ES 
NFL Previews 
MLB Previews 
NBA Previews 
NHL Previews 
Soccer Previews 
Table of Contents
On Saturday, October 5, the WWE will be live from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, for their Bad Blood event. This the fourth installment of the Bad Blood franchise and the 27th anniversary of the first Bad Blood PPV that took place in 1997, from the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
The 1997 Bad Blood PPV, was technically called Badd Blood: In Your House, as most monthly PPVs ran under the IYH umbrella at that time. What’s also notable about the first BB event is that it marked the first ever Hell in a Cell match, which featured Shawn Michaels battling The Undertaker. And, it was the debut of Kane, who came out during that match.
Sadly, that was also the day that one of my favorite pro wrestlers of all-time Brian Pillman passed away. He was supposed to face Dude Love (Mick Foley) on that PPV event.
This weekend, the WWE will feature another Hell in a Cell match as CM Punk will battle Drew McIntyre in what should be the culmination of a fantastic year-long feud.
Also on the card, is another multi-year storyline that’s completing another chapter with Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes battling The Bloodline in a highly anticipated tag-team match.
Currently, Bad Blood has a 3pm ET start time on Peacock in order to not compete with the UFC event on the same day. Let’s take a closer look at the available WWE odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our WWE Bad Blood predictions.
WWE Bad Blood Card
| WWE Match | Favorite | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
| HIAC: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre | CM Punk (-1000) | CM Punk (-1000) |
| WWE Women’s Championship Match | NA | Nia Jax (NA) |
| Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor | Damian Priest (-500) | Damian Priest (-500) |
| Women’s World Title Match | Liv Morgan (-500) | Liv Morgan (-500) |
| Rhodes & Reigns vs. The Bloodline | Rhodes & Reigns (-700) | Rhodes & Reigns (-700) |
| World Heavyweight Title Match | Gunther (-10000) | Gunther (-10000) |
WWE Bad Blood Predictions
The following WWE Bad Blood predictions are for the confirmed matches as of this writing:
Hell in a Cell Match
- CM Punk (-1000)
- Drew McIntyre (+550)
The origin of this storyline dates back to the 2023 Survivor Series PPV. This was when CM Punk made his return after more than a decade out of the WWE. It was also a notable return following his controversial release from AEW a few months prior.
Punk’s debut overshadowed both Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre’s performances at the Survivor Series PPV. Of course, this meant that we would have feuds between all three men.
Initially, Rollins and Punk began a storyline feud. Eventually, McIntyre was interjected after Punk eliminated him from the 2024 Royal Rumble match. Unfortunately, Punk sustained a torn triceps and could not capitalize on his success in the ring.
Yet, that didn’t stop Punk and McIntyre from progressing their feud via social media and TV appearances. In fact, it became the best feud in the company this year.
With Punk out, McIntyre would go on to beat Rollins at WrestleMania to win the title. However, Punk would attack McIntyre after the match, which allowed Damian Priest to cash in his MITB contract and beat the Scottish superstar for the title.
Punk would continue harassing McIntyre and cost him his world title match against Priest at Clash at Castle: Scotland. This led to Punk returning to the ring and competing against McIntyre at SummerSlam with Seth Rollins as the special referee.
McIntyre would win the match due to Punk’s anger towards Rollins for a misunderstanding. Eventually, that brought us to at strap match at Bash in Berlin which Punk won.
Following that PPV, McIntyre would savagely attack Punk on RAW and destroy the latter’s precious bracelet which was at the heart of this feud over the last few months. Ultimately, this set up the Hell in a Cell match which should be the ending to a fantastic rivalry.
As for the winner, I believe Punk wins. He’s the bigger name of the two and has a ready feud against Seth Rollins that can continue in a number of ways. Plus, Punk could move on to Gunther or other stars if needed. Take CM Punk to win a brutal, bloody match.
Bet: CM Punk (-1000)
WWE Women’s Championship Match
- (c)Nia Jax (NA)
- Bayley (NA)
Nia Jax has been the WWE Women’s Champion since defeating Bayley for the title at SummerSlam with the help of Tiffany Stratton. Jax earned the title shot by winning the Queen of the Ring tournament in May.
She also aligned with Stratton prior to this victory and the duo have been SmackDown’s top female villains.
Jax was set to defend the belt on an August 30 episode of SmackDown. Stratton came out to interfere and help her, but Bayley returned and thwarted that attempt. Now, Bayley didn’t automatically get her title rematch opportunity. In fact, there were a few twists and turns along the way in order for Bayley to fight Jax at Bad Blood.
On September 13, Jax announced that she was being ordered to defend her title at Bad Blood. This prompted Bayley to come out and demand a rematch. However, it also prompted Naomi to come out and ask for a title shot.
The result of these title requests was a tornado tag-team match on the September 20 episode of SmackDown. But there were two stipulations for that match:
- If Bayley or Naomi got the pinfall victory, that wrestler would get the title shot.
- If Bayley or Naomi got pinned, then that wrestler would be permanently banned from SmackDown.
So, of course, this meant that Naomi and Bayley would pick up a simultaneous pinfall victory. However, instead of letting them both face Jax at Bad Blood, they were booked in a singles match where that winner gets the title shot at Bad Blood. Bayley won that match and that’s how we ended up here.
With all that said, I expect Jax to win this weekend and retain the title. Look for the Stratton-Jax shenanigans to continue. We could also see Naomi get involved as well.
Bet: Nia Jax (NA)
WWE Singles Match
- Damian Priest (-500)
- Finn Balor (+300)
In the ring, these two wrestlers will put on a great match. Unfortunately, I am just not a big fan of this storyline. It really lacks excitement. And, there’s no doubt as to which wrestler will win.
SummerSlam was a pivotal moment for The Judgement Day faction. It was the night that Dominik Mysterio turned on Rhea Ripley and helped Liv Morgan win the match. It was also the night that Finn Balor turned on Damian Priest and cost him the world title to Gunther.
Ultimately, both Ripley and Priest were booted from The Judgment Day faction. This led to a mixed tag team match between Ripley and Priest (The Terror Twins) vs. Morgan and Mysterio at Bash in Berlin. Despite my protests, The Terror Twins won.
Priest and Balor are very talented wrestlers. Yet, their feud feels lackluster and sloppily put together. In reality, there was no reason to kick out Priest. The Ripley departure was necessary, but Priest’s exodus felt like it made no sense.
Now, the two men will face off in a grudge match where the online betting sites favor Priest to win. It’s hard to imagine him losing. Priest was just the world champ; although it was a forgettable title reign.
Nevertheless, he has a chance of staying relevant whereas Balor is irrelevant unless he’s running around with his faction causing chaos. On Saturday, Priest picks up the win and we can hopefully move on from this storyline.
Bet: Damian Priest (-500)
Women’s World Title Match
- (c)Liv Morgan (-500)
- Rhea Ripley (+300)
As mentioned above, Ripley was booted out of The Judgment Day after Mysterio turned on her and aligned with Liv Morgan.
Ripley got a small measure of revenge at Bash in Berlin by pinning Morgan in the mixed tag-team match, but this feud was far from over.
There’s a notable stipulation for this weekend’s match and that’s Dominik Mysterio being trapped in a shark cage above the ring. Unfortunately, it won’t matter as there are other Judgement Day members that can help Morgan win.
Oddsmakers favor Morgan to win and it makes sense. They can stretch out this storyline longer by having Morgan cheat to win, while Ripley keeps trying to get revenge. We could also see another wrestler get involved and maybe set up a side story for Ripley.
Either way, take Morgan to win and retain her title.
Bet: Liv Morgan (-500)
Tag Team Match
- Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns (-700)
- The Bloodline (+400)
We all know the two-year long feud that Cody Rhodes had with Roman Reigns, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania XL. Rhodes finally beat Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Championship and end Reigns impressive title reign of over 1,300 days.
After that match, Reigns went on hiatus. Durin his absence, Solo Sikoa appointed himself as the new leader of The Bloodline. He then removed Jimmy Uso from the group and tortured Paul Heyman before booting him as well.
Additionally, Sikoa added new members in Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu. Now calling himself the new Tribal Chief, Sikoa and his stable would turn their attention towards to Cody Rhodes and go after the championship.
Sikoa and Rhodes would fight at SummerSlam, which I made the following prediction:
“With Roman Reigns returning to WWE programming for the first time in nearly four months, it will have to be to confront Sikoa. This also means it would serve as a way to have Rhodes retain the title without cleanly pinning Solo. The bet here, is clearly on Rhodes retaining.”
And, that’s exactly what happen. It also meant that Reigns was now public enemy number one with The Bloodline. On the September 13 episode of SmackDown, Rhodes would defeat Sikoa in a steel cage match. After the bout, The Bloodline came out and attacked Rhodes. This prompted Reigns to make the save.
Initially, Rhodes didn’t want to team up with Reigns to accept the challenge from Sikoa and Fatu for a tag team match. And, Reigns didn’t want Rhodes’ help as he declared it was family business. However, The Bloodline came out and attacked both wrestlers. This prompted Reigns and Rhodes to accept the match at Bad Blood.
The WWE could find a way to have The Bloodline win via interference. Would be cool to see another member show up to join the faction. On the flip side, it would also be interesting to see someone else step up and aid Reigns in this family feud other than Rhodes.
The odds aren’t as high as I would’ve though they would be when first released. That’s partly because the WWE could swerve us. With that said, take Rhodes and Reigns to win this weekend, but for this feud to get another boost of intrigue.
Bet: Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns (-700)
World Heavyweight Championship Match
- (c)Gunther (-10000)
- Sami Zayn (+2000)
As of this writing, the Gunther vs. Sami Zayn match has not been officially confirmed. Yet, a few weeks ago, reports came out stating that an internal memo had this match booked for Bad Blood.
If you recall, it was Sami Zayn who ended Gunther’s historic Intercontinental Championship reign. Which, to this day, I still say was a dumb decision.
Since the Bash in Berlin PPV, Zayn has come out multiple times to challenge Gunther for a world title match. The latter has declined both times. However, on the second challenge, Bret Hart was involved which led to Gunther and Zayn brawling.
Whether this match happens or not, is another story. As for who I would pick to win this match if/when it happens, I’m sticking with Gunther. A win over Zayn is exactly what he needs to add some intrigue to his title reign and give it a boost.
Bet: Gunther (-10000)
Bad Blood History
The following is a brief recap of the three previous Bad Blood events:
1997 Badd Blood: In Your House
As mentioned in the intro, this was the first ever Bad Blood event. It featured the first ever Hell in a Cell match and it was the same day that Brian Pillman had died. Shawn Michaels would win the HIAC match over The Undertaker. However, it was due to the debut of Kane who came out to get revenge on his brother.
Other notable matches saw Bret Hart and The British Bulldog defeat The Patriot and Vader in a flag match. The Nation of Domination beat The Legion of Doom in a handicap match.
Owen Hart would go on to beat Farooq in the finals of the Intercontinental Championship tournament for the vacant belt.
2003 Bad Blood
The 2003 edition of Bad Blood saw nine matches with plenty of titles on the line and notable names wrestling on the card
The main event featured Triple H defeating Kevin Nash to retain his World Heavyweight Championship. HHH beat Nash in the Hell in a Cell match.
Ric Flair would defeat Shawn Michaels with the help of Randy Orton. Scott Steiner defeated Test and won the managerial services of Stacy Kiebler. La Resistance beat Kane and RVD for the tag titles. Goldberg would defeat Chris Jericho in a feud that had real-life heat
2004 Bad Blood
The 2004 edition of Bad Blood would be the final installment until the 2024 event, two decades later. This event had eight bouts with the main event featuring the Hell in a Cell match between HHH and HBK. The two friends, turned enemies, waged war against each other that saw HHH come out on top.
Chris Benoit would beat Kane to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. However, Benoit also wrestled earlier in the night as he teamed with Edge to beat La Resistance via DQ in a tag-team title match.
Orton pinned Shelton Benjamin to retain the IC belt, Batista beat Maven in the opener, and Trish Stratus won a fatal four-way match to become the new WWE Women’s Champion.
