11 Match Star Ratings From AEW Double Or Nothing 2023

3. Jade Cargill Vs. Taya Valkyrie - TBS Title Match

Kenny Omega Bryan Danielson
AEW

Jade Cargill Vs. Taya Valkyrie was over in the building: helped by the superstar entrances and the sort of action you wouldn't associate with the performers, this was an over-delivery.

Taya did Taiji Ishimori's sliding German suplex! While they did get lost very noticeably deep into the match, and at one point collided very awkwardly when it was impossible to determine what they were even trying to do, they each deserve credit for engineering the Road to Valhalla near-fall. Banning it in the storyline through some fake legal nonsense was nonsensical, and it was infuriating that Tony Khan suddenly just said it was fine to do, but it worked.

That was the most convinced that fans had become of Jade losing her title before she actually lost it to Kris Statlander immediately afterwards in an open challenge (Star Rating: ★★).

A babyface capitalising on a tired, weakened heel is a dangerously WWE thing to do, but it was difficult not to feel happy for Statlander, whose recovery sounded hellish and who was on course to becoming the top star of the division early last year.

Star Rating: ★★★

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!