When CM Punk and Drew McIntyre took the ring in the opening match of Bad Blood, they weren't just looking to start the show off on the right foot but instead stick the landing on WWE's most significant feud of 2024.

Yes, Cody Rhodes did finish his story back in April. Yes, Jey Uso spent most of the year grinding to become a true singles star. And yes, Gunther not only set the record for the longest Intercontinental Championship reign of all time but also became both King of the Ring and the World Heavyweight Champion. But McIntyre and Punk have been going at it since the former tore the latter's pec at the Royal Rumble, and their first two matches were incredibly popular in the IWC.

Would they be able to stick the landing? Would Punk be able to make Hell in a Cell “mean something” after WWE used the match as a gimmick to sell PLEs for years? And what about the actual in-ring action? Sure, everyone knows McIntyre can go, but what about Punk? Would he be able to perform up to his former standards in only his fourth televised match back in WWE in over a decade?

Yes, yes, they did.

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre made Hell in a Cell mean something again

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Opening up the show after an introduction from the Big 3 of Bianca Belair, Naomi, and  Jade Cargill, McIntyre and Punk started this off slow and kept the match going at a lumbering pace, with each brutal blow having ample time to resonate with the crowd and each additional piece of plunder introduced into the match, from tables to tools, and even a bag of bracelet beads, holding considerable weight. Even seeming botches, like McIntyre breaking a table leg, took violent turns, with the “Scottish Warrior” using it as a weapon on his foe.

As the match progressed, blood was spilled – it is called Bad Blood, after all – and the crowd sat on the edges of their seats; the name of the game became wrench play, with both men nailing their foe with the steel ring tool, including a brutal spot where Punk eased up on choking out his foe to bash his skull in. With McIntyre dazed from a series of big moves and a failed Claymour that connected his tailbone with the steel steps, Punker wrapped his knee with a steel chain and hit the GTS one more time on top of a bed of bracelet beads to secure the pin and the win.

Punk walked out of the ring a hero, albeit with some help from security. McIntyre looked shocked when he came to, and the WWE Universe celebrated a match that was quickly named one of the best Hell in the Cell showdowns of all time; if McIntyre and Punk wanted to make Hell in a Cell mean something again, they certainly accomplished that goal.