Double or Nothing review

All Elite Wrestling presented its annual Memorial Day weekend pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, marking five years or the organization. It goes without saying that AEW had its ups and downs throughout the past five years, and ironically, this pay-per-view reflected a lot of that. With an almost absurd 10 matches on the main card and a runtime of more than four and a half hours, I'm going to try to be as concise as possible with this review to attempt to avoid it being too lengthy for anyone to realistically read some opinions on the show.

The pay-per-view opened with Will Ospreay vs. Roderick Strong for the International championship. This was exactly what you'd expect from this two solid pros, it was a physical and very well-worked contest. Everything was crisp and smooth, and the argument could be made that the first match on the card was the best bout of the night. The only criticism, if anything, is that given that this bout was based on work rate, not some long-term angle, this segment probably didn't need the multiple interference spots. Speaking of which, there was a rather goofy spot with The Kingdom, where Matt Taven tried a dive over the top rope to the outside for a doomsday device type of maneuver. Taven came up short, and Ospreay looked like he landed very awkwardly on his head. It was dangerous and added nothing to the match. Again, this match-up was booked to sell the substance, not the sizzle so the interference wasn't needed, unless it was going to be for the finish. In a similar fashion, Don Callis, as entertaining as he is, wasn't needed for this segment, especially because of his other extensive involvement on the show. On a better note, Ospreay and Strong had some tremendous exchanges of counters and maneuvers. As expected, the British grappler won the title, but the belt is nothing more than a prop, particularly with the amount of championships in the organization. Quite simply, if everyone has a belt, how much does it mean in the grand scheme of things?

Speaking of pointless belts, the Trios championship match was a fireworks segment with a slew of high spots, and the athleticism was incredible, but you have to ask yourself, did this 10-minute contest really add to the card or just overuse moves that were going to be seen throughout the show? Jay White and The Gunns retained, but I still think White could be used in a much better position, and the Gunns would accomplish more in the tag team scene than the trios division that was originally more or less only created for The Elite. However, it was great to see Juice Robinson return and he's an asset to any roster.

The Women's title match was very well wrestled and the technical exchanges proved just how solid Toni Storm and Serena Deeb can be if they are paired with an opponent that can go in the ring. Unfortunately, the basis for this feud was completely miscast and it should be a booking lesson for Tony Khan in the future. The "Timeless" gimmick was originally booked to be a heel, but it got over with the audience as a crowd favorite because of the eccentric nature of the persona. Khan should've adjusted accordingly and booked Deeb as the no nonsense technician that wanted to put a stop to the over-the-top nature of the champion's title reign. Instead, Deeb was put in an almost no win situation, as she hasn't been on television for over a year prior to this because of a very serious health scare, and was booked as a baby face when the fans don't want to boo Toni since she brought an entertaining character to the table several months ago. As a result, everything was lukewarm at best, despite the comeback story that they tried to sell on television, Deeb got a minimal reaction, simply because the fans would rather see the "Timeless" persona remain the champion, but the entire angle had Storm working as a heel so nobody truly got over or enhanced their presentation throughout this storyline. As far as the match, as mentioned, these two are solid, and there's still an argument for Serena to get a run as the Women's champion at some point in the future. The apron bumps in this match were brutal, and the same can be said about the pile driver from the second rope for the finish. Toni Storm got the win, and the match itself was very good, but again, this angle should be a booking lesson for Khan.

The next portion of the card is where a line-up with 10 matches and a broadcast with more than a four and a half hour runtime became unnecessary. Some of it was fine, but didn't add anything to the card that you wouldn't see already on the show done to a better extent. Some of it was the slapstick booking that Tony Khan is known for and thus could've been eliminated to allow for a better pace to the show. There were also bouts that were fine, but were misplaced on this card. Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassiday was fine for what it was, but it had apron bumps very similar to what we just saw in the prior match so it became rather repetitive. Instead of trying to shoehorn this match onto the card, it could've been saved for either a featured match on television or a different pay-per-view. Trent is a great utility worker, and that's not a knock either, as it makes him a very valuable asset to the organization, but ultimately, Trent/Orange Cassidy was lost in the shuffle by the end of the night. Cassidy got the win.

The FTW title match was random, clunky, and probably shouldn't have been booked for pay-per-view. I understand the point of the angle with "The Learning Tree" heel persona and the youngster Hook, but the addition of Shibata was so pointless that it almost seems like Tony remembered that he had the Japanese star under contract so he decided to add him to the pay-per-view. It didn't stack the card, it just overbooked this segment. Spilling the dice on the canvas was a horrendous idea since it made it very difficult for anyone to move around the ring or work the rest of the match. As I wrote it a prior article, I get that Jericho is trying to lean into the criticism of his recent stint with the learning tree gimmick, but it might be legitimately time for him to consider retirement. He's an absolutely legend and in many ways, he's in a league of his own, but he definitely showed his age at Double or Nothing. The live crowd couldn't care less about who won the match, and the Bryan Keith run-in got almost no reaction because most the audience doesn't know him yet. Bryan Keith seems like a very capable pro wrestler, but does he really add anything to the already bloated roster? That's not a jab against his skills, it's more so a criticism of the management style or lack thereof with AEW. Bryan Keith had a good match when he was used as an enhancement talent to put someone over so he was offered a contract, but was there really any plan for him? If not, it's an indication of a lack of structure within the company. Jericho retained, and it was implied that this angle will continue, but I doubt there will be a level of enthusiasm for the audience.

Jon Moxley/Konosuke Takeshita was a match that was essentially pointless, as it was dubbed a "title eliminator" because of the political nature of the match-up since Moxley is the IWGP champion for New Japan, but Takeshita is associated with DDT. The stipulation was added as a way to justify a non-title match on pay-per-view, but when the viewing audience is paying $50 to watch it, the bout doesn't have nearly as much shine to it. Basically, a title eliminator, as counterproductive as it often is and a rather cheap booking excuse, is a TV match. It should be noted that this could've all been avoided by not booking the match, but since Takeshita made it known in a recent interview that he's not happy with the lack of opportunity in AEW, and you can't blame him, this segment was probably Tony's way of trying to temporarily appease him. Takeshita has the ability to be a top guy somewhere and given how much talent he has, it wouldn't make sense for him to waste the prime years of his career in catering so it will be interesting to see if he remains on the roster in the future. The match was fine, but at this point in the card, the show became a tedious viewing experience. Moxley won and it looks like he will actually defend the belt at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

As I said in a prior article, I think the Adam Copeland vs. Malakai Black feud was rushed into the gimmick match because the pay-per-view was on the calendar. This was another match that could've been saved for a different PPV. The match was entertaining for what it was, but most of the barbed wire, including the wire around the top of the cage wasn't used. There were two tables already in the ring before the bout started and it seemed like it really limited the amount of space that the wrestlers had to work with inside the ring. Malakai Black bled buckets during this segment. The elbow drop the Copeland attempted from the top of the cage looked very dangerous and he might've been injured from the jump, as he was noticeably hobbled afterwards. It seemed like he trying to somewhat land on his feet before he made contact with the table, but hit the canvas awkwardly so maybe that was where the potential injury happened. The Gangrel cameo was fun, and it was nice that he received the recognition. Copeland got the victory.

At this point of the show, it was the start of the "triple main event," but it was also more than three hours into the broadcast. I can't explain this enough, more wrestling doesn't automatically translate to better wrestling and in some ways, it became a chore to watch the rest of the marathon pay-per-view. Similar to how Deeb was miscast earlier, Mercedes Mone was presented in a conflicting way for this title match. Her brash, albeit flat promo style, implied that she was more of a heel, but was shown being overcome with emotion during her entrance. The match was fine, but Mone seemed to have some ring rust at certain points. It was very predictable that she was going to win the belt so there wasn't much drama that could be built toward the conclusion. The Kris Statlander heel turn is probably the best move for her run in AEW, and it gives something for Willow to do after dropping the title, but the group was completely random so I'm not sure how invested the fans will be in the storyline. As entertaining as Stokely is, he hasn't done anything of importance in several months so it will be difficult to generate heat for the angle.

The AEW World title match was what you'd expect, it was a very good performance from both performers and everything they did was quality stuff, but nobody believed it was even remotely possible that Christian was going to win the championship so despite their best efforts, there was no drama or suspense built around the result. Since there wasn't that level of jeopardy for the title, the match didn't need to go 25 minutes and seemed to drag at certain points, not because of a lack of ability, but rather than it was close to midnight. Swerve retained, but the more his title reign progress, the more it looks like he's only going to be used as a transitional champion.

Anarchy in the Arena was the main event and went more than thirty minutes, giving it the most time of any segment on the show. The problem with this is, these type of extended brawls tend to lose steam if they go too long because there's so much going on that it's difficult to truly establish a narrative for the match. Everyone will discuss the flame thrower spot, and I will say this, it was completely ridiculous that Jack Perry was set on fire and was able to recover enough to get the pin. Some might cite the Randy Orton/Fiend fiasco, and at the time, I said the same thing, The Fiend being burned alive on pay-per-view was completely ridiculous. It totally jumped the shark because the implication was that there was a homicide on live television. As preposterous as the original inferno matches were, it's at least believable that Kane could recover from his hand being set on fire. The Fiend being booked as a burnt marshmallow almost ruined his career, and he actually had to be released from the company for a year to allow for the demand for his return to the organization. If Darby Allin can use a flame thrower, why hasn't someone used a bazooka? The bazooka is too unrealistic, but flame thrower makes sense in pro wrestling? The line has to be drawn somewhere, even for professional wrestling. 

The fact that Perry not only recovered from being set on fire, but was fine enough to get the pin takes away any effectiveness the fire spot might've had, as ludicrous as it was. Furthermore, when Perry doesn't sell the possibility of a serve injury, it lets the fans know that he was clearly wearing protective clothing so the spot is too phony to matter anyway. It jumped the shark and probably did more to hinder than help the perception of the company.