Claudio Castagnoli Looks Back On Brutal AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts Match

Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli escaped the Blood & Guts match relatively unscathed, and now, he's looking back at what he called a "spectacle."

Castagnoli spoke with Sports Illustrated the day after the match, where the Blackpool Combat Club, alongside PAC and Konosuke Takeshita, lost to The Golden Elite. He feels Blood & Guts exceeded fans' expectations. He said he believes the BCC made a point by forcing The Elite to play a bloodier game, a style Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks are not used to.

"That's what we wanted to come across," Castagnoli told Sports Illustrated. "We lost that battle but we won the war. Thanks to the Blackpool Combat Club, now The Elite is better than ever. We brought them to a place they've never been."

Castagnoli said he is proud of what he does in the ring and always wants to "put the best product forward." The level of brutality in the match, however, was still surprising to him.

"I was in awe when Mox slammed Kenny on the nail bed. I had to remind myself, 'This is really happening.' But I can't let my guard down because that's how you get hurt. There was a nail bed, thumbtacks, broken glass, tables, chairs, and a giant cage."

Just days removed from the brutal match, Castagnoli will defend his ROH World Championship against PAC, who walked out on the BCC during Blood & Guts, at ROH's Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view Friday night.