10 Mistakes AEW Can't Afford To Make At Double Or Nothing 2021

9. Don't Open With A Heel Win

Brian Cage
AEW

AEW doesn't just have to learn from its own, rare mistakes, the unfortunate, massive scale of which have become disasters.

AEW has effectively created an anti-WWE handbook with which to operate since day one: don't do scripted promos, don't over-produce in the ring, don't vanish wrestlers literally the week after they debut, etc. etc.

Helpfully, the opposition continues to make several blunders from which to learn. There was one down moment at WrestleMania Night 1, an otherwise exceptional show that somehow contrived to create the illusion that the magic is still there: the babyface lost the opener. It wasn't a disaster - it was a sequencing mistake - but that mistake lanced the the euphoric atmosphere. You were left feeling that you were still watching a WWE show in 2021, even if it was a damn good one.

Fans are back. Fans want to luxuriate in being back. And, on a show that will likely feature several heel wins, they need to be put in the right mood early.

Hangman Page Vs. Brian Cage is the perfect choice to open the show. Page will bump big for Cage's frightening arsenal, and since he's a lunatic with a brick sh*thouse quality himself, this match should intersect the physical and the spectacular rather neatly.

Fan favourite Page is guaranteed a massive reaction, and it would represent a savvy move: he's the man to dethrone Kenny Omega, and introducing him to a rabid, fresh crowd will position him as the World Champion in waiting.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!