the band was done, the WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes made his entrance while the song played. The crowd was loud for Cody as usual, but they got even louder when it was announced he was from Atlanta. Cole was overrating the match by saying it was the most important match of Cody’s career, which is absolutely ridiculous, but that’s what Cole said. I don’t see how you can say it’s more important than WWE Title matches, but I understand trying to sell a PLE main event match as a big deal.

Roman Reigns made his entrance for his first match in six months since losing to Cody at WrestleMania 40. There were drummers in the aisle along with singers to add to Roman’s entrance. There were some fans chanting “OTC” for Reigns as the Original Tribal Chief. Cole said it was the Georgia Philharmonic that was there to assist with Roman’s entrance. Cole told a story about Dusty Rhodes getting turned on many years ago in this city and he asked the question if Cody could trust Reigns in this match.

Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu

There was a staredown to start the match. Solo held up the Ula Fala red necklace and Fatu handed it to somebody at ringside. Reigns is cousins with Solo and Fatu.

Cody ran the ropes, he hit a shoulder tackle and Fatu dared him to do it again. Cody hit a Disaster Kick, Fatu no sold and Fatu went for a superkick, but Cody avoided it. Solo went into the ring, so Reigns stood beside Cody and Solo backed away. The fans were chanting “f**k you Solo” at Sikoa. Solo tagged in, so Reigns tagged in for the first time while the fans chanted “OTC” for Roman. Solo faced off with Reigns leading to Solo getting a headbutt. Reigns came back by sending Solo into the turnbuckle and Reigns hit the ten punch combo with the fans counting every punch. Solo stopped Reigns with a punch along with a headbutt. Reigns nailed a back elbow to knock Solo down followed by a clothesline out of the ring. Fatu got into the ring illegally to face off with Reigns even though there was no tag. That allowed Solo to hit Reigns with a forearm to the back. Solo headbutted Reigns a few times and Fatu delivered some headbutts while the referee wasn’t watching. The fans were chanting “you can’t wrestle” at Solo, who is not a great in-ring performer, but he’s certainly fine and doesn’t deserve a chant like that. Solo hit a running hip attack that crushed Reigns against the turnbuckle. Fatu hit a running hip attack on Reigns against the turnbuckle and he did that better than Solo did. Fatu yelled at Reigns that Solo was the Tribal Chief. Fatu charged, Reigns avoided it and Fatu hit his hand against the ring post. Reigns sent a charging Fatu out of the ring.

Cody got the tag leading to a running forearm on Fatu followed by a powerslam. Cody did the Dusty elbow smash combo Fatu. Cody jumped off the ropes with a Cody Cutter. Solo distracted Cody, so Cody punched Solo and Fatu hit a Samoan Drop on Cody. Solo tagged in while Cody was dumped on the floor. Solo hit a uranage slam onto the ring apron. It was Cody’s turn to be the face in peril as Solo hit Cody with a back elbow. Fatu did a cheap shot kick to Cody’s head after Solo set up Cody against the ropes. Solo continued to work over Cody a bit. Fatu tagged in leading to a double team Wishbone pull on Cody’s legs. Fatu hit a running forearm on Cody while acknowledging Solo as his Tribal Chief. Fatu bit some of Cody’s fingers while the announcers put over Fatu as a scary man. Fatu grounded Cody by squeezing on his neck, Cody hit a jawbreaker and Solo got the tag leading to a headbutt. Fatu was back in with a running hip attack on Cody and Solo did a running hip attack on Cody as well. Cody hit an armdrag on Fatu and tossed Fatu out of the ring. Solo made the tag, Cody kicked him back and Fatu pulled Reigns off the apron to prevent a tag. Solo hit a clothesline on Cody for a two count. Fatu was back in to stomp on Cody repeatedly. Fatu delivered a body slam. Fatu went up top and jumped off with a Swanton Bomb, but Cody got his knees up to block. Reigns slowly got back up to the apron.

Reigns got the hot tag against Solo so Reigns was on fire with two clotheslines and a leaping clothesline. Reigns hit a running boot to the head followed by a barrage of punches. Reigns sent Solo into the turnbuckle. Reigns went for a Superman Punch, but Solo caught him and Reigns came back with a crucifix pin attempt for two. Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Solo for two. Reigns never wins with the Superman Punch, but it’s a way to get a good nearfall. Reigns set up for more, but Fatu grabbed him. Reigns punched Solo. Fatu went illegally into the ring with a superkick. Solo & Fatu hit a double superkick on Reigns. Fatu hit a moonsault off the top on Reigns. Solo hit an Uso Splash off the top on Reigns for two because Cody made the save. Cody and Fatu left the ring so Cody sent Fatu into the steel steps. Cody cleared off the commentary table. Fatu charged and Cody moved out of the way, so Fatu went crashing through the barricade. Good thing everybody moved there. Cody sent Fatu into a steel chair that was opened on the floor. Cody hit Cross Rhodes on Fatu, who was still moving around. Fatu was back up, so Cody superkicked Fatu two times. Fatu was on the commentary table, Cody went up top and Cody went to the top of the ring post and Cody did a Superfly Splash off the top of the ring post to drive Fatu through the table! Cody did a salute to Reigns before he jumped too. That was a great spot. The fans loved it. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for the action.

It was back to Reigns and Solo fighting in the ring as they exchanged punches. They did a good job of doing the exhausted punch return. Solo hit a superkick, so Reigns bounced off the ropes and Reigns hit a Superman Punch. Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa showed up at ringside, so Reigns went after them and Solo hit a Spear on Reigns for a two count. There was somebody at ringside wearing a hoody and a bandana. That guy superkicked Tama Tong and Tonga Loa. Jimmy Uso is back! Huge pop! The fans were going crazy. Solo turned around and Reigns hit Solo with a Spear for the pinfall win. The match went 25:50.

Winners by pinfall: Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns

Analysis: ***3/4 It was a wild match by the end of it. I don’t think it needed to be as long as it was because there were some parts that weren’t that exciting at all. I think it dragged a bit too much. However, the part with Cody fighting Fatu on the floor and Cody putting him through a table was great, which led to the spot where Jimmy came back to help Reigns win. I’m so glad Jimmy Uso got a huge ovation like that because it’s very well deserved for a guy who’s an excellent wrestler and is maybe forgotten a bit in this story. The fan reaction for Jimmy was awesome and I’m happy he got that moment. Anyway, I expected a Cody & Roman win, so the result didn’t surprise me much.

After the match, Roman Reigns looked up at cousin Jimmy Uso and they embraced in a big hug. The fans popped huge for the cousins reunited once again.

Cody Rhodes was back in the ring and Roman Reigns stared at him. Graves correctly pointed out that Reigns lived up to the promise that he had Cody’s back in the match. Cody and Roman had a bit of a staredown as a sign of respect.

Cody was alone in the ring, so Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa attacked Cody from behind. Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu went back into the ring to join the attack. Jimmy told Roman they had to help. Roman said he was teaming with Cody as a one time thing, but then Roman & Jimmy went into the ring. Roman & Jimmy kicked ass with superkicks and Reigns hit a Superman Punch. Cody stumbled back up to his feet while Reigns slowly picked up the WWE Title that he used to hold for nearly four years. Reigns did the respectful thing by handing the WWE Title back to Cody.

Analysis: It was another way to show that Roman Reigns is in full babyface mode now since he did the right thing by helping Cody Rhodes when he needed it.

If you smell what The Rock is cooking! He’s here. The Rock arrived carrying his People’s Championship on his left shoulder. The fans were going crazy as The Rock stood in the aisle and stared at Cody Rhodes in the ring standing beside Roman Reigns, who had Jimmy Uso with him. Rock held up five fingers in the air, then did a throat slash and walked to the back. Cody, Roman and Jimmy looked on from the ring. That was the end of the show.

Analysis: It was cool to see The Rock there even though he didn’t do much other than stare from a distance. My guess here is that Rock isn’t happy about Reigns aligning himself with Cody. I think Rock will remain in heel mode. I think this could lead to Rock leading a heel Bloodline against Roman and a face Bloodline team that could include Cody, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso and maybe Sami Zayn too. I’m not sure if The Rock wants to wrestle before the end of the year, but he’s never been in a WarGames match, so it would be a new experience for him. Anyway, I’m just throwing it out there as a possibility. It’s an interesting time, that’s for sure.

The runtime of Bad Blood was 3 hours, 29 minutes on WWE Network/Peacock.

After the show, WWE did an angle where Kevin Owens turned on and attacked Cody Rhodes in the parking lot area near Cody’s bus. This will obviously be shown on WWE TV in the coming week. It’s a different way to do a heel turn for Owens, but I think it will be very effective.

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Five Stars of the Show

  1. CM Punk
  2. Drew McIntyre
  3. Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns
  4. Gunther
  5. Rhea Ripley/Liv Morgan

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Final Thoughts

I’m going 7.5 out of 10 for this show.

It was a good show most of the way, but my rating of 7.5 out of 10 makes it one of the bottom three WWE PLEs this year. That’s just because of how good WWE PLEs have been this year. The standout match was obviously the CM Punk-Drew McIntyre bloodbath inside Hell in a Cell. They had one of the best WWE matches of the year to cap off what was probably the best WWE feud of the year. Punk and Drew told a great story because they took their time, everything mattered, they were creative and it was a decisive win for Punk. I liked that match a lot.

The two women’s matches were okay, but neither impressed me that much. Both of them involved people not in the matches. Nia Jax beating Bayley was expected while Tiffany Stratton continues to grow as somebody that the fans want to cheer when she turns face on Jax. The Rhea Ripley-Liv Morgan match had the screwy finish with Raquel Rodriguez getting involved to cost Ripley, so that’s the start of a Raquel/Rhea rivalry just like when they did it in NXT.

As for the non-wrestling segments, I didn’t expect this show would set up a Gunther-Bill Goldberg match, but it seems like that’s the direction they are going in. It seems like one more Goldberg match is likely now.

In the main event, Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns teamed up to beat Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu in a long match. I don’t think it needed to be as long as it went, but I did enjoy the final five minutes of chaos. It was cool to see Jimmy Uso return and help Reigns get the win. The fans popped loudly for Jey hugging Reigns as a babyface Bloodline group seems likely now. The Rock showed up at the end to have a staredown with Cody standing beside Reigns at the end of the show, so that teases Rock being involved soon. I wonder if he’ll be a Part of Survivor Series WarGames because it would be a new match for him. Anyway, I’m intrigued by where it could go next.

Here are my rankings of WWE PLE’s in 2024 so far:

WrestleMania 40 – 8.5 (out of 10)

SummerSlam – 8.5

Backlash France – 8

Bash In Berlin – 8

Clash at the Castle – 8

Money in the Bank – 7.75

Royal Rumble – 7.75

King And Queen Of The Ring – 7.75

Bad Blood – 7.5

Elimination Chamber – 7.5

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As a reminder, I have a listing of every WWE PPV that I reviewed in order by year. Thank you for supporting us at TJRWrestling. We appreciate you.

Thanks for reading this review. My contact info is below.

Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

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