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

5. Rethink The Dire Casino Battle Royale Format

AEW Casino Battle Royale
Scott Lesh

The existing Casino Battle Royale format is abysmal and over-thought and it needs to be consigned to the realm of "That was weird, the f*ck were they thinking there?"

The entrances of the four men that comprise the "suites" are effectively captured in split screen. You are made to focus on four separate developments and it's too distracting. Nobody has eight eyes, apart from the mutants of course. Nobody can shine in these important spots because they are by definition unfocused. The visual of competing athletes walking into battle in unison is weird and dissonant, too. What do they talk about near gorilla? The dual entrance tunnels exist to stop these immersion-breaking questions from being asked.

Just rip off the Rumble. Shorten the intervals. Lay out the match with more frequent, exciting eliminations because it's easier to eliminate the modern wrestler, in theory, because they aren't 6'6", 315lbs and juiced to the gills.

Only two battle royal formats have ever worked, and AEW recognised this at Revolution by simply mimicking the genius of Pat Patterson. The Casino Battle Royal was a Tag Team Royal Rumble.

Do this again.

 
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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!