Nostalgia Sells Every Time In Wrestling. What Old Is New
We recently received news that pro wrestling fans may find interesting. Most fans have great adoration for any nostalgia with this business. With this, World Wrestling Entertainment{WWE} fans could see the return of the Bad Blood Premium Live Event{PLE}, as well as a legendary match to take place at the event.
History of Event
Most fans recall the original Badd Blood event, which originated in the height of the Attitude Era of the, then WWF, as an In Your House special. These events were vital to the company when one of the main four events was not running. In these events, the Badd Blood run would be the 18th In Your House show.
At the original event, we would see a special main event known as the Hell In A Cell match, which was a regular cage match{cage around the ring with open top} but the top was also covered. The special match was used in the feud between Shawn Micheals and The Undertaker as they would battle inside this ominous cell. The winner would receive the number one contender position for the upcoming SummerSlam event.
The Keil Center, in St Louis, would house the original event on October 5th, 1997 then, we would see the event take quite the hiatus. In 1999, following the St Valentine’s Day Massacre event, the company retired the ‘In Your House’ brand and instituted permanent names for an event each month.
With the company changing names from WWF to WWE, in 2002, the company would use a ‘brand split’ to utilize the roster properly. We would see a return of ‘Bad Blood’ {notice the second ‘D’ is missing} in 2003. The event, with wrestlers from the ‘Raw’ brand, would replace the ‘King of the Ring’ event in the schedule as it was held on June 15th.
Houston, Texas, and the Compaq Center{now Lakewood Church Central Campus} would house the much-anticipated event. The event would again use the Hell In A Cell special main event. Fans would see then-champion Triple H battle Kevin Nash with Mick Foley as the special guest referee in the barbaric structure for the company’s top prize, the World Heavyweight Championship.
The following year, the event would return, on June 13th. Columbus, Ohio, and Nationwide Arena would host the event, and the HIAC structure would again, for the 3rd time, be used in the event. The 9,000 fans in attendance, and thousands more who would buy the event, would see Triple H and Shawn Michaels use the inhumane match to brutalize each other.
We would again see this event take a hiatus. WWE would announce its return in 2017, as they would revive Bad Blood on June 9th that year. The company created excitement behind this announcement as Hartford, Connecticut, and the XL Center will be hosting the 4th ever event for this company. Sadly, we would not see this event happen as it would be scrapped for the ‘Great Balls of Fire’ titled event held at the same location and date.
Will Bad Blood Return?
The simple answer is yes, possibly. Reports have confirmed the WWE is going to bring this event back in October of 2024. The tentative date for this is the 5th and all signs point to Atlanta, Georgia, and the State Farm Center being the host. The date should ring a bell as it is the same date. This would mark the 27th anniversary of the original event to the day. In addition, we would see the return of the Hell In A Cell structure to the event to continue this tradition along with the event.
If the event transpires this would mark the 4th event and one that fans have clamored for. Could this be a sign that the older events could be revived by the company? We see the company is always on top of what the fans want to see and this is a definite sign that nostalgia can return. What’s old is always new.
In full circle fashion, Triple H, who appeared in two of the three main events of this event, would revive the event and structure in his first year at the helm of the WWE. We will have much more on this, and more from WWE, as this develops.
