Spying the opportunity to make the most of the location while simultaneously heating up two pay-per-view stories, the face-to-face between Chris Jericho and Adam Cole was a tremendous slice of TV angle advancement even if your mileage may vary on the acting by the end.
Cole showed just the right amount of reverence towards Jericho to kick it off, almost as if knowing his work so well came with a consequence of knowing the JAS leader might be a total jerk in response. And when he was, Cole wasn’t shaken - he was ready to do away with the pleasantries and get to hostilities, but after Daniel Garcia running down to help his boss drew Britt Baker into the fray, the fix was in.
Appearing from under the ring (and in lockstep with Jericho from the off), The Outcast re-emerged and beat down ‘D.M.D’ with a kendo stick as Cole was chained to the ropes and forced to watch. Cole and Baker were a touch schlocky selling it all, but not to the extent that the heat was ruined in the slightest. A raging Pittsburgh crowd rained rage upon the heels, and a Double Or Nothing singles match that already had intrigue is now loaded with emotional heft too.
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
