AEW knocked another one out of the park this past weekend with the eighth annual Double or Nothing PPV, a top-to-bottom mostly excellent show in front of a rabid NYC crowd and featuring the pre-show debut of legend Mick Foley.
The most-attended Double or Nothing show to date was for me missing that one Match of the Year-level banger, but it had a slew of great stuff, with seven of the nine main card bouts reaching or exceeding ****. Louis Armstrong Stadium provided a unique atmosphere and the crowd brought incredible energy; this venue should become one of AEW's regular haunts going forward.
The show kicked off with the I Quit match for the tag belts, as FTR and Cope & Cage finally settled their feud. New York apparently doesn't allow blood in wrestling matches, so these four guys (plus Stokely Hathaway and a returning Beth Copeland) had to get creative with the violence. We got chairs, tables, barb wire (surprisingly no ladders), and even a bit of fire. The line of the match came from Christian, as FTR smashed his broken arm with a cinderblock and when asked if he quit simply said to Dax, "I banged your mother." Stokely kept getting involved in the match but Beth ran down to take him out. FTR attacked her though and set her up for a spear through a flaming table, but she moved and pulled Stoke in the way of Cash's spear. Christian trapped Dax in a sharpshooter, Cope added a crossface, and Beth handed Cope the barbwire 2x4 known as Spike, which Cope dug into Dax's forehead to force the submission. Damn fine opener and a feelgood moment. ****1/4
Even better was the second match, as Kazuchika Okada faced Konosuke Takeshita for the International Title. This was your classic Okada match type - a slow start followed by a constant build in intensity and finishers and counters galore. The crowd matched the wrestlers' energy as the match progressed, a la Angle vs. Benoit in 2003. By the end we got "Fight Forever" chants. Don Callis on commentary repeatedly tried to get each guy to avoid hurting the other, like when he stopped Okada from hitting a Tombstone on the floor. Takeshita then hit a brainbuster on the floor and Callis yelled at him. They traded finishers and kickouts, and finally Takeshita hit his Power Drive knee, but Okada kicked out at one. Takeshita clotheslined him and hit Raging Fire to win the title and the place went crazy. Post-match the Callis Family surrounded Takeshita but Kyle Fletcher made his surprise return, glared at Okada to back off, and raised Takeshita's arm. And then the boom was lowered as Fletcher lariated the shit out of Takeshita, officially kicking him out of the family. Takeshita vs. Fletcher will be off the charts awesome. This match ruled. ****3/4
The first of two women's matches (and sadly these were the only two not to reach **** IMO) was next as the Owen Cup kicked off with Athena vs. Mina Shirakawa. This was a very solid match with a couple of little miscues, but they worked well together overall. Athena has such a uniquely smooth agility to her movements, where she'll reverse a move in such a way that it looks impossible to pull off, but then she does it. The finishing sequence saw her squirm out of Mina's Glamorous Driver and hit a Tombstone, before ending the match with the O-Face (still one of the coolest-looking finishers out there). Probably the weakest match on the show but still good. ***1/2
Jon Moxley and Kyle O'Reilly blew off their feud as well, with an 18-minute clinic full of pure pro wrestling. Mox went after Kyle's leg after Kyle accidentally kicked a ring post, while Kyle focused on Mox's arm for much of the bout. They built to a great crescendo full of counter wrestling and striking, until both guys put each other in an ankle lock. Kyle rolled Mox up for a nearfall but Mox held on, grapevined the leg, and forced a tapout. Excellent stuff. ****1/2
The Men's Owen kicked off next with a pair of great first round matches, starting with Will Ospreay vs. Samoa Joe. Ospreay finally settled into his new, grittier in-ring style matching up surprisingly well with his much larger opponent. This felt very much like the old Joe vs. AJ Styles matchups, with the smaller, more athletic guy frustrating Joe. Ospreay hit an Oscutter right at the bell and did Joe's "facewash" move in the corner, but Joe hit a lariat to get control. Joe did his trademark "walk away" spot for another Oscutter attempt, which was great. Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch, and Ospreay did the Bret vs. Piper counter where he walked up the ropes and fell backwards on top of Joe. Joe kicked out and locked in the hold again, and Ospreay just made the ropes before passing out. Joe went for the Muscle Buster but Ospreay escaped and hit a Hidden Blade. Joe kicked out at one, so Ospreay hit another one to the back of Joe's head for the win. This could've gone another five minutes but it was still great. ****1/2
The other Owen match was Swerve Strickland vs. Bandido, another excellent contest. Lots of innovative stuff here, including a crazy spot where Swerve leapt up onto Bandido's shoulders and hit a House Call. Incredible moment. Later they were fighting on the apron and Bandido hit a reverse rana TO THE FLOOR. Bandido did the deadlift 21 Plex but was too hurt to go for the pin. They traded a ton of cradles and Bandido got the upperhand and went for another 21 Plex, but Swerve countered into a Vertebreaker before ending it with a House Call. Great match, and these two probably have an even better one in them. The inevitable Ospreay-Swerve tournament final will be one for the ages. ****1/2
The Women's World Title match was next as Thekla defended against Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida and Jamie Hayter, all former champions. This was very good but didn't stand out on a show like this one. Still they worked very hard and Stat and Shida continued their story of an uneasy alliance that fell apart when the chips were down. There were big moves and nearfalls everywhere until Stat and Shida came to blows, and later Shida broke up a Stat pin attempt with a kendo stick. Hayter and Shida took each other out on the floor and Thekla finished Statlander with a Curb Stomp to retain. This was good. Not sure who Thekla gets next, as she's beaten basically everyone except Athena, Toni and Mercedes. ***3/4
The Stadium Stampede match got the semi-main slot, and it was a crazy spectacle. New York also doesn't allow crowd brawling, so all the extra-ringside stuff took place either on the ramp or backstage. Lots of party match action and comedy spots, plus some cameos - Luchasaurus at ringside dressed as a woman, interrupting Andrade's selfie moment with a fan, Lio Rush backstage biting Toa Liona's hand, Satnam Singh in catering starting a food fight, and Luther presenting Chris Jericho with an oversized tennis racket to beat up Ricochet with. We also got some tennis ball spots, as Jericho brought a bag of them into the ring and later used a ball launcher on Ricochet. The babyfaces all put the heels through ringside tables, culminating in Kenny hitting the One-Winged Angel on Andrade through one of them. Several of them hit finishers on Ricochet but Bishop Kaun shoved Ric out of the way of an oncoming Judas Effect, taking a seven-way superkick, and Jericho pinned him for the win. Very fun match but a step below the original Stampede. ****1/2
Finally it was time for the main event, and the crowd was electric for Darby vs. MJF, with dueling chants throughout. At the bell Darby went for multiple headlock takeovers but MJF kicked out. Darby dove to the outside but MJF moved and Darby took the scariest bump you're likely to see after his foot clipped the ropes. It's a miracle he was okay after that. Throughout the match Darby was looking for quick, sudden finishes, going for Coffin Drops whenever he could. Later Darby hit a much safer tope. He went for a Coffin Drop on the apron but missed. MJF hit a package piledriver onto the upturned ring steps. Darby went for another dive but MJF pulled a cameraman in the way. In the ensuing chaos, MJF dragged Darby up to the barber station and tried to shave his head. Darby countered with a choke and laid MJF on the adjacent table, then climbed up the entrance scaffolding and hit a Coffin Drop from legit 15 feet up. Darby clipped the back of his head, opening up a gash. Back in the ring he hit another Coffin Drop for a two-count and went for the Sharpshooter but collapsed from exhaustion. Darby regained the upper hand, went for another Coffin Drop but MJF crotched him on the turnbuckle and hit a second-rope Tombstone, followed by a side headlock takeover to get the win and regain the title. Fantastic main event. Post-match Darby was strapped to a gurney but MJF went to attack him again. Kevin Knight ran out for the save and climbed to the top rope as MJF retreated, then hit Darby with a UFO Splash and tipped over the gurney as the show ended. A rare cliffhanger to close out an AEW PPV. ****3/4
So yeah, this show had just about everything you could want, except for a full fiver. Still, seven matches in the ****+ range is nothing at all to sneeze at. This wasn't quite at the level of last year's DON, which I consider a basically perfect wrestling show, but it definitely ranks in the upper echelon of AEW PPVs. One of the most consistently good shows they've ever done.
Best Match: Darby vs. MJF
Worst Match: Athena vs. Mina by default
What I'd Change: Not much at all, this show flew by and was full of excellent wrestling.
Most Disappointing Match: I guess the women's 4-way but it was still very good.
Most Pleasant Surprise: Darby Allin gave us one of AEW's greatest title reigns, in the span of five weeks.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
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