The return of Bad Blood has drummed up quite a lot of excitement from the WWE faithful. The PLE has been absent from WWE programming for two decades, and the timing couldn’t be better.
Some great grudge matches are set to go down this Saturday, and there is no doubt that they make this PLE one of the best of the year. There hasn’t been much history with the Bad Blood PLE but the shows that have been produced have been memorable.
There have been memorable matches and infamous moments, some better than others. Let’s look at a ranking of those PLEs below.
3. Bad Blood (2003)
Best Match: Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels
We will start with the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Bad Blood. It took place during the initial brand spilt era, and Raw wasn’t exactly in the best of shapes.
Its main event and mid-card pictures were weaker than in years, and this was reflected during the show. The undercard was filled with matches that did little to maintain the interest of the audience.
Scott Steiner and Test was a dud and the opener featuring the Dudley Boys, Christopher Nowinski, and Rodney Mack failed to start the show off hot. There was an interesting matchup between Booker T and Christian over the Intercontinental Championship, but the DQ finish was underwhelming.
Not a fitting end to a match that began with much promise. Moving into the main card, there was a great match featuring Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair.
Not a surprise that the two men would put on a great contest but that was the highlight of the night. Following that match was a “Redneck Triathlon” that had no business being on a PLE and Hell in a Cell Match and that, while violent, failed to live up to the aura of its predecessors.
2. In Your House: Bad Blood (1997)
Best Match: Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell)
The original Bad Blood was still under the In Your House moniker and, while it does retain fond memories from the WWE faithful, it was essentially a one-match show. The PLE was a culmination of the issues that had been going on between The Undertaker and Michaels.
HBK was full into heel mode for the build and the cell was there to prevent him from getting away from The Deadman. What followed was a fantastic cat-and-mouse game that was expertly told by two of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots.
Outside of the five-star main event, the PLE was not as entertaining as it needed to be. The opener between The Legion of Doom and Nation of Domination was serviceable but, in between that and the main event, there wasn’t much.
Owen Hart and Faarooq showed little chemistry for their Intercontinental Championship match and the tag team championship contest was a slog, if there ever was one. The flag match did have promise.
Bret Hart, The British Bulldog, Vader, and The Patriot were great wrestlers and had chemistry, but the rules of a flag match make for stunted action, and it contained a finish no one cared for. It was indicative of a PLE that was sold on one match.
1. Bad Blood (2004)
Best Match: Shawn Michaels vs Triple H (Hell in a Cell)
It is hard to build a PLE around just one match. For it to be a great watch, there needs to be depth to the night, and this is exactly what we got with the last Bad Blood show.
Triple H and Michaels were great in their Hell in a Cell Match. Their issues flowed for years, and they went to battle in every gimmick match imaginable, but this was the best.
It was a war where neither man was willing to relent. Yes, a 47-minute runtime is heavy, but it was necessary to blow off the years-long rivalry between the two.
In addition to the main event, there was a fantastic Intercontinental Championship match between Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin. A match that was a pure wrestling contest that provided a welcome contrast from the brutal main event that would follow.
There was also a great World Championship match that gave us the perfect David and Goliath story. The monster that was Kane showed that he was more than just a big man.
His wrestling skills opposite the World Champion provided an entertaining match that led into the main event. All in all, this was a well-rounded PLE that was the best of the Bad Blood name.
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.
