AEW drew significant attention with the 2024 Blood & Guts match during the July 24 episode of Dynamite. Team Elite lost to Team AEW in brutal and bloody affair. One spot that sparked controversy involved Jack Perry taking an unprotected chair shot to the head while handcuffed to the cage and unable to defend himself. Tony Khan has now addressed this incident.
The unprotected chair shot to the head that Jack Perry took was an homage to Tommy Dreamer and Raven in ECW. Those two performed that brutally unsafe stunt decades ago, but today’s context is very different. Fans were genuinely concerned about Perry’s situation when they witnessed the brutality.
During a media call to promote ROH, Tony Khan was asked about the use of chair shots to the head in pro wrestling, specifically in last night’s Blood & Guts match. He was also questioned about whether something is being done to the chairs to make him feel comfortable allowing it.
Khan stated he didn’t want to dive into the mechanics of pro wrestling and how they do things, expressing a desire to maintain some mystery around it. This could mean that they gimmicked the chair, but a gimmicked chair was also used when Shawn Spears accidentally split Cody Rhodes wide open with a similar stunt.
Tony Khan also indicated that everyone came out of the Blood & Guts match relatively healthy and noted that practices have changed from what they were 25 years ago. Hopefully, AEW can tone down the carnage in the fallout after the event, but anything is possible as they are poised to snag new television deal with WBD.
Jack Perry will defend his TNT Title against Darby Allin at All In, a match set up in the closing moments of the Blood & Guts match. Naturally, fans will closely follow this storyline as the Wembley Stadium event approaches.
AEW has many significant events on the horizon and cannot afford to lose key members of their roster. Although the unprotected chair shot only happened once, it only takes one instance to cause a concussion. Hopefully, Perry will be okay, but AEW should avoid making this a trend.
The controversy surrounding the unprotected chair shot to the head taken by Jack Perry during the AEW Blood & Guts match has sparked a significant debate among fans and industry professionals. What are your thoughts on the use of such risky spots in wrestling today, and do you think AEW should implement stricter safety measures? Share your opinions in the comments below!