WWE’s Bad Blood 2024 premium live event was a very notable show, one which saw the return of the Hell In A Cell gimmick in all its gruesome, bloody glory, not to mention a major return to close out the night. Additionally, both of WWE’s Women’s World Titles were on the line during the show.

TheSportster’s rating system will take a look at all five matches from WWE’s 2024 edition of Bad Blood – a show which made its return to WWE’s calendar for the first time since all the way back in 2004 – to determine which match was the best, which was the worst, and everything else in between too.

5 Liv Morgan Vs. Rhea Ripley (Women’s World Championship)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.5/10

This match began with very little momentum, as Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan had a pretty slow and plodding start to the match. It did pick up with some big moves such as a sunset flip into the barricade and a big codebreaker from the top rope. Ripley used her power well, though didn’t sell the leg consistently, and Morgan’s heel work was good too with some trash talking and carrying herself with plenty of presence around the ring.

Given the length of time these two have been feuding and the crazy love-triangle which has unfolded, it failed to quite capture the intensity and physicality that one would come to expect, and this affected the momentum and some of the interest from the crowd throughout the match. The spot of Dominik Mysterio falling from the cage and getting trapped was ingeniously done, so that must be commended. Mysterio being in a shark cage arguably did more to make the match a little too silly and over-the-top rather than aiding it though. The disqualification finish was severely disappointing and messy, although Raquel Rodriguez’s return sparked a good direction for her character.

4 Finn Balor Vs. Damian Priest

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 6.5/10

This match took some time to get going, feeling like a TV match at first, but the pace increased and the technical skills of both men were on show. The hatred of the former Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions was felt as the match progressed, though as noted it took a little too long to get there. Priest used his size to his advantage, with Balor bringing speed and viciousness to even the playing field, though he would still need his Judgment Day allies to interfere.

The final portion of the match was hot, with some great sequences, close-call kickouts, and an excited crowd. Overall, it could have certainly been better and told a more interesting story, but Priest and Balor still delivered a decent effort. Balor looked pretty weak coming out of this match, it must be said.

3 Nia Jax Vs. Bayley (WWE Women’s Championship)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7/10

Nia Jax came out of the gate hot, bulldozing her way through Bayley with several power moves, playing the monster heel role well. Bayley managed to score some flurries, but for the most part Jax dominated the match and slammed Bayley with some brutal-looking moves. The pace did get a little flat at some moments, but the crowd were surprisingly into it despite this coming straight after the wild Hell In A Cell match (the excitement of a potential Tiffany Stratton cash-in definitely helped). The involvement of Stratton was well done, though a little predictable.

The botched Hurricanrana spot was a shame, as it would have looked great had they pulled it off, and there were some other awkward looking moments which even drew Michael Cole to remark “that was odd” at one indecipherable move.

2 Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes Vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

This match was always going to have a slow pacing to it, with the first minute alone consisting of teammates talking to one another and posturing to the crowd. Solo Sikoa managed to get an advantage over Roman Reigns early on, with a prolonged heat segment on Reigns and then Rhodes, who tagged into the bout. The match was predictable in this way, building up to babyface comeback spots.

Things got much better when the action broke down, with Roman Reigns doing battle with both Bloodline members, Fatu bouncing back like a monster after being pushed through the barricade, and a wild splash from Rhodes through the announce table. The audience was hot throughout the match given the names involved, which helped to make up for the painfully slow beginning to the bout. Jimmy Uso’s return was a good moment too, though instantly overshadowed by the major comeback of The Rock, who faced off with both Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns to end the show in a memorable closing image.

1 CM Punk Vs. Drew McIntyre (Hell In A Cell)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.5/10

This match had a slow start, but with a hot crowd, pools of blood, and some physical, grueling spots, it got progressively more intense as it went on and the pacing was ultimately perfect. After many years of Hell In A Cell losing its aura, this match brought it back with a violent bloodbath in which it felt like these two men wanted to kill each other. It was shocking to see the amount of red in this era of WWE, but it was a welcome sight and it elevated this match a great deal.

The spots with the stairs, tables, chairs, wrenches, and more were all very well done, looking brutal and authentic. This was one of the very best matches of the year in WWE (and one of the best of either men’s career for that matter), excelling despite very lofty expectations which were exemplified by both Punk & McIntyre promising a war – this is exactly what they delivered.