5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts 2023 (Review)

Adam Cole is back, and the Elite's brilliance will never go away.

by Michael Sidgwick
Claudio Castagnoli Kenny Omega
AEW

Blood & Guts is an inherently flawed match type.

AEW fans had stratospheric expectations ahead of the first one, which ultimately didn't go ahead - and because it didn't, the match developed a mythology before the cage door was first locked. It didn't just promise an update on one of the all-time great stips; Blood & Guts promised to lead AEW out of the pandemic era. Its very existence was a promise.

The Inner Circle Vs. the Pinnacle was great for 25 minutes, before Chris Jericho took as long to scale the cage as the Iron Sheikh did getting to the ring at WrestleMania X-Seven. Jericho's bump off the top was incredible, well-timed and committed, but the filming was unforgivably atrocious. Nobody expected him not to land on a crash pad, but the production staff printed bits of metal effect on paper and glued them to some cardboard. Garbage.

Utter garbage.

The Jericho Appreciation Society Vs. Blackpool Combat Club was much better, but it was still a bit...underwhelming. Flabby. It didn't reach its ceiling. The problem or part of it is that the enclosed roof indicated a more disciplined approach to the attraction, but it's an excessive plunder brawl at the same time. The genre is confused. What does it want to be? A throwback to a more violent, grudge tone or an exhibition of modern excess in which the contrived leap off the cage spot renders suspension of disbelief all but impossible?

If AEW wants to opt for the spectacle, this year's match promised that to a staggering extent. The Elite Vs. Blackpool Combat Club feud hasn't explored its potential. The premise is thin and has been muddied with too many subplots - but as an exhibition of pure insanity, Blood & Guts III seemed destined for greatness.

Was it a case of third time's a charm...?

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!