13 Match Star Ratings For AEW Double Or Nothing 2022

8. Samoa Joe Vs. Adam Cole - Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Final

Eddie Kingston
AEW

This was good to very good match in places that failed to register as the dramatic, high-quality climax to a prestigious tournament.

It was a Dynamite match. That's no bad thing - Dynamite plays host to excellent wrestling on a weekly basis - but this was lacking as a pay-per-view level attraction. It might have been lacking had it happened on a Wednesday, too.

Cole worked over Joe's arm to establish the main thread of the match, which was smart. At this stage of his career, Joe operates best as the wounded animal so that he can measure his bursts of physicality and spend much of his time catching his breath. When he does lash out, he can still play Joe. He turned Cole upside down with a disgustingly beautiful lariat deep into the match.

Cole's bump here was great, but he was better selling than he was on offence. Some of the strikes with which he targeted the shoulder barely looked impactful at all. The pacing wasn't dynamic to compensate, either.

Bobby Fish's interference influenced the finish, and it wasn't the time. Losing a competitive tournament final is no disgrace whatsoever - so why rehash a hollow TV finish in this context?

Star Rating: ★★★

 
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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!