10 Things AEW Wants You To Forget About 2023

9. Double Or Nothing

AEW decline CM Punk
AEW

Double Or Nothing was a very, very fun show to attend live - Karen Jarrett hit Aubrey Edwards with a guitar, and Matt Jackson kicked a bomb in Jon Moxley's face! - but it was less fun for those who paid a premium sum for it on pay-per-view.

The amount of outside interference was staggering, draining - totally ineffective after the first three times. The Acclaimed Vs. House of Black was just there; a nothing Trios match that failed entirely to fulfil the initial promise of a high-octane genre unique to the promotion.

(In general, the Trios title probably warrants an entry unto itself. The division was unexciting, in a once-thought impossible development, existing as an excuse to keep the Acclaimed on television).

Adam Cole and Chris Jericho's grudge match was a clunky dud and not a soul in the T-Mobile arena bought Adam Cole's performance as a badass at the finish. The final two matches were incredible and the last 10 minutes of FTR Vs. Planet Jarrett were overbooked in the best possible way, but as a show on the whole, Double Or Nothing laid bare the chronic lack of inspiration that had plagued the promotion.

AEW was a major critical success on pay-per-view elsewhere - but...

In this post: 
AEW
 
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!