When The Rock graces WWE with his presence, it’s usually a pretty big deal. His appearance at the end of the Bad Blood 2024 PLE in Atlanta was no different. Yes, The Rock simply made his Final Boss entrance and then counted to three on stage before leaving, but those three seconds set up and teased what will certainly be WWE’s biggest storyline throughout the fall and winter.
In addition to The Rock, Bad Blood featured a stellar Hell in a Cell match that knocked off a large portion of the stink that permeated that gimmick match for years. The rest of the card was a disappointment thanks to botched spots, goofy booking, and predictability.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. Period.
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre - Hell in a Cell
The best Hell in a Cell match in at least 10 years. This match had the violence that the McIntyre/Punk feud needed, but the violence that the Hell in a Cell gimmick needed too. It felt genuine. Instead of crafty spots to showcase the danger of the cell, Punk and McIntyre just hammered each other with fists, metal tools, and other various pieces of weaponry. I could have done without the beads spot as that came across as juvenile compared to everything else that happened. That said, it put a bow on the totality of the story between both guys. This was the ultimate feud ender and exactly what it needed to be.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/2
Nia Jax vs. Bayley - WWE Women’s Championship
Yikes. Look, the match had it’s moments, but a lot of those moments were because botched spots created unplanned drama and intrigue. Things only got interesting once Tiffany Stratton ran down to the ring and teased a cash-in. Outside of that, the crowd was flat for this going in and nothing about the combatants themselves changed that reality.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - O 1/2
Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor
A strong mid-card grudge match. The action was crisp and the match was a well-designed piece of work that capitalized on the audience being hell-bent on seeing Priest beat up on Balor. That chase was the story at play between these two and WWE paid it off during this match. Thumbs up.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4
Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley - WWE Women’s World Championship w/ Dominik Mysterio hanging above the ring in a shark cage
Not the worst match on the show, but the most disappointing match on the show. First off, they wasted Dominik Mysterio in the shark cage. Instead of selling being up there, he spent his time building whatever he needed to build around his leg, so that they could do the falling out of the cage spot. That was fine, but it was a detriment to the overall benefit that Dom provided to the match in being up there. In addition to that, Rhea Ripley took her eyes off the prize all in an effort to whack Dominik Mysterio a few times with a kendo stick? You risked the world title for that? That’s silly booking and poor match construction. As for the finish, it was a disaster. Raquel Rodriguez missed her mark on getting into the match, but nobody seemed to know or care who she was anyway. Then, after the match ended, she placed Liv on top of Rhea? Just a bizarre finish to cap off a poorly thought out match that had high expectations.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - O 3/4
Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu
A solid match with good action and successful hot tags. Reigns and Rhodes were partners enough to get through the bout and win, but not friendly enough to overshadow their true rivalry outside of the partnership. They had to strike a balance there and they did. With The Rock coming back on this show as seemingly the face and leader of the rogue Bloodline faction, why didn’t Solo and Fatu win? Rock being involved with them and pulling their strings gives them the credibility they needed for a big win and instead they passed on it here. Curious, but like anything Bloodline related, we have to wait to see how it all plays out in the end.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4
What did you think of WWE Bad Blood 2024? Let us know in the comments!
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For my tastes as viewer, the Punk-Drew feud was one of the best I've ever seen in years in terms of how it was played out when looking at the various elements from the facial expressions of both throughout that enhanced the storytelling, to the mic work, to the actual matches.