Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
BLOOD AND GUTS
The storyline heading into Blood and Guts has not been good. With plot holes so big, you could drive a jumbo jet through them.
We still have no idea who is in charge of AEW. One week The Elite are making decisions, the next Tony Khan is in charge with no real reason or explanation for any of it. What were these people fighting for? The Elite won an Anarchy in the Arena match in May, and somehow had less power after it than they did before. What did team AEW have to fight for or overcome? The Elite were the ones that made this match. As the heels, shouldn’t the boss Tony Khan have been forcing them to enter this match as punishment for all their misgivings towards him in recent months?
These issues bled into the match itself and had me asking questions. Why was Hangman Page in fear of being fired by the Young Bucks, when they fired Chris Daniels a month or two ago, only for Tony Khan to reinstate him the following week? Why did Darby have to threaten The Bucks into giving him a TNT title match? Couldn’t Tony have just made the match like he does with the umpteen other title matches we see in AEW, if Darby asked, since they have been established as close on TV. Brandon Cutler got involved, even though Jack Perry beat him up on Collision (I don’t THINK I dreamed that).
These major plot holes, as well as this match not feeling like it had the level of heat or hatred to warrant these men trying to murder each other inside a match that is usually reserved to settle the most heated grudges, made it very difficult to get invested in.
If you knew what to expect from a match like this, you probably enjoyed it as a spectacle. As an hour of TV, it was an incredibly entertaining match full of the insane spots and violence you normally get from these things. While it’s not for everyone, there are a lot of people that love big time plunder matches, even when the spots go beyond ridiculous.
The major positive in this match was the interactions between Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page. Page’s sole purpose in entering the match was to get his hands on Swerve, and the crowd reacted massively to their interactions. This is without doubt the hottest match AEW have, and the longer they hold off on it, the hotter it will become.
This of course led to Page and Okada not being on the same page. Will this lead to a Wembley match? I have no idea why they would pit two of their biggest heels against each other, forcing the crowd to side with one, killing any heat they might have. It’s too soon to turn Okada and Page is only just a heel, and needs to be a strong one for his story with Swerve to really work.
The finish of the match sets up Jack Perry vs Darby Allin at All In. I have no idea why AEW are trying to present Perry as the toughest bastard in the company that refuses to quit or back down. It goes completely against what his character should be and his statute. It actually gives you reason to get behind him. The chair shot he took was disgusting and has no place in pro wrestling in 2024. Even if the chair was gimmicked, anything that makes that sound when it hits your head, is not good for you. Wrestlers need to be protected from themselves.
The Acclaimed will likely challenge The Bucks at All In, although FTR have said they also want The Bucks again. Anthony Bowens had a nice showing in this match, showing a more ruthless, aggressive side than what we are used to seeing from him.
If you ignore the nonsensical build and storyline issues going into this, overall this was a really fun plunder match that was a very entertaining hour of TV. This story did not feel like it warranted a Blood and Guts match, and felt like it was being done simply because it’s that time of year. AEW needs a break from these crazy matches, because the stunts are becoming more difficult to top and they are running out of new ideas.
With a few weeks to All In, this match did help build towards some top matches for that show and continued to heat up the Swerve/Hangman situation, which I hope is a major focus for AEW after All In.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
