9 Match Star Ratings For AEW Double Or Nothing 2020

4. Dustin Rhodes Vs. Shawn Spears

Stadium Stampede
Fite TV

This was a match that happened.

On a night that miraculously felt worth the premium price in the untenable conditions of the no-fans era, this was the outlier: a glorified angle pitched, looking at it cynically, as a thank you to both men, Spears in particular, for holding things down amid the crisis.

Rhodes did the big job for Lance Archer, and prior to that had elevated interest in Dynamite by risking his credibility in an attempt to sell an unconvincing retirement match against Kip Sabian. Spears meanwhile had appeared for virtually every minute of every broadcast since March 11 in an artificial - but admirably energetic - bid to create an atmosphere.

Spears tried to play the old Shawn Michaels trick - the creeping reveal of his face was damn good, truthfully - and then Rhodes emerged to avenge the sh*t-talk by spanking his ass. This wasn't damn good. At one point, it looked like his Johnson was on the loose, but it was a deceptive image of Tully Blanchard.

It was a nice and earned time for them - for the audience, not so much.

Star Rating: ★½

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!