Results
- Marina Shafir, Megan Bayne, Mercedes Moné, Julia Hart, Skye Blue & Thekla def. Harley Cameron, Jamie Hayter, Kris Statlander, Mina Shirakawa, Toni Storm & Willow Nightingale (Women’s Blood & Guts Match) (46:08) (Recommended)
- Hangman Adam Page def. Powerhouse Hobbs (Falls Count Anywhere) (14:09) (Recommended)
- Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Darby Allin, Mark Briscoe & Orange Cassidy def. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (Men’s Blood & Guts Match) (54:08) (Recommended)
Marina Shafir earns victory for heel squad in first-ever women’s Blood & Guts match
One of the most anticipated episodes of AEW Dynamite each year, Blood & Guts, took place on Wednesday night from the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. With the unique setup of two rings and one big cage, things got started with the first-ever women’s Blood & Guts match.
Blood & Guts matches start as a one-on-one bout. Then, every few minutes, another wrestler joins in. Once all wrestlers in the match are officially in the ring, it becomes a no-disqualification match that will end with the first pinfall or submission.
Getting things started in this match was Triangle of Madness member Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale. They both came in wielding weapons: Blue had a kendo stick, Nightingale had the top of a trash can.
Nightingale had success in her one-on-one battle with Blue, pouncing her into the cage during an early moment of the bout. Blue started bleeding just a few minutes into the match, sporting a crimson mask as the five-minute mark approached.
We learned on Saturday that the heel side of the match would have the advantage, so we knew which team was coming out next. Since Blue was already in the ring, it made sense that her tag partner, Julia Hart, was the next to join the mix.
Hart regained control of the match and eventually made it a two-on-one beatdown. There was a spot where Hart and Blue started looking inside a turnbuckle for a weapon they possibly planted, but couldn’t find anything. This was awkward and didn’t seem planned. It really cannot be understated how much Blue was bleeding so early into this bout.
In next was Harley Cameron, who entered with a steel chair. The show went to its first commercial break shortly after the babyfaces regained control of the battle.
The Triangle of Madness leader, Thekla, was the next to come out. She wasn’t holding a weapon as she came down the ramp, but once she got in the ring unveiled a belt, which she used to bruise Cameron and Nightingale.
Jamie Hayter came to the ring carrying a small bag, and we immediately knew what was inside… Thumbtacks! Hayter also unloaded a couple of whips to Thekla, returning the favor after what she did just minutes earlier.
Megan Bayne had an impressive run of moves once she got in: Massive boot to Hayter, a fallaway slam to Cameron, then a splash in the corner to both Cameron and Nightingale. Cameron dared to try and take on Bayne again moments later, but was slammed onto a trash can lid moments later.
AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander entered the bout next with a pool cue. Statlander tossed Thekla into the cage (leaving her sort of trapped in a gap between the ring and the cage briefly). An awkward moment between Statlander and Nightingale, who have a complicated past, caused the heels to push them into eachother. Statlander and Bayne brawled as the show went into another break.
Cameron climbed the cage for some extra height, allowing her to score a crossbody onto numerous opponents as the show returned. The next entrant was Mercedes Moné, who had all of her titles and a glass of champagne on display at ringside before entering the bloody battle.
Moné had an exchange with Full Gear opponent Statlander in the middle of the ring. Statlander attempted to score a tombstone piledriver onto the women’s world title, but Moné reversed it into a tornado DDT onto the belt.
Moné left the ring to grab her endless flow of championships, deciding they could be used in the match as a weapon. She passed out her titles to teammates, who whipped their opponents with the big chunks of metal. Ouch! Some part of this sequence caused Moné to start bleeding from her hands.
Mina Shirakawa got in next with a barbed wire baseball bat. She tossed the bat into the arms of Bayne then dropkicked her to the floor. Commentary noted that Statlander started to bleed heavily around this point in the match.
The final heel to join the match was Marina Shafir, who entered through the crowd in true Death Riders fashion. Shafir immediately dragged Statlander out of the ring, tossing her into a guardrail at ringside.
Shafir then revealed the nastiest weapon to be introduced thus far: A bed of nails. After a brief struggle, Shafir kicked Statlander in the chest, sending the world champ onto the bed of nails. Really nasty looking bump.
In last was multi-time former world champ Toni Storm, who entered with numerous pearl necklaces as her weapon, as well as the metal bucket and champagne bottle Moné had sitting at ringside. The cage door got officially locked after Storm got in, meaning pins and submissions officially counted beyond this point. Arguably more important to note: Statlander was still down at ringside as the cage door got locked, meaning the babyface side would be at a disadvantage for the rest of the match.
Storm crafted a weapon after getting into the match. Breaking the champagne bottle Moné brought and putting pieces of the glass on her wrist tape, she used it to strike an opponent in the head.
Hayter plucked Blue off the cage wall and powerbombed her off the top rope and onto a table right after the show returned from a break. This was a nasty bump, as the table was meant to break but didn’t.
Moné took out Storm with a Moné Maker and then dropped Statlander with a backstabber. Cameron showed Moné her Moné doll, enraging the TBS Champion. After Moné threw the doll, it was revealed that Cameron had brass knuckles under, which she used to strike her in the head.
Thekla and Hart slipped through small gaps in the cage, getting them to ringside. They retrieved a key to the cage from a ref via brute force, then opened the cage door.
Moné violently threw Cameron and Hayter out of the ring. At ringside, Thekla gave a spear to both Hayter and Cameron. Statlander and Moné both started to brawl while climbing a corner of the cage, and everybody started to get the sense that a high-risk move was on the way.
Statlander picked up Moné and delivered a massive Samoan Drop through a table at ringside – this looked great. Back in the ring, Storm used the bottom of a heel to the head of Shafir and Blue. Alongside Shirakawa, Storm scored a double DDT to Shafir.
Storm sat Shafir down in a corner of the ring and placed a mirror up against her head. Storm started to set up for a hip attack in the corner, but Shafir tossed the mirror at her face as she came charging forward, making it shatter into dozens of pieces in the process. Nightingale gave Bayne a superplex onto the ring apron of both rings, not a weapon-breaking spot but certainly one of the more painful looking moves of the night.
A now bloody Shirakawa locked a Figure Four leglock onto Bayne with a barbed wire bat between them. In one of the coolest-looking moves I have ever seen, Shafir stepped onto glass with her bare foot, then used the glass on her feet as she stomped the chest of Shirakawa to break the submission.
Shafir put Shirakawa in the Mother’s Milk submission, with Bayne whipping her with a championship as this went on. We expected a submission from Shirakawa, but it was actually Storm, who was being held back and forced to watch, who submitted to end the match. She couldn’t bear watching Shirakawa in such pain. Like that, the heel team won the first-ever Blood & Guts match in 46 minutes.
I would argue this match definitely lived up to expectations. It had a creative finishing sequence, tons of unique spots along the way, and did a good job of furthering the main title rivalry between Moné and Statlander. So, overall, it gets a thumbs up from me.
Hangman Page takes down Powerhouse Hobbs, adds stipulation to Full Gear match
Backstage, we saw The Don Callis Family beating up on The Jurassic Express. The Young Bucks, who are still undecided about whether they want to join The Family, were seen exiting a trailer with Kazuchika Okada and Callis himself. Callis mentioned that, ahead of Kenny Omega appearing on TV next week, it would send the message to him by having The Bucks join the family.
As a bit of a breather before the second Blood & Guts matchup of the night, AEW World Champion Hangman Adam Page faced off against Samoa Joe ally Powerhouse Hobbs in a Falls Count Anywhere bout.
It didn’t take long for the match to use its Falls Count Anywhere stipulation, with Hobbs and Page brawling around the ring. Page came flying off a steel staircase with a crossbody, but Hobbs caught him for a series of gnarly Worlds Strongest Slams: Onto the ring apron, onto the commentary desk, then onto the steel stairs. With his Powerhouse style, Hobbs had control of the match as the show went to commercials.
The fight went onto the commentary desk, where Hobbs was attempting a move. But instead, Page scored a huge backbody drop, sending Hobbs flying to the floor. Hobbs landed so hard on the floor that his entire body bounced. Page followed up by knocking Hobbs over the guardrail and into the crowd with a clothesline.
Page came flying off a guardrail with a moonsault onto Hobbs. Thankfully, Hobbs escaped a Deadeye attempt onto the concrete floor, which could’ve been fatal. Page came charging at Hobbs but was instead put through a table with a Spinebuster for a two-count.
The fight went numerous rows up into the crowd and they started to tease doing a spot off the top of an exit from the venue – a massive drop. Page took off a boot and struck Hobbs in the head, sending him off the top of the exit and through an electrical table, which exploded with a huge spark once Hobbs landed. Page went down to where Hobbs was and gained the pinfall win in 14 minutes. After losing in tag action last week, Page reminded everyone who he is with a devastating performance against Hobbs. Stellar match that kept the crowd engaged thoroughly despite being in the clear cooldown spot.
Page’s celebration was short-lived, as Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata attacked him in the post-match. Joe called for the cage to be lowered as their two-on-one beatdown continued. However, before the cage could be lowered, Hook and Eddie Kingston came in for the save and chased The Opps away.
“If you wanted me inside of a steel cage, all you had to do was ask, dumbass,” Page said on the mic. Page then announced that their Full Gear match for the world title will be in a steel cage.
FTR get disrespectful with Ricky Steamboat
Before the main event, Tony Schiavone brought Ricky Steamboat to the ring. Schiavone recalled watching him at the Greensboro Coliseum in 1978. A story from Steamboat was rudely interrupted by FTR and Stokely Hathaway.
The trio spent minutes on end trying to get under Steamboat’s skin. After finally angering him, Steamboat was ordered to “get out of my ring.”
Steamboat attempted to leave the ring, mentioning that he’s 73 and shouldn’t be picking fights with current stars. But, FTR wasn’t satisfied with getting their way, and thus decided to attack him anyway.
Brodido hit the ring before things could get too ugly. Steamboat was able to land a few shots on Dax Harwood before the heels fled the ring. It was also promoted ahead of time that Ric Flair would be at the show this week, and while he was namedropped at one point here, he wasn’t involved.
Jon Moxley forced to quit, Death Riders lose Blood & Guts match
Closing things out this evening, the men’s Blood & Guts match took place. This match featured a collection of babyfaces (The Conglomeration, Roderick Strong, Darby Allin) against the big Death Riders faction.
One of the driving forces in the Death Riders vs. The World storyline, Darby Allin, got started for the babyface team against Wheeler Yuta.
Yuta left the cage shortly after the bout got started, so the action actually got underway at ringside for this one. Allin caught Yuta off guard with a dropkick to the chest. He tried to come running forward with a move to Yuta, but was instead thrown full-force into a guardrail. Allin had a door of the cage kicked into his head before the match returned to the ring.
Allin climbed the cage for a big Coffin Drop onto Yuta early in the match. The skateboard he brought him into the ring had thumbtacks on the bottom of it, he revealed. Allin got first blood in the match, grinding the bottom of the board to Yuta’s head. The Greensboro crowd started to chant: “You deserve it!” Harsh.
Yuta hit Allin with a low blow then scored an Olympic Slam. It was at this point when Orange Cassidy joined the match. Cassidy snapped up the sunglasses he brought to the ring, then used the sharp edges of the punctured eyewear as a weapon. Allin came off the top rope with a double stomp to the back of Yuta while using his skateboard.
Evening the odds (briefly) was Daniel Garcia, who entered next. Garcia and Yuta utilized a chain as a weapon as they led a beatdown through the commercial break.
The next man up was Mark Briscoe… Or, at least that was the plan. After his theme fully played out, Briscoe didn’t come out! Oh no, we learned moments later that a “situation” was unfolding backstage. Roaming reporter Renee Paquette found Briscoe hurt backstage after a mystery attack. In the heat of the moment, Roderick Strong decided he would enter next instead. That leaves the question: Will Briscoe be healthy enough to appear later in the match, or will the babyface squad be at a disadvantage?
After the match hit 15 minutes, Claudio Castagnoli was revealed as the next entrant. Castagnoli had quite the run of moves after entering the match, tossing Allin over the ropes from one ring to another at one point. Strong started to bleed after his head was raked on the steel cage.
Kyle O’Reilly was the next entrant. We saw Paragon in action, with Strong and O’Reilly scoring a series of double-team moves onto Castagnoli. Like what happened earlier in the night with Thekla, Cassidy found himself wedged between the ring and the cage briefly.
Approaching the 25-minute mark of the match, Jon Moxley was the next one into the bout. Bryan Danielson said he was surprised that Moxley didn’t enter last, instead giving that spot to PAC.
Moxley brought a fork into the ring, immediately using the weapon on O’Reilly’s head, causing him to start gushing blood moments later. The fork also caught DNA from the head of Strong and the back of Allin, as Moxley countered a springboard Coffin Drop by stabbing Allin. After scraping Allin up and down his back with a fork, a gruesome visual, he was tossed into the cage.
It was time for the big reveal: Was Briscoe able to enter the match? Standing outside the AEW medical office, Paquette said that Briscoe was unlikely to enter the match after getting attacked by the Don Callis Family. Unless things change, it was confirmed to be a five-on-four bout. Moxley put broken glass in the middle of the ring. Garcia gave Allin a piledriver onto the glass before the show went into another break.
Allin came flying from the top of the cage for a massive Coffin Drop onto numerous wrestlers. Barring a Briscoe return, PAC entered as the final competitor in the match. Once PAC entered the ring, pinfalls and submissions became official.
If there were a bloodiest wrestler of the night award, Skye Blue would win the women’s category earlier in the night, and O’Reilly would take the trophy for the main event. He was absolutely covered in blood near the 35-minute mark of this bout.
Briscoe, despite being considered unlikely for the match, made his way to the ring. The cage was locked, but Briscoe was able to break the lock open and enter the bout. A toolbox brought into the ring by Briscoe was utilized by Cassidy, who took out a wrench.
At ringside, Briscoe suplexed Garcia to the floor. Briscoe and Yuta climbed to the top of the cage and started to trade strikes. Using a carabiner attached to a rope, Briscoe lifted a series of steel chairs to the top of the cage to aid him in his battle with Yuta.
After utilizing the chairs, Briscoe attempted a J-Driller. Yuta avoided the move by hitting Briscoe with a low blow. Just before the show went to its final break, Yuta flattened Briscoe with a chair shot.
Briscoe finally connected with a J-Driller on top of the cage as the show returned, landing on a pile of chairs on top of the cage. Back in the ring, Allin was using a hammer to try and choke Castagnoli. After Allin went to ringside, an unexpected cameo appeared with a stun gun: Gabe Kidd!
NJPW’s Kidd, who has helped out the Death Riders many times before including at All In: Texas, brawled over to the stage with Allin. PAC and Allin went on top of a tunnel on the AEW stage. Nearby, a pair of tables was set up, which Kidd set on fire. PAC then picked up Allin and tossed him for a massive fall through the tables, lighting him on fire in the process.
Back in the ring, Cassidy had his hands stapled into their pockets by Moxley, one of the gnarlier spots of the night. Moxley tried to put away an extremely bloody O’Reilly with a bulldog choke. O’Reilly flipped off Moxley while resisting to tap out, eventually surviving the submission.
Castagnoli put a chair around the head of O’Reilly and was about to do a Curbstomp, but Cassidy and Strong stopped this and started to mount a comeback. At ringside, Briscoe put PAC through a table with a Fisherman Buster.
Numerous table bumps in the ring didn’t actually break the tables – AEW needs to switch their table provider, I think. Cassidy gave Moxley a pair of Orange Punches. He tried for a third, but Castagnoli cut him off. Castagnoli tossed Cassidy into the air for an uppercut, but Cassidy countered with a mid-air Orange Punch. Then, a third Orange Punch was given to Moxley.
O’Reilly put in an ankle lock to Moxley, trying to once again make him quit during a match. While Moxley had some sneaky counters, O’Reilly eventually transitioned into a kneebar, causing Moxley to tap out and end the match at 54 minutes. While this match certainly had its slow moments (as would any match that goes nearly an hour), the finish for this one was red-hot and a great callback to the story that has followed Moxley and tapping out in recent months. Overall, a great TV special from AEW.
