So, for the first time in a long ass time, I'm back with a PPV Review in the form of All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing. It's been a tough few months for everyone and I can't say how grateful I am that AEW has given wrestling fans some sort of escapism each week. This show was no different.
The Double or Nothing main show began with the ladders and it was the perfect start to an awesome show. It gave us a look at all of our favourite wrestlers who didn't get a high profile single or tag match. Also, it was a combination of high flying, high risk and high humour.
From the very beginning, there was always something to keep your eyes glued to the screen. Whether it was two members of SCU battling each other, people throwing themselves off ladders and of course Orange Cassidy, it was entertaining. I mean Cassidy had to be the star of the entire match; the guy had to ask the commentary table how to actually win the match - classic. In the end, it was the debuting Brian Cage who won a shot at the AEW World Title. Although I question the fairness of a newcomer winning the match, Cage is a veteran in the business and a match with Moxley will be very interesting so I can't really complain.
From there, everything was go, go, go as my dad likes to say!
Although with no title implications, MJF v Jungle Boy was a battle of the polar opposites in terms of styles, ideologies and morals. In this match, we saw the future of the business in such two young wrestlers with so much talent but also the potential to grow.
It all started off as expected. Jungle Boy went straight for the high-risk offence and MJF trying to avoid this and stick to a more mat-based, submission-based style of wrestling. Not only did Jungle Boy show how talented he is in the ring but MJF showed why he is such a smart wrestler and the perfect heel. There were also some very risky and scary moments in the bout like when both men were both unconscious on the outside after Jungle Boy hit a reverse Frankensteiner. The way that MJF hit his head on the edge of the ring made me shudder. However, even after all of that, MJF won the match by a roll-up. This was the perfect way for him to win; sneaky, subtle and smart.
There was also Ford v Statlander. I actually really liked this match because it was a nice change of pace between the two title matches. It not only showed how good Statlander is in the ring with her diverse style but also how much Ford is improving with her wrestling ability which s so unique when you look at her gymnastic skills. Even with the presence of Kip Sabian, Stantlander picked up the win. For me, I'm excited to see these two women climb the AEW ranks and get even better
However, we all know that PPVs are made for title matches!
The first of these was the finals of the TNT title tournament between Lance Archer and Cody Rhodes. Even though I was upset with the fact that my fave Lance Archer didn't win, it was still an awesome match. We not only got to see some of that amazing agility Archer showed us in New Japan, but Cody reminded us just how good in the ring he is. Over the past few months, he's shown us a style that varies from the fundamentals to a more flashy, high-flying style. Personally, my favourite part was when Cody hit a DDT in front of Jake Roberts and then Archer hit a Spinebuster in front of Arn Anderson. It was a battle of strength and psychology.
We then had the two main title matches.
The first was the AEW Women's and World Championship. Both Nyla Rose and Hikaru Shida put on one hell of a no DQ match and it was really something. From the minute the bell rang, the two women held nothing back. There were kendo sticks, tables and all sorts going on. However, this was perfectly combined with genuinely good wrestling. As always, Rose used her strength and power and then Shida made use of her speed and brutal strikes. The two have such different style's but they worked together so well. In the end, Shida got the win and it was very emotional and well deserved.
It was then time for Jon Moxley v Brodie Lee for the AEW Championship. None of the matches had more history than this one. Both Moxley and Lee know each other so well as both opponents and teammates. So, whenever there is history, the stakes are always higher. With the unpredictability of Moxley, there were obviously tables, barricades and gambling chips. However, the majority of this match was pure wrestling. There were clotheslines, powerbombs and a whole lot of Paradigm Shifts that even led to the entranceway collapsing. I especially liked the ode to Minoru Suzuki with Moxley's use of the Gotch Style Pile Driver. In the end, it took about 5 Paradigm shifts for Moxley to pin Lee for the well-deserved win!
Yet, as good as all of these matches were, the star of the entire show had to be the main event no DQ stadium match. The only way I can use to describe it is CHAOTIC!
At just over thirty minutes, it seems impossible to write about it all of it because I don't think you can properly give it justice just through words - but I will try.
Both teams came out dressed for the occasion with Team Jericho in football gear and The Elite (and Matt Hardy) being elite. Then, from the second referee Aubrey Edwards blew that whistle, it was carnage. Kenny was hitting people with his broom, Matt did a moonsault off the goal post, Santana and Ortiz tried to drown Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara was just unlucky as hell.
And then there was Hangman Page...
I mean the man came in on a horse! In the long run, Page wasn't actually in a lot of the match compared to the others. But, when he was, he definitely made an impact and was a star. There was the time he chased after Sammy on his horse, when Hager joined him at the bar for a drink and then just went crazy on him, using the line-drawer (is that what it's called?) to go over Jericho and the fact that mid-match, he poured himself and Omega a drink.
Honestly, if you just have time to watch one match from AEW history, make sure it's this one because it combines amazing wrestling, humour and craziness.
Overall, it was an amazing PPV and once again, All Elite Wrestling has managed to put on an amazing show with consistently high-quality calibre matches combining solid wrestling and impactful storylines. Obviously, everything wasn't perfect. The match between Shawn Spears and Dustin Rhodes was not only too short in my opinion but got very weird. But, I just can't really find any other faults! Congratulations AEW for an amazing PPV!
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SonalsLife,
Until next time,
Bye!
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