Vince McMahon wanted to distance WWE from AEW’s style of wrestling, but one comment ended up handing Tony Khan the perfect name for a major event.
During his interview with Yahoo Finance, Khan was discussing AEW’s recent television audience when he brought up the July 2024 Blood and Guts episode of Dynamite. That show held the company’s recent TBS viewership record until the Beach Break edition featuring Kenny Omega against MJF. The interviewer praised the Blood and Guts name, which led Khan to explain exactly where it came from.
According to Khan, McMahon used the phrase during a WWE investor call while trying to separate WWE from AEW’s more violent presentation. Khan heard it and immediately knew AEW had to turn it into something.
“The name actually comes from taking something and twisting it around because Vince McMahon, on an investor call, said, ‘We’re not like those blood and guts guys.’
“At that point, I said, ‘We have to use that. They have to use that. That’s such a great quote.’ So Vince actually named it.”
AEW officially introduced Blood and Guts as its version of the classic two-ring cage match. The name has since become a regular part of the company’s television schedule and one of Dynamite’s most recognizable special events.
McMahon meant the phrase as a shot at AEW, but Khan turned it into branding that the company has continued using for years. It is one of the clearest examples of AEW taking criticism from WWE and turning it into part of its own identity.
Do you think Blood and Guts is one of AEW’s best event names, or should the company have gone with something else? Share your feedback in the comments.
