Every Major AEW Show RANKED From Worst To Best
2. Double Or Nothing 2019
It was special before the bell rang.
Seeing the initials of a different wrestling promotion, on ring curtains in a huge U.S. arena, was such a thrill for the long-suffering fan. We'd made it to a mecca, almost: critically-acclaimed pro wrestling in the context of the big show atmosphere that this business functions so much better within.
SCU rode the wave, coolly, to kick things off with a banger of a six-man tag. Rapid, hard-hitting, worked in a trios genre the monopoly held little interest in: this doubled as both vital, hot opener and a mission statement. All Elite Wrestling was the new alternative. Double Or Nothing was built on that theme.
It was a remarkably eclectic buffet of a card, offering the vicious charms of joshi; a scintillating fusion of futuristic lucha and a story-rich advancement of the hybrid modern indie style; and, in the show's beating heart, an emotional bloodbath with a grand, territorial heft updated with more complex character dynamics. AEW made performative wrestling fans cry; that's how special Double Or Nothing was. AEW was never going to replicate how special that first time was. It was the first time.
Except - and this is the biggest commendation of a company that has drawn so much of it - they did so long after the novelty had worn off...