5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Double Or Nothing 2023
Downs…
5. Chris Jericho Vs Adam Cole
What looked like a blood feud might have been a good feud, and perhaps that was one of the problems with the layout of this disappointing and overlong affair.
Sabu was a late inclusion in proceedings as a device for dealing with the obvious numbers disadvantage between respective associates The JAS and Roderick Strong, but after the 'Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal' maniac used a chair and a table (!) to unleash his brand of destruction, the contest felt stilted and disjointed.
At 17 minutes, it was far from the longest match on the card, but you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. A handcuff chain was a nice callback to the flashpoint moment of their programme, but the makeshift dog collar portion dragged like just about everything else and assisted spots with it failed to connect live.
This was laid bare at the finish. After everything peaked with Britt Baker and Saraya's kendo stick war, Cole blackened Jericho's eye and won via stoppage. Las Vegas - already miffed with an under-delivery of a show - hated it, and the series might have felt doomed had it not been for an upcoming mixed tag booking and Jericho fireballing a poor backstage staffer.