WWE is bringing back Bad Blood, the show itself having last taken place twenty years ago. With the event finally being resurrected for “spooky season,” the WWE Universe should brace themselves for a few WWE superstar returns for Bad Blood.
The show’s iconic Hell in a Cell Match is returning for the programming, as could some of its most famous occupants. Mick Foley, Kane, The Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels all had prominent spots in the main event of past Bad Blood cards.
So many shows though rely on pure nostalgia. That is something from WWE’s past.
What legends could WWE find that advance the stories forward?
John Cena Returns for Bad Blood with CM Punk
John Cena announced his retirement tour months ago, and fans have been eagerly waiting for it to begin. Not because they want him gone but because they know how incredible it will be to watch him leave.
WWE, with these more extended goodbye angles, has to strike a balance between fighter and rockstar retirement. When a legendary fighter (or any athlete really) winds it down, they work with younger talent.
It helps them to impart their wisdom and help the sport evolve when they are gone. Musicians, though, play the greatest hits.
New is not on the setlist for a farewell concert. If one of the returns for Bad Blood is Cena, then we know which of the two goals he will score on first.
Looking at the card as it currently stands, Cena has a standing beef with two people. Solo Sikoa and CM Punk.
For over 22 years YOU have allowed me to be a part of many special moments. We have incredible history together from setbacks to triumph and all in between. I’m so grateful to be invited back home so we can write the last chapter of this unforgettable ride. Sunsets are often the… https://t.co/ahCWvZLPYN
— John Cena (@JohnCena) July 10, 2024
Sikoa has The Bloodline machinery around him, so he doesn’t need Cena to evolve. If The Rock and Roman Reigns can’t make him a household name, nobody can.
Punk may be out after his cell match with Drew McIntyre. When he returns, he could use a new feud to hold match three off until next year’s WrestleMania.
If a battered CM Punk manages to steal a win after a beating, say with a handful of tights, perhaps WWE’s resident good guy can come down from his VIP box to scold him. That could be the start of a Cena vs. Punk rivalry that plays on their genuine and very public past comments about one another and the general online sentiment regarding the two.
Punk didn’t know when it was time to quit, so instead, he’s wrecking his body and his soul in WWE and AEW to try and trick people into thinking he is “the best in the world.” Cena calling out the guys who don’t know when to go, especially an old rival, could be perfection.
Trish Stratus Returns for Bad Blood with The Raw Women’s Division
There is a common critique about the Raw women’s division and women’s wrestling in WWE. The Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan feud, which is commercially quite successful, is the chief target of these critics.
The performers involved are stars but the story is demeaning or devaluing the world title that all the women in the division should care about. Shifting the focus to Dominik Mysterio, especially suspended in a shark cage, is a distraction that feels out of place in women’s wrestling today.
One of the returns for Bad Blood should go ahead and say that. Trish Stratus sort of disappeared out of nowhere during her last run.
Becky Lynch defeated her and Zoey Stark, and that was the end. She would be an ideal candidate for a return at this show.
In her recent appearance on the Mr. McMahon docuseries, viewers can see Stratus got a raw deal she started in WWE from a creative perspective. That has also been a part of many of her newer feuds.
The stars of today frequently hit her for having been popular at a time when women were not serious competitors. Stratus could return to pick a few bones with the women on Raw for fighting harder than she ever had to for a man rather than a championship.
This framing can be heel or face for Ripley or Morgan, regardless of who wins. It gives the women a match with a Canadian star.
That is one of the only ways to ensure they appear in Vancouver next month and address fans’ concerns through the story being told, which is a significant way to fix a creative mistake in wrestling.
The Rock Returns for…Cody Rhodes
The Rock vs. Roman Reigns may be the biggest match in WWE history. He also has an anniversary every year; he debuted at Survivor Series in 1996. Both WrestleMania 41 and Survivor Series 2024 make a lot of sense for The Rock to have a featured match.
The question then becomes, who is first? There isn’t really a wrong answer, least of all for the fans.
If The Rock returns to aid the new Bloodline against Rhodes and Reigns, then Rhodes should be the first target. Simply put, Reigns will always be The Rock’s younger cousin.
Rhodes will not always be the WWE Champion who thwarted the plans of the Final Boss.
The family dynamics of The Bloodline are real, which is what makes them so compelling. It also means that they don’t need much time to make the match make sense.
It is entirely believable that family drama decades in the making exists in a pro-wrestling dynasty. Ambition, jealousy, and isolation are all easy to explain in a few intense promos about growing up in “their tribe.”
Before WrestleMania 40, it was not really hyperbole to suggest that The Rock vs Rhodes was bigger than The Rock and Reigns or Rhodes and Reigns of that year. Rhodes won’t be the plucky new champion forever, though.
If The Rock is going to make both feuds work, he must prioritize the one that needs new momentum. An attack on Rhodes to help Sikoa win does that.
What is the Likelihood of Returns for Bad Blood anyway?
It wouldn’t be outlandish to expect at least one of these big returns for Bad Blood. The show is getting a ton of marketing and next month is one of WWE’s original “Big Four” premium live events.
A major cliffhanger on this show could give the creative team a lot to work with to make that show special. Additionally, Stratus, The Rock, and Cena have all worked somewhat recently.
The trio each have a real reason to be at Bad Blood and or the following Survivor Series. Cena has already announced a retirement tour.
The Rock is an executive who is heavily involved with The Bloodline. Stratus is a WWE Hall of Famer who is going to help promote the show in Vancouver whether she is on it or not.
Any could be there, and all of them could have a real positive effect on the product. Saturday is going to be an exciting night.
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