CM Punk Defeats Drew McIntyre, 3 Huge Takeaways

CM Punk has won the feud with Drew McIntyre, at least we think.

Punk and McIntyre put on a great match to open WWE Bad Blood on Saturday in Atlanta in a Hell in a Cell. The match had everything you could hope to see in a Hell in a Cell match in 2024.

Punk went over after hitting his second Go to Sleep, with the latest one coming as his left knee–the impact appendage–wrapped in a steel chain.

Here are the five biggest takeaways.

The Days of Super-Dangerous Hell in a Cell Matches are Over

This match was great, but it wasn’t your father’s–OK, you’re big brother’s–Hell in a Cell.

There were no cage dives or hellacious crashes into the announcer’s table. That said, Punk and McIntyre did a great job telling their story and dishing the dose of viciousness fitting for the settlement of a well-crafted feud between two of the best performers in the industry.

If you’re thirsty for the old style, you’d better head over to Peacock and pull up some old Hell in a Cell matches.

CM Punk is Headed to the World Title Scene

Now that this massive feud with McIntyre is over, Punk is free to do what he came back to the WWE to do, and that’s to win another title, and to main event WrestleMania.

Punk cannot wrestle a consistent schedule and remain healthy at this point in his career. Because of that, he has been doing well, ensuring every appearance is packed with value.

We love him for it.

There is an entertaining run Punk can have with this approach. Punk still needs to feud with Seth Rollins at some point, but he is embroiled in a feud with Bronson Reed and could be headed for a persona change.

In any case, Punk’s business is about to go to a higher level.

Drew McIntyre is Due For a Monumental Push

McIntyre didn’t win this feud but had some truly unforgettable moments. He is doing the best work of his career, and it seems he deserves some token of appreciation for what he’s done with Rollins and Punk.

Will he get it? I believe he will, but I’d expect him to be off WWE television for at least a few weeks before he returns–quite possibly as a face.

Here is a look at all of the results from WWE Bad Blood.

• Hell in a Cell: CM Punk defeated Drew McIntyre with GTS with his knee wrapped in a steel chain
• WWE Women’s Championship: (c) Nia Jax defeated Bayley with the Annihilator after Tiffany Stratton had another near cash-in
• Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley defeated (c) Liv Morgan via DQ after interference from the returning Raquel Rodriguez
• Damian Priest defeated Finn Bálor with South of Heaven
• Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa with a distraction from Jimmy Uso, who returned. After the match, The Rock showed up and cryptically counted to three before leaving.