It’s finally here. The October PLE for the WWE has arrived and it’s going to be ballistic. Hosted by women’s tag-team champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, along with Naomi, there’s five hot matches ready for results.
Match Grades and Takeaways
CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell Match | Grade: 98
Match Recap: Wrench to the dome insane… Table leg to the forehead after McIntyre’s neck onto the table’s edge.. Two slams onto the undertable.. Claymore landed perfectly outside the ring. McIntyre runs and rams Punk into the cage and opens up a gash on his head. McIntyre returns the wrench favor into the gash. Tool box by Punk to McIntyre’s face three times opens him up. GTS but McIntyre rolls out the ring. A second Claymore and a pin attempt but Punk kicks out at 2.5. Third Claymore missed allowing Punk to lock in a Sharpshooter, but McIntyre reaches a wrench to beat his way out the submission hold. Amazing over-the-rope reverse and suplex of Punk to the table on the floor. A second GTS and McIntyre kicks out. McIntyre lands a white noise onto the steel stairs he brought into the ring, and Punk kicks out. Anaconda Vice! McIntyre grabs a wrench again, but Punk takes it and beats him with it repeatedly. “Pray to your God, you pray to me!!” Low blow by McIntyre turns it around.
McIntyre drops a bag of wrist beads over Punk, but misses the Claymore and lands back first into the steps. This is insane. Punk wraps the chain around his GTS knee… scoops up beads and gets payback, shoving them into McIntyre’s mouth and nails the GTS for the 3 count. Punk wins!!!
Takeaway: Where else can this rivalry go? This was an absolute banger of a match and the end of the trilogy. After all the times Punk ripped a championship out of McIntyre’s grip, the rubber match after the strap win was one for the ages. Following this, Punk is now able to go on a legends’ tour, re-established as a viable threat. As for McIntyre, I expect him to point to where he was going a couple months ago, going towards the Heavyweight championship and getting into the mix with Bron Breakker and Gunther.
Nia Jax (c) vs Bayley for Women’s Championship | Grade: 87
Match Recap: A couple misses in this match when it came to execution. Jax starts out dominating using her size advantage for multiple splashes and a mean clothesline. Two more splashes, one in the corner and another in the middle off a rope toss. Bear hug, Bayley slips out and tries a roll up and Jax lands a leg lock. Bayley gets Jax out the ring and catches a leg drop on her neck when she tries to climb back in. Baseball slide and a pounding on the outside.
Back in the ring, Jax lands a headbutt, and hangs her upside on the turnbuckle before a splash and a butt drop. Annihalator thwarted, Bayley tried a Powerbomb but Jax reversed it into a weird Frankensteiner, then a belly-to-belly but no pin. Sunset flip by Bayley and then a series of elbows including one from the top rope, but no three-count. Jax catches Bayley with a Powerbomb on the steps and then hurtles her into the barricade. Samoan Drop by Jax and then a Samoan Drop by Bayley… Jax bench presses her off and onto the ref. A kick to the head and Jax falls on the ref. Popup Stunner and a pin but the ref is knocked out…
Stratton races out and beats Bayley with the case and then gets the ref up so she can cash in, but Jax wakes up. They argue, Bayley rolls up Jax and she barely kicks out at 2.9. Jax lands a Samoan Drop from the top rope and lands the Annihilator for the three-count.
Takeaway: I guess with everyone expecting a cash in, the twist is that it didn’t happen. Jax retains the belt and clearly there’s going to be a division between the two. Could Stratton wait and cash in later in the PLE and move to Raw? Regardless, Stratton will have Pretty Deadly as her fluffers. Jax can face off against her, Naomi, or wait for a rivalry with the returning Charlotte Flair. As for Bayley, it’s a big question what’s next for her after losing the rematch. Could her and Naomi become a tag-team that will be pointed at Belair and Cargill?
Damian Priest vs Finn Balor | Grade: 81
Match Recap: Priest starts off in dominating fashion with extreme power. Balor turns things around outside the ring and lands a Slingblade. Priest might have the best strikes in WWE, the power he generates is insane. Broken Arrow gets a 2.5 count. Slingblade lands but Priest retaliates with two Superkicks and a clothesline.
Razor’s Edge by Priest almost gets a pin but Balor kicks out. Another Razor’s Edge onto the ring apron. Judgment Day arrives to interrupt, Carlito distracts the ref, JD McDonagh strikes and leads to a Balor Coup De Gras but Priest kicks out. Chair, no dice. Two Coup De Gras to the back of riest’s neck and then his back. Another attempt but Priest catches him by the neck and lands a South of Heaven. Pinfall.
Takeaway: It feels like this rivalry will never end, but to know where it goes next the results of the Morgan-Ripley match must be known as it’s the same storyline.
Paul Levesque Promo | Grade: 83
Triple H announces Crown Jewel will be an annual event where the champions of each brand, men and women, will face off against each other for a brand new championship belt.
The new Crown Jewel belt… Raw vs SmackDown champions will fight for it.
It’s beautiful. pic.twitter.com/vvJkt6byrY
— And New! Wrestling (@andnewwrestling) October 6, 2024
Gunther comes out and calls out Goldberg as a one-trick pony. Goldberg almost storms the ring but is stopped by security and in swoops Sami Zayn to whoop on him.
Liv Morgan (c) vs Rhea Ripley for Women’s World Championship | Grade: 76
Match Recap: Ripley starts off strong, ending with a fallaway slam, allowing Morgan to escape the ring and send Ripley into the steps. Ripley keeps the advantage though and Morgan needs a breather. Ripley drop kicks her on the floor and tosses her back in the ring. Morgan starts to focus on the bad knee and takes the upper hand.
Morgan hits a Sunset Flip off the apron sending Ripley into the barricade. Then she nails a Codebreaker off the top turnbuckle, but only gets a two-count. Ripley escapes an Oblivion, but she can’t nail the Riptide. Morgan lands a Homewrecker but can’t complete the pinfall. Morgan slaps her multiple times and lands not one, but two suplexes, but Ripley blocks the third and lands a Razor’s Edge.
Dom picked the lock!
Ripley climbsto the top rope, Yeets and nails a Frog Splash but on three-count. Puts on a Prism Lock but Morgan gets to the rope to cause a break. Mysterio falls out of the cage but his leg is caught and he’s suspended upside down. Ripley asks the ref for one minute, he agrees and Ripley grabs a kendo stick to beat him. Out comes Raquel Rodriguez, Morgan’s old tag partner and attacks Ripley. She sends her back in the ring but Morgan is DQ’d.
Takeaway: Now there’s going to be an expansion of this storyline that has already run its course. Pretty disappointing to be honest. Hopefully the Wyatt 6 is paying attention and will put the Judgment Day in their crosshairs .
Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns vs Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu | Grade:
Match Recap: Rhodes and Fatu start things off but it’s pretty much just a ton of staredowns. Eventually Fatu tags in Sikoa and then Rhodes tags in Reigns. After a Fatu distraction allows Sikoa to sneak attack Reigns, he takes the first control of the match. Back-to-back hip checks by Sikoa and then Fatu do real damage. Rhodes lands the Dream Elbow and a Cody Cutter on Fatu.
Fatu lands a Samoan Drop in retaliation. Now five minutes of Bloodline domination. A slingshot hip check and then a Fatu hip check to Rhodes’ face. Rhodes almost gets the tag but Fatu pulls Reigns off the apron. Sikoa gets a two-count but Rhodes escapes. Finally Rhodes gets his knees up when Fatu tries a Swonton from the top turnbuckle. Finally Reigns is tagged in and he goes to work on Sikoa. Reigns goes for a Superman Punch but Sikoa stops it, goes for a Samoan Spike but Reigns sneaks in a Crucifix for a two count, then a Superman Punch lands.
Superkicks and a Moonsault then splash almost ends Reigns but Rhodes dives in to save him. Fatu tries to wreck Rhodes but he sidesteps and Fatu goes through the barricade. Rhodes catches Fatu with a CrossRhodes on the floor but he’s back up. A couple Superkicks and Fatu is laid out on the announcer’s table. Rhodes climbs to the top turnbuckle and splash successful.
Takeaway:
