On July 25, 2019, professional wrestling promotionWWE conducted a conference call as a publicly traded company to announce its second-quarter fiscal year 2019 results. During the call, Eric Katz of Wolfe Research, LLC, asked WWE Chief Executive OfficerVince McMahon questions regarding naming Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman as Executive Directors to WWE and its relationship to the future of WWE content, especially with stricter Broadcast Standards and Practices at the Fox network for SmackDowns upcoming move to broadcast television. McMahon responded to Katz's question: The term "blood and guts" used by McMahon was perceived as a reference to rival wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling. On November 13, 2019, AEW filed a trademark for "Blood and Guts," a play on McMahon's term. During Revolution on February 29, 2020, AEW announced that the March 25 episode of Dynamite would be subtitled Blood and Guts, and feature the promotion's first WarGames match, but called a "Blood and Guts match" since the WarGames trademark is owned by WWE. The WarGames match features two rings enclosed by a steel cage and was developed by wrestler Virgil Runnels, better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, the father of AEW executive vice president and in-ring talent Cody. The event was originally scheduled to take place on March 25, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, but was moved to an undisclosed location due to concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 20, AEW President and CEOTony Khan announced that the event had been postponed, stating that Blood and Guts would "happen when the time is right" and that a regular episode of Dynamite would instead air on March 25.
Storylines
Blood and Guts will feature professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines are produced on AEW's weekly shows Dynamite and Dark and The Young Bucks' YouTube series Being The Elite. Following the announcement of Blood and Guts and the namesake match, on March 8, AEW announced The Elite, composed ofAdam Page, Cody, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks would face The Inner Circle in the match. However, Nick Jackson was attacked backstage by The Inner Circle on the March 11 episode of Dynamite, injuring him indefinitely and taking him out of the match. On the March 18 episode of Dynamite, The Elite revealed that the debuting Matt Hardy would take Jackson's place in the match. The rules for the Blood and Guts match are based on the classic WarGames format from Jim Crockett Promotions, and not the modern WWE format. The notable format differences between the classic Crockett rules and the modern WWE rules are an enclosed cage with a roof and the match can only be won with a submission or surrender. Like the classic Crockett format, a pin situation is not a win condition.
