AEW Double or Nothing Recap

Before we dive into the heart of this article I have to be honest upfront. I was very sceptical about this show going in as I didn’t love All In as much as some. It was a solid show but certainly had some teething problems that needed to be worked out and was a victim of its own hype. Couple this with my growing love of puro and I wasn’t sold on a new American company sucking me in. Boy was I wrong as AEW delivered one hell of a first show that is easily the best show of the year at the time of writing. Sure it had a few hiccups but the production, pacing, storytelling, in ring action and plenty of surprises more than made up for any short fall. So let’s dive into what made this show so special along with a few areas that didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The Good

The Young Bucks vs The Lucha Bros

I’m a sucker for great tag team wrestling and this match delivered in a big way. When you give two of the best tag teams in the world time, they’ll deliver a masterpiece. For me, this was the Match of the Night as both teams stepped up their game with some truly jaw dropping offence. From brutal tandem offence to jaw dropping aerial assaults to fast paced chain wrestling to submissions to memorable moments (the Canadian destroy onto the apron and brainbuster onto the top turnbuckle were insane), this match truly had it all. It rivalled and surpassed some of the great tag team encounters we’ve seen from NXT. More importantly, it sent a message that AEW are serious about tag team wrestling. That might not come as a surprise to some given the Bucks position within the company. However, having it reaffirmed throughout the night and topped off by this match was a welcomed sight.

Canadian Destroyer by Pentagon on Matt Jackson

Brutal brainbuster onto the turnbuckle my Matt Jackson

Cody vs Dustin

A deeply personal, emotional roller-coaster of a match that gave us some of the finest storytelling we’ve seen in a long time. Seeing Dustin turn back the hands of time was a joy to watch as he gave a phenomenal performance. This wasn’t just a greatest hits but further development and reinvention for a man who has accomplished so much in the wrestling world. It added an additional layer to the match as this reenergised Dustin took Cody by surprise. When Dustin reverted back to his old offence it cost him dearly. This is one of the few instances where I felt blood added to the match. It made you sympathise with Dustin while making you hate Cody for his despicable actions. If AEW limits this to very rare occasions then I’m all good with it. Finally, we had one of the most heart-warming moments in wrestling. Seeing the two brothers embrace after such a violent war brought a tear to many an eye.

Omega/Jericho 2

I was sceptical as to whether Omega and Jericho could live up to the high bar they set during their first encounter. Not only did they live up to the hype but also provided a very different feeling match from their first encounter. Gone was the brawling madman Jericho, in his place stood a man who used his experience to beat one of the very best in the world. From the entrance to his very moveset, we saw Jericho combine everything from his incredible career as he desperately needed to win this match. Omega was no slouch either as he bumped his ass off while showing no signs of rust from his time away. It was the perfect way to showcase Omega to an audience that might not be fully aware of his work in NJPW.

SCU vs Strong Hearts

It’s never easy being the opening match on a PPV let alone one the magnitude of Double or Nothing. However, SCU and Strong Hearts worked hard and had the crowd rocking from the get go in a match that I feel is being overlooked given the matches that followed. Neither team came out of this looking weak and gave Strong Hearts a great platform to introduce themselves to an audience that might not be familiar with their work. The pacing was great, the action was fast and furious all of which served as a lovely appetiser.

Solid Commentary

I love JR as he was the voice of my childhood but I can’t deny that I was concerned with how he would perform. His commentary for NJPW was poor as it felt like he had done little to no research and would occasionally bury some talent. Thankfully, we saw the best of JR here and he was backed by a strong booth. I fully expected it to take some time for JR, Alex Marvez and Excalibur to gel but they came out the gate strong and didn’t miss a beat. There was no talking over each other, each man complemented the other, added to the stories being told in the ring and felt like a strong unit. Yes there was some disconnect during the close ups but nothing that was disastrous or damaging. Overall, it was an excellent first impression.  

High Production Values

The money that has been invested in AEW was on full display as the production values took a big step up from All In. The promo packages were very well produced and served as a great narrative device to bring you up to speed with the story so far. As a whole, the camera transitions were smooth and generally caught all of the action. The set was and lighting was spot on and the overall feel of the show was that of a high end PPV.  

Nice Surprises

Obviously, the biggest surprise of the night came at the very end with the debut of John Moxley. A perfect ending to an excellent show saw Mox make his presence felt on two of AEW’s biggest stars. Showcasing a truly unhinged character, it was one of the few instances of AEW setting up a long term feud. Omega vs Moxley is a tantalising prospect that will provide the company with continued hype in the months to come. This wasn’t the only surprise of the night as we saw the welcomed return of Awesome Kong. In what was a great bait and switch, Brandi teased abusing her power by inserting herself into the match. Instead we saw the return of one of the most dangerous women to step foot in the ring in the past few years. It’ll be interesting to see where they go with her from here.

Excellent Pacing

My biggest compliant coming out of All In was that the pacing of the show was all over the place. Some matches went longer than planned and started to overstay their welcome while taking time from the main attractions. All of that was rectified here as they stuck to their times which created a show that flew by. For a near four hour show it never felt like a slog or suffered from peaks and valleys which can be a problem for any show of this length.

Variety is the Spice of Life

One aspect that made Double or Nothing so enjoyable was the variety that was on display. We saw high flying, technical wrestling, bloody brawls, excellent tag team wrestling, solid women’s wrestling, comedy and an introduction to Joshi. That’s a wide net to cast but it all fit together beautifully to provide entertainment for most tastes. As we move forward towards weekly programming this variety could be what sets AEW apart from other alternatives that are out there.  

The Bad

Note: I wouldn’t class anything as truly bad or terrible but the show wasn’t without its share of flaws. Some of these are personal preference.

That Joshi Botch

The most glaring mistake of the night is truly a head scratcher and a moment I’m still trying to figure out. It is one thing to ring the bell early but to then instantly play the theme music for the team that would have lost is just bizarre. Surely as a timekeeper you’re aware of the outcome, so anything that goes against that should have you burying the hammer unless you’re explicitly told to ring the bell. This could have been overlooked and sold as the timekeeper believing it was a three count if it wasn’t for the music cue. The two combined speaks to a major miscommunication between gorilla, the timekeeper and production truck. While AEW is a very new company, I find it hard to believe such an oversight would occur. We didn’t see anything of this nature at All In and that was with a much smaller operation. So was this spot planned? Again, this doesn’t make a great deal of sense due to the wrong team’s music playing. Either way it took away from what was a fun and enjoyable match.    

Exploding Chair of Death

I have nothing against AEW and WWE throwing shots at each other. As someone who lived through the Monday Night War, what’s been said and done so far pales in comparison to what we witnessed during that time. With competition comes bravado which is all this is. That said, I found Cody’s spot with the Triple H style chair to be tacky and cringe worthy. I understand the “symbolism” of Cody wanting to destroy the Attitude Era and returning the favour after Hunter’s comments at the WWE HoF. But to me this was not the way to go about doing it. The tipping point was the pyro going off as he hit the chair with the sledgehammer. Instead of a cool moment, it just looked dumb. There’s nothing wrong with a little cheese in wrestling but this was just too over the top.

Searching for a Reaction

I’ve never been a fan of WWE’s habit of searching the crowd for a reaction as it has become a tired trope. When used in moderation it can have a lasting impact on a match or segment. Unfortunately, AEW went into overdrive with every small reaction to any move or moment being shown. Not only does this take away from the moments that truly deserve it but it lead to us missing some of the action. Instead of seeing the follow up to a big move, we saw one person’s reaction before a late cut back to a missed spot. While this doesn’t have an impact on the live crowd, it makes for a frustrating viewing experience. Yes this is a small gripe and totally down to personal preference. But I couldn’t escape the feeling that the production crew was looking for the “meme moment” over covering everything that was happening between the ropes.

Long Term Booking

Coming out of this show we only have two storylines in Jericho vs Hangman and Omega vs Moxley. While this would be fine if we had a weekly TV show to build up to All Out, we’re not getting that until the fall with just over two months of potential inactivity. I’m sure matches will be announced in a similar fashion to Double or Nothing with Fight for the Fallen and BTE also being utilised to advance stories. But there is only so much you can do with this platform and matches without context is a little troubling. For me, you can’t build your next PPV around only two well-formed matches. I was hoping for 4-5 stories coming out of Double or Nothing as this would not only provide more talking points but be easier to build on their current platform. Instead we might have rushed or thrown together matches which will no doubt deliver in ring but lack the story to have me truly invested. Perhaps I’m being a little too harsh here but I was disappointed with the lack of storylines coming out of this show.   

Who the Hell is That?

I’ll readily admit that I’m not clued up on every member of the AEW roster as I’m sure the majority of people aren’t. While this provides excitement in the form of discovering new talent, there is as fine line between surprise and who the hell is that? Unfortunately, the Super Smash Bros fell victim to the latter as the live crowd had no clue who they were. A “who are you?” chant during a big debut isn’t a good look for anyone. And it’s such an easy fix as all that was needed was a quick vignette before the lights went out.

Recap

As a whole, Double or Nothing was a fantastic show that served as a great advertisement for what’s to come from the company. The show was well paced and absolutely flew by with some tremendous wrestling throughout. It felt like the entire roster stepped up in a big way and did everything in their power to make this show a success. And did they ever deliver on that with a PPV that has now peaked my interest in AEW. I wish we now had a weekly show to dive into so we can see how the fallout will shape the coming weeks and months. While we have to wait for that day, leaving the audience wanting more is the best possible outcome for a first time PPV. You only have one chance to make a first impression and AEW knocked this one out the park.