Straight from Italy—. It was time to go to war in Blood & Guts.
I’ve always considered myself a classic wrestler at heart. But I also love stepping into the unknown, and when the opportunity came to be part of the first-ever women’s Blood & Guts match, I knew it was something bigger than fear, bigger than comfort. It was history waiting to be made.
I’ve been fortunate to experience some of the most demanding matches in our industry—Falls Count Anywhere, Money in the Bank, and of course, earning my reputation as the Boss of the Cell. One moment that will live with me forever was becoming the first woman to main event a PPV in my hometown of Boston inside Hell in a Cell. I found out the night before, while Bayley and I were driving from New York to Boston. I remember breaking down in tears— from nerves, excitement and gratitude. That opportunity meant everything to me!
Walking into Blood & Guts, though, was different. I was nervous. The structure, the rules, the chaos—this match doesn’t even officially begin until every competitor has entered the cage. That means surviving wave after wave of punishment before victory is even possible. It’s mental. It’s physical. It’s relentless.
What stood out to me most was the women of AEW. Every single one of them showed up willing to sacrifice their bodies to prove that women belong in the most brutal environments this sport has to offer. Beds of nails. Tables. Kendo sticks. Mirrors. These aren’t things you rehearse. We aren’t professionally trained for that level of violence, yet we prepare, we communicate, and we trust one another to make it out alive.
I walked out of that match with thumbtacks stuck in my hands and lodged in my shoes. I carried a deep bruise on my arm after being cracked with a pool stick. My back ached for weeks after crashing through a table from nearly twelve feet in the air off the top of the structure. That pain was real—but so was the pride.
Blood & Guts isn’t just about violence. It’s about courage. It’s about trust. It’s about women demanding space in places they were once told they didn’t belong.
This wasn’t just a match.
This was history.
