AEW Blood & Guts 2025: Highlights and Misses from the Bloodiest Night of the Year

AEW Blood & Guts 2025: A Night of Contrasts

The 2025 edition of AEW Blood & Guts, held on November 12 at the historic Greensboro Coliseum, was an event that left fans with as many emotions as bodies strewn across the rings. Wrestling fans reverberated between euphoria and disappointment as two Blood & Guts matches, alongside a Falls Count Anywhere clash between Powerhouse Hobbs and Hangman Page, set the stage for a memorable night. However, the show's structural choices raised eyebrows, begging the question: could the event have been more impactful?

A Standing Ovation for the Women

What We Loved: The Women's Blood & Guts Match was, without contest, the highlight of the night. From the opening bell, these female gladiators showcased their skills with a fervor that demanded respect. Innovative spots, such as Thekla and Julia Hart sliding out from the scaffolding and utilizing a high heel as a weapon, showcased the creativity that AEW should spotlight more regularly. Kris Statlander and Mercedes Mone crashing through a table of belts not only thrilled the audience but also cemented the women's legacy in this brutal showcase.

The climactic moment—Toni Storm's surrender to save Mina Shirakawa—was a historical milestone, illustrating precisely why women's wrestling deserves a leading role on the AEW stage. Despite apparent injuries and challenges faced in booking, the women embraced the moment, proving they belong at the forefront of wrestling narratives.

A Capital Offense: Women's Match as a Non-Main Event

What We Hated: However, it was disheartening to see that the Women's Blood & Guts Match did not close the show. Instead, the men's match took that honor, highlighting a lingering sentiment in wrestling culture—female matches often play second fiddle to their male counterparts. This miscalculation casts a shadow over an otherwise stellar performance, diminishing the significance of a groundbreaking event for women in wrestling.

The decision to stage a men's Blood & Guts match on the same night felt redundant, especially after the electric energy generated by the women. Hangman and Hobbs fought valiantly in their Falls Count Anywhere match, but it was tantamount to relegating critical moments for the women's achievements to mere intermissions.

Hangman vs. Hobbs: A Curious Case of Timing

What We Loved: The dynamic between Hangman Page and Powerhouse Hobbs held promise. Their match, charged with intensity, brought palpable energy to the audience after the women's clash. Hangman's reputation as a determined champion meant he would not easily coast through this fight, and a Falls Count Anywhere format lent much-needed intrigue to the proceedings. Hideous bumps, like Hobbs crashing through electronic equipment, captured the brutality fans love and expect.

What We Hated: However, it felt like these two titans were merely filling time between the more significant narratives unfolding on the night. That sense of being a “bathroom break” match is a hard reputation to shake. Both wrestlers deserve better than to carry the burden of pacing for an emotionally charged event. There's a missed opportunity here; the stakes set for their clash should've felt more momentous, yet they felt like transitions.

Men's Blood & Guts: An Entrenched Tradition?

What We Loved: The crowd was undoubtedly hot for the Men's Blood & Guts match, which managed to meet the hefty expectations set by the opening women's bout. The mixture of storytelling and in-ring chaos kept fans engaged. With threads tying back to ongoing rivalries, AEW capitalized on viewer investment by cleverly using entrances and run-ins.

What We Hated: Yet as the dust settled, I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that the glorified “main event” fell flat in comparison to the fiery electricity of the women's bout. The storyline lay dormant, and its execution—intense but slow to warm up—was met with mixed receptions. It felt like a missed chance to take the promotion's storytelling to a higher, more intricate level. The women had outshined them, revealing how critical and deserving their narratives are in the grand scheme.

Ricky Steamboat's Return: A Hit or a Miss?

What We Hated: Uplifting homage came, however, in the form of Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat's announcement, yet the execution missed the mark. As a nostalgia act, Steamboat deserves more compelling material than just cut-and-paste promos leading to a skirmish. Nostalgia alone doesn't fill voids, and while the fans erupted at his entrance, the segments themselves felt lackluster.

In conclusion, AEW Blood & Guts 2025 could have been an event to showcase exemplary female talent, yet it was muddied by structural choices and narrative missteps. As fans, we want to see wrestling grow; this is the moment for AEW to lean into the prosperity of women's wrestling. One can only hope that future editions balance the bloodshed with a conscientious approach to storytelling and representation.