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AEW President Tony Khan recently addressed fan concerns over excessive use of blood in the Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker Unsanctioned Lights Out Match from a few weeks ago on AEW Dynamite.
The match between Rosa and Baker featured the two performers brutalizing each other, with Baker in particular bleeding profusely by the end. The image of Baker being left in a pool of her own blood became instantly iconic.
Speaking to PWInsider, Tony Khan said the match's months-long build justified the violence, something which Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley also achieved at AEW: Full Gear 2019. Khan further said such matches have no rules and fans can expect things to get very physical and ugly.
"That was a story that was building for 5 months... and it’s a match where we’ve seen with Moxley and Kenny at Full Gear 2019 that people hold nothing back in these matches, there are no rules, and there’s an expectation that it’s going to get very physical and there could be some pretty ugly fighting with some weapons and potentially some blood, and I felt like they more than lived up to the reputation of the lights out match."
Tony Khan went on to disclose that the final spot of the match was the only part he was skeptical about, but Baker and Rosa successfully managed to talk him into it. Khan added that Britt Baker being a doctor was a benefit as it made him trust her with the situation.
"But the final spot, they had to talk me into doing that through the table. Other than that, I thought everything else was very much in line with the expectations fans would have for lights out matches. It's a big main event. So I didn't think they did anything that crossed the line and furthermore, in that situation, Britt is clearly a doctor so there are very few people that I would trust more in a situation to do the right thing than her."
AEW is well-known for his using blood to sell animosity in their matches
Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa's Unsanctioned Match isn't the only AEW bout to feature blood. AEW Champion Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley have also used grotesque violence in their matches to amplify their shock value.
Cody Rhodes had a bloody war with his brother Dustin Rhodes at AEW: Double or Nothing 2019 that saw both men dripping in blood by the end of the match.
What's your take on the use of blood in pro wrestling? Do you think AEW has gone overboard with its use in their matches? Sound off in the comments section below.
