AEW Double Or Nothing: Star Ratings For All 9 Matches

5. Best Friends Vs. Angélico & Jack Evans

DoN Omega
Fite TV

A pulsating and inventive if slightly uneven match, this serviced the card effectively enough without threatening to steal it - but that was the aim. It existed to maintain the momentum of the show and showcase the depth, not the leading lights, of AEW's potentially incredible tag team division.

Angélico and Evans drew big reactions throughout with creative and spectacular big-time aerial double-team manoeuvres, but nothing really registered - or was paced quite well enough - to properly maximise the winning babyface appeal of the dorky, loveable Best Friends duo. Ultimately, Double Or Nothing existed as a platform on which to present new characters to a new audience, and as hot and potent as some of the sequences were, this felt a bit interchangeable with much of the wider Indy oeuvre. And that's fine; this was a match on a card designed to be little more than that. Angélico's gear is off-putting CAW stuff - a heckle in the crowd confirmed as much - but his high spots soared in a sugar rush of a match lacking in truly compelling, layered drama.

Entertaining my-turn-your-turn fare performed with admirable, full-on mettle, but nothing that left a lasting impression.

Star Rating: ***1/2

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!