AEW Name Criticizes Too Much Blood In Wrestling

AEW Name Criticizes Too Much Blood In Wrestling AEW

With a career spanning forty years, AEW’s Tony Schiavone has been at the forefront of some of the biggest moments in wrestling.

An instantly recognisable voice, Schiavone brings with him a wealth of talent that is as broad as it is deep.

Recently, he brought that knowledge to a special watch along on Ad Free Shows of two Undertaker matches (subscription required).

Joining Conrad Thompson, the pair would discuss Undertaker vs Triple H from WrestleMania 38 and Undertaker vs Mr McMahon from Survivor Series 2003.

The topic of blood in wrestling matches would be raised.

Thompson would say that blood would change in American sport when Magic Johnson came out as HIV positive in 1991 and the perception would also shift in wrestling.

Schiavone would reflect that, as a fan, he was enamored by blood but today has realized that it isn’t necessary.

Talking about the subject in more detail, Schiavone stated:

“I’ve seen enough of it now (I’m on the different side of the camera now) to where I think sometimes it’s too much.”

Addressing a particular aspect of the ‘crimson mask’ in wrestling, Schiavone spoke about the act of blading (deliberately creating a small cut, typically close to the hairline to bleed profusely primarily through exertion):

“You see kids, I’ll call them kids who don’t have the experience of blading themselves as they should, and sometimes it’s too much blood because they don’t know how to do it.”

Both men would discuss how Ric Flair had bladed himself “at least a thousand times” over his career, with Schiavone sharing a story of one such incident.

Recalling how Tully Blanchard would wrap up a blade and keep it in his mouth so that blading could happen when needed in the ring, Schiavone remembered Tully coming backstage after one match:

“Tully said, ‘F**ker hit me so hard, I almost swallowed my blade.’

“He said that.”

Schiavone would call the issues around blading “industry wide”.

WWE issued a statement about blood in an AEW match from December 31 2021 in which Tay Conti & Anna Jay defeated Penelope Ford & The Bunny in a tag-team street fight.

They would accuse AEW of “gory self-mutilation.”

This was not the first time WWE has made a comment about the edginess of AEW’s product. During a 2019 conference call, Vince McMahon stated that WWE has graduated from ‘gory crap’, and will not do ‘blood and guts’.

Transcript from Wrestling Inc.

Think you’re a wrestling mastermind? Well you can prove it by taking quizzes in our brand new quiz section! Don’t forget to tweet us your results!

1 year ago by Dave Adamson

Trending

Get the latest wrestling news straight to your inbox

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from WrestleTalk