AEW Blood and Guts 2021 Quick Takes

Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa vs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston

Before the match, Don Callis announces that Kenny Omega will not be in this match and that this will be a handicap match. As Mox and Kingston make their way to the ring, they both get clobbered by Omega. Once the heels have the advantage, the match finally starts. This was OK. This was a bit of departure from the usual high-impact opening matches AEW usually has as this was more story-oriented. Moxley and Kingston get the win after Omega bails on Nakazawa, allowing Mox and Eddie to connect with a cool half-and-half suplex/clothesline combo. After the match, The Young Bucks come out to face off with Moxley and Kingston. The Good Brothers emerge and take out the faces. Omega returns and hits a One-Winged Angel on Kingston.

Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall

One thing I liked about this one was that Cody went straight for QT right away. There was no lock-up. This was a fight. I do think that Cody went a little too 50/50 with QT for my taste. Marshall is fine as a Gatekeeper type but I don’t think that he should be on equal footing with Rhodes. At one point, Arn Anderson got involved in the match, squishing QT’s face into the ring post in plain view of the ref. I’m not sure how that wasn’t a DQ. At some point, Cody gets a gnarly cut under his eye, We already have blood for Blood and Guts! Cody wins after tapping out QT with a figure four. Afterward, Anthony Ogogo comes out and gut punches Cody. He then covers Rhodes with a Union Jack flag. I’m sure where this going to wind up but it looks like Ogogo/Rhodes may be happening and I like it.

Dr. Britt Baker vs. Julia Hart

This was a straight-up squash match. I think there were maybe two wrestling moves here: 1) a slam from Baker and 2) a Lock-Jaw for the win. The match was the only Women’s Division match on the show and it was maybe a minute long. It was announced that Dr. Baker will take on Hikaru Shida at the PPV so, there’s that.

The Varsity Blondes vs. SCU vs. The Acclaimed vs. Jurassic Express

The winners of this match get a shot at The Young Bucks next week. A lot was going on in this one. All four teams got a chance to shine here and it was great to see. Brian Pillman Jr. stood out here, as did Luchasaurus. Kazarian and Christopher Daniels get the win after beating Pillman with a BME. Yes, SCU winning was a little telegraphed but, it makes sense, and having the Bucks take part in the break up of such an established team could make for a cool moment next week.

Kenny Omega’s Next Challenger Is…

Tony Schiavone is with Kenny Omega where is it revealed that his next challenger will be the winner between Orange Cassidy and PAC. Kenny puts over PAC and completely dismisses Orange Cassidy. OC comes out and Omega continues to put him down. He then complements Cassidy’s sunglasses, takes them, and puts them on Michael Nakazawa. I

Could see next week going either way. I think they are leaning hard on Omega/Cassidy which I would like to see but I’m not sure if I’d like it for a PPV.

Blood and Guts: The Pinnacle vs. The Inner Circle

Here we go! This was violent and they delivered on the “blood” part of Blood and Guts. AEW loves to pay homage to old-school WCW and having their tribute to War Games finally take shape had me having some major flashbacks. The presentation for both teams was great. The Pinnacle looked like a million bucks and The Inner Circle wearing prison jumpsuits from their local institutions (complete with Santana and Ortiz sporting the Dead Presidents face paint) was a great touch. Sammy Guevara was an absolute star and used the cell for some creative spots. Dax and Dash’s throwback vibe really fit in this match and boy, were they a throwback here. Once the match officially started, we had a war. Baseball bats, chairs, forks, this match lived up to its name. Jericho and MJF get on top of the cell. After the two men have a quick back and forth, MJF nails Jericho with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF looks over the side of the roof and you can see the wheels turning. He threatens to toss Jericho off the structure unless The Inner Circle surrenders, at which point, Sammy acquiesces. MJF then decides to throw Chris off anyway (and onto a poorly hidden crash pad).

Final Thoughts

1. AEW does a great job of making these special editions of Dynamite seem special.

2. It was announced that Miro will go against Darby Allin for the TNT title. I am stoked for this!

3. I’m not quite sure if I would have had a Blood and Guts match on TV. This needed to headline a PPV.

#ChrisJericho #AEWDynamite #wrestling #AEW #CodyRhodes #KennyOmega #bloodandguts