AEW’s Blood & Guts event normally takes place between May and July, but this year it’s happening in November. That’s the same month WWE always books its annual WarGames matches, so comparisons between the two versions of the concept will naturally be made. So, what makes AEW Blood & Guts stand out this year? For one thing, the women’s division is finally getting in on the violent fun. AEW is running two different Blood & Guts cage matches on the same night, which the promotion hasn’t done before, and the women’s debut match is expanding beyond the typical 5 vs. 5 format. It looks like the show is scheduled to run for 2.5 hours (plus an overrun) to accommodate the extra Blood & Guts match.

AEW had to make sure its top stars are in the first ever women’s Blood & Guts match, so that’s why Toni Storm and TBS Champion Mercedes Moné are leading the way. The babyface squad consists of Storm, Harley Cameron, Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, Jamie Hayter, and AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander. The heel team includes Moné, Megan Bayne, Marina Shafir, Thekla, Skye Blue, and Julia Hart. There’s also a men’s Blood & Guts match, with Jon Moxley’s Death Riders right at the center of it. This one is a 5 vs. 5 match pitting Darby Allin, Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong against Mox, PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia & Wheeler Yuta.

AEW is juicing things up a bit with the recent announcement that pro wrestling legends Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat are in the building. Will they find a way to somehow get in on the carnage? I bet Flair has already pitched all sorts of angles that end up with him covered from head to toe in his own blood and guts. The rules for Blood & Guts are nearly identical to War Games, of course. There are two rings covered by one giant steel cage. One wrestler from each team begins the match inside the cage. A new competitor enters the fray at set intervals, and the match officially begins when the full teams are inside the cage. There are no pin falls; the bout is won when someone submits or surrenders. As far as this year’s matches are concerned, the women’s heel team has the advantage in terms of sending a new team member into the cage first, while the men’s babyface squad has that same advantage.