The fourth annual AEW Blood & Guts is officially in the books!
Last night’s Dynamite special went down at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. Five matches took place as part of the live broadcast. AEW also taped three matches for Royal Rampage in the aftermath of their live show.
Here’s what went down at Blood & Guts.
Hit – Your new ‘American Champion’ MJF
MJF kicked off AEW Blood & Guts with a live in-ring promo segment. Max mocked Will Ospreay for losing the AEW International Championship during their match last week. He then threw the title in the trash and debuted a new version of the championship, declaring himself the American Champion. Ospreay showed up and told MJF they’ll have their rematch at All In.
MJF bringing Ospreay’s deceased grandmother was a prick heel move. Max eviscerated the legacy of the International Championship. I’m looking forward to their rematch in Ospreay’s home country. The new belt design looks good. Ospreay took out the International title from the trash can. Are we getting a title unification match come August 25?
Miss – FTW title match at AEW Blood & Guts
Chris Jericho put his FTW Championship on the line against Minoru Suzuki. Both men spent the majority of the match brutalizing each other with chops. Suzuki dominated the match until Jericho saw and opening and took him out with the Judas Effect. Big Bill and Bryan Keith jumped Suzuki, who was saved by old rival Shibata after the match.
Jericho breaking his finger during the match tells you about the brutality he endured. That said, the chop fest went way longer than it should’ve been. I think they wanted to emulate the legendary Kobashi versus Sasaki sequence from NOAH Destiny 2005. They should’ve booked Suzuki to dethrone Jericho for a shocker at AEW Blood & Guts.
Hit – The CEO has a new bodyguard
Britt Baker defeated Hikaru Shida after a solid match. The D.M.D was interrupted by Mercedes Mone, who distracted her long enough for Kamille to take out the former AEW Women’s World Champion. The CEO has a new bodyguard in All Elite Wrestling.
Kamille has finally arrived in AEW. She’s a former NWA World Women’s Champion. Kamille held the title for more than 800 days before losing it to Kenzie Page at NWA 75th Anniversary Show. Let’s hope Tony Khan doesn’t fumble Kamille’s booking.
Miss – PAC vs. Boulder
PAC took on Boulder in a squash match at AEW Blood & Guts. The former champion picked up the win in less than two minutes. Does PAC need to be involved in squash matches? I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Hit – Main event of AEW Blood & Guts
Team Elite’s Jack Perry kicked off the main event against Darby Allin. The chaos continued until Adam Page’s music hit, but he didn’t show up. Swerve Strickland was the last man to enter the cage, but Page attacked him from behind and handcuffed to the walls. The Hagman continued his assault in a fit of rage until Matt Jackson told him he’d be fired if he didn’t join the fight inside. Strickland got a little help from Double J and Prince Nana. The AEW World Champion entered the ring and the match officially started. Every man brought a new level of violence to the ring. Strickland got hit with multiple stable guns by The Elite, but laughed it off. Bowens went through stacked tables outside. Team Elite yielded after Allin threatened to set Perry on fire.
What a main event! The match had its AEW level of violence and some really good storytelling. Bowers is clearly the better wrestler in The Acclaimed. Watching Okada get his fingers stapled was… ouch. All respect to the Rainmaker for agreeing to do the spot. Hangman versus Swerve was brilliant. This is my favorite AEW rivalry since MJF versus CM Punk. Hopefully, AEW will continue this rivalry past All In. Darby Allin finally got his match against Perry at Wembley. The chair shot to the head was clearly a tribute to the iconic Dreamer and Raven spot from years ago. A creative finish to an all-out chaos that was AEW Blood & Guts.
Honorable Mention
- Mariah May debuted her “Glamour” persona. I really like how she turned into a ruthless monster on the sound of the opening bell. It has some Glamour Mariah definitely has some Waylon Mercy vibes to her. Toni Storm attacked her former protégé after the match. I’m really looking forward to their world title match at All In.
