I just watched the replay of the Double Or Nothing Pay-Per-View and it was a solid show. Having the Inner Circle emerge victorious to close it out was a way better ending than the last time they and the Pinnacle closed out a show. Here are some thoughts, both positive and negative, about Double Or Nothing.
There were two occurrences in which AEW decided to focus on their rising young talent.
Jungle Boy winning the Battle Royale to earn a world title opportunity was a good move. Many people will criticize this move and point out that he is getting a push due to the fact he is the son of the late Luke Perry. I think that is unfair. If you look at Jungle Boy's body of work in the last year, you see improvement across the board (wrestling ability, mic skills, presentation, crowd reaction, and a killer entrance theme). Is he a main-eventer? Nope. Can he be? Absolutely! He is only 23 and has the time to improve even more. A lot of potential for young Jack Perry.
2. The company finally gave the women's title to Dr. Britt Baker. This was long overdue. Bayley carried WWE's women's division last year with rave reviews. This was Dr. Britt Baker since AEW Dynamite started. She has had many solid matches and has the best promo work in the company, both men and women. The match with Thunder Rosa put her in the driver's seat to become the top woman performer in AEW. Hopefully, they have the scrap on her a long time until a babyface challenger can emerge.
The Stadium Stampede match was a far more interesting contest than last year's tomfoolery. It was more serious due to the rivalry between the Inner Circle and the Pinnacle. The cameo of Jaguars coach Urban Meyer and assistant head coach Charlie Strong was unnecessary. It's a feeble attempt to tell the audience that the Jaguars play here. Anyway, the match told an excellent story as Sammy Guevara gets his reputation after surrendering the match at Blood And Guts, scoring a pinfall and keeping the Inner Circle intact as per stipulation. It was a little long at 31 minutes, but entertaining spelled out this encounter.
Having the EVP's win all of their matches did not help the company moving forward. The Young Bucks retaining cleanly makes this another tag team that couldn't beat them. It would be nice to have a rivalry in that division once in a while. I get Omega retaining due to the cross-promotion deal with Impact. But Cody defeating Anthony Ogogo does nothing to help the company. Cody has other endeavors on his plate, including becoming a father. There are times when I believe these four men have creative control over their matches due to the high "executive" positions they hold in the company. You can lose once in a while and still look strong. Nothing wrong with that.
Tony Khan signing Mark Henry was the surprise for Double Or Nothing. Oh, Tony, Tony, Tony......Tony. What is your plan? Are you signing former WWE employees just to sign them. What does Christian, Big Show or Mark Henry do to sell more tickets? You could use them to as agents since your promotion needs some. You can't use him as an announcer since you have too many of them. I don't understand. You supposedly have the capital to spend to compete with Vince, yet you spend it on individuals that do not improve your brand. No respect to either of the three, but no one is going to buy a ticket to see Paul Wight do commentary.
Having Sting wrestle was mixed for me. The man is in his 60's and has neck issues, BE CAREFUL WITH HIM, AEW! He looked okay in the ring, though.
The live crowd did wonders for the event as compared to last year. It will help AEW down the road as they try to become the top dog in the industry.
So, there you have it. Double Or Nothing is probably their second biggest show behind All Out. It was entertaining to say the least.
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