5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Double Or Nothing 2023

3. Jade Cargill (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

Kris Statlander
AEW

"Finisher stuff" wasn't exactly the deepest or most meaningful motivation for these two women to twice wage war for the TBS Championship, but Jade Cargill's 59-0 record going into the pay-per-view yet again didn't feel particularly under threat even if they assembled a great match on the night.

And then it did!

Valkyrie and Cargill's occasional miscommunications aside, this was a stirring rematch that featured more than enough physicality from the Challenger that a now-legal Road To Valhalla attempt drew one of the loudest nearfalls all evening. A split crowd thought they were seeing history, dove into the moment, and gave the wrestlers their emotions. Job done, and Jade retained, but then it was time for Jade to finally do a job.

As noted above, the implications of Kris Statlander's impromptu TBS Championship victory could be dire, but it was impossible not to smile as she ended the streak at 60-0, announced her comeback in the most satisfying way imaginable, and gave punters in the building the live experience they'd been craving mere minutes earlier. WWE does this with Money In The Bank for a reason - it's harder to back babyfaces longterm, but the in-arena vibe is undeniable.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett