It was fantastic news to hear that WWE Bad Blood would return to the WWE schedule. The PLE was a classic addition to the Attitude Era and is a show that has been absent from WWE for 20 years. There were rumors of it making a comeback in 2017, but those plans were scrapped for the inspired Great Balls of Fire PLE.
Bringing the show back was a great move from WWE, considering Bad Blood’s great history. Despite having only three editions of the show, there have been some standout matches that have left a lasting impression on the world. Below are a handful of these matches.
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell Match, In Your House: Bad Blood 1997)
The first of anything is usually the best, and this match is a perfect example. Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had been involved for the majority of 1997. HBK was on his way to becoming a top heel, and The Undertaker was the man who would shut him up.
Michaels had avoided ‘Taker at all costs, so the cell was devised to keep Shawn from running.
The Undertaker whooped Michaels literally from pillar to post. This match was about HBK finally getting what was coming to him, and he bumped his butt off. He and The Undertaker had a bloody brawl that took them to all sides and tops of the Cell.
It was an amazing match that was unlike anyone had seen before. Oh, and it also had The Undertaker’s brother debut and lay waste to the cell and his sibling.
Randy Orton vs. Shelton Benjamin (Intercontinental Championship Match, Bad Blood 2004)
Bad Blood is synonymous with brutality, which is why a great pure wrestling match such as this one flies under some radars.
Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin were two of the brightest stars on the roster. Randy was latched with supergroup Evolution, and Benjamin was tearing it up in the mid-card. It was a matter of time before these two were going to go to war, and WWE Bad Blood was the perfect place.
There was no better wrestling match on that night than Benjamin taking on Orton for the Intercontinental Championship. They were the up-and-coming stars who wanted to make sure that they stole the show.
Orton and Benjamin put on a nearly flawless match that is severely underrated and overshadowed by the big gimmicks that followed it. It is a rewatch for anyone.
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (Hell in a Cell Match, Bad Blood 2004)
The Heartbreak Kid and The Game took on a blood feud that was like no other. The former best friends were hell-bent on destroying one another and used every gimmick match imaginable to accomplish this. One of the more notable of these matches came at Bad Blood.
This match was as brutal as one could get. Both men were accustomed to getting busted open, and the crimson mask was worn from the onset. Any weapon that could be used was used. There was nothing that these men wouldn’t do to win, and the audience loved them for it.
A runtime of 47 minutes may seem like a bit long for the match, but it had to be this long. It was a war of attrition that no man was willing to lose. Only through utter exhaustion did this match finish.
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (Bad Blood 2003)
Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels are well known for their emotionally charged WrestleMania XXIV encounter, but five years previous they put on another tight match at Bad Blood.
There was more of a traditional heel/face setup for this match. Flair was a part of Evolution so there was no doubt that hijinks were going to take place. That doesn’t mean that they weren’t able to put together an entertaining match.
Flair was five years younger here, so he was able to pick up the pace more during spots. It was an athletic match that had some great psychology.
Exactly the type of match that one comes to expect out of these two men. It was also great to see Flair get the victory, albeit through cheating. Still great to see the Nature Boy have his hand raised.
Triple H vs. Kevin Nash (World Heavyweight Championship Hell in a Cell Match, Bad Blood 2003)
The return of Kevin Nash to WWE was a great spot of nostalgia, but that is where the positives ended. His body prevented him from stringing together any great matches—so much so that this car wreck of a contest was the standout match from his second tenure.
Triple H and Nash had the history, so it was easy to write him into a program against the world champion. It was also a good idea to have them in a gimmick that would be able to hide the shortcomings of the man formerly known as Diesel.
There was no wrestling for this match. At this year’s WWE Bad Blood, it was about as brutal as one would imagine, with Nash, Triple H, and even special ref Mick Foley getting color through the contest. They leaned heavily on the use of foreign objects, but that’s not a bad thing.
It was the only way to book this match to keep it entertaining for everyone. Thankfully, it didn’t have the bloated runtime that other cell matches enjoyed.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
