WWE Bad Blood 2024: The Rock headlines a trio of returns, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre put on an instant classic

Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu entered to a chorus of boos, with a noticeable distance kept between Sikoa, who led, and Fatu, who followed. Corey Graves and Michael Cole explained that fellow Bloodline members Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa were not present because of the ladder match they were in on Friday night during SmackDown.

Cody Rhodes entered next, with his entrance music, "Kingdom," played initially by the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff band. Shortly after, Rhodes' regular music hit and he emerged wearing a skull helmet similar to what he wore at WrestleMania 40.

While Rhodes' entrance was brass, Roman Reigns' was percussion and strings as his entrance music was played by the Georgia Philharmonic. Reigns was an overwhelming crowd favorite in his first match since losing to Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 40.

Before the bell even rang, Rhodes and Reigns appeared to disagree who would start the match off in the ring while the Bloodline presented a united front. Fatu and Rhodes would ultimately start the match off, with the former showing to have been no worse for wear after a shoulder block, slap and Disaster Kick. After that brief sequence, Sikoa stepped into the ring but Reigns followed, signaling that he still had Rhodes' back, as promised.

Fatu then officially tagged in Sikoa and, in response, Rhodes tagged in Reigns, drawing a big ovation from the crowd.

Sikoa went to attack Reigns but was met with a pair of right hands. Sikoa would quickly regain — and lose — momentum a few times, taunting Reigns each time he had the upper hand. Reigns sent Sikoa out to the arena floor and Fatu quickly entered the ring to distract Reigns. With the OTC distracted, Sikoa returned to the ring and pounced.

Sikoa remained in control, landing a massive rear-view on Reigns in the corner before tagging in Fatu, who unleashed an even more furious hip attack. Fatu continued to punish Reigns and went for a massive turnbuckle splash but Reigns avoided and sent Fatu out of the ring, allowing for the hot tag to Rhodes.

Rhodes went on the offensive quickly, landing his patented scoop power slam, the Bionic Elbow and a Cody Cutter on Fatu. As Rhodes went for CrossRhodes on Fatu, Sikoa threatened to enter the ring. The distraction was enough for Fatu to recover and land a huge pop-up Samoan drop. With the Bloodline back in control, Sikoa and Fatu isolated Rhodes from his corner and used tandem — and at times underhanded — offense.

As Fatu punished Rhodes, he went back-and-forth with Reigns, who appeared to say he would never let him in his Bloodline. Sikoa and Fatu alternated tags and hip attacks to Rhodes as Reigns looked on in disbelief. Fatu went for a pin on Rhodes but the champion kicked out. Finally, when Rhodes was about to make the hot tag, Fatu pulled Reigns from the ring apron and the punishment of the Undisputed WWE champion continued.

Fatu ascended to the top rope, looking for a Swanton on Rhodes. Rhodes got his knees up and tried to drag himself to his corner to tag in Reigns. Fatu tagged in Sikoa and Rhodes tagged in Reigns, who immediately picked up the pace and unloaded on Sikoa.

Reigns lined up Sikoa for a Superman Punch, but he countered and attempted a Samoan Spike. Reigns ducked and nearly won on a crucifix rollup of Sikoa. After Sikoa kicked out, Reigns landed a Superman Punch for another near-fall. Reigns would then go for a spear but was interrupted by Fatu. Fatu and Sikoa would unleash a series of superkicks and a moonsault/splash combination for a pin. Rhodes returned to action and broke up the attempt.

Action moved outside the ring and Fatu sent himself through a barricade. Unfazed, Fatu started throwing chairs before ultimately being hit with a CrossRhodes. Still, Fatu refused to relent, forcing Rhodes to land a splash from the top rope onto Fatu through the announce table. This segment drew "this is awesome" chants from the crowd.

Back in the ring, Sikoa and Reigns traded blows before Reigns landed another Superman Punch and lined up a spear. As Sikoa looked to be ready for defeat, Tonga and Loa distracted him and allowed Sikoa to hit a spear of his own for a near-fall.

A hooded figure emerged and took out Tonga and Loa before revealing himself to be the returning Jimmy Uso. The surprise was enough to catch Sikoa off guard and allow Reigns to spear him and score the pinfall victory.

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes defeat Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu in 25:50.

After the bell, Uso and Reigns embraced and then Reigns turned his attention to Rhodes. Reigns stared at Rhodes' championship belt and the two shared a word at a distance before Reigns and Uso left the ring.

As they walked up the ramp, the Bloodline unloaded on Rhodes in the ring. After some coaxing from Uso, they came to Rhodes' aid and cleared the ring. Reigns then picked up Rhodes belt and slowly handed it to Rhodes. As Rhodes lifted it above his head, The Rock's music hit and "The Final Boss" emerged holding his People's Championship. No words were uttered, but The Rock raised his eyebrow, counted to three and exited.

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio arrived to the entrance ramp in a red low rider — a la Eddie Guerrero — and the two made their way to the ring, passing the shark cage in which Mysterio will be suspended in for the duration of the match.

Rhea Ripley paused her entrance to circle the cage and taunt Morgan and Mysterio. Ripley also showed off Dominik Mysterio toilet paper, which Michael Cole called out as being available for purchase from WWE. Cole sold Mysterio as being claustrophobic and afraid of heights ahead of the match.

Once the match started, Ripley started fast, sending Morgan outside the ring and after a brief interruption by the steel steps, slammed Morgan into the ring apron and landed a baseball slide to stay on top for the opening segment of the match.

Morgan took Ripley out with a dragon screw, focusing on the left knee of the challenger, which has been a storyline focus heading into the match. Morgan fought through an elbow strike and locked in a half-crab on Ripley's knee. Ripley eventually forced a break by slamming Morgan's head into the mat repeatedly.

A hobbled Ripley regained momentum with a series of clotheslines, a Ripcord kick and Fisherman's suplex pinning combination. Morgan kicked out and continued to focus on Ripley's leg, repeatedly slamming her left knee into the ring post. The action outside the ring continued as Morgan sent Ripley into the barricade twice and then landed a sunset-flip powerbomb from the ring apron, sending Ripley into the barricade a third time.

Back in the ring, Morgan landed an avalanche Codebreaker for a near-fall. Ripley countered a tornado DDT attempt and Morgan's ObLIVion finisher, taunting the champion. Morgan was able to duck a Ripley strike and landed an excellent crucifix powerbomb into a pin for another near-fall. Morgan then taunted Ripley and the crowd with a shimmy like the late Guerrero used to do. Morgan then went for the Three Amigos but Ripley countered before the third.

As Mysterio unlocked the shark cage, it was Ripley's turn to pay homage to Guerrero, doing a top-rope shimmy of her own before hitting a frog splash for a near-fall. Ripley locked Morgan in her submission finisher and after the rope break turned her attention to Mysterio. Ripley punished Morgan by slamming her into the barricades along the entrance ramp, capping it all off with a Riptide finisher.

Mysterio then fell out of the cage, but his foot was hooked on a chain, leaving him hanging upside down outside the ring. Ripley went to the official and told him she had unfinished business with Mysterio as Morgan was knocked out in the ring. Ripley retrieved a kendo stick from under the ring and unloaded on the defenseless Mysterio.

As Ripley unloaded, Raquel Rodriguez returned to attack Ripley and get Morgan disqualified, keeping the championship with the Judgment Day member.

Rhea Ripley defeats Liv Morgan via disqualification in 14:33.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque made his way to the ring for a teased major announcement. Set up in the ring was a podium with the Crown Jewel logo emblazoned on it. WWE is holding the Crown Jewel premium live event on Saturday, November 2nd in Saudi Arabia.

Levesque announced the attendance for the event at 16,092 and that it was the highest-grossing arena show in WWE history.

Levesque announced an annual event for Crown Jewel, where the reigning WWE Champion and reigning World Champion for both men and women will go toe-to-toe. Neither title will be at stake, instead, the winner will be named the new Crown Jewel Champion.

World Heavyweight Champion Gunther then interrupted Levesque and made his way to the ring. Gunther, who won the King of the Ring in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, said that Levesque will raise his hand as the new Crown Jewel Champion in November. Gunther then cut a brief promo on his opponent Monday night, Sami Zayn.

As Gunther's attention turned to the legends in attendance, the Austrian champion called out Bill Goldberg, who was seated ringside. The crowd ate it up, chanting "Gold-berg" like it was 1998 all over again. Gunther then insulted Goldberg's parenting skills with his son Gage Goldberg, a Colorado Buffaloes football player, in attendance. Goldberg hopped the barricade but was stopped by security and WWE officials.

With Gunther distracted, Zayn struck and took out the champion, sparking a brief brawl. Goldberg got to celebrate in the ring and appeared to call out Gunther with his iconic "You're Next" line.

Another intermission showed WWE Hall of Famers X-Pac, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson seated ringside before Finn Balor made his relatively muted entrance. Priest's entrance followed as Michael Cole continued to announce all of the various Atlanta-area celebrities in the crowd.

Priest started off very strong, overpowering and pummeling his former Judgment Day comrade. After being fired into the turnbuckle off an Irish whip, Balor landed a series of kicks to Priest. The flurry was brief Priest delivered a kick to Balor and sent him crashing to the arena floor.

As Priest sprinted around the ring, presumably to shoulder tackle Balor over the announce table. the Raw tag team champion landed a Slingblade. Balor kept the upper hand as action returned to the ring, locking in a choke hold, delivering elbow strikes and then a headlock on Priest. Where Balor used speed and underhanded tactics to punish Priest, the former World Heavyweight Champion continued to utilize his power advantage.

After an impressive tornado Russian leg sweep, Balor slowed the pace with an abdominal stretch. Priest powered out, unleashed furious punches to Balor and would pick up a near-fall with a Broken Arrow suplex. Any time Balor mounted any offense, Priest snuffed out the momentum with his powerful strikes.

Both men would crash to the mat as Balor ducked a roundhouse kick from Priest and hit a Pele kick. Balor drew boos as he landed two stomps on Priest. As was the case for much of the match, the onslaught was brief, with Priest countering a third stomp attempt into a Razor's Edge and near-fall.

Balor escaped outside the ring, but Priest chased him, landing the shoulder block into the announce table he attempted earlier in the match. Successful this time, Priest followed up with a Razor's Edge onto the ring apron. With the action returning to the ring and Balor laid out, Judgment Day members Carlito and JD McDonagh took out Priest. Balor landed a Coup de Grace but Priest kicked out at two.

Priest was able to recover enough to take out Balor, who was attacking with a steel chair. He then removed Carlito and McDonagh from the equation, but was met with an intense attack from Balor. Balor landed several high-impact moves but his last Coup de Grace attempt was met with a South of Heaven chokeslam from Priest, who picked up the win.

Damian Priest defeats Finn Balor in 12:50

After a brief intermission showing WWE Hall of Famers Jacqueline and Booker T as well as Lillian Garcia ringside and a peek into the "VIP lounge," Bayley was first to enter.

Nia Jax followed, notably not accompanied by Tiffany Stratton, who also has the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Both women charged at one another to start the match, with Jax quickly gaining the upper hand by overpowering Bayley in every way imaginable. Unlike the night's first match, which didn't have a pinfall attempt for the first 18-plus minutes, Jax went for the victory less than a minute in. Bayley kicked out at two but the dominance continued from Jax.

Bayley attempted some offense but was caught in mid-air by Jax and locked in a bear hug. After a sunset flip and pin attempt from Bayley, Jax locked in a single-leg submission and continued to punish Bayley. The challenger was able to escape a second submission, a Camel Clutch, and utilized her speed to send Jax outside the ring and deliver a baseball slide.

After another pinfall attempt, Bayley again sent Jax outside the ring and dove between the bottom and middle ropes to take out Jax.

Bayley's offense was short-lived as Jax turned the tables and set Bayley up for the An-Nia-lator finisher. Before the champion was able to deliver the move, Bayley lept to her feet and went for a powerbomb that appeared to be reversed into a hurricanrana by Jax. Jax hit Bayley with her own finisher, the Bayley-to-Belly suplex but the challenger kicked out.

As the match continued, the crowd began to chant "We want Tiffy." Amid all of this, Bayley went on the offensive again, hitting a sunset flip powerbomb, sending Jax into the turnbuckle and then a big elbow off the top rope. On the subsequent pin attempt, Jax kicked out and sent Bayley outside the ring. Jax stalked her back outside and went to tackle Bayley against the steel steps, but the challenger evaded.

Jax would recover as Bayley was forced to break the referee's count, and she then powerbombed the challenger onto the steel steps and into the barricade. Jax then brought the action back into the ring, and landed a Samoan drop for another near-fall.

Bayley would manage to counter Jax several more times and land a Samoan drop of her own. Bayley went for the pin and Jax kicked out powerfully, the subsequent kick from Bayley to Jax had the champion fall onto referee Jessika Carr. Bayley landed a Roseplant and pinned Jax, but with the referee out there was no one to make the three count.

Stratton's music hit as the crowd counted, causing an eruption from the crowd. Stratton took out Bayley and went to plead with Carr to cash in her briefcase. As she was about to cash in, Jax caught her ally and the two argued. Bayley sent them all into the turnbuckle and went for another big elbow. Stratton distracted Bayley, which allowed Jax to land an avalanche Samoan drop and An-Nia-lator for the victory.

Nia Jax defeats Bayley in 14:11 to retain the WWE Women's Championship.

Naomi and the women's tag team champions, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, kicked off Bad Blood by announcing Punk vs. McIntyre in Hell in a Cell would be the first match of the night. The cell, back to its traditional unpainted gray steel color, descended and McIntyre made his way to the ring first, drawing boos from the Atlanta crowd.

The intro graphic for McIntyre revealed that he had never won a Hell in a Cell match in his previous two tries. McIntyre also made his WWE PLE debut more than 15 years ago at Hell in a Cell 2009.

Punk, naturally, was welcomed with cheers as the crowd sang "Cult of Personality." Punk has a 2-2 record in Hell in a Cell matches.

The match began with a long staredown between Punk and McIntyre before both men slowly walked to the center of the ring and began to exchange blows. McIntyre quickly overpowered Punk, tossing him into the corner and then outside the ring, crashing into the cell.

Outside the ring, Punk gained the upper hand by reversing an Irish whip, sending McIntyre into the side of the cell. Punk drew a loud pop from the crowd as he pulled a table and chair out from underneath the ring. As Punk went for a chair shot, McIntyre delivered a swift kick, took the chair and delivered a blow to Punk himself.

Back on top, McIntyre placed Punk's head on the steel steps and stood on his neck. McIntyre retrieved and emptied a tool box from underneath the ring, but a recovered Punk was able to use a wrench to do damage to McIntyre's head.

Action returned to the ring where McIntyre kicked Punk down and ripped a set of the legs off the wooden table. Punk avoided the attack and sent McIntyre throat first into the edge of the table with a drop-toe hold. Punk then continued to punish McIntyre, using the detached table legs on McIntyre's throat and driving him twice onto the table. As Punk went to smash McIntyre's eye into the table's leg, the Scottish star escaped the ring.

Punk stalked McIntyre and went for a GTS finisher but McIntyre escaped again, using the side of the cage to escape the move. McIntyre then turned the tides with a Claymore Kick. McIntyre then picked up Punk and smashed him, head-first, into the cage. McIntyre kept his foot on the gas, grabbing the steel steps and smacking a bloodied Punk in the head before delivering a stomp onto Punk's neck. The WWE microphone picked up McIntyre's trash talk, saying he was going to end Punk's career and his wife would leave him.

McIntyre rolled Punk back into the ring and then used a wrench to further inflict damage his rival's forehead. McIntyre then grabbed another table as Punk lay battered in the ring. As McIntyre went for a slam, Punk wiggled out and delivered a high knee to McIntyre in the corner, Punk continued his brief flurry of offense with a double ax-handle off the top rope. As Punk went for a second, this time using the wrench, Punk was met with a suplex from McIntyre.

McIntyre went for a finishing blow with a second Claymore Kick but Punk rolled out of the ring. As McIntyre stalked to Punk, Punk grabbed the toolbox and delivered two massive blows to McIntyre's head, busting him open badly.

Punk, now with the upper hand, hit a series of high knees and a bulldog on McIntyre before signaling for the GTS. Although McIntyre was able to escape the first GTS attempt, Punk quickly landed a second and went for the match's first cover, however McIntyre rolled out of the ring and the crowd chanted "this is awesome."

Punk rolled McIntyre back into the ring but was met with a Claymore Kick and McIntyre scored the first near-fall of the match more than 18 minutes into the contest. McIntyre went for another Claymore Kick but Punk stepped aside and quickly countered into a Sharpshooter. A bloodied McIntyre drew memories of Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13. McIntyre was able to force a break by striking Punk's arm with a wrench.

Both men, bloodied and back to their feet, exchanged haymakers, reversed finishers and ultimately both wound up on the mat yet again.

McIntyre was able to survive another high knee from Punk before he hit a massive suplex over the turnbuckle and through a table he previously set up outside the ring. It was an impressive show of strength from the former champion.

McIntyre twice went to lift the steel steps and drop them on Punk, but he sold a back injury, partially due to the Sharpshooter and suplex from earlier in the match. With the steps finally set up, McIntyre retrieved Punk and sent him back into the ring. As McIntyre lumbered, Punk capitalized with a GTS and a near-fall.

It was McIntyre's turn next, as he carried Punk up the stairs and hit one of Sheamus' finishers, White Noise, onto the steps. Punk managed to kick out and was set up for a slam by McIntyre but was able to swiftly lock in the Anaconda Vice. McIntyre went to break the hold by using the wrench again but Punk wrestled it from him and unloaded on McIntyre's forehead.

As Punk went for the finishing blow with the wrench, McIntyre delivered a low blow and Punk was set up with his head on the steps yet again. McIntyre retreated outside the ring for a black bag, usually reserved for thumbtacks, and dumped plastic friendship bracelet beads on Punk. McIntyre went for a Claymore Kick again but Punk slipped away and McIntyre slammed his lower back into the edge of the steps.

With McIntyre incapacitated, Punk wrapped a steel chain around his knee, shoved a fistful of beads into McIntyre's mouth and delivered a GTS to pick up the win.

CM Punk defeats Drew McIntyre in 31:21

After the match, Adam Pearce and medical personnel checked on both Punk and McIntyre. An oxygen mask was briefly placed on Punk but he ripped it off and walked to the top of the ramp. McIntyre also appeared distraught in the ring and refused to be looked at.

There's no shortage of Bad Blood — pun intended — between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. This interview segment with Morgan and Dominik Mysterio gives all of the background, dating back more than two years.

Bad Blood may have been absent from the WWE schedule for 20 years, but the promotion wouldn't be the same without the premium live event. In addition to being the first time a Hell in a Cell match was held, In Your House: Badd Blood in 1997 marked the debut of Kane, creating arguably the greatest storyline in professional wrestling history.

Here's the moment Kane emerged during the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels' main-event match:

Here's a look at the WWE promotional graphics for Bad Blood later today

Women’s World Championship – Liv Morgan (c.) vs. Rhea Ripley – Dominik Mysterio will be suspended above the ring in a shark cage as we get the latest chapter in the Morgan-Ripley rivalry. Ripley and Damian Priest defeated Morgan and Mysterio at the last PLE, Bash in Berlin, and should walk out of Bad Blood as with the Women’s World Championship, especially considering the stipulation. A clean victory for Ripley re-establishes her atop the Raw women’s division and sends the Judgment Day into turmoil, but doesn’t necessarily end the story between these two. Prediction: Rhea Ripley wins the Women’s World Championship.

WWE Women’s Championship – Nia Jax (c.) vs. Bayley – WWE has teased Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank contract on Nia Jax ever since the latter won the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Bayley can effectively set Jax up for the loss, Stratton saves Jax from the pin by cashing in on Bayley and flip the roles she and Jax are currently playing. In this scenario, all three women are booked strong and it sets Stratton up for a prominent championship run. Prediction: Tiffany Stratton cashes in to defeat Bayley and Nia Jax to win the WWE Women’s Championship.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre Hell in a Cell – The final showdown between these two continues the tradition of every Bad Blood event having a Hell in a Cell match. A McIntyre win here propels him into the World Heavyweight Championship conversation, which I think makes a bit more sense than Punk coming out on top here. Punk is such a big star and excellent talker that he doesn’t need to be a champion or fighting for a championship to be a major draw. Prediction: Drew McIntyre defeats CM Punk.

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu – Rhodes and Reigns are the two biggest names on SmackDown and in WWE as a whole, but their alliance is tenuous, at best. Look for this match to showcase the uneasiness between the current and former champion while continuing to build up the Sikoa version of The Bloodline into an unstoppable force. More than anything this feels like a pitstop on the way to War Games. Prediction: Sikoa and Fatu defeat Rhodes and Reigns.

Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor – Much like the Ripley-Morgan match, I think we need to see the Judgment Day spiral into disarray after Bad Blood, meaning Balor should take the loss here against Priest. Unlike the Ripley-Morgan match, I think that a clean finish here ends the men’s side of the Judgment Day-Terror Twins story regardless. Raw will be better off with another bigtime challenger to Gunther and I believe Priest is closer than Balor at this point. Prediction: Priest defeats Balor.