ALL ELITE WRESTLING
DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2024
MAY 26, 2024
MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Watch: PPV / TrillerTV
I ponder what Tony Khan thinks of his firm on its fifth anniversary. I’m positive he’s very proud of the upcoming TV deal and the Wembley sellouts making a lot of cash, however what does he consider the artistic aspect of AEW? What would the Tony Khan three or 4 years in the past consider the corporate at present?
I’ll lay my playing cards out from the beginning: this was a foul present. There have been a few excessive factors, but it surely was a protracted, boring plod by means of the worst professional wrestling cliches.
AEW is caught. It’s in a painful cycle of repetitive, sports-entertainment esque reserving and I don’t know why it could actually’t escape from it. I do know Tony Khan finds the topic troublesome – let’s not neglect the “cash the place your mouth is” embarrassment – however I can’t comprehend why they’re struggling to placed on an excellent PPV.
Wrestling followers are loyal to 1 factor: good wrestling. I feel that’s why so many people bought very excited 5 years in the past. AEW shaped within the doldrums of the worst period in WWE historical past, and it promised an alternate. WWE had an virtually Mandela Impact like affect on how wrestling was consumed. It was their horrible, lazy approach for therefore lengthy and there was area for an alternate. There was area for an organization that took wrestling significantly and would guide good wrestling for the wrestling fan. They’ve a world class roster and virtually an countless provide of cash. They’ve a shining instance of terrible American TV wrestling to take a look at and do the precise reverse.
It looks like there’s a brainrot convincing individuals that there’s just one approach to do American wrestling. That it needs to be a torrent of run-ins and the tales should be dumb. It’s important to rent cleaning soap opera writers who’ve completely no real interest in being artistic or doing one thing authentic.
As I stated, wrestling followers are loyal to good wrestling. If AEW proceed placing on PPVs of this dire high quality, that loyalty goes to be examined.
AEW Double or Nothing 2024 Purchase-In
Deonna Purrazzo def Thunder Rosa
There’s rather a lot to be stated for a match the place two wrestlers don’t get on and need to battle. It’s refreshing as a result of it speaks to feelings that we maintain in our core. Sadly the warmth of the pre-match promos weren’t delivered to the match itself. It appeared to maneuver very slowly by means of rehearsed actions. They left far an excessive amount of area for me to imagine they have been champing on the bit to harm one another.
Purazzo by no means seems to be utterly snug within the ring, and he or she usually offers herself away with looking glances and clunky transitions. A management interval was punctuated by arm bars and relaxation holds; it’s the form of work I anticipate from 80s WWF slightly than a gross sales pitch for a PPV.
The late match introduced some brutality, however after all of the weak, unbelievable submission holds, it was simply too late. They didn’t even have the decency to do a correct end, with Purrazzo grabbing the underside rope for a lazy cheat end. **½
AEW Double or Nothing 2024 Purchase-In
The Acclaimed def. Cage Of Agony
Acclaimed are tolerable within the pre-show I suppose. The rap was mid (as the youngsters would say) and the match existed. Brian Cage and Billy Gunn had a flex-off (Cage gained) and there have been some wrestling strikes. The work was completely practical. A mascot bought concerned and Billy Gunn gained with a roll up. **¼
AEW Worldwide Championship
Will Ospreay def Roderick Sturdy ©
There’s an argument to be made that AEW ought to have simply pushed Ospreay proper to the highest as quickly as they signed him. The roar from the gang as his music hit will surely present proof for that.
This began off so effectively. We have been launched straight into the motion with an incredible try at a Hidden Blade. In an virtually direct contradiction to his critics, Ospreay confirmed he understands the little issues so effectively within the opening jiffy. He dived like a madman to remove The Kingdom early, but it surely was the threatening look to Sturdy afterwards that resonated with the viewers.
Sadly, the power was in a short time sucked out of the constructing with the Kingdom working interference, botching a Doomsday Machine and Sturdy locking in a relaxation maintain. Even Ospreay touchdown on his neck like an fool couldn’t cease the ambiance deflating. It was such a weird juxtaposition – we noticed thrilling wrestling and have been energised by it however we additionally noticed sports activities leisure interference spots and we have been fatigued.
Wardlow invaded the ring after a distraction by The Kingdom and I felt robbed. This might have been a superb match, however an excessive amount of of it was infested with boring interference. This nonsense interference won’t ever be as thrilling or as visceral as two wrestlers attempting to kill one another for a belt.
A sudden sit-out powerbomb threatened to regain my consideration, however sadly poor chemistry between the 2 stopped any significant reinvestment and a careless “will he, wont he” second the place Ospreay was tempted to reap the benefits of an injured neck reeked of daytime TV.
A shocking Hidden Blade from nowhere led to an attention-grabbing closing stretch, however there was an excessive amount of bollocks right here. They have been determined to inform tales in a bizarre, WWE esque approach, while neglecting the very fact that they had among the best in-ring storytellers of all time.
Tony, let individuals wrestle. **¾
MJF Returns
Adam Cole got here out and did a promo in regards to the satan, however then the lights went out. A video performed a tour round MJF’s stalker’s home and MJF got here out dressed like HHH when he returned from damage. He kicked Adam Cole within the dick, dropped a brainbuster and picked up the microphone. MJF says he’ll have bother trusting anybody ever once more, and albeit I can sympathise. As somebody who spent a whole lot going to London and needed to sit by means of that principal occasion, MJF has a protracted approach to go if he needs me again onboard. He stated “donkey dick”, Ric Flaired a masks and didn’t go away. The promo ended twelve occasions, but one way or the other Max discovered extra cliche time and again. Solely time will inform which approach MJF will go. He’s clearly massively gifted, however the present state of the corporate doesn’t give me a lot religion that he’ll have the leash he wants.
AEW Trios Championship
Bang Bang Gang © def Demise Triangle
Is there a greater promo than Pac in wrestling at present? The unhinged character is extremely troublesome to maintain on the precise aspect of tacky and Pac does it splendidly. There’s a terrifying motion between irony and psychosis that completely captivates. Pac can stand in the midst of the ring and persuade me he’s going to homicide his opponent, and never many wrestlers can try this.
A Lucha Bros centred begin was extremely sensible, as they leapt rings round The Gunn Membership. The true match of Jay White and Pac appeared to gradual issues down somewhat, and uncovered the weirdness of the construct resulting in a trios match.
In a weird twist, the Lucha Bros and Gunn Membership interactions have been by far probably the most attention-grabbing elements of this match. The work was thrilling and pacy. The mid-match promo centred, slow-build storytelling Jay White prefers was by no means going to work as effectively in a trios match however when the velocity hit a second gear it didn’t appear to matter.
Simply because the match was constructing to a fantastic crescendo, Juice Robinson returned with a distraction. A disappointing end to one thing that was constructing to an excellent climax. ***¼
AEW Ladies’s Championship
Toni Storm © def Serena Deeb
Toni Storm stinks of gimmick. I do know that seems like an apparent assertion, however we’re watching somebody do a wrestling character. It utterly disregards crucial a part of wrestling; I’m supposed to have the ability to imagine that is actual. I can’t have a look at Storm standing on the entrance, together with her arms above her head and a silly look on her face with any form of seriousness and it’s an enormous downside.
Because the match begins, I’m reminded of the Toni Storm I used to look at within the Ritz Ballroom in Manchester. The takedowns are easy and the headscissors have a snap. She’s a superb wrestler, and the foolish gimmick solely serves to distract from that.
The story of the match is that Deeb was a greater wrestler and Storm needed to scratch and claw to maintain in it. Storm’s facial expressions have been wonderful and I believed the battle. When she took management, she bought the fixed mind bending job of staying forward. Sadly, the gang didn’t appear to care and many of the comebacks fell a bit flat till Luther begged for a response.
The match started to plod and was suffering from meaningless moments that didn’t land. Mariah Might threatening to throw within the towel was undermined by Storm clearly crawling to the ropes straight behind her.
It was attention-grabbing to notice that the gang have been probably the most invested in Toni Storm when she was incredulously kicking out of massive strikes and dropping enormous bombs herself in return.
This overstayed its welcome, however was typically fantastic. ***
Orange Cassidy def. Trent Berreta
Heel Trent is an attention-grabbing twist, and one which the crowds don’t appear to know what to do with. The Finest Mates have been inherently AEW, and would by no means work wherever else. Doing the break up angle and heel flip appears misguided after they may have been the fixed, beloved midcard group. Beretta isn’t going wherever after the feud and Orange Cassidy doesn’t want it.
They’d the decency to wrestle like this was a blood feud, working for one another with repeated blows on the bell, though it didn’t fairly gel with the construct the place Trent was promising to show he was the higher wrestler. They brawled to the surface when the story would have been higher instructed with a little bit of chain wrestling.
Beretta dominated, and he gained warmth from the gang because the match went on. Orange’s promoting was distinctive, and Trent was capable of promote glee from the beatdown.
Orange is sensible at enjoying the babyface, and the beatdown-to-comeback cycle was very satisfying.
Orange bought the win out of nowhere that made me marvel what the purpose of this was. McGuiness cursed us with the phrases “that is removed from over” so I assume we’ll be spinning wheels for some time. ***
FTW Championship
Chris Jericho © def. Katsuyori Shibata and Hook
Do you ever marvel how Chris Jericho comes up with all these gimmicks? Do they arrive to him in lucid desires by means of unusual phrases written on wrestling merchandise? Does he pay somebody to wrangle monkeys and typewriters? Both approach, his unusual wave is paired with a smug grin, very proud that he’s on to gimmick 800.
Hook doesn’t get half the response he used to, which is an indictment on the best way he has been booked. As all the time, easy is healthier and Hook ought to in all probability have carried on beating individuals.
Hook arrange a desk within the early levels of the match and Shibata appeared to need to boot them by means of it, however they missed. Soulessly, Jericho bought out an enormous bag of cube. Pouring them onto the canvas gave me flashbacks of working a whole lot of termagaunts in my Warhammer video games, but it surely didn’t significantly interact me within the match. When Shibata discovered the kendo sticks – the stupidest weapon in wrestling – I used to be out. There was no thought on this match. No person needed it to be attention-grabbing or thrilling. It was simply individuals doing stuff. If the wrestlers aren’t ready to spend a couple of minutes fascinated by it, why ought to I spend any time reviewing it? This was a dwell motion Smackdown vs Uncooked match and it was completely soulless.
This match is greatest summarised by the Bryan Keith run in. He had a masks on, presumably to maintain his id a secret, however then he took it over inside seconds, revealing who he was.
The most effective little bit of this match was the bump Large Invoice took by means of a desk, however its coolness was nullified by yet one more run in.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Eliminator Match
Jon Moxley (c) def. Konosuke Takeshita
That is an extremely thrilling match on paper, however the practicalities of the end took the sting off. There’s no approach Takeshita was going to win, and it’s such a certainty that it impacts funding within the match.
Moxley’s entrance was electrifying as ever, however he appeared to return to the gang to hype them up. Did he sense that the present has been very flat to this point?
Sadly, they couldn’t seize the gang. As quickly because the bell rang, the flatness that had characterised all the pieces to this point continued. The wrestling virtually felt like ambient music – it sat within the background, attention-grabbing to a sure extent however principally unnoticed.
Takeshita labored Moxley’s damage in a approach that was competent, wise and boring. I loved the thud of Takeshita’s forearm smashing Mox within the face, however nothing hit on any form of significant degree.
That is a kind of matches that might be unimaginable to assessment with out it descending into an inventory of strikes. I loved Takeshita’s powerbomb and I revered Moxley’s powerbomb. I noticed all of the strikes and I felt little or no till Takeshita began a concerted marketing campaign to knock Moxley out with huge strikes.
Moxley gained. **¾
Barbed Wire Metal Cage Match – TNT Championship
Adam Copeland def. Malakai Black ©
This match may happen in WWE. Not as a result of the members are former unbiased contractors, however as a result of the construct and story has been completely meaningless. Malakai Black is the grasp of utilizing a number of phrases to say completely nothing and Adam Copeland is so near being “in that place” I used to be getting nervous.
Copeland got here out to a big “The Brood” graphic behind his head which was presumably probably the most weird factor for AEW to do. I perceive why the WWE lionizes aggressively common parts of their previous; they personal the footage, and so they can persuade the idiots who watch it to purchase t-shirts with that stuff on. What I don’t perceive is why AEW are referencing the Brood? Most people watching gained’t keep in mind the Brood, and people who do may have virtually no opinion on it. It simply existed. Copeland is so distinctly WWE, AEW could be higher served avoiding any reference to his time there utterly. They shouldn’t be hinting at The Brood, they shouldn’t explicitly point out The Brood and so they actually shouldn’t show a bizarre Brood-themed collage behind Copeland as he involves the ring.
Black had the decency to blade early and so they gave us some cool photographs with the barbed wire wrapped devices strewn across the ring. Each males actually dedicated to the match and bloody our bodies slamming by means of tables is all the time entertaining.
The issue is, we simply moved from spot to identify. Transitions and setups took approach too lengthy and climaxes usually didn’t fulfill. Copeland actually jumped from the highest of the cage onto Malakai Black, however his touchdown was so awkward it sucked any juice out of the spot and it despatched Schiavone on a burbling kayfabe clarification of why it appeared so shit.
Inexplicably, they escaped the cage and we bought yet one more interference. Nonetheless, they blew the cliched spot vast open by having the Home of Black faux to activate Black earlier than attacking Copeland. They wrapped barbed wire round his head and held his arms out in a crucifix place in a transfer that even a 13 12 months previous goth would discover corny.
Now, I do know I wasn’t having fun with this match and also you’re going to assume I’m making this subsequent bit as much as make the assessment extra attention-grabbing. I swear I’m not.
Gangrel burst out from the underside of the ring. DUD
TBS Championship
Mercedes Mone def. Willow Nightingale ©
The video bundle performed earlier than the match confirmed simply how nice Willow Nightingale is. She was pure, personable, and undeniably a rising star. She has a palpable momentum. Mone was stunted the place Willow was pure, faux the place Willow was actual. Mone brings recognised star energy and sells a couple of extra tickets, however Willow Nightingale was simply higher.
This was the primary match that had an aura. After all, there have been a lot of individuals there for Mone however the chants for Willow have been surprisingly loud and exceeded assist for Mone. For the primary time because the match was introduced, I questioned if AEW had the balls to have her beat Mone.
The work was good. Willow was the powerhouse and Mone was sensible and quick in response. The juxtaposition introduced an power that had been lacking from the present. Each time one of many wrestlers would get a lead, it will be reversed and I used to be on the sting of my seat.
Mone was capable of work a limb in an attention-grabbing approach, devastating Willow’s leg with sickening precision.
There have been a couple of clumsy moments, however there additionally have been some enormous hits by Willow that made me neglect the botches as rapidly as they occurred. Willow was extremely emotive, displaying a mixture of willpower and frustration and Mone’s promoting was as stellar as ever.
Each wrestlers clearly went out to steal the night time, and so they did it by slamming knees into the apron and being dropped themselves on their heads.
After all, this wouldn’t be Double Or Nothing 2024 with out some rubbish. For some purpose, Stokley Hathaway and Aubrey argued so intently and passionately that they missed Willow pinning Mone. It stinks of fifty:50, WWE “shield everybody” garbage and was utterly pointless in an in any other case nice match.
Mone gained, as anticipated, however to virtually no response. Mone didn’t really feel like a star right here in any respect, particularly when in comparison with Willow Nightingale. AEW ought to have proven some guts and saved the belt on Willow, however this firm is gutless. They’d slightly have Statlander activate Nightingale than do one thing authentic or attention-grabbing. ***¾
AEW World Championship
Swerve Strickland © def. Christian Cage
Christian is a good wrestler doing a number of the greatest work of his profession however this match shouldn’t have occurred. Swerve is on the rise, and he wanted one thing larger than being a casualty in a weird authority determine story. Christian’s Patriarchy appeared nice for the midcard, however Justin Robert’s introduction had not one of the huge battle really feel the belt ought to command.
This was a really competent match. Christian is an previous professional and he was capable of promote dominance over the champ and have us salivating for the battle again. This had a really old-school really feel to it that I loved to a sure degree but it surely actually had a ceiling. Nothing was significantly modern, however seeing Swerve flip excessive rope is sufficient and it was refreshing to see some good skilled wrestling… at the least for some time.
After all Killswitch and Nick Wayne have been capable of get low cost photographs in. After all they have been capable of manipulate the ref into getting Nana despatched to the again. Swerve could have been capable of overcome them, however I’m so bored with AEW’s refusal to placed on a wrestling match. The ref boots the Patriarchy out, however you don’t get prizes for doing the naked minimal and so they simply got here again anyway.
Firms present a certain quantity of capital after they take wrestling significantly. They take championship matches significantly and so they make the matches really feel vital. This didn’t do both of these, from the construct to the execution. The ultimate, with the good rope spot and brutal Swerve Stomp have been good, but it surely was too little too late. ***½
Anarchy In The Area
Younger Bucks, Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry def. Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin and FTR
Is being an EVP a cool job? It’s actually not cooler than being a wrestler. Why any booker would assume that I might give a shit who runs an organization is past me. It was past me 25 years in the past after I noticed it in WWE and it’s particularly complicated now. In truth, it’s particularly complicated as a result of I believed AEW was the choice. I believed they have been the corporate the place one of the best wrestlers placed on one of the best matches. As a substitute, we appear to be rehashing historical tales that have been garbage the primary time.
Do the writers don’t have any pleasure? I don’t care in the event that they used to jot down cleaning soap operas, do they not need to be higher now?
The match itself was what you’d anticipate. There have been cool Coffin Drops from stupidly excessive locations, a rendition of Remaining Countdown and loads of strolling round. It’s implied that Jack Perry tried vehicular manslaughter.
Mockingly, I all the time desire the in-ring moments of those matches as a result of they’re a whirlwind of cool motion with fixed modifications and motion.
This was very a lot an Anarchy within the Area match and I’m positive you realize what meaning to you. Simply remember that this one jumps the shark. Darby Allen blasts Jack Perry with a flamethrower in a homicidal act. That’s not hyperbole; Darby tries to homicide Perry. In my thoughts, I questioned why this spot appeared to crazy when a earlier Anarchy In The Area had Eddie Kingston strolling to the ring with can of fuel able to burn everybody in there. I feel the response to Kingston was totally different; everybody round him was shocked. Danielson panicked and tried to cease him. Right here, it was one other spot in a sequence of spots. ***
Remaining Ideas
AEW just isn’t an organization for wrestling followers anymore. They’re so decided to sprinkle all the pieces they do with the stench of sports activities leisure, it’s time to carry them at arm’s size. You may see a match that appears attention-grabbing on paper, however the odds are it will likely be an overbooked mess with all the cliches that cease you from watching WWE.
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