The return of Bad Blood promised the end of intense rivalries including one of the most brutal Hell in a Cell matches of all time and a battle for The Bloodline in the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jimmy Uso returned to help Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes defeat the combined efforts of Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu in the main event. The Rock then also returned to set a potential challenge to both Rhodes and Reigns.

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre delivered, including genuine blood in a match that made The Scottish Warrior look like a destroyer.

Rhea Ripley faced the wrath of a returning Raquel Rodriguez, who saved Liv Morgan and her Women's World Championship.

Finn Bálor sent The Judgment Day after Damian Priest but still fell clean to the power of The Punishment.

Nia Jax successfully defended her WWE Women's Championship against Bayley, though only with the help of Tiffany Stratton, who "accidentally" almost cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase.

This was a big night for WWE that had multiple clear winners and losers looking forward to an exciting fall season for the company.

Winner: CM Punk

CM Punk pushed all his cards on the table with his feud with Drew McIntyre. After an unfortunate injury in the men's Royal Rumble, this was his chance to prove he's "still got it."

Their first match at SummerSlam was a mess, highlighted by Punk struggling to keep up with McIntyre and focusing too much on drama they could not sell to fans.

Their second match at Bash in Berlin was a major improvement, even with a less-than-optimal four-corners stipulation, highlighting their physical hatred of one another.

It all culminated at Bad Blood in what could be WWE's match of the year. This brutal, gory war came from a different era of the company, culminating in spots no one else in the promotion will soon match.

They brought back the true expectation for Hell in a Cell as a stipulation. It is an exaggeration to say there has not been a good HIAC match in the past two decades, but none has been allowed to get this gory and violent.

This was the moment where Punk got to be The Best in the World, helped by one of the best performance of the Scot's career and the best WWE feud in 2024 reached a natural conclusion.

Punk can now move onto challenging Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship and setting his course for a possible WrestleMania 41 main event.

Loser: Bayley

Bayley has found her match in Nia Jax. After committing to 2024 as the year she would solidify her legacy, she ran into a dominant monster.

Throughout their match, the WWE women's champion was experimenting with hurricanranas and submission holds, almost mocking The Role Model by not leaning into what she does best.

It was a sloppy showcase for the champion who was still the one who stood out throughout. While Bayley was close to beating Jax when referee Jessika Carr went down, it never truly felt like The Role Model would win.

She cannot disappear from television when the SmackDown women's roster needs established names, but she is unlikely to get another title opportunity any time soon.

Outside of a potential WarGames match at Survivor Series, this is likely to be Bayley's last premium live event spotlight for a while.

Loser: Finn Bálor/The Judgment Day

Finn Bálor needed to prove a point against Damian Priest. Instead, he fell definitively in a match in which he used every trick in the book to win.

The Judgment Day under The Prince's control has had a tough time establishing its credibility, and this latest result only further emphasizes that Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are above the group that kicked them out.

Especially with JD McDonagh and Carlito supporting Bálor late in this match, the only reason for The Punishment to still win is to belittle the heel stable supposedly running Raw.

The result could not be worse for Bálor. Priest has no reason to pay attention to The Judgment Day again, and the Irishman may need to transition to focusing on tag team wrestling exclusively for a while.

Loser: Sami Zayn

WWE's five-match card standard for non-Big Four premium live events is supposed to promise a tight bill with no filler.

The biggest match not on this card is set for Raw: Gunther vs. Sami Zayn for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In its place, though, WWE ran an odd segment with Triple H unveiling the Crown Jewel Championship before Gunther came out to lay claim to it as well as taunting Goldberg at ringside.

Zayn only got involved in the last minute to brawl with The Ring General, who was more interested in the WWE legend he might fight in the future.

Unless Zayn wins on Raw, which is unlikely, this whole scene further devalued the challenger's value in WWE when he could at least have used this spot to perform for a hot sold-out crowd.

Losers: Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan

A Women's World Championship should not be highlighted by a chant for the man in a shark cage hanging above the action. Even the commentators seemed offended.

This was inevitable, though, as Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley has consistently featured Dominik Mysterio more than either woman wrestling.

None of the action at Bad Blood felt like it mattered, highlighted by a disqualification finish after the arrival of Raquel Rodriguez.

The Raw women's division needs to find a way to refocus on the roster first and foremost, and that cannot happen with Morgan vs. Ripley.

The best option at this point would be for Mami to fully transition to feuding with Rodriguez while Morgan finds a rival she can wrestle without Dirty Dom's interference.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Few can match Roman Reigns' love for his family. He has put everything on the line to fully showcase them.

This has led to many important matches in WWE over recent years, but this Bad Blood main event may have been the most important yet.

The OTC returned with a fire that had the entire crowd invested. He put over Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu as worthy rivals to him in the ring.

Jimmy Uso returned to a massive pop that set the stage for a huge victory by The OTC.

The Rock also returned to complicate everything and add the interesting question of where he stands in The Bloodline rivalry.

Moreover, it all main-evented a night that was originally about Hell in a Cell. WWE is ruled by The Bloodline, even with Cody Rhodes as WWE champion, and that won't change any time soon.