WWE Hardcore Matches That Were Bloody Masterpieces

Throughout history, WWE has always been famous for its family-friendly sports entertainment product. Therefore, blood hasn’t always been allowed on WWE programming. However, the company has featured its fair share of violent bloody matches over the years, particularly (but not exclusively) during the Attitude Era.

This list will look at hardcore wrestling matches in WWE (not just bouts promoted as a ‘Hardcore Match’ by the promotion) that were violent and bloody masterpieces. While some of the matches weren’t exactly great from a technical perspective, fans still love them to this day.

13

Hulk Hogan Vs. Vince McMahon – Street Fight (WrestleMania 19)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.5/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.38

On paper, Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon had no right to deliver inside the squared circle. However, they had the perfect sports entertainment match at WrestleMania 19 and ended up exceeding everyone’s expectations. Aside from being entertaining, their match was also extremely chaotic and bloody.

McMahon did everything in his power to take down his former golden goose – a shot of an evil Vince with his face fully covered in blood perfectly tells the whole story. Hogan’s selljob was equally brilliant, before The Hulkster eventually made his usual comeback and put McMahon away.

12

Edge Vs. Mick Foley – Hardcore Match (WrestleMania 22)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.15

While Mick Foley’s full-time career ended at Royal Rumble 2000, he came back for a few major matches throughout the Ruthless Aggression Era. One of Foley’s biggest rivals during that time was Edge, and they had a brutal bloody showdown at WrestleMania 22.

Their match elevated both men – for The Hardcore Legend, he finally had the “WrestleMania moment” he deserved; for The Rated-R Superstar, it was the star-making performance he desperately needed at that time in his career. The final shot of Edge spearing Foley through a flaming table will never be forgotten.

11

Eddie Guerrero Vs. JBL – WWE Championship (Judgment Day 2004)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 8/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.60

We start off with one of the most violent WWE Championship matches of all time. SmackDown was in a rough spot after WrestleMania 20; Brock Lesnar left WWE while the likes of Kurt Angle and Big Show were injured, leaving the brand without a top heel to challenge WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero.

The company chose to repackage former APA member Bradshaw as John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) and make him the new number one contender. JBL and Latino Heat had a personal rivalry that featured an extremely violent match and some of the hardest chair shots ever at Judgment Day 2004. That match ended by DQ, and JBL proceeded to steal the title one month later at The Great American Bash.

10

Sgt. Slaughter Vs. The Iron Sheik – Boot Camp Match (WWE On MSG Network, June 16, 1984)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 8.25/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.34

Today, most fans remember Sgt. Slaughter for his heel WWE Championship run in the early 1990s, working a main event program with Hulk Hogan. However, Slaughter had been one of the top faces in the entire company as an American hero just a few years earlier.

Slaughter had a notable rivalry with The Iron Sheik during that time, and it’s easy to understand why fans were into it. Their feud intensified and eventually culminated with a Boot Camp Match at Madison Square Garden. They destroyed each other until Slaughter won and got a massive reaction from the crowd.

Ironically, The Iron Sheik (as Col. Mustafa) would return to WWE in 1991 to manage Slaughter.

9

John Cena Vs. JBL – I Quit Match, WWE Championship (Judgment Day 2005)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.06

After the feud with Eddie Guerrero, JBL held the WWE Championship for about 9 months. He dropped the gold to John Cena at WrestleMania 21, and the two had a rematch at Judgment Day under ‘I Quit’ rules. After a somewhat mediocre ‘Mania match, Cena and JBL stole the show at Judgment Day.

They threw everything but the kitchen sink at each other for over 20 minutes, with both men refusing to stay down. In the end, JBL quit after Cena threatened to hit him with a huge metal pipe. Cena used it after the bell anyway, effectively putting an end to their rivalry before moving to Raw in the 2005 WWE Draft.

8

Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker – Hell In A Cell Match, WWE Championship (No Mercy 2002)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.90

Brock Lesnar made his WWE main roster debut the night after WrestleMania 18. By SummerSlam, he was already WWE Champion after beating The Rock in the main event. Lesnar’s first program as champion was against none other than The Undertaker, who challenged The Next Big Thing inside Hell in a Cell at No Mercy.

Their extremely brutal match ended with a clean win for Lesnar, and even Paul Heyman lost blood during the bout. The Undertaker recently talked about this match on his YouTube channel Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway. Here’s what The Deadman had to say:

That was, as you can imagine, an extremely physical match (…) He [Lesnar] had those intangibles that it’s hard to teach people: aggressiveness, viciousness, be a closer, a killer – he had all of that (…) I didn’t have to tell him when to be aggressive, [or] when to be that type of killer/animal person, he just knew. If you got the Undertaker down, you had to be able to keep him down. (h/t Wrestling Inc.)

7

CM Punk Vs. Drew McIntyre – Hell In A Cell Match (Bad Blood 2024)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 9/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.44

As everyone knows, blood hasn’t been regularly used in WWE ever since the start of the PG Era. Even during brutal matches such as Street Fights or Hell in a Cell Matches, fans don’t expect to see blood. However, it does happen from time to time. At Bad Blood 2024, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre had an incredibly bloody Hell in a Cell Match that fit their personal feud.

McIntyre’s mission was to end CM Punk’s career, who took a huge beating but never gave up. Eventually, Punk got more and more aggresive with each shot. Both men bled buckets and both came close to winning throughout the match. Finally, Punk wrapped a chain around his left leg and delivered a nasty GTS to put McIntyre down and out for good.

6

Triple H Vs. Ric Flair – Last Man Standing Match (Survivor Series 2005)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.43

For nearly three years, Triple H and Ric Flair worked together as members of Evolution. The Nature Boy was a living legend who played the manager/mentor role at that point in his career, while The Game was the reigning World Heavyweight Champion for most of that run.

Triple H eventually turned on Flair, which led to brutal matches between them in late 2005. Their feud culminated with a violent Last Man Standing Match at Survivor Series, where both men beat each other to a pulp. Triple H brutally smashed Flair with many sledgehammer shots to the head, putting the legend down and out for the count of ten.

5

Randy Orton Vs. Cactus Jack – Hardcore Match, WWE Intercontinental Championship (Backlash 2004)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 9.25/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.36

In 2004, Mick Foley came back from retirement to feud with a young Randy Orton, who was a member of Evolution and the reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion at the time. Orton pinned Foley in an entertaining handicap match at WrestleMania 20, but that was far from the end of the rivalry.

At Backlash, Orton put his Intercontinental Title on the line in a Hardcore Match against the Hardcore Legend. The 24 year old Orton overcame all the odds and successfully retained his belt after hitting the RKO onto ‘Barbie’ – the barbed wire bat.

4

Triple H Vs. Cactus Jack – Hell In A Cell Match, WWE Championship (No Way Out 2000)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 9.5/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.28

Mick Foley’s full-time career ended four years earlier, at No Way Out 2000, where Cactus Jack lost to WWE Champion Triple H in a title vs. career Hell in a Cell Match. Hunter and Cactus had an incredible feud in early 2000, and that was the perfect ending to their storyline.

This feud established Triple H as a top main event heel. Needless to say, ending Mick Foley’s wrestling career got Hunter a lot of heat. Cactus was somehow able to get up after a huge fall off the top of the cell that broke both the cell and the ring, only for Triple H to hit the Pedigree for the win.

3

Triple H Vs. Cactus Jack – Street Fight, WWE Championship (Royal Rumble 2000)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 9.75/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.37

One month before the end of their feud at No Way Out, Triple H defended the WWE Championship against Cactus Jack in a Street Fight at the Royal Rumble 2000, inside Madison Square Garden. It was one of the most violent matches in WWE history.

Triple H was confident heading into this bout, but he really didn’t know what he was walking into. Eventually, and after taking a massive beating, Triple H was not only able to survive, but he managed to beat Cactus Jack at his own game. Foley was able to kick out of the Pedigree, but he couldn’t kick out of an extremely violent Pedigree onto thumbtacks.

2

The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels – Hell In A Cell Match (Badd Blood 1997)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 9.75/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.49

The Hell in a Cell Match is one of the most intense and violent stipulations in wrestling history. The first time the gimmick was used was at Badd Blood 1997, between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The two legends always had great chemistry, and they delivered one of the best matches ever that night.

The Deadman absolutely destroyed The Heartbreak Kid from pillar to post, even throwing him off the cell through the announce table. However, The Undertaker’s brother Kane made his WWE debut that night, hitting the Tombstone Piledriver on Undertaker which allowed Michaels to win.

1

Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin – Submission Match (WrestleMania 13)

Overall Rating From The Sportster: 10/10

• Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.63

In 1997, Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin had arguably the greatest feud in WWE history. The dynamic was brilliant, with American fans hating The Hitman while he was still a hero all over the world. After a great technical match at Survivor Series 1996, their feud intensified and they met in a Submission Match at WrestleMania 13.

While it wasn’t a complete bloodbath, the use of blood was perfect. Fans will never forget the visual of Austin passing out to the Sharpshooter in a pool of his own blood. Despite technically losing, Austin walked out of ‘Mania 13 a true megastar and eventually became the biggest star in WWE and all of professional wrestling.