Double or Nothing 2022

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

I've been reading the results/reviews in many places this morning and it seems like despite the crap builds for many of the matches, yet again AEW pulled out an amazing PPV. All the usual suspects performed to the expected high standards and those that were not expected to produce actually did raise their game. Looking forward to watching the clips as they appear. 

[Guest]

MJF was in baby blue, the ultimate sign of someone on their way out. He’s not just had that made the day of the show, he’s gonna come back at all out and take the title off punk in Chicago. Incredible 

[Guest]

I know aew like having a no cut policy, but Jeff Hardy is A mess in some shape or form be it just physical or more to it. It’s no good for anyone to have him keep performing the way he is on national tv. 

[DavidB6937]

AEW PPVs rarely let you down and I don't think the PPVs are their issue, which is why I'm not surprised I enjoyed the majority of the card. Yes, I did feel like there was too much still, but on the whole everything was really enjoyable. Whether it was all PPV quality and needed to be on the show is another thing. Pretty sure some of it could've easily happened on Dynamite and that would've been fine.

Their main problem lately has been the ability to (a) continue momentum off a PPV and (b) build well to the next one. And I know they're obviously doing it well with some feuds but considering the fact they don't actually have that many PPVs - and that's a good thing - it's troubling that their more regular product isn't as good as it could be.

I don't want to end up in the position where I'm just happy to watch the PPVs like I am with WWE - and even then, sometimes not bother with that. I want that weekly must-see feeling. And I know that's a tough thing to do week on week for such a long time but they have the talent on and off screen to be able to do that. I just want a little bit more of that magic back.

But yeah, unsurprisingly another good show worth watching if you didn't. Probably even moreso in a couple of sittings.

Oh and in regards to whatever Jeff is on, I think we know he's not getting cut when this guy is clearly his dealer:

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by DavidB6937

[Nick James]

WWE was the best place for Jeff Hardy. It seems every time he gets released, he goes to shit. His body can't handle not being reigned in any more and just flattening people with a Swanton isn't enough. It's sad to see both Hardy's limping about these days without realising that they don't need to do it anymore. 

Darby should be taking one look at Jeff and having a think about some of the spots he does.

[RedRooster]

2 hours ago, Supremo said:

The Acclaimed and the Ass Boys are brilliant. What a great bunch of idiots.

I loved this. The Gunn Club are genuinely one of my favourite acts in AEW right now, they’re so entertaining. And The Acclaimed have always been great.

2 hours ago, Supremo said:

Fair play to MJF. If this is the end of him in AEW then he did business perfectly. The opener was absolutely everything it needed to be and Wardlow with music on Wednesday is going to be amazing.

I’m a bit conflicted about that, I absolutely love the presentation of this dangerous man, walking down to the ring with no music, as fans loudly chant his name. It’s spine-tingling stuff, and so  different from what anyone else is doing in wrestling right now. On the other hand, the addition of music is potentially an important part of the guy’s story. I’d still be tempted to avoid it, though. 

2 hours ago, Supremo said:

What the hell was wrong with Jeff?! He seemed legitimately fucked up on pills or booze, seemingly sobering up as the match went on. Poor Matt looked so sad watching him run around the arena like a idiot after they got the win. He's a liability and can't be long for this company. If not this world. Lad needs help. Seriously.

Yeah, I thought exactly the same thing, watching that match. It was really uncomfortable. On a more positibe note, I really enjoyed Caprice Coleman on commentary, and wouldn’t at all be opposed to him replacing someone on the Rampage commentary desk, until ROH starts running again.

And talking of which, I hope this happens soon. The AEW roster is unsustainably large, and they could really do with offloading a chunk of their wrestlers to ROH, at least temporarily. While I’m sure Rush is a talented guy, does he add anything to AEW that isn’t already there?

10 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Their main problem lately has been the ability to (a) continue momentum off a PPV and (b) build well to the next one. And I know they're obviously doing it well with some feuds but considering the fact they don't actually have that many PPVs - and that's a good thing - it's troubling that their more regular product isn't as good as it could be.

To be fair, the build to the last few PPV was excellent; it’s just Double or Nothing that’s broken the trend. That said, I’m concerned that the road to Forbidden Door will be alienating for those of us who have no knowledge of New Japan. It’s going to take one hell of a build to make me want to buy that show.

[Tommy!]

14 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Their main problem lately has been the ability to (a) continue momentum off a PPV and (b) build well to the next one.

So they have a group of great wrestlers who can go but poor booking? 

[FLips]

Better than it had any right to be on paper, but I still found myself uninterested in a good chunk of it. Putting Wardlow on first was a great move because it meant I could get the match I wanted to see done and then didn't feel bad going to bed halfway through the show.

Wardlow vs MJF was perfect and exactly how it needed to be, though the absence of Shawn Spears was an odd one considering they did the 10 Powerbomb spot he probably should have took. Still, brilliant and hopefully this is the first big step into Wardlow being AEW's Batista. 

The Bucks deserve all the praise in the world for dragging The Hardys to even that level of a match. If I was Tony Khan I'd be sacking The Hardys asap, they're as good as useless and the nostalgia pop even with their old music doesn't have much steam left in it when Jeff is putting on performances like that.

Cargill vs Anna was decent but they need to stop hiring anyone and everyone. Athena is crap and spent most her time in NXT injured, and Malcolm Bivens is a funny bloke but signing a manager that never made it out of NXT in his entire time there because he tweets funny stuff isn't a move that needs making. The last thing this place needed was more NXT talent. 

House of Black vs Death Triangle was brilliant and had me more interested than I thought I would be. Was chuffed to see them finally turn Julia Hart even if the booking of it has been dragged out and spotty. Fun match and hopefully the last of this feud but I doubt it.

Cole vs Joe and Baker vs Ruby couldn't really hold my attention and the winners of both matches certainly didn't help that. I was barely hanging in as it was and then Martha Hart who I'm sure is a lovely lady bored me off to bed when she was presenting the awards in slow motion.

Skipped American Top Team, Kyle vs Darby and Rosa vs Deeb. so can't comment on them but even this morning with a fresh set of eyes I have zero time for any of them. Might watch Darby vs O'Reilly at some point if it's as good as people have said but the other two matches can get in the bin.

JAS vs The Gang was all over the fucking place, but mostly in a good way. The spot of the match was Jericho breaking the audio box so Mox's song stopped playing. That gimmick annoyed me in ECW and it's still as annoying today. Eddie Kingston is the man.

No idea who the fella Andrade brought in is but yet again they need to stop signing people and just work with what they have. 3 people debuted on this show and I don't see what any of them can offer an already crammed company that barely has time for who they have. 

Skipped the tag match. I imagine it was decent but I couldn't care less about it.

Punk vs Page was OK. It was probably the right call getting the belt off Hangman but I was still disappointed by it. His run is indicative of the poor form the company has been on throughout it so hopefully now Punk is champion the TV gets a little more interesting. Hangman's Redemption and him and Dark Order being this big face group was the high point of the company, so why when they made Hangman champion they decided to bin Dark Order off to the jobber shows, sack Stu Greyson, seemingly send Colt Cabana away and then have Hangman decide to maybe turn heel but then just not is beyond me.

Overall a pretty decent show. I skipped what I couldn't be arsed with and it made the 13 match grind much easier. Was worth the price of admission for Wardlow vs MJF and the House of Black match. The rest was mostly OK but it's by far the the least interesting PPV AEW have done in recent memory.
Seeing where Wardlow, Julia Hart and the HoB, Punk and Page go from here is interesting.

[DavidB6937]

11 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

So they have a group of great wrestlers who can go but poor booking? 

Sounds very WWE in that sense. Luckily they're not anywhere near that bad but I think because they don't have that many PPVs, AEW's TV needs to be a little stronger sometimes. I know they have their specials but even they can be pretty lacklustre sometimes.

I think the more time AEW exists, the more the cracks appear in terms of how difficult it really is to book a high quality wrestling show week on week for such a long period of time. It's not an easy job by any means.

[Factotum]

Eddie Kingston man. What a guy. I know it might sound lazy, but I swear they have their new Stone Cold there. That walk down with the gasoline was genuinely fucking brilliant. He's over like hell and he's believable. I love the guy.

Punk winning makes sense. The company needs it. Will he do the turn? If it leads to Punk/Kingston again I am all in!

The whole MJF stuff this weekend was just a distraction nobody needed. If that is him done then he's had a brilliant run the last year. A shame if we don't get him and Punk for the belt again

[LaGoosh]

I only had time this morning to watch the 3 matches I didn't want spoilt for me.

MJF vs Wardlow. This was very good at exactly what it should have been with the perfect result. Had a weird vibe to it though with the issues around MJF and the feeling that this might be the last time we see him. I don't know what's next for Wardlow but he will need to be booked very carefully. 

Arena Anarchy - this was messy but great chaotic fun. Kingston, as per usual, was an absolute star and him coming down to the ring drenched in blood with a gasoline can was instantly an iconic image. He's just so great. Garcia choking the life out of him with a belt was a brutal spot. Not sure where the JAS go from here but I'm looking forward to the BCC vs Kingston, Santana and Ortiz with a conflicted Mox in the middle of it.

Hangman vs Punk - I'm conflicted on this one. I'm very disappointed that Hangman lost and feel like his run still has steam in it (to be honest it never really got going due to the piss poor booking and lackluster challengers) but also Punk is the top star in the company and probably isn't going to be around too much longer so why wouldn't you put the title on him? I think it'll definitely give the company the shot in the arm it needs at the moment and shakes things up. Hangman is still young and getting better all the time so I'm already looking forward to his next title run whenever that will be. The match itself was good but not a classic. It's hard to tell with Punk whether he's genuinely knackered and falling to pieces or he's just selling because he's just so great at selling. Hangman looked like a fucking beast throughout the match, I love his offence and how he just throws bombs left right and centre. He comes across as a top level tough main event wrestler for sure even if the booking around the matches doesn't match up. 

I'll catch up on the rest this evening. Well I won't watch the Adam Cole or Britt Baker matches because they are both terrible but I'll watch the rest.

Edited May 30, 2022 by LaGoosh

[d-d-d-dAz]

I think the quality of Punks matches have declined since he’s tried to get bigger spots in.

Hes still as good as anyone around, but when he sticks to basics and tells stories he’s at his best.

[Keith Houchen]

19 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

Jayson Tatum is in on the work

Jayson Tatum is All Elite!!! Was shitting it at the end when they closed the 12 point gap to two and Jimmy Butler going for the 3 to win when he could’ve forced OT. Great game! Best defensive team winning the decider in the Heats yard? What’s not to love!!

[The King Of Swing]

To be fair to Britt at least she won clean and got a good reaction. 

Cole though, fucking hell that result killed the crowd. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

Overall, the PPV delivered. Yes, it was far too long (madness when I am pay £17.99 for an event, i want to get my money's worth), but the matches mostly delivered. Some notes.

Hookhausen are over like rover and I want to see a run pronto. MJF/Wardlow did what was needed and I am in a place where if MJF goes, good luck to him,  but I can see him going on a run for the big one if he stays.

Jade/Anna was better then it could have been. I ilke both, but they are still quite green. I like Anthea and the former Malcom Bevins being signed. Sorry.

The Hardy's need to go. Offer nothing but a nostalgia pop. Bucks did well to carry them.

Owen cup tournament. Not the biggest Cole/Baker fans, but they seem to do well as ambassadors, so maybe it is good business? Martha went long with her speech, but if that gave her some closure, I am pleased for her.

MOTY/Sammy/Tay/Kaz was far more enjoyable than it had any right to be. Glad it's ended that story though.

Rosa/Deeb was good and delivered on a high quality womans match.

Tag Trios, was fun, but wanted JE to drop the titles. Nevermind.

The Arena match was rediculous fun. Kingston is the man, interested where we go from here. -1 for no Regal commentary.

Main event. I think it was the right call. Now we get a new Summer of Punk and some interesting feuds for the word title.