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

8. Don't Invite Danger

Matt Hardy
AEW

Matt Hardy's terrifying botch at All Out ruined what was a very good show but a very scary time. The feeling totally overwhelmed the quality.

Reports surfaced that the bump was practised beforehand, but they must have struck lucky. The space on the cherry picker from which he fell was so narrow that positioning himself to execute the stunt was not remotely ideal.

The Ethan Page Vs. Darby Allin dynamic is terrifying. That's the allure; in their legendary cult EVOLVE programme, one so great and obscure that AEW has decided to simply do it again, Allin endured harrowing punishment. This anxiety forms Allin's very appeal, and Page elicited it to unreal effect.

Something totally deranged is going to unfold at Double Or Nothing. Something totally deranged has already unfolded during this resumed feud; at Blood & Guts, Allin bumped against the edge of the upper tier of Daily's Place. This was exponentially scarier than Allin tumbling down the stairs, and that itself was crazed.

This tweaked dynamic doesn't need something quite as scary. Sting is in Allin's corner to conduct timeless working magic. Build the match around Sting returning from a pre-match attack, and by all means batter Allin so badly that it looks like he can't make the tag when the Icon roars back.

Just...put something less like a hundred feet of air under his falling body. A table or a ladder or something.

 
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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!