10 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Double Or Nothing 2021

5. Miro Is Further Established As A Monster

Miro AEW
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More fun than epic, this sprint nonetheless reinforced Miro as AEW's preeminent monster. What happens to Lance Archer next will unfold as it will. But his selflessness and Tony Khan's audacity have elevated Miro as proper major league player.

The early phase of the match was highlighted by Archer yeeting Miro into a row of plants with a suplex, which was about the only vegan moment in a meaty hoss fight fought in front of gassed, confused crowd. Without spiking the level of excitement to elicit the pure adrenaline of the opening 45 minutes, Miro drew them in during his slow control sequence to illustrate his psychological prowess. He grabbed Archer's ponytail and smashed his chest in with a series of kicks to convey the idea that everybody is under his control.

Miro is funny, so funny that every promoter he's worked for has at one point or another missed the point. In a moment of sublime black comedy, he yeeted Jake's snake back into the entrance tunnel. It was a fake bag, obviously, but still: piss funny. The best possible use of his comedic instincts.

This really got going when the bombs dropped and the pace exploded with a defiant slap battle. After nailing Miro with a pounce, Archer almost convinced the fans that the inevitable wasn't quite that, but it was. Miro made him pass out in Game Over in what was more of a landmark win than a great match.

Effective booking and effective in the slot, this accomplished what it needed to do and at times was way more fun that that description suggests.

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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!