{"id":225007,"date":"2026-11-11T11:58:05","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T17:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=225007"},"modified":"2026-11-11T11:58:05","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T17:58:05","slug":"aew-rising-and-fading-stars-why-bandido-has-lost-me-is-the-blood-guts-matches-concept-working-the-joy-of-the-rise-of-nick-wayne-as-heel-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/11\/11\/aew-rising-and-fading-stars-why-bandido-has-lost-me-is-the-blood-guts-matches-concept-working-the-joy-of-the-rise-of-nick-wayne-as-heel-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: Why Bandido has lost me, is the Blood &#038; Guts matches concept working, the joy of the rise of NicK Wayne as heel, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3886216468\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Welcome everyone!<\/p>\n<p>I am back with a \u201cBlood and Guts\u201d edition &#8211; Megan Bayne\u2019s blood, of course, since I think I got some on me watching from my house. What a bloody mess.<\/p>\n<p>First, did anyone watch Collision? If not, I thought it was worth the time this week. Having the show on the Jericho Cruise just gave the entire night a fun night. It felt very WCW Nitro from Spring Break.<\/p>\n<p>Getting back to the subject at hand, are you a fan of this match type? For me, I grew up in the &#8217;80s when a WarGames match was invented and really meant something. So I do enjoy the match type, but I do not enjoy the calendar booking aspect of it, as I\u2019ve mentioned before.<\/p>\n<p>This week&#8217;s column will be a tad different. I am going to put the \u201cBlood &amp; Guts\u201d match as my top Rising Star and top Fading Star. I am going to give you my reasons for liking and disliking it. Then I will drop a couple of wrestlers into the runner-up column of each.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get to it!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>RISING STAR OF THE WEEK<\/h3>\n<p><strong>BLOOD &amp; GUTS MATCH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Okay. So there was stuff I liked and stuff I didn\u2019t like in both matches. Let\u2019s, obviously, look at what I liked.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1215870098\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>I loved how hard the women worked to get over their match. It was just brutal and they all wanted to show off &#8211; Megan Bayne, more than others, apparently. I also liked the ending of the women\u2019s match over the men\u2019s. Julia Hart looked terrified when she tapped out and I thought it looked great because of that.<\/p>\n<p>For the men\u2019s match, I enjoyed parts and disliked others. The first thing I want to bring up is the exploding bag spot. Did you watch Kevin Knight during this spot? He was pleading with Wardlow, along with the rest of the Don Callis Family, but Knight only pleaded for a second before diving from one ring into the other. I laughed so hard at that and I even went back again to watch it. Amusing stuff there.<\/p>\n<p>For me, the overall story was told well, and it needed to be. Why? When the match started and the heels came down, all I thought was \u201cmy lord the DCF is so much bigger than the entire Ospreay team.\u201d How do they not win? Which, to their credit, was kind of the story. The DCF was just bigger and stronger and could not be stopped.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RUNNER UP &#8211; NICK WAYNE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This kid is just getting better every time he comes on television. He was only in one quick segment on Dynamite, but he shined.<\/p>\n<p>Then his appearance on Collision feels like a young performer that everything is clicking for. One day he is going to draw some huge heat with how much of a prick he is.<\/p>\n<p>I know it\u2019s crazy to say, but I do think he could rub people the wrong way enough to be boo\u2019d like MJF or Don Callis. Hell, I would put MJF and Wayne\u00a0\u00a0together in a small capacity. Not in a faction, but just two douchebag heels that admire each other\u2019s douchebag-ness.<\/p>\n<p>MJF talking about being the youngest world champion in AEW history while also talking up Wayne as being the youngest overall champion in the company could get a lot of heat.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4161074600\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the &#8220;All Elite Conversation Club&#8221; with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/all-elite-conversation-club-with-dehnel-kanner-blood-guts-indeed--76221910\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"All Elite Conversation Club with Dehnel &amp; Kanner - Blood &amp; Guts indeed!\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=76221910&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>FADING STAR OF THE WEEK<\/h3>\n<p><strong>BLOOD &amp; GUTS MATCH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Okay, for starters, the build for both of these matches were bad. They came out of nowhere and is the most egregious use of calendar booking AEW has done. The Cut vs. Death Riders has way more of a reason to be in this match than the teams we got.<\/p>\n<p>That aside, the ending of the men\u2019s match was not good. From the threat from Kyle Fletcher at the end to attempt to murder o Ospreay (which the crowd went mild about) to the Darby spot where it looks like Wardlow was so afraid to get near the edge that he basically &#8220;finger poke of doomed&#8221; Darby off the cage to almost no reaction.<\/p>\n<p>For me, Blood an&amp;d Guts should go away for a few years. Do I think it will? Absolutely not! Did you see the rating it did? All I can hope for is the next time it\u2019s busted out there, it&#8217;s for a feud that needs it, not just because it\u2019s November and you know what that means.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RUNNER UP &#8211; BANDIDO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I really don\u2019t know where Bandido went wrong over the last few years. I saw him win his first ever ROH World Title prior to the AEW purchase. He was connected with the crowd organically. Things don\u2019t feel that way anymore.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at what he did on last week&#8217;s Dynamite. The first time we see Bandido on screen (he looks great, by the way). he throws a bag to knock Austin Creed down. Then he steps over Kofi and just stops to, I guess, look cool? As I said, he has the look, but after that he immediately takes me out of it because everything outside of that looks like an actor hitting spots.<\/p>\n<p>This was all followed by a fine little brawl. I liked the fire Bandido showed. The problem was the ending. Bandido picking up some kind of small truss and then Frankenstein walking it over to hit Swerve was ridiculous looking.<\/p>\n<p>The beginning of the brawl and the end are just two small reasons that when Bandido comes on screen, I tend to check out. Yes, he does some impressive things in the ring, but whether it\u2019s doing a Macarena dance or having to constantly adjust his mask, I check out during Bandido matches now.<\/p>\n<p>Look, I am not saying Bandido isn\u2019t a good guy to have on the roster. I just don\u2019t think his value is as high as Tony Khan does. I see him as a mid-card guy at this point.<\/p>\n<p>I would love to be proved wrong.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (11\/4) - AEW Dynamite w\/Keller &amp; White\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1d-fVCoir9A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2118908649\"><div id=\"pwtor-3117778876\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Advertisements\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Welcome everyone! I am back with a \u201cBlood and Guts\u201d edition &#8211; Megan Bayne\u2019s blood, of course, since I think I got some on me watching from my house. What a bloody mess. First, did <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/11\/11\/aew-rising-and-fading-stars-why-bandido-has-lost-me-is-the-blood-guts-matches-concept-working-the-joy-of-the-rise-of-nick-wayne-as-heel-more\/\" title=\"AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: Why Bandido has lost me, is the Blood &#038; Guts matches concept working, the joy of the rise of NicK Wayne as heel, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":225008,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4309,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-225007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-rising-star-fading-star","category-specialists"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/11\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-11.51.23-AM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225007"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225009,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225007\/revisions\/225009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}