WWE Matches That Were PAINFUL To Watch

7. Triple H Vs Shawn Michaels (Bad Blood 2004)

Keith Lee Karrion Kross paIN
WWE.com

Shawn Michaels and Triple H were never going to top SummerSlam 2002, but the only time they really came close - an unexpected Monday Night Raw classic in December 2003 - ultimately foreshadowed several months of pale imitations.

Their Three Stages Of Hell match at Armageddon 2002 had been grabby enough, but two years later and with a limited number of things they were either willing or able to do to each other, a parade of over-familiar and boring bloodbaths followed. This was best exemplified at Bad Blood 2004.

There, they worked a supposed blood, sweat and tears Hell In A Cell main event to near-silence, adding 47 minutes to the ring time they’d already racked up working multiple other pay-per-view matches against each other that year. The Cell was a holding pen for much of the same stuff they’d been doing, and its main event billing was a reminder that the Reign Of Terror was still very much ongoing even if Triple H had temporarily lost the title.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett