After speculation and controversy prior to the broadcast, AEW Double or Nothing is in the books. The show was absurdly long with a dozen matches on the main card so I will do my best to review the positives and negatives without this review getting too lengthy, although that will be a challenge as well. I know that initial reaction will be that the 4-hour and 40-minute pay-per-view can “give the fans their money’s worth,” but it’s key to note that a longer show doesn’t automatically translate to a better show. If that were the case, why not book an entire card of iron man matches? Somewhere, Vince Russo thinks that might actually be a good idea.
The point being, some of these bouts, even those that were very solid, could’ve and should’ve been put on Dynamite, not a pay-per-view.
After rumors that MJF might’ve been on a flight out of Las Vegas, he showed up to the T-Mobile Arena and did the job he was contracted to do. The match went about six minutes and was more or less a squash. I’m wondering if this was put on first to prevent the entire situation from being a distraction from the rest of the card? On one hand, it’s possible that MJF’s offense was kept to a minimal and he was stretchered out as a way to write him off of the show if the backstage disagreements continue. On the other hand, everything might’ve been resolved and they are trying to work the situation to get fans to believe this is MJF’s exit to set up for a surprise return. Either way, as I said in an article about the whole scenario, regardless of if it was a work or a shoot, it was bad business not to deliver on the autograph signing the fans paid for, as it put the focus of a negative story ahead of the pay-per-view. At this point, it’s more important as to what the next move is for Wardlow, and how he’s booked to continue to progress up the card.
The Hardys vs. The Young Bucks is a match that was booked before so it didn’t have quite the same buzz, but it was a contest that made sense to book in AEW with both teams there. It was a solid match and The Bucks made the Hardys look good. That being said, both Hardys, particularly Jeff, showed their age at various points. I’m not sure what spot it was, but it looked like Jeff got hurt and he was very sluggish throughout a portion of the match. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that The Bucks carried the Hardys through the match, but it was clear that without the efforts of Matt and Nick, this probably would’ve fell very flat. I think it’s fair to say that at 44, the decades of risky bumps have caught up to Jeff, and at this point, it would be much wiser for him to pay the greatest hits in tag matches to allow for his name value to boost his matches at this stage of his career than bumps to the outside. The Hardys got the win, but the biggest takeaway from this segment was that The Hardys might not physically have another big tag title run left in AEW.
Jade Cargill beat Anna Jay in about six minutes and this was a very clunky match. Considering the overbooked card, this was a title defense that should’ve been put on Dynamite instead of pay-per-view. Jade is absolutely a star, but still shows some inexperience. Anna Jay looked to get caught in the mouth with a double axe handle off the top early in the match and looked to be thrown off the entire segment. Stokely Hathaway made his debut to assist Jade for the win. I don’t know if Stokely missed his cue, but it looked like Anna Jay was motioning to the entrance way before the finish. Post-match, Athena, the former Ember Moon, made her debut for the organization. Athena is a great addition to the roster that can add a lot of depth to the women’s division, assuming she doesn’t get lost in the shuffle within three weeks.
The House of Black vs. The Death Triangle was a very good match that was probably forgotten about by the time the main event got in the ring. Anyone that advocates for a trios championship in AEW is misguided, mostly since there are already too many titles in the company, but also because at least of few of the guys booked for this could have the potential to be in the world title picture at some point so shoehorning them into a six man role could be counterproductive. The House of Black got the win after Juila Hart appeared to spray mist in Pac’s eyes. The House of Black is a money faction, if Tony Khan can find a way to book the stable in meaningful angles.
Adam Cole vs. Samoa Joe was a really good match that might’ve been the show stealer on a different card. This contest proved that despite the inconsistent booking Adam Cole is still a top guy. It also showed that despite the injuries, Samoa Joe can still go in the ring. Joe’s recent matches have been really solid, but he appears to have gained some weight since his arrival in AEW, and it hampered his work in the past, but hopefully, the lighter All Elite schedule will give him more longevity at this point in his career. In my opinion, Cole was very underutilized so far in his All Elite stint so him winning the Owen tournament was the right decision, and hopefully, it can put him back on the radar in the promotion.
Ruby Soho, another competitor that hasn’t been fully utilized in her AEW tenure competed against Britt Baker in the women’s final of the tournament. Baker has certainly evolved as a performer since signing with All Elite, but occasionally some of her inexperience shows through depending on her opponent. This isn’t necessarily meant as a criticism of Baker, but she just isn’t at the point in her career yet where you would put her in the ring to make someone else look good during a segment. Ruby was perfect in the role to showcase Baker, as well as prove why she’s a star in her own right. It made sense for Britt to get the win to have the power couple moment with Cole afterwards for the ceremony. Most importantly, it was absolutely wonderful to see Martha Hart smile as the crowd chanted, “Owen” and it was a beautiful moment for the sport.
American Top Team defeated Frankie Kazarian, Sammy Guevara, and Tay Conti in a match that the crowd didn’t seem to care about and the entire segment was a waste of time. The baby face/heel dynamic was lop-sided and the audience had no interest in the result. This whole angle is flat, and there has to be a better use of everyone involved in this segment.
Kyle O’Reilly defeated Darby Allin in a good match that should’ve been on television, not the pay-per-view. The same can be said about Thunder Rosa vs. Serena Deeb, it was a very good match, but considering that Rosa hasn’t been featured much on the shows since winning the title, this was a TV match.
The Anarchy in the Arena match was insane. It was an entertaining violent spectacle. There was too much action to attempt to review, but the biggest takeaway from this match should be that Eddie Kingston should win the AEW world championship at some point in the future.
The three way tag title match was a wild spot fest, and in a vacuum, it was very entertaining. At midnight after four hours of wrestling, I just wanted this match to finish so we could get to the main event before the fourth of July holiday.
The main event was solid and had a very good narrative that had the audience following the action toward its conclusion. As I detailed in an article last week, I think the presentation of Adam Page during his title run was rather lackluster so CM Punk winning the title was probably the only logically choice here. The match wasn’t as smooth or as crisp as you might’ve expected it to be, but it got the moment of Punk celebrating with the belt so it’s mission accomplished for 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 Twitter @jimlamotta
