Dynamite recap & reactions: Blood & Guts goes out with a whimper

AEW Dynamite (July 24, 2024) emanated from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. The Blood & Guts special featured an unsatisfying conclusion to the namesake match, MJF unveiling a new look championship, Mercedes Moné bringing in Kamille as muscle, Minoru Suzuki chopping Chris Jericho until he bled, and more.

Catch up on all the details with the excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.

Blood & Guts

Blood & Guts was the main event attraction. Violence was on tap between the Elite and Team AEW. The action lived up to the craziness of the stipulation. The finish was a different story delivering an unsatisfying conclusion.

Blood & Guts is contested inside two rings surrounded by a steel cage. Rules start with one-on-one combat then alternating entrants until all ten men are inside the ring. Once that happens, victory can be earned through submission or surrender.

The Elite won the coin toss using a double-sided piece to win the advantage. Hangman Page was conspicuous in his absence. Over on the AEW side, they bickered about taking orders from Swerve Strickland. Mark Briscoe had to get his team back on track with an impassioned speech.

The order of entrants was Jack Perry, Darby Allin, Nicholas Jackson, Mark Briscoe, Matthew Jackson, Anthony Bowens, Kazuchika Okada, Max Caster, Hangman Page, and Swerve Strickland. For the most part, the flow was routine for Elite control with the numbers advantage, then the fresh babyface swung momentum. Plenty of brutality was mixed in the recipe, such as a senton atop a barbed wire board sandwich.

The drama didn’t start until it was Hangman’s time to arrive. He no-showed his entire turn. Once Swerve was introduced, the cowboy ambushed his enemy to serve cold justice. Hangman handcuffed Swerve to the cage and bludgeoned him with the world title belt. Matt saw enough and ordered the cowboy to get in the match to help them win, or else be fired. Hangman reluctantly obliged. Swerve needed help from Jeff Jarrett, Billy Gunn, and Prince Nana to break free. When Brandon Cutler protested, Jarrett smashed his guitar over that stooge’s head.

Let’s get to the spotfest paving the road toward the finish. Swerve and Hangman brawled up stage to fall off to the side crashing through a table. That was it for them. Nicholas and Bowens climbed the corner of the cage. Nicholas had the upper hand to send Bowens falling down with tables breaking his fall.

Briscoe went wild with Jay Drillers and a froggy bow onto Matthew through a table. Allin climbed the cage like monkey bars to hang from the ceiling for a Coffin Drop onto Perry breaking a table.

Briscoe handcuffed Perry to the cage and mercilessly broke a kendo stick across the Scapegoat’s chest. Perry refused to quit, so Allin went into his bag of torture. He doused Perry with gasoline and threatened to light him on fire. Allin bargained safety in exchange for a TNT title shot at All In. Perry still refused. Allin turned his focus to Matthew. Give him the championship match and quit or else Perry goes aflame. Matthew accepted those terms and verbally surrendered to save his teammate. Team AEW was victorious.

Blood & Guts delivered a car crash of violence and creativity. Applause to all who put their bodies on the line. I thought the match had a good game plan with specific steps leading to other steps in a logical manner. The action was a mixed bag of delight. It was exciting on a superficial level with so much chaos, but certain aspects can be an acquired taste. I find little joy in barbed wire, tacks, and staplers, but that’s the name of the game when it comes to Blood & Guts. It is worth it to sit through that stuff to get badass moments like Swerve laughing maniacally after suffering a massive stapler attack from the Elite.

The fighting between Swerve and Hangman was the heartbeat of this match. In terms of story, that was the only interesting aspect for Blood & Guts. The sheer hatred Hangman has for his nemesis creates electricity. Swerve carries his share of the load with ruthless intensity. AEW is doing a great job building toward that epic match. Their eventual showdown in a sanctioned contest is going to be bonkers.

Blood & Guts had a few problems. The biggest issue was the finish. I’m all for fireballs, flamethrowers, and explosions, because they are cartoonishly over the top. I have to draw the line at threatening to burn someone alive. That type of violence isn’t something I want to watch, so it loses me in the moment. However, Perry’s stock went up with his toughness to refuse surrender. That’s a positive for building his character. On the flip side, the finish transitioned to a conversation between Allin and Matthew. After all that hardcore fighting, the resolution came without violence. It was a letdown for the time investment as a viewer.

Another issues was the weak storytelling to set up Blood & Guts. The AEW squad never felt like a team, and that was a missing ingredient. The stakes were hollow. Allin was selfish to demand a prize only for himself, and nobody else benefit from the win. The Elite didn’t lose respect in defeat, because Matthew quit to save a man who wouldn’t quit. The finish didn’t put any heel heat on them.

One more issue was timing. Or rather, things taking too long. For instance, Jarrett had trouble using the key to uncuff Swerve. That awkwardly delayed Swerve and Hangman throwing fists in the ring. In addition, Allin couldn’t find his fire tools, so we just had to wait in dead time during the climax. Things happen on live TV, but these are the kinds of details that need to be precise beforehand. It makes AEW look sloppy, especially with their mixed track record on these types of outrageous matches.

Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite.

MJF’s new championship. MJF celebrated winning the AEW International Championship by renaming the title as the American Championship. No wrestlers outside the USA matter to him. MJF dumped the belt into the trashcan, then he unveiled the new design with American flag colors on the strap. Also of note, MJF called out Swerve Strickland about the AEW World Championship. MJF is just waiting for the right moment to pounce.

The show opened with comedy when Will Ospreay found his tire slashed. He confiscated Alex Marvez’s ride. Ospreay claimed that it was his first time driving in the USA.

At the end of MJF’s celebration, Ospreay crashed the party to inform the champ of a rematch at All In.

That was an amusing promo session from MJF with insults for the crowd and locker room alike. Touting the USA over the world should result in huge heat from the Wembley crowd. That is going to be a sight.

Ospreay’s appearance was cheeky with the driving bit. I was wondering the same thing about his experience in American motor vehicles when he looked confused in the driver’s seat. As for the All In rematch, it makes AEW look sloppy sidestepping PAC, who already earned his shot. I am in favor of MJF versus Ospreay in Wembley, because it is the better story. It still feels like they dogged the Bastard raw in a mess of their own making. The explanation that Tony Khan granted Ospreay the match works, but they better address PAC’s side. And I hope it isn’t a three-way where PAC eats the pin, which would be so predictable that it dampens my enthusiasm for the rematch. The Elite should use this disrespect from TK to pitch PAC to their cause.

Speaking of PAC, he was in action for a squash on Boulder. The Bastard hit a brainbuster on his heavyweight opponent to win. Commentary acknowledged PAC as the #1 contender to the AEW International Championship, but that was all. No words from PAC himself about the All In news.

For The World Championship: Chris Jericho defeated Minoru Suzuki to retain the title. FTW rules in effect, and the Learning Tree were banned from ringside. This match was literally a chop fight. Only chops were thrown for several minutes.

Jericho was the first to break with a kick, and the crowd showered him with boos. The next stage was a little bit of wrestling mixed with chair shots. In the end, Jericho blocked a Gotch piledriver to strike with a low blow. The Judas Effect earned victory.

Afterward, Suzuki choked Jericho and planted him on a Gotch piledriver. The Learning Tree rushed in to stomp Suzuki. Katsuyori Shibata made the save.

The chop duel lasted so long that it was absurd. I’ll admit that the longer it went, the bigger my smile. It was like a freak show fight. Leave it to Jericho to work it for heat when he kicked instead of chopped. The shady win protects the aura of Suzuki. When I saw Shibata in the ring with Suzuki, my mind wondered about seeing them wrestle each other in AEW. That’s a match for the sickos, if Khan can book it one day.

Dr. Britt Baker DMD defeated Hikaru Shida. As the match progressed, the Shining Samurai’s frustration grew. She teased grabbing her kendo stick, but her heroic nature got the better of her conscience. Shida had momentum for a Falcon Arrow slam, however, Baker countered the Katana strike to roll through for the Lockjaw submission to win.

Decent match. The action flowed well. I really enjoyed Shida’s intensity. Baker did alright for her return match from injury, but her movement was on the stiff side rather than rolling with fluidity. Also of note, Shida sported new gear.

Kamille arrived with the CEO. The former NWA Women’s World Champion was in the house. After Baker’s match, Mercedes Moné taunted DMD by declining the TBS title challenge for All In. Boom! Kamille made a surprise appearance to blindside Baker with a boot to the mush. Kamille executed a torture rack slam to stand tall, then she raised the arm of Mercedes to signify a new partnership.

That was an impactful way to introduce Kamille. I’m biased from her work in the NWA, so I’m curious how she came across to fresh eyes. I just hope AEW doesn’t feed Kamille to Baker to lose so quickly on the way to DMD versus CEO. As for Kamille joining Mercedes, it feels like a step back on one hand. On the other hand, Kamille will have increased exposure since Mercedes is present every week, and the world title picture could be open for the Brickhouse. Upon quick reflection, I’m optimistic for Kamille’s prospects in AEW.

Mariah May defeated Kaitland Alexis. The Glamour steamrolled the competition to win on a running hip attack and piledriver combo. Afterward, Toni Storm attacked in disguise. Officials broke up the donnybrook. Storm asked if Mariah was prepared to die, because she is.

Productive segment keeping the heat warm between Mariah and Storm. AEW hyped this as the debut of The Glamour, but I don’t think they leaned into it enough. Mariah was pretty much what we’ve seen before. One difference was increased intensity. I don’t know if that is from new confidence or if she was just acting like a rookie previously in her understudy role.

Notes: Kris Statlander ambushed Willow Nightingale backstage. Statlander wanted an eliminator match for the CMLL Women’s World Championship next week.

Bryan Danielson discussed his neck health with Renee Paquette. Jeff Jarrett interrupted to praise Danielson for winning the Owen Hart Cup tournament. Danielson has a date with destiny in Wembley. Jarrett offered advice that Danielson needs to do some mental healing too. No excuses. Go all in.

Nick Wayne talked smack to Kip Sabian for creeping around the Patriarchy. Young Wayne rudely spoke about nobody caring that Sabian’s father is dead. Be a man, and suck it up.

Stud of the Show: Jack Perry

Perry benefit the most from Blood & Guts. He was willing to sacrifice being torched on fire. Perry’s defiance in the end showed that his character isn’t afraid. Nobody should view him as a Jungle Boy punk anymore.

Match of the Night: Blood & Guts

Violence upon violence. There was room for a show-stealer on the undercard, but that never materialized in the few matches that took place.

Grade: B

Blood & Guts is the anchor of this episode. The rest of the broadcast brought fun with a touch of surprise.

Share your thoughts about Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show?