Just a few weeks after AEW Dynasty aired on pay-per-view, an addition to the All Elite PPV calendar for 2024, the company looked to build toward its Memorial Day weekend tradition of Double or Nothing with this past week’s edition of Dynamite. The monthly pay-per-view model in sports entertainment didn’t become the standard until the surge in popularity of the late-90s, and the argument could be made that outside of when the business is in a hot period, the concept of a PPV event month can be counterproductive in the grand scheme of things. Keep in mind, the quarterly pay-per-views of the WWF prior to the Attitude era allowed for storylines to be built to a crescendo based on the amount of television time and importance that was invested in the angles to draw on pay-per-view.
Sure, when the business boomed in popularity, it was much easier to sell a premium event with names like Stone Cold, Bill Goldberg, The Rock, Sting, and Mankind on the marquee, but there simply isn’t always that level of star power to motivate fans to spend a certain amount of money on wrestling every month. Does anyone remember how underwhelming some of those paint-by-the-numbers WWE events were in the mid-2000s? Generally, the same main event was booked on three PPVs before another title feud took its spot for another three months. The pay-per-views were being held because they were on the calendar, not because the storylines justified a major stage.
Without the level of Attitude era star power, it was a much tougher sell shows when there was the traditional PPV price tag, an aspect that was eliminated with the introduction of the streaming model, or more specifically, WWE brass was paid guaranteed money for the rights to the shows to be placed on a platform at a much cheaper price. It’s a win-win since the guaranteed profits are key to the stock price, and more viewers have more access to the product, which is why the Netflix deal, as much as it might be uncharted territory to put Raw behind a paywall, globalizes the WWE product.
The factors into AEW because the organization looks to trend toward the monthly model, which might be an indication that perhaps their next TV deal with Warner Brothers Discovery could bring the pay-per-views to the HBO Max streaming service.
However, outside of the possible streaming platform in the future, it also puts the company in the position to have to build another PPV card that will sell at the traditional $50 price tag. As much as Tony Khan deserves some of the rightful criticism of his slapstick approach to booking shows, the bottom line is, it would be tough for any wrestling group to try to sell fans on the concept of spending $50 a month on wrestling PPVs in the modern era, especially in this economy.
One of the biggest hurdles, at least from what we saw on Dynamite, is that some of the angles have to be somewhat rushed to have the pieces of the puzzle put in place for the Double or Nothing event next weekend. One of the main examples of this is the Adam Copeland/House of Black rivalry. Maybe I’m missing something with this, but given that the premise is more or less Copeland trying to maintain his sanity against the brooding villains, it just seems like there should be more it to than only a month or so of a feud before a barbed wire steel cage match is booked between Copeland and Malakai Black. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a criticism of either performer, and if nothing else, it’s good to see the former Edge involved in a storyline with some substance, but a barbed wire cage match should be the conclusion of an angle after months of hostility, particularly when other matches couldn’t settle the feud. Yes, I understand the stipulation that if Copeland loses, it was implied that he must join the stable, but even if that happens, you’d think it sets up for his eventual revenge, and if it does, how do you settle something after a barbed wire cage match?
The other angle that was really rushed, and unfortunately this has more to do with the overall booking process than just the pay-per-view schedule, is the main storyline that has The Elite ys. Team AEW for Anarchy in the Arena. I’m still not thrilled that Tony Khan was involved as an on-screen character, and I’m not sure if The Young Bucks leaning into the notion that they are running the organization to promote themselves will improve the perception of the company, but the baby faces fighting on behalf of the promotion and thus for the fans is simple, effective storytelling that can work, depending on how it continues to unfold.
Given that the premise is an NWO style takeover, with a heel intro for the show, just like Nitro had back in its heyday, it’s something that should have more build up behind it then just barely a month from the time that Tony Khan was attacked. That’s not to say that Double or Nothing shouldn’t have a major match, especially because it’s an established AEW event, but rather to point out that the angle had to be rushed to get the players involved in the right roles before the PPV. Keep in mind, this angle was originally put into motion after CM Punk’s appearence on the MMA Hour, prompting Tony to decide to air the Punk/Jack Perry backstage fight footage from Wembley Stadium, and that led to the former Jungle Boy’s return to television from the suspension after the altercation. So, it’s not as though the path of where this angle will go was mapped out with a specific plan of the destination. That’s not to say that it can’t be successful, as some of the most successful angles in pro wrestling were a matter of circumstance, not diligent planning, but it does make the decisions made on the direction of the angle more important. If there was a long-term plan of The Elite takeover, the destination might change based on crowd reaction or feedback, but since it’s being booked on a more weekly basis, there’s not necessarily enough time to change course. For example, Tony had to get the teams put in place for the pay-per-view, regardless of it was the right time for the baby faces to get an advantage over the heels so Darby Allin made his return to the show for a major reaction from the crowd.
It will be very interesting to see how this angle is booked and how much mileage AEW can get from it, particularly if there are peaks and valleys with the narrative in the next few months. It should definitely go beyond Double or Nothing, but the challenge is how to continue the storyline, while still giving enough action for the pay-per-view. Similar to the barbed wire cage, Anarchy in the Arena seems like a stipulation for the conclusion of an angle, but considering the talent involved, there will have to be more to unfold before the finale of the feud.
Mercedes Mone and Willow Nightingale had a contract signing for their title bout at Double or Nothing, and more than anything, this segment almost underscored that Mone doesn’t have the same level of star power as Sasha Banks. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but she just doesn’t bring the same level of charisma or presence to the show that you’d think of when the possibility of her signing with AEW made the rounds online previously. Unfortunately, none of her promos have really connected so far, and this segment was another example of that. In theory, Mone is still a baby face, but sounded like a heel, and very similar to her other mic in AEW, the promo during the contract segment sounded rather forced instead of the mic work of a star. Furthermore, the booking of the angle is making it a lot easier for the fans to sour on Mone, as she slapped Willow first, which justifies the power bomb through the table. When you take into account that Mercedes Mone was supposed to be one of the high profile signings along with Okada and Ospreay, her tenure in All Elite is very mediocre. I understand that she hasn’t had a match yet, but is there really that much anticipated for her in-ring debut?
Finally, it was a good way to promote the champion with the countdown clock for Swerve’s match with Brian Cage since it places an importance on the role he has in the company, but it was put about half way through the show, while The Elite had the main event segment. There wasn’t anything wrong with the match with Cage, and the feud with Christian is a really wise decision because the former WWE star is such a pro that he will make Swerve look great at Double or Nothing. However, there still seems to be a lack of a spotlight for him as the champion, and this might only amount to him being used as a transitional champion for Will Ospreay to win the belt at Wembley. The biggest question is, does Swerve have enough of a promotional push behind him that there’s enough steam for Strickland/ Christian to be booked as the main event of the pay-per-view or will Anarchy in the Arena finish the show?
Overall, this was a productive and useful episode of Dynamite, but it will be interesting to see if these specific angles will be a selling point for fans to order the pay-per-view.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
