After a somewhat bizarre pre-show video involving Cody Rhodes and hip-hop star Metro Boomin having to do a "classic stakeout" for a reason I couldn't figure out, we go our opening contest - CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match. The commentary team brought up all sorts of facts and figures to give this match historical context (including that this was the 53rd Hell in a Cell match since the concept debuted in 1997). This one was almost instantly universally praised because it finally gave us what this match was initially designed to give fans - a violent, bloody, old school brawl. Both Punk and McIntyre got "color," something that has been noticeably absent from the past few dozen Hell in a Cell matches, many of which were completely forgettable despite some innovative spots here and there (to be honest, the last couple I can really remember were Orton/Jeff Hardy [because it involved some ridiculous torture spots involving piercings and ear lobes], the legendarily shitty Bray Wyatt/Seth Rollins one, and, IIRC, a solid New Day/Usos one involving lots and lots of kendo sticks). With a runtime of 30 minutes, this one never felt boring or like they were repeating spots. The violence escalated well, leading to one of the most brutal finishes I've seen in quite awhile as Drew McIntyre essentially launched himself, lower back-first, into the steel steps (the referee squeezed McIntyre's hand immediately after he landed to check to make sure he hadn't paralyzed himself). I wasn't a huge fan of the borderline too-cutesy bag-of-beads moment, but it did put a fitting bow on a storyline where the theft and destruction of friendship bracelet has been a key plot device (an element that almost seems like it was done as a dare to see how over Punk can get something so "unmanly"). As good as Punk was here - and his selling and comebacks and the bumps he took all show he can still go - its Drew McIntyre who may be coming out of this feud having proven he is a top 5 guy of the past decade. I'm not going to go as high as the fans over at Cagematch (who've rated this at 9.38-out-of-10 as I'm writing this), but it was certainly "must see" and possibly a WWE Match of the Year. (4/5)
Next up - Nia Jax vs. Bayley. I liked their SummerSlam match, giving it a solid above-average score of 3-out-of-5. I liked their match at NXT Takeover: London many moons ago (rating that match an even stronger 3.5-out-of-5). This might've been their most ambitious match, with Nia attempting to apply a half-crab at one point and also a hurricanrana to not-so-good results, but the execution simply wasn't there. I commend their attempt to give the fans something new after having faced each other dozens of times in singles and tags over the years and they had a very hard act to follow, but the sloppiness could not be ignored at times as Nia seemed to be confused/out of gas/out of position at least 3-4 times (including one noticeable gaffe that even Michael Cole noted as looking "odd" on commentary). That being said, there was also some good moments, including a terrific ref bump in which Nia Jax looked like she absolutely crushed the poor official. This led to Tiffany Stratton showing up, though she didn't end up cashing in the briefcase. Overall, a noticeable step down from their previous two major matches despite their best efforts. (2/5)
Damien Priest vs. Finn Balor followed after Michael Cole announced the attendance of various hip-hop stars (Quavo, Lil' Baby, and the aforementioned Metro Boomin'). Priest and Balor had a bit of challenge in this match as there was no title on the line and no stipulation to build the match around despite this feud certainly being worthy of one. Really good heel work out of Balor early on with Priest bringing the physicality and, at one point, nearly knocking Balor's head off with a big uppercut when Balor came off the ropes. When they brought the match to the outside, Priest delivered a Razor's Edge onto the ring apron and looked like he was in full control. Carlito and McDonough came out to distract Priest, allowing Balor to hit the Coup De Gras, but Priest kicked out at 2. Again the heels tried to distract Priest, but Priest ended up knocking out all 3. Balor recovered and hit a double stomp to the back of Priest's neck and then another onto his lower back. When he went for the third, Priest caught him in a choke and connected with a South of Heaven to get a very decisive victory. Priest's big push continues, but its hard not to see it as deserved as he has consistently brought the goods when he's needed to and the audience seems to be behind him for now. This was good, not great. I'd argue it could've used a few more minutes too. (3/5)
Triple H came out to make what was hyped as a "historical announcement," though I figured it would be the reveal of an upcoming stadium show in Atlanta. Triple H got some cheap pops by referencing his time in WCW before announcing that this show was the largest gate for an arena show in company history, which makes me wonder how much tickets were more than impresses me. Anyway...Triple H announced that Crown Jewel will become the annual battleground for Champion vs. Champion matches in which neither championship will be on the line but the winner will win the ridiculously large "Crown Jewel Championship." Triple H's announcement brought out current World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER, looking dapper in a military green suit. GUNTHER/Cody Rhodes in 4 weeks? Not a bad main event considering how good their Royal Rumble face-off was last year. GUNTHER cut an absolutely awesome promo on Goldberg, which led to Goldberg hopping the rail and then being held back by security. Sami Zayn came running in and the two needed to be celebrated by security too. I couldn't care less about the Crown Jewel Championship, but the GUNTHER promo was exceptional. Great segment. (+1)
Next up - Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan for Morgan's World Championship (no longer called the Women's World Championship or the RAW Women's Title or anything like that). Dominik Mysterio was put in a Shark Cage to prevent him from interfering, which was a nice bit of "throwback" booking. I thought Morgan and Rhea showed off tremendous chemistry with each other and there were multiple really excellent maneuvers (including a great bridging suplex from Ripley and a beauty of a sunset flip powerbomb on the outside out of Liv). Liv and Ripley have obviously had lots of opportunities to work out their timing and their sequences, but this felt like the match where it really all came together. I loved the eventual involvement (or non-involvement) from Dominik and thought him hanging from the cage by his foot was a tremendous visual. Some fans have really jumped on Raquel Rodriguez's return as being "botched" because it led to a DQ and not a definitive win for Ripley, but I didn't find it too offensive and Rodriguez laying Morgan on top of Ripley wasn't the worst botch I've ever seen and is definitely being a bit overblown. Or maybe I'm just over-apologetic because I thought this match was pretty great. (3.5/5)
Main event time - Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu vs. Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. Rhodes got a ridiculously over-the-top entrance as his theme song was played by a marching band. Still, it was the return of Roman Reigns that seemed to get the bigger response in front of the Atlanta crowd and throughout the match. These four had a very old school, arguably "tame" match that was much heavier on storytelling rather than high spots, though that could've and should've been expected by anyone familiar with these men's work. Reigns and Sikoa are not "workrate" guys, while Cody tends to work at the speed and pace of his opponent rather than dictate the pace. Fatu has the flashiest, most high-risk moveset of all the competitors, but it is his aura that really sets him apartand its clear that this is the focus of the commentators and producers even more than his athletic feats. Like many of the previous Bloodline-based matches, the action got much more explosive and fast-paced in the closing minutes as Jimmy Uso made his return after Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa interfered to prevent the babyfaces from scoring a victory. Eventually, Reigns got the big pinfall, but it was the post-match action that most fans will probably remember most about this match. As Jimmy and Roman exited the arena, the New Bloodline attacked Rhodes, which led to Roman and Jimmy clearing them out of the ring. As Cody raised his Universal Championship, The Rock came onto the stage to a massive response and seemed to signal his disapproval of Reigns and Jimmy helping Rhodes. It was a cool, big moment on top of a match that had plenty of heat, audience engagement, and solid storytelling even if the pace and the action wasn't exactly revolutionary. (3/5)
With a more than solid 3.3-out-of-5 Kwang Score, Bad Blood 2024 kicked off with a great match - arguably a Match of the Year candidate even - but couldn't sustain that high as the show wore on. The GUNTHER/Goldberg segment was a highlight and Ripley/Morgan was better than it was given credit for. Unfortunately the main event was just sorta there, good but unremarkable and forgettable aside from The Rock's return during the post-match.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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