11 Match Star Ratings From AEW Double Or Nothing 2023
6. Wardlow Vs. Christian Cage - TNT Title Ladder Match
Wardlow Vs. Christian Cage was a very good if strange, subdued match.
It wasn't a hollow, cheap spot-fest. Cage, like the rat that he is, scurried away from the action, only popping his head up, literally, when thought safe from Wardlow's relentless ass-kicking power move blitz. Fans reacted only to the spots, though, which flattened the atmosphere at various points. This wasn't helped by a malfunctioning prop late on, when Wardlow crushed the rungs of a ladder when jumping onto it to confront Cage. Wardlow's might warped the ladder. This is the sort of cool moment that should if anything put over the spontaneous dangers of the genre, but the modern audience expects cleaner, meticulous set-pieces.
The match relied on the presence of seconds Arn Anderson and Luchasaurus, an exhausting theme across the night, and while AEW should do something to stamp out the excess of it all, it did work for the big stunt set-piece here: Wardlow performed a senton off a ladder from an absurd height. I was terrified watching head-on, but the execution was flawless. Just as well, too: fans had started to get into Christian's weasel act so much that his name was chanted heavily minutes beforehand.
Cage deserves immense credit for some of the bumps he took and the way in which he crafted the set-pieces to flow so organically into the next.
Star Rating: ★★★¾