AEW Double Or Nothing: Star Ratings For All 9 Matches

8. Kip Sabian Vs. Sammy Guevara

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Sammy Guevara impressed here in his brash and vicious heel role - particularly when he aimed a double foot stomp squarely on the back of Kip Sabian's skull before intensifying that onslaught with a barrage of fists.

Intense and wince-inducing for a pre-show match, Guevara stoked the fire in the crowd with his fabulously irritating facial expressions before popping their t*ts off with a high-risk shooting star press to the outside - a spot which probably undermines his heel bit. His arrogance at least informed the finish; he attempted a 630 splash before Sabian caught him with the flash submission win. A decent offering, worked with individual flourishes, this succeeded in its basic aim of ungluing the crowd.

If wins and losses are to matter, in AEW's response to the 50/50 booking malaise, the company will need a 0 to make the top tier look 100. In Sabian, the company has hired a capable and sympathetic babyface to build heat on TV for the likes of MJF - one with a creative and legit enough submission game to not free-fall into geek territory.

Star Rating: ***

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!