AEW President Tony Khan has revealed that one of the company’s signature events owes its name to an unexpected source.
While discussing AEW’s television success, Khan explained that a remark originally intended to separate WWE from its rival ended up becoming part of AEW’s identity.
The story surfaced during an interview with Yahoo Finance, where Khan reflected on the origins of the annual Blood and Guts special.
Tony Khan says Vince McMahon inspired AEW’s Blood and Guts name
While discussing AEW’s television audience, Khan was asked about the Blood and Guts branding. He responded by revealing that the name traces back to a comment Vince McMahon made during a WWE investor call.
“The name actually comes from taking something and twisting it around because Vince McMahon, on an investor call, said, ‘We’re not like those blood and guts guys.'”
According to Khan, he immediately recognized the phrase’s potential.
“At that point, I said, ‘We have to use that. They have to use that. That’s such a great quote.’ So Vince actually named it.”
McMahon originally made the comment during a WWE quarterly investor call in 2019 while reassuring shareholders that WWE would remain a PG product rather than embrace the more violent style associated with what he described as “a new potential competitor.”
At the time, AEW was planning its own version of the classic two-ring steel cage match. However, because WWE owns the WarGames trademark, the promotion needed a different name for the concept.
Khan believed McMahon’s phrase captured the spirit of the match while also giving AEW a memorable brand of its own. It was a rare case of turning an opponent’s promo into your own entrance music.
The name has remained ever since, becoming an annual edition of AEW Dynamite built around the promotion’s signature multi-person cage match. What started as a comment intended to draw a line between WWE and AEW ultimately became one of AEW’s most recognizable annual events — proving that sometimes the best gimmicks arrive from the other side of the ring.
Read More: WATCH: Fan Appears to Give Nazi Salute During Gunther’s WWE Entrance at MSG
