5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Double Or Nothing 2023
2. House Of Black (c) vs. The Acclaimed
It had seemed possible that House Of Black's new formula was just to kick ass first and worry later when it came to angles, storylines and plot twists. The obvious in-built support base, the immense satisfaction of getting to watch them work live and the fact that they'd beaten The Elite with almost no story back at Revolution validated the theory to an extent...
...until they had a match that bordered on boring with the red hot Acclaimed.
On those terms, this proof of concept match was a dismal failure, even if it had its occasional in-ring highs. But those same highs are there all the time in AEW because the company has worked extremely hard to raise the bar beyond any expectations that might once have been held. There'll always be great wrestling matches, but the crowd reactions at Double Or Nothing were a stark reminder that they simply aren't enough.
The match lacked flow, proper out-and-out heel/babyface drama, and both teams and the belts felt too trivial as a result. The House Rules gimmick still has legs, but otherwise it's less "back to the drawing board" and more "actually use it for the first time".