The NWA WarGames match is renowned for its brutality and creativity, and the offspring of one the matches' most well-known participants is adding his own twist to the beloved match.Now AEW is revisiting that classic formula for a new match of its own. The official AEW Twitter account announced that the March 25th edition of AEW Dynamite would feature a "Blood & Guts" match. The match, the main event of the night's Dynamite episode, looks to utilize the classic WarGames formula.
What Is a Blood & Guts Match?
The 5-on-5 battle draws inspiration from NWA's WarGames match, which is contested inside of two rings, which are encapsulated by a single, large steel cage. Entrants are staggered based on which team wins the pre-match coin toss until all wrestlers have entered the cage. Once both sides have all their members in the ring, the match begins, and can only be won by submission, "surrender," or knockout. Later versions of the match included pinfall as a win condition, but it remains to be seen whether AEW will allow for this method of victory. All versions punish those who escape the cage and, in some cases, will disqualify the entire team if a participant flees. We'll learn the match's specific rules on an upcoming episode of AEW Dynamite.Â
There's plenty of history between AEW talent and the WarGames match, starting, of course, with Cody and Dustin Rhodes' late father, Dusty Rhodes, who participated in sixteen War Games matches throughout his career. Cody's on-screen manager, Arn Anderson, was involved in nineteen WarGames matches but never won one. The only active participant in AEW with any experience is Dustin, who participated in three War Games matches while part of WCW. In the booth, both Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone have done play-by-play for War Games matches while members of NWA and WCW, respectively.
Who is Wrestling In The Blood & Guts Match?
AEW confirmed the match would be contested between The Elite, consisting of Cody, Kenny Omega, Adam Page and The Young Bucks, and The Inner Circle, consisting of Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Santanna & Ortiz and Sammy Guevara.
The in-ring dynamics will be interesting. Although the Elite has plenty of experience teaming together in multi-man matches, they are the only team with internal strife. "Hangman" Adam Page has tried to distance himself from the Elite recently and was very aggressive towards Young Bucks during their match at AEW Revolution. The Inner Circle, while not as experienced together, will have the benefit of all being on the same page.
The History Between The Elite & The Inner Circle
Now that Jon Moxley is in the Inner Circle's rear-view mirror, the two most pre-eminent factions in AEW are back to warring with each other. The Inner Circle was birthed during the very first episode of AEW: Dynamite. Chris Jericho, the then-AEW World Champion, Santana & Ortiz, Sammy Guevara, and a debuting Jake Hager put a beatdown on the Elite and ended the show standing side-by-side.
At AEW: Full Gear, the two factions battled in two separate matches, both of which were won by The Inner Circle. Santana & Ortiz defeated The Young Bucks in a tag team match, while Chris Jericho defeated Cody in an AEW World Championship match. Since then, the two factions have traded blows on what seems like a weekly basis, as The Young Bucks seemingly always make the save when Santana & Ortiz interfere with one of their teammates' matches. The Inner Circle has also added a member: Hawaiian brute Jeff Cobb.
Until another faction comes to take the top spot, these two factions will always be fighting for supremacy in AEW. We're looking forward to seeing what AEW has in store for this legendary match, as all the competitors are sure to come to the ring ready to fight with blood and guts.