10 Things We Learned About AEW’s Blood & Guts On Talk Is Jericho
Chris Jericho deep-dives on AEW's Blood & Guts; talks WWE influence and THAT divisive big bump.
Chris Jericho has been in a lot of firsts.
He was there for WWE's first Elimination Chamber, Money In The Bank and Ambrose Asylum (which he agrees is probably a one-off) matches. Since joining AEW's revolution, Jericho has also worked the first Mimosa Mayhem brawl and, most recently, Blood & Guts.
That WarGames-esque style cracker was the subject of his latest 'Talk Is Jericho' pod. The 30-year veteran went in deep on AEW's set up, preparation and then execution of the match during an hour-long podcast that revealed how the company both borrowed from the past and wanted to set the bar higher for wrestling's cage-based warfare.
Jericho didn't shy away from the social media backlash that singed his Twitter timeline either. He openly spoke about that big bump, the internet's response and what he really thought when watching the bout's closing moments back with his family afterwards.
Typically, the AEW favourite refused to pretend there was no WWE influence hanging over Blood & Guts. That might enrage some of the hardcores, but Jericho doesn't care. Here's everything learned from a whistle stop tour of the showy set-piece's creation and delivery...
10. Jericho Didn’t Want A 'HIAC Situation'
Blood & Guts was originally scheduled for 25 March 2020, but the pandemic kicked everyone's arse into touch and forced AEW to postpone the thing until the time was right; Jericho noted on his pod that he argued back and forth with several key power players that such a match shouldn't take place for the sake of it.
He didn't want it to be like WWE's Hell In A Cell.
Jericho warned AEW against shoehorning in such an important gimmick match if it didn't fit the story they were telling in the weeks leading up to it. Postponements led to a riotous 'Stadium Stampede' cinematic replacement at Double Or Nothing, and that (in turn) added some more comedic elements to The Elite vs. Inner Circle Story.
They wouldn't have fit Blood & Guts, which Jericho pointed out. He hated the thought of turning this WarGames-style violence vehicle into something that just so happened to fit the calendar. 'Oh, it's October - better prep some Hell In A Cell matches'.