3 things that went right on the June 29 episode of AEW: Dynamite

Days removed from an incredible Forbidden Door pay-per-view, All Elite Wrestling couldn’t waste too much time basking in that show’s success, as this week’s episode of AEW: Dynamite featured the return of BLOOD AND GUTS!

The promotion’s version of War Games headlined Wednesday’s telecast, but we also got a few fun appetizers before settling in for the main course. Whether those preliminary bouts and segments satisfied you before the main event depends on your preferences, but all of them seemed to effectively progress the stories AEW is telling.

These are three things that went right on the June 29 episode of AEW: Dynamite.

Blood and Guts

After months of brawling, promo-cutting, insult-trading on commentary, fireball-throwing, and hair-cutting, we finally reached the climax of the Blackpool Combat Club, Santana & Ortiz, and Eddie Kingston vs. Jericho Appreciation Society feud in the aptly titled Blood and Guts match.

We could quibble all day over how good this year’s Blood and Guts match was (though most believe that this one surpassed last year’s edition of the match), but you cannot dispute that this match lived up to the level of violence that the title implies. The visual of Chris Jericho dragging Jon Moxley across glass and thumbtacks before applying the Walls of Jericho pretty much encapsulates the brutality these 12 men suffered through.

At the very least, the finish to this match received more widespread acclaim for playing up the past animosity between Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli. Kingston locked Jericho in the Stretch Plum and not long after, Castagnoli applied the Sharpshooter to “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard. As Kingston had the inaugural AEW World Champion on the precipice of tapping, though, Castagnoli forced Menard to actually submit to bring the gory spectacle to an end.

So, the babyfaces get the big win over the heels, but Kingston doesn’t get that satisfying, decisive win over Jericho and the man who kept him from achieving that feat happens to be a man he despises, which sets up future matches between those two and at least one more Kingston/Jericho match. Tremendous booking.

Luchasaurus become Christian Cage’s heater and squashes Serpentico

With Jungle Boy still out due to the kayfabe injuries caused by Christian Cage (and a legitimate shoulder injury), we saw the next layer of Cage’s betrayal on this week’s Dynamite. Despite being advertised to wrestle, Cage came out donning a similar turtleneck/jacket combo to the one he wore last week, and after disparaging Jungle Boy’s family for the second straight week, he specified that he did request a match, but he did so for his new associate…Luchasaurus!

Indeed, Jungle Boy’s long-time tag team partner stomped down the ramp to a much darker theme song while sporting a black mask and all-black gear. As for the match…well, he faced Serpentico, so that should tell you everything you need to know about how it went.

Notably, Luchasaurus forced Serpentico to tap to a version of Jungle Boy’s Snare Trap hold, adding a bit more kerosene to the bonfire Cage has set. The idea seems to be that Cage is gaslighting Luchasaurus, which leaves the door open for a Luchasaurus face turn down the line. For now, it makes sense to give Cage’s weasely character some muscle and it gives Jungle Boy an obstacle to overcome before he gets his hands on “The Instant Classic”.

Orange Cassidy vs. Ethan Page

The music may have changed (or reverted back to what he had on the independent circuit), but he’s still the same Orange Cassidy, much to the appreciation of the audience. He wrestled Ethan Page on this week’s show, and even though we had to hear Dan Lambert’s awful election fraud line beforehand, the two put together a fun big man/little man match built around Cassidy attempting to body slam Page.

Of course, Cassidy eventually did the deed after connecting with a pair of Orange Punches, and the body slam was enough for him to score the pin over Page. Even though this match wasn’t part of a larger story, it was a fun opener that engaged the crowd with a fan favorite win.