Blood & Guts (2023)

Blood & Guts is an annual television special produced by the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since 2021. The event airs mid-year as a special episode of the company's primary weekly program, Wednesday Night Dynamite. The concept of the event comes from the Blood and Guts match, which is AEW's version of the classic WarGames match in which two teams fight inside a roofed cell structure that surrounds two rings placed side-by-side and is contested as the main event match of the card.[1]

On June 28, 2023, AEW announced that the third annual Blood & Guts would air live as the July 19 episode of Dynamite on TBS and would be held at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.[2] Additionally, it was announced that the July 21 episode of Friday Night Rampage would be taped immediately after the live broadcast of Blood & Guts and would air on tape delay on TNT as the second annual Royal Rampage special episode.[3]

Blood & Guts featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[4] Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage.

In June 2023, AEW announced a men's tag team tournament consisting of eight teams that would begin that summer. The rules of the tournament were that all men would be paired at random via a draw, which was conducted on and off screen by Renee Paquette and RJ City. The tournament began on July 5, airing live on Dynamite and on tape delay on July 7 on Rampage.[5] This concept is similar to World Championship Wrestling's BattleBowl tournament where the teams were drawn at random in a "Lethal Lottery".

Blood & Guts averaged 953,000 viewers, which is the largest number since February 22, with 0.34 rating in AEW's key demographic.[6]

The Royal Rampage match is a two ring 20-man rumble rules battle royal. Two wrestlers start in each ring, then another wrestler enters every 60 seconds, and goes to his assigned ring (red or blue) until all 20 have entered (10 per ring). Eliminations occur by being going over the top rope. The final two wrestlers in each ring then consolidate into a single ring, and the last wrestler remaining is declared the winner.

  – Blue Ring

  – Red Ring

  – Winner

In June 2023, AEW announced a men's tag team tournament consisting of eight teams that would begin that summer to determine the #1 contenders to the AEW World Tag Team Championship. The rules of the tournament were that the teams would be paired at random via a blind draw, which was conducted on and off screen by Renee Paquette and RJ City. The winners received an AEW World Tag Team Championship match on the July 29, 2023 episode of Collision. The tournament began on July 5, airing live on AEW Dynamite, with the finals taking place on the July 19 episode of Dynamite.[11][12]