‘AEW Dynamite: Blood and Guts’ Review (Jul 24th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW Dynamite: Blood and Guts, which was broadcast from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. We’ve got Excalibur, Taz and Tony Schiavone on commentary, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: FTW Championship Match – Chris Jericho def. Minoru Suzuki
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jericho chopped at Suzuki and Suzuki fired back, not backing down. Suzuki invited Jericho to chop him again and Suzuki laughed it off. Suzuki blistered Jericho’s chest with left handed chops. Jericho served up chops of his own as the fans chanted “Chop forever! Chop forever!” It was a total chop fest as both men stood there and chopped one another. Jericho finally had enough and hit a lariat on Suzuki. Suzuki baited Jericho in and applied a flying arm bar. Jericho was bleeding from the chest! Suzuki grabbed a steel chair and whacked Jericho across the back. Suzuki placed Jericho’s hand in between the chair and smashed it with another chair! Suzuki applied a Fujiwara arm bar but Jericho gouged Suzuki in the eyes and followed up with a Code Breaker. Suzuki kicked out at the one count! They traded elbow strikes. Suzuki locked in a sleeper, but Jericho escaped and applied the Walls of Jericho! Suzuki countered out of it! Suzuki tried for a Gotch style piledriver, but Jericho countered with a low blow and then connected with the Judas Effect for the pinfall victory!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. def. Hikaru Shida
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Shida blocked a side headlock takeover from Britt, but Britt rolled up Shida for a near fall. Britt looked for head scissors, but Shida rolled away, evading it. Shida battered Baker with right hands. Shida followed up with a running knee strike. Britt Baker rallied back with a neck breaker and a sling blade! Baker pulled out her surgical glove, but Shida nailed Baker with a German Suplex. Britt walloped Shida with a thrust kick. Britt blocked a Falcon Arrow attempt by Shida. Shida looked at her kendo stick in the corner, conflicted, knowing how much a victory over Baker would mean. Shida didn’t grab it. Britt blasted Shida with a snapping neck breaker for a near fall. Shida cracked Baker with a question mark kick and then the Fallow Arrow. Britt countered the katana kick, rolling through with the Lock Jaw and Shida had no choice but to tap out!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: PAC vs. The Iron Savages’ Boulder
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Pac hit Boulder with a kick to the midsection. Pac pump kicked Boulder, but Boulder knocked down Pac with a shoulder tackle. Pac dodged a moonsault from Boulder! Pac followed up with a shotgun dropkick! Pac drilled Boulder with a brain buster and scored the pin!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: Mariah May def. Kaitland Alexis
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
May walloped Kaitland with a vicious dropkick right out of the gate! Mariah hit another dropkick, this time off the top turnbuckle. Mariah cracked Kaitland with a running knee strike and then planted her opponent with the May Day in the center of the ring! Mariah May crushed Kaitland with a running hip attack and then the Storm Zero for the pin!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Blood & Guts Match – Team AEW def. The Elite
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The first two wrestlers fight for five minutes before new competitors are introduced. The advantage is decided with a pre-show coin flip. The match can only end via submission or surrender after all participants have entered. Jack Perry and Darby Allin were the first two participants. Perry nailed Darby with a steel chair as Darby was making his entrance. Jack Perry power bombed Darby against the cage! Jack Perry whipped Darby into the steel ring steps! They began to brawl throughout the fans on the arena floor. Darby drilled Jack Perry over the barricade with a lariat, back towards the steel cage. They got into the ring and Jack Perry smashed a garbage can on Darby’s head. Jack Perry lawn darted Darby into the corner turnbuckles, where a garbage can had been wedged! Darby spat at Jack Perry and wrapped a cord around Jack Perry’s throat. The clock counted down and Nicholas Jackson was the next participant, as Team Elite had the advantage due to the coin flip. Darby countered a double suplex attempt but Nicholas nailed Darby with a superkick. ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe was the next entrant! Briscoe cleaned house on Jack Perry and Nicholas Jackson, while the crowd erupted into chants of “Dem Boys! Dem Boys!” Matthew Jackson came down next, carrying a case. He threw the case to Nicholas and Nick brained Briscoe with the case. Matthew spiked Darby with a DDT onto the case! The Elite triple teamed Darby! Anthony Bowens entered the fray and went right after Nicholas Jackson! Bowens rocked Matthew and then spiked Perry with the Fame Asser. Briscoe and Darby rallied back for Team AEW! Darby jumped off the top rope and landed on Matthew with a skateboard lined with thumbtacks. Bowens pulled out a pair of scissors and hit Perry with them, using Perry as a pincushion. “The Rainmaker” Okada came to the ring next. Okada cracked Bowens, Briscoe, and Darby with a metal street sign! Okada spiked Briscoe with a tombstone piledriver onto the sign. Caster jumped into the ring with a microphone and the odds were temporarily even for Team AEW!
The Bucks hip tossed Bowens onto a board wrapped in barbed wire! They sandwiched him between boards wrapped in barb wire and Nicholas squashed him with a senton onto the boards! Okada and Matthew put tacks into Caster’s mouth! Nicholas and Matthew pumped up their sneakers and superkicked Caster in the mouth. “Hangman” Adam Page’s music began to play! Page never came out. Team AEW regained momentum as the Elite had gotten cocky waiting for Hangman. Bowens delivered a barb wire Scissor Me Timbers on Nicholas. Swerve Strickland was the final participant. As Swerve was walking to the ring, “Hangman” Adam Page ambushed Swerve with a steel chair! Page handcuffed Swerve to the cage, outside the ring! “Hangman” held up the World Title and told Swerve that Swerve didn’t deserve it! Page smashed the championship into Swerve’s head. Matthew Jackson got on the microphone and said, “Hangman, what are you doing? We have a deal! Last time we suspended you and you sat at home. If you don’t get your ass in this ring, you’re fired!” Page got into the ring and Nicholas locked the cage door. Matthew told Bryce to ring the bell! Okada shoved Hangman after Hangman got into Matthew’s face. There was dissension among The Elite and Team AEW seized the opportunity. Mark hammered down on Matthew Jackson. Jeff Jarrett came to the ring with a guitar! Brandon Cutler, the stooge for the EVPs, ran down and confronted Jarrett! Daddy Ass walked down and popped Cutler in the mouth with a right hand! Jeff Jarrett smashed the guitar over Cutler’s head. Billy Gunn and Jeff Jarrett had the key for the handcuffs and worked to free Swerve from the cage. Strickland used a tool to cut threw the cage! Swerve got into the ring and went after The Elite, taking out all of his frustrations on The Elite!
Swerve and Hangman had a stare down! They met in the middle, between the two rings, and slugged it out! Page went for the Buckshot, but Swerve countered until Page hit Swerve with a barb wire board. Swerve had a staple gun and tried to use it on Hangman, but Nicholas hit Swerve with a low blow from behind. Matthew opened up his case and handed out staple guns to the Elite and they took turns puncturing Swerve with staples! Swerve laughed it off and used the staple gun against The Elite! Hangman tried for the Buckshot lariat, but Swerve dodged it and Hangman inadvertently collided with Okada! Swerve grabbed Page and used the staple gun on Page! Swerve followed up with the House Call kick. The Young Bucks stacked four tables outside the ring! Nicholas scaled the cage, but Bowens climbed up after him! Nicholas drove Bowens’ head into the side of the cage and then Bowens lost his grip and fell off the cage, crashing down onto the tables below. Mark nailed Okada with the Jay Driller and then hit Matthew with the Jay Driller! Briscoe blasted Perry with a Jay Driller! Briscoe planted Nicholas with a Jay Driller! Briscoe pointed up to the heavens! Mark delivered a thunderous froggy bow to Matthew on the table! Darby scaled the top of the cage and nailed Perry with a Coffin Drop from the roof of the cage!
Caster opened up one of the other cases that the Bucks had brought out. It had handcuffs in it! Jack Perry was handcuffed to the cage and Mark Briscoe battered him with kendo stick shots! “Say I quit!” said Briscoe. Perry spat at Briscoe! “Do you quit?” asked Darby. Jack Perry nodded “no.” Darby grabbed a gas can and poured it over Jack Perry’s head! “I am going to light your ass on fire if you don’t quit! I want a match for the TNT Title at All In! Agree to it or I’m going to light your ass on fire!” warned Darby. Jack Perry, defiant, spat at Darby. Matthew Jackson yelled into Darby’s microphone, “This has gone too far! You want the match for the TNT Title at All In? You’ve got it!” Darby: “No, hell no. Say, ‘I quit’ or I light his ass on fire.” Matthew: “All right, damn it, we quit!”
My Score: 4 out of 5
News of the Night:
- MJF changed the International Title into the “American Championship”, complete with a new belt.
- Kamille made her AEW debut (finally) as MErceds Mone’s “bodyguard”
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This week’s episode of Dynamite was all about the main event, the titular Blood and Guts match, which meant that the rest of the card was a little light; especially considering we got two squash matches on the show. But those didn’t really matter – one at least managed to progress a storyline, whilst the other featured PAC and that is never a bad thing! We also got another match between Britt Baker and Shida and those two never disappoint! Of course, Blood and Guts was the focus and it too delivered, with a great match that felt like Team AEW were more than willing to cross the line against The Elite. All in all, great stuff!
