9 Match Star Ratings For AEW Double Or Nothing 2020

5. Penelope Ford Vs. Kris Statlander

Stadium Stampede
AEW

An average-to-pretty good match that existed as a showcase for Kris Statlander, when she gets going, her potential crash-lands into that ring. It feels less like you're watching a wrestling match, and more like the first 10 minutes of a glowing career retrospective.

The booping and cartwheels are residual indy spots that get over in front of knowing, buzzed millennials but on the mainstream stage, even one that was later renovated beyond coherence, they feel small-time, whether the notion of a wrestling alien is offensive or not.

When Statlander took control, she looked incredible in patches. She overshot her trajectory on a dive, but even then, the majesty of her movement and the crunching impact created a (theoretical) Holy sh*t moment. Her Matrix spot is great, too. It's a superb fusion of physical timing and dexterity pulled off so suddenly and thrillingly that she'd be able to counter anything with it. The theme isn't hard to get here: Statlander remains spotty in her prodigious talent, and this was a match mostly worked around them. It didn't tell us much that we didn't already know - though that it went ahead challenged what we know of AEW's women's division.

They are, at last, earnestly trying to build something.

Star Rating: ★★¾

Contributor
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!