AEW Double or Nothing: Best and Worse Moments

This past weekend wrestling fans witnessed the dawn of a new era! After months of anticipation AEW’s debut PPV Double or Northing finally came to our screens and boy was we left with plenty to enjoy and discuss! From surprise appearances, must see matches and smart booking the night was most certainly a success in the eyes of many. In today’s blog post we are going to be looking back at the event and discussing some of the best and worse moments and I’ll be giving my honest thoughts!

AEW Is for Everyone

One of the first things that became clear upon watching Double or Nothing was the clear fact the brand is simply for everyone. Whether it be female referees, multiple styles on show including Lucha Libre and Hardcore wrestling or the showing of stars from around the world such as the UK and Japan, AEW is for everyone. The brand promises and presents the most unique and exciting roster on the wrestling scene today.

An EXCITING Opening

The first match of the main card saw six-man tag team action take place and while these kinds of bouts typically are not my personal favourite this was an exciting contest, I have no negative comments to attach to. SCU vs Strong Hearts presented fans with an action-packed bout lasting over twenty minutes. The popularity of SCU meant the show was bound to kick off on a high but the action presented from both teams ensured a hot start overall and a matchup you did not want to miss out on. We saw an excellent showing from both sides and while it came as no surprise to see  SCU pick up the victory Strong Hearts too had an excellent performance in this matchup putting them over in the process despite the loss. This was nonstop action at its best.

An AWESOME Arrival

Double or Nothing presented fans with multiple surprises and one of the first of the night came in the form of the women’s division. The night was set to see Britt Baker, Nyla Rose, and Kylie Rae make history and take part in the first women’s division match for AEW but with Brandi Rhodes surprise announcement both the match and the division was about to be completely shaken up. The reaction Kong received spoke volumes with the live crowd erupting at her presence! This huge debut gave both the match and the growing women’s division much more hype and created a huge talking point and while match favourite Britt Baker still walked away with the win there is no even more to look forward to for the female talent of AEW.

THEATRICAL

As a big-time Lucha Underground fans, I was of course excited to see Angelico and Jack Evans competing on the Double or Nothing stage and was expecting a fast-paced match up with nonstop action here in this bout and that is exactly what we got. Now, there was a lack of selling which did hinder this match but it’s a problem faced in many bouts that highlight this modern style of wrestling today. “this is awesome” echo throughout the arena which was important but unsurprising considering how strong these two teams were heading into this matchup. This was a very theatrical match but considering the standard of the night and what we had seen before this bout it did fall a tad bit flatter than some but none the less, I really enjoyed this encounter and the Best Friends walked away with the win. The post-match antics also gave us plenty to look forward to in the near future.

KNOWLEDGE is Key

Something I really enjoyed about Double or Nothing and AEW is a whole so far is the international flavour it provided. The six-woman contest between Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki and Emi Sakura and Hikaru Shida, Riho, and Ryo Mizunami was a fantastic example of that international flavour but it also highlights a problem. The biggest issue this encounter faced was the lack of knowledge from many fans as to exactly who these women were and as a result, there was a lack of emotional investment. Now, the exposer was brilliant and hopefully, in the future, we will see more from these women and stars from the Women’s Wrestling Japanese scene in the future which will help this problem. The crowd fell quiet and flat at times during this match, but we had some great spots and each woman was given time to show why this was a booked contest. Now, I do believe this bout could have been a lot stronger than it was considering there was so much potential, but we saw great fan appreciation and some brilliant moments throughout!

A New KING Has Risen

In what was arguably my favourite moment of the entire night, wrestling witnessed Cody Rhodes send the most unsubtle of messages in the best and most exciting way possible. At the top of the stage stood a Triple H esc statue and as Brandi passed him a sledgehammer, Rhodes proceeded to smash the statue in the thunderous reaction from the live crowd sent the biggest of messages; a new era had begun, a new king has risen and wrestling fans are loving it.

EMOTIONAL Investment

And now, the complete opposite to what we witnessed moments before, the most personal and emotional match of the card, brother vs brother, Cody Rhodes vs Dustin Rhodes in a battle I was not going to miss out on! Now, of you know me you know that I have been the biggest Goldust fan throughout my life and I’ve said it a million times before but truly is an all-time great and favourite of mine personally; with that in mind, seeing the reaction he picked up last night could have brought a tear to my eyes. This was the spotlight and respect Dustin has always deserved. The match itself was as slow paced as expected. Dustin looked incredible throughout and fitted in some excellent spots while Cody played his role perfectly. There was so much character, personality and emotional investment that regardless of the quality of wrestling you were hooked on the action. A major turning point in this match of course when Dustin went headfirst into the exposed turnbuckle. The blood from that point on was such a key factor with the scene representing something from a horror movie. This match had so many unique entertaining factors and I was genuinely left on the edge of my seat. This was also the first match in years were watching I just wanted the action to stop because of the scene before us but eventually the action did come to an end with Cody Rhodes picking up the win.

Tag Team Wrestling CAN Main Event

While it may not have been the main event to Double or Nothing there is no denying that the Young Bucks vs Pentagon JR and Rey Fenix most certainly could have headlined any major wrestling PPV. As two of the best tag teams on the wrestling, all four men proved a major point during last nights show in an encounter that was just as good as fans around the world were expecting. From the get-go, it was a close call with no one able to truly predict who was going to walk away the victor. The action was nonstop, fast-paced, and athletic. With not a single dull moment this was tag team wrestling its finest and while the Young Bucks scored the win both teams were on fire!

The FACE of AEW

And we then, of course, had the main event and what a must-see contest it was as fans witnessed Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega go one on one once again! The pair unsurprisingly did not disappoint competing in a matchup sure to make the best matches of twenty nineteen list. This was a personal encounter with history, background, entertainment and star power. From the get-go the action was strong and it was a clear collision between an all-time great and the best in the world today. Now, the end result was a tad unpredictable and with the winner going on to face Hangman Adam Page at the next PPV it was all to fight for! Come the end of the bout it was Jericho who walked away with the win but there was one more man ready and waiting to make an impact and stand as the face of AEW, that man being, Jon freaking Moxley! With rumours strong surrounding his debut for the company the arrival wasn’t the biggest of surprises but none the less, nothing could take away just how epic this moment truly was.

To conclude, AEW was far more than a success. From start to finish fans were kept massively entertained. We had an excellent kick off show with meaningful bouts, surprises, a brilliant showing from all divisions and the arrival of  Jon Moxley changed the game and the feel completely! This is the start of a brand-new era in pro wrestling and I could not be more excited. 

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