13 Match Star Ratings For AEW Double Or Nothing 2022
5. Darby Allin Vs. Kyle O'Reilly
This really didn't have to happen at the pay-per-view and really only happened to maintain the idea that Darby Allin is a homegrown star worth paying a premium fee to see. That, again, is the byproduct of a bloated roster.
On any other night, this would have scanned as a blinder worked in front of a hot crowd. At Double Or Nothing 2022, it was just another match on a very long show. It was also, by the end, a very, very good offering all the more impressive for how it engaged the crowd. There was very little in the way of story, build or importance here. Some excellent work propelled it near to "attraction" status.
Darby ate sh*t on a lopé, but to be exceedingly generous, it's almost good - for storyline purposes, anyway - that the risk sometimes outweighs the reward. That way, it will always feel like a risk. Kyle shouldn't have sold for it, mind.
In what might be the most well-timed spot of the night, perhaps even the year, O'Reilly caught the follow-up with a guillotine. That was as seamless as it was brutal. In another happy accident, Darby bleeding from the mouth added immensely to Kyle's chain-assisted fish hook spot, which was the most memorable in a damn good beat-down. A kick-out at one spot really woke up the crowd and gave Darby something in defeat.
He looked better for how he went down swinging - more of that on TV, and certain criticisms will go away.
Star Rating: ★★★¾