Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron delivered the finishing combination for Team Willow in the Women’s Blood & Guts match that opened the November 4 episode of AEW Dynamite. With Julia Hart caught in Cameron’s half crab and Statlander adding barbed wire pressure across Hart’s face, Hart submitted to end the contest.

The victory went to the six-woman lineup of Alex Windsor, Jamie Hayter, Statlander, Cameron, Willow Nightingale, and Queen Aminata. They overcame Thekla, Hart, Skye Blue, Megan Bayne, Lena Kross, and Persephone in the cage match, which unfolded under Blood & Guts rules and could only end with a surrender.

While several members of the winning side had major moments throughout the match, the conclusion placed the focus squarely on Statlander and Cameron. Cameron avoided Hart’s signature mist at the pivotal moment, then immediately transitioned into the half crab. Statlander joined her teammate and made the escape even more punishing, applying barbed wire to Hart’s face until Hart had no choice but to give in.

Statlander And Bayne Set A Physical Tone

The match began with Statlander and Bayne, creating an early showdown between two of the most powerful competitors involved. Bayne entered with a chair, while Statlander brought a trash can into the cage. Statlander initially used the weapons to her advantage, working through multiple chairs and establishing control before the numbers shifted against her.

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Persephone was the first reinforcement to join the action, bringing a briefcase with her. With Statlander facing two opponents, Bayne and Persephone were able to turn the momentum and isolate her during the early portion of the bout.

Queen Aminata arrived to balance the sides and made an immediate impact. Aminata targeted both Persephone and Bayne using a trash can lid, bringing needed energy to Statlander’s team and stopping the two-on-one assault. Her entry also set up a recurring theme in the match: competitors repeatedly trying to keep their opponents from making clean entrances into the cage.

Skye Blue was next for Hart’s side, and she encountered Statlander before she could fully join the match. Blue had a bundle of light tubes on the entranceway, but Aminata briefly prevented her from entering by shutting the cage door in her face. Statlander eventually returned to the cage armed with a kendo stick, using it to take down Bayne and Persephone. That opening allowed Blue to get inside and swing the match back in favor of her team.

Weapons Escalate As More Entrants Arrive

Blue’s entrance came at a cost. Blood was pouring from her face as she welcomed the arrival of Nightingale, who brought a backpack into the cage. The contents made the situation even more dangerous: the bag was filled with broken glass and LEGOs.

Nightingale and her allies soon sent Blue into that painful mixture with a spinebuster. The sequence underlined the brutal environment of the Blood & Guts structure, where the growing number of weapons gave every incoming wrestler another way to change the fight.

Thekla then joined the action and removed her belt, prompting Aminata to do the same. Before their confrontation could fully develop, Windsor arrived for Team Willow and immediately went after Blue. Windsor blasted Blue with a barbed wire board on the ramp and later struck her with a chair to the head.

Lena Kross entered after the next break in the action and gave Hart’s side a significant surge. Kross absorbed Aminata’s kendo stick strikes and proceeded to wipe out much of the opposing team. Her performance gave her side a badly needed period of control after the early arrivals from Nightingale and Windsor had helped shift the match.

Cameron followed as the next member of Team Willow. She made an instant statement by taking Bayne down with a Canadian Destroyer. Cameron then introduced a miniature guitar, only for Kross to stomp on it. The destruction of the smaller instrument did not slow Cameron down for long. She pulled out a full-sized guitar and smashed it over Kross.

Hart And Hayter Complete The Field

Hart was the final entrant for her team, completing the lineup of Thekla, Hart, Blue, Bayne, Kross, and Persephone. With every member of Hart’s group in the cage, the side held its full numerical advantage until the final arrival from Team Willow.

Jamie Hayter then entered as the last participant for the opposition, bringing the match to its complete 12-woman field. From there, Team Willow put together one of its strongest stretches of the night. The Brawling Birds focused their attack on Thekla, trapping her in a trash can and taking turns striking her with various weapons.

That sustained punishment left Team Willow firmly in control for a time. However, the opposing side found ways to fight back amid the cage chaos. One key sequence involved a table that the Brawling Birds attempted to use against Persephone. The attempted table spot did not go as planned for them. Persephone instead placed Aminata on the table and climbed halfway up the cage before diving onto her.

The dangerous dive changed the momentum again and showed that neither team was able to maintain a decisive advantage for long. The match was built around those frequent shifts, with alliances, weapons, and the cage itself constantly creating new openings.

Brief Friction Opens The Door For A Comeback

Team Willow’s control became even less secure when Hayter and Statlander became frustrated with one another. Their disagreement gave Thekla’s group an opportunity to recover and regain a measure of control in the late stages.

That moment of tension made the eventual finish more significant. Despite the miscommunication and the physical toll of the contest, Statlander and Cameron were able to reconnect when it mattered most. Their teamwork ultimately proved more valuable than the temporary frustration between members of the winning side.

Hart tried to seize the decisive moment with an attempt at mist, a tactic that could have dramatically altered the end of the match. Cameron avoided it. Rather than allowing Hart time to regroup, Cameron immediately applied the half crab and put Hart in a vulnerable position.

Statlander then moved in to reinforce the hold. The added barbed wire pressure made the submission unavoidable, and Hart verbally gave up. Because Blood & Guts can only be won by submission or surrender, the referee called for the bell and awarded the match to Team Willow.

A Defining Finish For Team Willow

The finish gave Statlander and Cameron the official distinction of securing the win, but the result reflected contributions from each member of the six-woman team. Aminata brought the fight to Bayne and Persephone early, Nightingale introduced the broken glass and LEGO-filled backpack, Windsor delivered some of the match’s most forceful weapon attacks, and Hayter’s arrival completed the team’s late rally.

On the other side, Hart’s group repeatedly pushed Team Willow to the limit. Bayne’s early power advantage, Persephone’s high-risk dive onto Aminata, Kross’ dominant entry, Blue’s willingness to continue while bleeding, and Thekla’s confrontational presence all helped make the opening match on Dynamite a lengthy and punishing battle.

In the end, the contest was settled not by a pinfall or a single weapon shot, but by a coordinated submission. Cameron’s counter to Hart’s mist created the opening, and Statlander ensured that Hart could not withstand the hold. Team Willow left Blood & Guts with the victory after Hart submitted.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.