Thoughts on Double or Nothing?

Seeing as I have an off morning supervising online learning (sucks if you are wondering) I spent some time catching up on AEW.

I must admit I don’t feel the usual “punch” I do in terms of must see matches etc for this PPV.

The inner circle vs Pinnacle will be interesting but I feel like I just saw BG and that seemed more violent and what I generally like. The Stadium Stampede concept worked the first time but a goofy presentation here would not fit the blood feud nature of this rivalry. I’m sure they will step it up but still it I can’t say I am salivating over it as I was BG.

The main event match kind of came out of nowhere. Can’t say either Pac or Orange excite me as real options here and a three way seems like you are just copying WWE laziness.

The women’s title match has built up well but it seems a forgone conclusion that Britt wins and faces Thunder Rosa. Does anyone think this is anything different ?

The tag title one I felt like the bigger match was SCU retirement and they glossed over this. The Mox and Eddie vs Bucks will be a brawl but I feel like I would have rather seen SCU on the PPV with a huge send off angle.

Just not a fan of the Cody presentation and being an American hero here. Seems tone deaf and outdated in terms of storytelling.

Miro and Lance are both heels right? Again not really sure here and Miro shouldn’t lose the title right away and Lance Archer has already lost a lot. Unless it’s a screw job seems not the best booking.

Finally we have Sting but again I just don’t feel as hyped to see him as I did the last time. Maybe because we have seen him and idea of a 60 yr old bumping for real life seems scary.

The casino battle royal seems like another waste of time while everyone waits to see if Daniel Bryan or Samoa Joe is number 21. Anyone other than those two (outside of CM Punk or Brock) will be disappointing although this isn’t there fault.

Again no one match I’m really looking forward to, nothing that screams 5 start potential and nothing that really seems all that unpredictable. It just seems not must watch and perhaps the first one in a long time with that feel.

So in short I’m still using undecided but leaning to a pass.

Of course if it goes to game 6 with Leafs and Habs it’s an automatic pass

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I mostly agree. I do think Stadium Stampede is going to be really good, but the rest of the card is lacking something. I think having more of a crowd there is also a big factor for me, Orange Cassidy’s entrance should be pretty fun.

Baker, Miro and the Bucks are all definitely winning. Cody should be squashed by Ogogo, but I worry that won’t happen. The battle royal, who knows as they are pretty hit or miss.

This time of year for me it really depends on who is playing in the nba/nhl playoffs. The show isn’t a must buy yet.

I am probably most excited for Moxley and Kingston vs Bucks. Still makes me very happy to see Kingston on such a major stage.

I think the Stampede match will end up surprising us, and be something very different than the first.

The rest of the card I feel like has a few sleepers. Miro vs Archer feels like it could be a Brody vs Abby style brawl. And I really think the Omega / PAC / Cassidy match will kill with a hot crowd.

Hoping for a couple of surprises, especially to set the tone of being in front of big crowds again.
I think they also know that people were underwhelmed by both Revolution and Blood and Guts, so they will probably try and over deliver.

On that note, I have said it before and I’ll say it here again - if you revisit the 2020 Revolution PPV, the crowd is insane. I think a 5000 crowd of people losing their minds is going to elevate anything average or below average on this PPV. I’m sure it’ll feel like a party, which was always AEW’s strong suit, especially during the first six months of Dynamite.

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I’ve really enjoyed the past month or so of Dynamite, but I do generally agree with a lot of your points, Alex.

A lot hinges on how the Stadium Stampede will be presented, and if the company can pull off a big stunt & spot heavy tour de force while still maintaining the edge and tone the feud calls for.

The title match is a product of convenience - Kenny can stay the cowardly champ who’ll let PAC and Orange do all of the heavy lifting. Definitely doesn’t feel like a main event and I expect it won’t be in that spot.

Cody cringe aside, I’m really interested to see how Ogogo fares in a non-enhancement match. I’d really like to see something like Brodie’s defeat of Cody: an essentially one-sided beating in which Cody succumbs to Ogogo’s body shots after eight minutes.

Britt/Shida and Miro/Archer might be the most “predictable” matches in terms of their outcomes, but they’ve also been the best built and the ones I’m most looking forward to. Britt was given the time and space to reformulate herself, recover from injuries, and by happy (but painful) accident now has a rep as a borderline deathmatch worker. It’s been a slow-boil, but the payoff’s finally here, and Shida’s a great contrast for her. Miro and Archer? They don’t NEED an excuse to fight, and that’s what makes this lightning-quick feud great. Archer’s been pacing around like a caged dog for months, just looking for a target, and now here’s another dog just as ornery. The title? Barely a factor, but who cares. Reminds me of that scene from the redneck bar Homer finds himself in one night:

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I have high hopes for Miro-Archer, the tag title match, and Page-Cage II, and though the World Title match has a foregone conclusion, I expect it to be very good. Same with Shida vs. Baker. I definitely see Stadium Stampede closing the show, and am at least interested in what they do and how they do it. If it closes the show, it can’t be worse than how Revolution ended.

Well with the Habs winning that overtime game this PPV will be a pass now :frowning:

Habs/Leafs is Saturday and DON is Sunday right?

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Oh you were right. I thought they had stuck to their Saturday plans for PPV but I guess they changed!

That series is one of the worst playoff series in recent memory anyway. Shouldn’t be surprised from 2 garbage teams.

TK getting hyped for the weekend…

LOL. Senators fan?

This largely feels like the PPV that’ll set up the PPV I actually want to buy.

I’m sure the people who are just here for the wrestling will still feel fulfilled, but to me, a lot of the pairings are weird or feel like the match you’ve wanted to see is either in the immediate past or future. We’re waiting on the Omega/Page match. We’re waiting on the important Sting singles match. We’re waiting for the pure babyface foil for this new Miro. We’re looking back at the SCU story they set up which was great and then petered out before it ever started. The Cody story started with a family member betraying him, but the story getting paid off is whatever this mess is.

Even the women’s match, which should be tremendous, feels off, because it’s really about the crowning moment of the Britt Baker story…who is a heel…more than the feud with the year-long champion. The Thunder Rosa rematch is the one that’ll meld everything together.

In the end, that’s why I’m saving my money this time around. But still, this card is going to be remembered for the Stadium Stampede and if that does the job, the whole night will be considered a success. I’m assuming this is the Jericho win that lets him lose the later climactic fight with MJF [that lets the latter move onto the story that ends with him as champion], and a happy ending will make for a happy card. But it ain’t enough to break through the pack of a busy weekend full of competition and BBQs.

And lord, I’m not sitting through their millionth battle royal.

Fuck no. I like a real team…the Boston Bruins.

The bruins have scared me forever after that game 7

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One of the greatest moments of my sports fandom was that game. I often go back and rewatch it.

Imagine…they could potentially meet in the Stanley Cup Final this year.

Yeah I know it’s literally all we’ve been talking about when we went up 3-1. What would it be like to face the Bruins in the finals and avenge that loss. However the Bruins seem to have our number so I’d like to avoid them altogether if I could. Was a good victory agaisnt the Caps. Bruins are the team that scares me

After last nights show I am all in for DON. The crowd sold it for me, last nights vibe blew Smackdown out of the water. Especially when you compare the two of them back-to-back. Just hearing the crowd reactions is fascinating

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Yeah, the live audience is going to be a big selling point. The card almost seems secondary. It’s gonna be odd to see a Stadium Stampede in front of a crowd

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