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danwhobrowses · 5 years ago

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AEW Double of Nothing 2020 - My Thoughts

Well that was a long night, it’s tough watching USA PPVs in the UK. But Double or Nothing is in the books and since I have free time I thought I’d talk about some stuff I liked and disliked I’ll have to note, I’m not a sole AEW fan, I like stuff from WWE, NJPW, Stardom, TJPW and DDT Pro too, dabbling in ROH, Impact and NWA from time to time and reminiscing fondly over the time Lucha Underground was great. But I say this because I don’t want people quickly pointing fingers at me accusing me of being a stan for AEW or WWE just because I like or dislike something they disagree with, I’m not playing bias I am literally working on impulse and sleep deprivation

Spoilers for AEW Double or Nothing 2020 obviously, watch, enjoy, look at some gifs maybe and come back here

The Buy-In:

Private Party vs Best Friends (Winner is No.1 Contender for the AEW World Tag Team Championship) Winner: Best Friends via Pinfall (Strong Zero to Marq Quen)

For a pre-show match it was fine, the Buy-In stream did start way too early and streaming and audio issues would plague both Fite and BR Live streams throughout. As for the match, it was a tad sloppy at times but it is worth reminding people that PP haven’t been wrestling in a while. And they weren’t terrible botches, just a few overexersions, people can’t be as crisp as Rey Fénix every match, especially since there’s more margin of error the more people involved in the spot there is. The match was very back and forth at times, and the highlight has to be the G9, PP (and Big Swole) had been wearing SG armbands in honor of Shad Gaspard, who tragically died in Venice Beach due to a rip current submerging him, I had been a big fan of Cryme Tyme (and PS4′s God of War which he did motion capture of Kratos for) when they were in WWE, so the nice homage of using their finisher was a nice touch. As for the result I didn’t mind either way, I had backed PP due to their ongoing BTE feud with Hangman Page, but the Best Friends have definitely been consistent enough to challenge and possibly even win the titles, it would be sensible for them to win it too since they have lingering feuds with TH2, Death Triangle, The Superbad Death Squad and Butcher and Blade.

Main Card:

Intermission build for Casino Ladder Match

It was mostly people explaining how and why they were gonna win, but I did have to make a separate mention for Jimmy Havoc, dressed to fucking drip. Man looks like a bond villain.

Casino Ladder Match (Winner is No.1 Contender for the AEW World Championship at Fyter Fest) Winner: Brian Cage An early point I wanna make, I think AEW are spying on me because I had much earlier thought up a similar idea of a ‘Bargaining Chip’ to work as a guaranteed contendership boon. If Tony Khan wants to pick my brain all he has to do is call, I still think all non-title ‘Double or Nothing’ matches should be worth 2 wins/losses in the spirit of the PPV name. I also didn’t mind the giant chip, would’ve been silly if it was regular sized. AEW has a winner with this format I think, the battle royale format was good for introducing a group of new faces, but in a more condensed format the Casino rules for a Ladder match work two ways, the early people have less opposition to win while the last people are fresh, the red ladders were a bit much for my tastes though. As for the match, it was still a bit messy but there were 9 people plus interferences to deal with, also since Fénix was pulled from the match we have to give benefit of the doubt in terms of the match narrative changing. It was an odd choice picking both members of SCU to start but we may be setting up Superbad Death Squad vs SCU tensions as well, adding Darby in the halfway mark was a good burst of energy but you really do wince with the stuff Darby ragdolls through. OC was his usual hilarious self, the low-effort reach attempts, the brief pause with Cabana. The frenetic energy of Janela resumed the pace from the comedy segment until the super heavyweights came in; I did find that Luchasaurus did prioritize a fight over the match itself, but it worked for his heavyweight mentality and after being undone by Allin’s sunset bomb, gave us the space for the final entrant. Brian Cage, I love that man he is just nonsense talented, his moveset is unique and malleable and his power is insane. What a way to debut as well, completely ripped apart a ladder, murdered Allin with a ‘F-5000′ (Props to Excalibur as always) and was running roughshot - aside from OC, who almost hilariously piggybacked a win - until most of the competitors basically flattened him under a bunch of miscellaneous objects and a giant poker chip. This gave Luchasaurus some time to have some fun as the ‘Big Man’ too, really did enjoy the Marko mini-ladder and OC channeling the Hurricane with the chokeslam attempt, I do appreciate that Best Friends and Jurassic Express still have that rivalry, also Janela’s running DVD to OC on top of the pile of miscellaneous objects was a great spot, but it was all leading up to Cage bursting out and squaring off with the Dino, more of this! There was a bit of wobbly knees but the powerbomb on the ladder with gnarly, and we are due a hoss match for Luchasaurus since his feuds with Wardlow and the Butcher fell through due to COVID. But this was Cage’s time, I thought Allin was gonna sneak it for a moment but then I remembered that Cage winning was much more story-based. The ladder spot was brutal and a bit too much for the finish but the result I am still quite happy with. Before Fénix was pulled I backed him to win because I felt that the world title picture needed some speed after the methodical match with Hager, but Cage does have the speed and the power to put on a good show, he’s a proven world champion at Impact and he has been on AEW’s radar for a long time, injury keeping him out.As much as one can complain that this was just a gratuitous spot fest there was storyline; the faction conflicts of SCU, Superbad Death Squad, Best Friends and Jurassic Express was apparent but the main story by the end was the story of Allin and Tazz, Tazz was angered by Darby’s hostile response to his offer of managing him after his loss to Cody, so he’s taken Cage under his wing to enact some payback. It’s a solid looking pairing too, using the legends as managers is something AEW does well and using Tazz as Cage’s manager with his promo skills and their physical similarities is an interesting combination.

Jungle Boy vs MJF Winner: MJF via Pinfall (Modified European Clutch) This was one of my favourite wrestling matches on the card. The back and forth between MJF and Jungle Boy had some great athleticism and technical wrestling. This can easily be a top tier feud between the two later down the line, they are like two sides of a coin. The match had great storytelling in the fact that MJF worked Jungle Boy’s arm, which allowed him to escape situations like the crossface and hold on to the final pinfall, MJF was pulling great heel works and trickery while trying to work Jungle Boy into the Salt of the Earth finisher, the knee injury fakeout was great. But Jungle Boy also rallied with the babyface resilience, the explosive anger in the face of MJF’s undermining and proved his strength. I appreciated the finish as well, MJF won clean but Jungle Boy looked excellent, and it avoided Wardlow ex Machina. MJF continues to look more and more like world champion material and I can see him stealing it from Moxley.

TNT Presentation with Mike Tyson

Okay, I don’t like the belt. I’m sorry, I know it’s unfinished due to COVID so there’s room for improvement but it just looks too simple on the main plate. It seems like every other belt AEW releases is a bit lacking. The World and Tag titles are sublime but the Women’s title is far too small and the TNT title just lacks detail, it’s also hard to not think it looks like the WWE Raw Tag Titles mixed with the 24/7 title, I have never been a big fan of plastering the name in BIG DISTRACTING LETTERS in the middle. Granted, I get why silver was used for a midcard belt, and not every title can be Big Gold, Winged Eagle, NXT UK, IWGP or the ROH world title, but it could’ve taken more inspiration from the IC white strap, NXT NA title, AWA Southern Heavyweight or even the NJPW US title if you’re so adamant about the bright red strap. Frankly I was just disappointed that AEW presented such a weak design.

TNT Championship Tournament Final Winner: Cody via Pinfall (2 Consecutive Cross Rhodes) The finals for the match started off impressively, Archer looking like a total monster even bringing in some poor sod to decimate in front of an entertained Tyson before striking early with his finisher on Cody. Cody fought from under Archer’s offence to get some licks into his core. Sadly not all the cuts to Tyson were great, the one that’ll dominate media being the one where he was caught yawning. Before smarks jump at it, people are allowed to yawn, it’s not always a sign of boredom, given that Tyson is 53, has been hitting the gym hard and it was past 10pm, every other time they went to him he looked like he was loving the match, especially Archer’s heel intensity. The match didn’t have enough of Arn and Jake for my liking, given what was hinted at during Dynamite, I didn’t mind them being ejected especially since Arn was playing dirty too. Cody did pull out some storied offence with the Stringer Splash and Dustin’s Final Reckoning, but the ending kinda felt like the wrong result. After Jake was scared away by a Ripped Tyson from bringing his snake to the ring, Archer just became undone by Cody wriggling out of the Black Out and nailing two Cross Rhodes (third of the match) for the W. It was a bit iffy, I mean Cody has used the double Cross Rhodes to win a few matches already, so it felt like for me if Cody was to win then he’d need to pull off something extra. One Cross Rhodes made Archer kick out at one after all. Many people will use this as ‘Cody is an EVP of course he books himself as champion’ trying to liken him to Triple H or Jeff Jarrett, but while I disagreed with the result, I don’t think it’s bad that Cody wins a midcard title. He is never going to win the world title, he’s been a consistently great babyface for the company too and put MJF and Jericho over, as a wrestler you can’t have Cody not win a title ever. But that being said, I think defeat did hurt Archer, he was so in control of the match and just came undone right at the end, there was a heavy contrast to the Archer that started the match and the Archer that finished. It doesn’t mean he’s lost his aura completely, but winning the title would’ve done him more favours than it would have done Cody at this current time.

Intermission: Britt Baker Injury Update To prelude the Ford/Statlander match, there was a small bit explaining the nature of Britt Baker’s injury. It was kinda decent to still sell Britt’s gimmick by the doctor admitting that she’s being a handful, but the 6-8 week time frame is a shame, that’s only competing though, it’ll be interesting what they do with her on next Dynamite, she may get herself an enforcer too (Nyla could work, or Sadie Gibbs since she’s due a re-debut).

Penelope Ford vs Kris Statlander Winner: Kris Statlander via Pinfall (Big Bang Theory) While Penelope only had brief involvement in the Casino Ladder Match (she did have a weird space of just standing there for a bit as OC started to use 0.5% of his full power), hers and Kip’s entrance did put a smile as Kip sold the ladder match hard, as did Kris’ booping to the crowd and the joyous reactions of Nakazawa, Austin Gunn and Suge D/Pineapple Pete from it. The match itself was okay, this stage felt like a palate cleanser if anything. Ford and Kris did work pretty well, there was a nervy suicide dive where Kris’ head almost went into the barricade but we also got some great strikes, a good hurricanrana from Ford and a solid end as Kip tried to break the pin using his crutches. Ford has been lowkey great for the women’s division, her surprise win over Riho is proof of that, but Statlander was due a win. I felt like against Britt she was due a loss but now it feels like we can expand on that feud a bit, it’s good signs from AEW’s weak spot and it just needs a bit more faces - which of course is limited by COVID but I do really miss seeing Bea, Allie, Swole (who almost every heel in the crowd seemed to wanna rile up), Anna Jay, Shanna, Riho, Emi Sakura (who streamed her reactions of the show) and personal favourite Yuka Sakazaki in the ring, as well as hoping for returns from Ivelisse, Jamie Hayter, Sadie Gibbs and Awesome Kong for the Women’s Division, also maybe bring Vickie into the fold as a manager, she was a presence in the crowd.

Dustin Rhodes vs Shawn Spears Winner: Dustin Rhodes via Pinfall (Final Reckoning) Sadly this was the weakest match on the card. Started pretty well though, Spears was heeling it up a la Booker T in KOTR when Angle wasn’t cleared to compete and still demanded that they be counted out. There was also the HBK Montreal music fake-out which was pretty good, but he did wait a bit long to pull off the smile. Brandi halted the count allowing for Dustin to pull a sneak which was made great by the camera movement but from there it started to devolve into a weak spot. Comedy matches are fine, but times and place work for it, and Shawn Spears’ continued pursuit against Cody should not have been a comedy match in my opinion. I never dig the strip bit as well, there’s only so much you can suspend disbelief and Shawn being stripped to his boxers that have Tully Blanchard’s face on them is over that line. If Dustin was to win then I wished it wasn’t this way, sadly Spears has been hit with a revolving door of gimmicks, the Chairman was good but lacked intensity, the needing a partner looked to be going somewhere until COVID limited his options (and sank Brandon’s push) and this new anti-Cody gimmick has suddenly became a joke, it’s not a good spot for him especially when he had a pretty good match with Cody in the TNT tournament. We know through MJF that he can do comedy, but the key to comedy is timing and Shawn’s character should’ve been looking towards him contending for Cody’s newfound TNT title rather than being humiliated ass-cheeks out on TV...at least Peyton has something to giggle about at home though. Pre-Match Tribute to Hana Kimura (1997-2020)

I was glad that AEW took a moment to tribute Hana’s death. After the homage to Shad in the Buy-In I was hoping that they would reference her before the women’s title match and my hopes were realised. Reading the headline of her death yesterday morning put a horrid pit in my stomach, I had always felt that Hana was one of the most talented women in Stardom, as ‘Dark Hana’ in Oedo Tai, ‘Rave Hana’ when feuding with Kagetsu, ‘Death-Hana’ when teaming with Yama and of course as the TCS leader, I easily saw her in a few years time being the face of the company, her faction was on a high, she partook in Stardom’s first ever Tokyo Dome match at Wrestle Kingdom, she had wrestled in guest entires for DDT Pro and ROH, and I also hoped to see her in an AEW ring one day (Brandi had Stardom ties after all). Her dedication to the business was palpable as she even went into a reality show to try and get more eyes on wrestling, and yet cyberbulling drove her to feel so sub-human that she likely took her own life. It was a horrible, horrible thing to read about, and I really wanted to vent this out yesterday but didn’t due to the fact that I didn’t tribute Shad’s death and didn’t want it to appear that I only cared about Hana’s death. Shad’s death was sad of course, he nobly prioritised the rescue of his son and sadly time was not on his side against the elements, it’s obviously terrible that he died and the world is poorer for his loss as well, but Hana’s death hit me harder for different reasons. For one, she was 22, 5 years younger than me, her career was bright and her smile wide, and yet anonymous sadsacks were able to torment her enough for no reason other than so they could bring a young woman down to make themselves feel better, as a person who underwent a lot of bullying at a young age - I was forced to eat dirt once in primary school - this did hit hard for me, because despite both deaths being tragic: Shad died because of the elements nobody can control, Hana died because of people, sad, despicable people and even though I never knew Hana or would’ve even been able to reach her, it sucks feeling that there was nothing we could do to help her. In conclusion, bullying sucks, and Excalibur put it aptly as many others have, it doesn’t cost a thing to be kind and if you’re struggling there’s people who’ll be there for you.

AEW Women’s Championship (No DQ or Count-Out) Nyla Rose (c) vs Hikaru Shida Winner: Hikaru Shida via Pinfall (’Three Count’ Knee Strike) Perhaps one of the best women’s matches AEW have put on, I was very looking forward to this matchup. I am not one of those people who disliked Rose winning the title, she (yes she, grow up) was a good, dominant heel and I bloody love that jumping knee strike. But I also love Shida, she’s been a consistent force in AEW, being a part of most of the Women’s Division’s best matches, also she as a person is very likeable. I have to add a note that while I’m not too familiar with Final Fantasy (Tumblr seems to think I am mind you), I did like the small Tifa Lockhart cosplay in Shida’s attire. In general the fancy entrances and attires were sadly limited by COVID, but when you did see them it did make it a little special because of its rarity. The No DQ stip was a good one, I did worry it would lead to Shida’s downfall but the storytelling revolving around Shida’s tenacity, Nyla’s brutality and the coveting of the kendo stick all really meshed together well. There were some solid spots and some proper brutal strikes. I appreciated the attention to the fact that Nyla’s arm and Shida’s leg were weakened and that came into play as they landed their big moves to a near fall. The finale though was good, following a beautiful sequence of an Avalanche Falcon Arrow and the weak-legged ‘Three Count’ at two, Shida’s resiliency proved too much for the native beast as she laid her out with a Kendo stick to the head and one more ‘Three Count’ for the eventual namesake. While Nyla’s reign was long, COVID did sadly prevent her from defending much and that was a shame, her only real defense being against Statlander, but it was the right call to pull the trigger on Shida. Like Asuka in WWE, she has been a consistent fan favourite with star aura, being No DQ also aided Nyla in saving face; Shida only won due to her Kendo strikes and out-of-ring spots, so it made her strong that it took that stipulation to bring her to her limit. I do welcome the type of storylines they’ll have to build opponents for Shida too, with Britt in recovery it gives her time before they can renew hostilities, which grants a platform for other heels to develop and challenge. Also do appreciate that the top titles were carded back-to-back, speaking of which...

AEW World Heavyweight Championship Jon Moxley (c) vs “The Exalted One” Mr. Brodie Lee Winner: Jon Moxley via KO by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) While the build to Moxley and Brodie started abrupt, one had to appreciate jumping at this matchup sooner rather than later. Both men were lacking a strong feud to go with since the Inner Circle were still involved with The Elite and SCU were being preoccupied with the TNT title. The Dark Order had gained a resurgence with the mystery of the Exalted One, and with some impressive squashes by Brodie and Preston Vance impressing as his new protegee ‘10′, things were looking decent for the faction, but this still remained a risky angle. For Brodie this would be a make or break moment for his character, he had already gotten some disdain as people compared his gimmick to a Vince McMahon caricature and questions rose on whether he was ready for this spot, if he wasn’t then the Dark Order would’ve fell to square one. But that didn’t happen. From the moment Brodie came out with his horde he exuded a brilliant amount of heel smugness, feeling as if being champion was already a certainty (I do also love how previously he had a minion carry the belt for him like a boxing entourage), the mind games already on display before the bell even rang. Moxley also looked raring to go, his usual swaying self with a bit of purpose and a lovely gold sprayed jacket as he strided to the ring, separated by a row of security to sell the animosity between the villain and the antihero. The match was very strong, a really enjoyable world title match that meshed the brawling styles of both men, the advantage going to and fro as Brodie used his power to gain advantage while Moxley used his unconventional assault - even grabbing Lee’s beard for a headbutt - and the outside of the ring with a lovely Paradigm Shift through the ramp that brought some believable (in the context of the spot) colour to Brodie’s face. The finish increased the pace in brilliant fashion as Brodie shockingly kicked out of the Paradigm Shift at one, from there Moxley looked desperately to put Brodie away before he could rally, hammering at the head wound before cleverly bringing Brodie down with a Rear Naked Choke. I was surprised a lot of people didn’t like that finish, it kept Brodie strong that he didn’t tap out and a rear naked choke is a great finish, it has legitimacy since it ends many UFC fights, it was smart as well because Brodie was bleeding, so on top of blood loss making him light-headed Moxley cut off his blood flow to his head to knock him out. You also have to appreciate this incorporation to Moxley’s moveset, adding submission means there’s a new way he can win and it comes from the MMA background of Hager, like the Gotch Piledriver adopted from Minoru Suzuki (and I have to say Kaze ni Nare whenever I see him do it), seeing Moxley adapt his moveset is a nice little tidbit that helps Moxley feel more studied in his experiences. Also side bar, god bless Leva Bates. In the past two matches she kept in-character and rescued a laptop from destruction. Her wrestling does need a bit of fine tuning but her character work is undeniably great. Overall, like Jungle Boy vs MJF, it did help the match not to have interference, it was two people decking each other to see who’s best and Moxley proved himself more ferocious. Brodie showed himself as a main event quality wrestler who looked good with the title on, pushing through assault multiple times to only be eked into defeat (unlike Archer). Hopefully his story furthers in either respecting that even he must strengthen or lashing out because of his weakness.

Stadium Stampede Match Winner: The Elite, ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy & ‘Hangman’ Adam Page via Pinfall (One-Winged Angel on Sammy Guevara) Well, that was surely something. Not to be outdone by MITB, the storied rivalry of The fractured Elite, Hangman and Matt Hardy against the Inner Circle went hilariously wild and creative with the Stadium Stampede and I loved every single second of it. I’ll try to remember everything in the match to praise so here goes; the Inner Circle’s entrance like an NFL team was great fun, would’ve liked them to jump out of a paper symbol of the Inner Circle but it didn’t take away from the entertainment value. The Elite started without Hangman as they charged at the IC to meet in the middle, some fighting in the ring and some out. Hangman won the entrance game though by ominously strolling on horseback as Sammy Guevara quickly read between the lines and bolted, only to have shaken off Hangman to return for a missed shooting star press on Matt and then a very nearly uncaught one out of the ring too. Not to be outdone, Matt Jackson - broken ribs and all - pulled off a crisp moonsault off the goal post of the stadium while the Bucks tussled with ‘Le Sex Gods’, Santana and Ortiz tussled with Omega and Hardy and Hager went to search for Hangman, who had since dismounted after locating the lobby bar. Kenny had a rough double powerbomb table spot which was quickly cut to replay in order to mask either Santana and/or Ortiz losing his footing on the table and fell off it, but the cut allowed that moment to be skipped as the tag team focused on Hardy. Broken Brilliance would ensue as the team would try to drown Matt in a swimming pool(!?) that happened to be a pool of reincarnation, surfacing Team Extreme ‘Classic Matt’ and then ‘V1 Matt’ with graphics of ‘MATTer of Fact’ that Santana and Ortiz hilariously acknowledged with confusion, all the while an underwater cam would film Matt still happily doing his Team Extreme/V1 hand gestures while drowning. Damascus resurfaced from the pool to deal with the duo, sending both through a table, immobilizing Ortiz by ringing a bell with his head inside and taping him to a ‘chair of wheels’ and then getting his own back by locking Santana in an ice box. I will have to say, while this was great fun with Matt, I do worry a little for Santana and Ortiz. The former LAX were one of the best tag teams in the world leaving Impact and I had hoped they’d take the tag titles in this feud, but they’ve been kept from it like the Bucks have, between the Lucha Bros, SCU, Best Friends and rumours of FTR, the pool does have a lot of strong teams and it’s easy to get lost in the fold. But back to the action, Hager finds Hangman enjoying a whiskey, after a brief ceasefire to drink the bar brawl hits the right notes of great western tropes, including cue stick strikes, Hager dragging Hangman across the bar stand and table spots. Hager looked really strong here, taking on Page and the arriving Omega before being sent wobbly by multiple bottles of bubbly to the head, followed by a V-Trigger and a Buckshot Lariat over the bar as Kenny platformed for Page’s flip, a nice resolution as the tag team get on the same page, sharing a whiskey and a milk. Stories returned to the stadium as the Bucks and Jericho had their own mixture of creative spots and comedy; Matt did a ‘100 yard’ chain of Northern Lights Suplexes onto Guevara while Jericho demanded a VAR replay on a 2 count from Aubrey Edwards (I love how involved Aubrey gets as well), Le Champion also sent Nick through a Jaguars jaguar head’s mouth and did a Judas Effect on the team mascot while Matt was penalized after his touchdown dance referencing Alan Wright, leading to the ref being Superkicked. The Bucks then were able to isolate Jericho and lay him out with Nick doing a bonkers splash through a table starting from the steps of the stadium all the way down to the field, added insult to injury following as Hangman drove over Jericho with a chalk liner But the star of the match had to be Guevara. That kid is a literal star, his expressions and delusion is so on point as well, Spanish gods bless him and his 1000+ lives. After recovering from the 100 yard suplex run, he collapsed onto sprinklers which turned on, his mindset loopy as he started celebrating thinking he won, his face slowly dropping perfectly as the return of the Golf Kart gave him flashbacks of a past death of his in the Tag Street Fight on a previous Dynamite. Sammy was a little wiser and faster though, escaping into the seats out of the Kart’s reach, he slowly ended up being cornered by Matt and Kenny as the Bucks and Hangman watched below, Guevara fended off Matt, but was distracted by Vanguard-1′s reincarnation, NEO-1, for Kenny to daze him. The finish coming as Kenny One-Winged Angel’d Sammy off the ramp to a crash mat below at an incredible height, Aubrey needing to climb a ladder to count the win. Afterwards, the Elite celebrated with Matt and Hangman, hinting that Hangman has reconciled with the Elite as graphics appeared again on the stadium, closing out the PPV. Fantastically bonkers match, but once again this match had a great story in the terms of how the Inner Circle lost. For weeks, the IC ended consecutive Dynamites with the advantage due to their masterful use of the numbers game, but in the Stadium Stampede they are defeated because they split ranks, together they were strong but alone they were broken down, it’s only when the likes of Hager, Jericho and Guevara were isolated did the Inner Circle begin to lose the tide. There was also the recurring elements of the Icebox, Matt’s Broken character, Nick’s prior injury by the IC, Kenny bringing the broom and Hangman’s Cowboy Shit and strained relationship with Kenny and the Bucks, not to mention the many deaths and PTSD of Sammy Guevara. Say what you will about the Elite favouring spots, but you cannot deny that even in this Inner Circle feud, they have made stars out of Guevara and Hangman, it isn’t just self-indulgence. I will say though, I was surprised not to see FTR make a jump, we already had the IC and Elite have graphics on the Stadium so I hoped that the final one would be FTR, but maybe they’re saving it, after all, Blood and Guts is still waiting to be used.

Final Thoughts Outside of the matches itself it was unique that foley crowd sounds were added in to add to immersion, if it weren’t the Empty Arena era of course it would be a down but under the circumstances it made the PPV feel bigger having at least some white noise. The roster as a crowd continues to be good as we saw various personnel react but not steal any spotlight. We do have to appreciate that AEW acknowledges some shortcomings such as the TNT title’s unfinished model and the injuries to Fénix and Baker. Production issues should not have persisted as long as they have, and while it may not all be AEW’s fault due to COVID and the alternate streaming services they must be aware that this will continue to be treated as a blemish, unfortunately whatever AEW does will be compared to WWE - like the Women’s and TNT title have or the respective pushes to select wrestlers. While the current wrestlers are doing well and Dark is providing a platform for local talent - some like Jay, Suge D, Vance and Angels capturing the eye of AEW - it’s worth not forgetting the roster still there; Janela, Kiss, Swole, Avalon, Leva, and practically anyone in the crowd of shows should be able to compete right? All of personnel are tested for COVID so I do appreciate the attention to safety but from a fan’s perspective you do hope that talent get proper exposure. I will also say that I think we’re reaching a threshold of ‘Legends managers’ for the singles men’s roster, we’re fine for now but you don’t want to overdo it. But, overall Double or Nothing was a solid and enjoyable show, had some fun moments and strong matches. While I found the Archer finish and the Spears match disagreeable, it wasn’t too much of a down to ruin the show, the highs still outweighed the lows and there was still a good amount of variety, decent pacing due to good card positioning and nothing overstayed its welcome. We’ve got intriguing directions now too as we build to Fyter Fest; a feud between Moxley and Cage, Cody and the TNT title, fallout for Brodie and Archer’s losses, Best Friends in the tag title hunt, Britt Baker on promo and new champion Shida waiting for us in anticipation of the next show.

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lildevyl · 5 years ago

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Could someone explain the appeal of wrestling?? Not that I think it’s bad, I’m just confused how it’s just the most popular thing lately?! I can understand other sports but how is WWE so huge?? I’m so, confused? How would you describe it?

Well, I can’t really answer “How is WWE so huge?” because it’s been like seven? Ten? Years since I’ve watched WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

But I’ll glad to geek out about Wrestling!!!!!

Okay, so a little disclaimer here. One, I am not in shape, way, or form, what someone will call a professional. I am a fan. Also, this is just my opinion on this subject matter. I’m a huge fan of wrestling going all the way back when I first started watching in ‘95! And finally, I am not sponsored by any of these companies. Ghoul, I wish!!!!

Alright so with that outta the way. Let’s begin!!!!

Wrestling in itself is a very old and traditional sport going all back to the early eighteenth century. Where wrestling in the Traveling Circus/Carnivals were very big and popular. Now, during those days, they would have a very big and strong guy, usually around the 6 feet to (I think but don’t quote me on this) six foot six inches tall. Now, back then that was extremely tall and big for man!!!! Now, days the average height for a guy is around the five feet ten inches to six feet range. During that time period, wrestling was a “Side Show.” A way to draw in the big crowds by having their “Champion” take on any takers and see if they could defeat him or last I think it was five minutes in the ring with him. If that won, they would win the big money. I think it was a hundred dollars which would be around a thousand or so today.

Over the decades wrestling became more of a profession for a lot of people. The 1940′s and 1950′s had so many legends during their days! Some of the most famous ones are the Fabulous Moolah. Moolah still to this day holds the World Record of the longest-reigning of the Women’s Championship. 1956 (when she first won it) - 1984 (when she lost it). We also were introduced to Mae Young! Another incredible wrestler then turned trainer for many young aspiring girls. For the male side, we had Gorgeous George. This man literally made the promoters of the 1940′s & 1950′s money!!!! Buddy Rogers, one of the famous NWA Heavy Weight Champions and trainers there was.

Now, before Vincent McMahon Jr. came into the picture when he took over his father’s company in the 1960′s. WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation), NWA (National Wrestling Association before was known as the National Wrestling Alliance), AWA (American Wrestling Association), ECWA (Eastern Championship Wrestling Association) and many others were known as Territory Promotions. Meaning in many states you were only allowed to broadcast or work in that company and defend their Championship.

So, I don’t want to bore you with all these cool and fascinating details about all these companies and how some of them are still around and others faded out. So, let’s fast-forward here. Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. took over his father’s company and along the way literally re-institutionalized and re-visioned professional wrestling! Now, we go to the 1980′s!

The 1980′s-1990′s we had quite a war!!! WWF was literally the very first company to ever invent the term and the way to use it of pay-per-view! And did their very first ever pay-per-view live! WRESTLEMANIA!!! I’m sure you know a lot of the wrestlers from that Era such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Jesse “the Body” Ventura, Ric Flair, The Four Horseman, Srg. Slaughter, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Sting, “The Brain” Bobby Heenan, Andre the Giant, “Classy” Freddie Blassie, The Ultimate Warrior, and many others. But there was also another huge wrestling company that was also making its waves into the sport.

WCW (World Championship Wrestling). This one you had many different wrestlers but the big thing that many people remember of WCW was the fans all-time favorite wrestler Hulk Hogan made a huge decision and it made headlines. He left WWF and went to WCW (WWF’s competition). When that happened many people started to tune in and watch. Then Ric Flair also came by and the Four Horseman reunited. Sting made his presence known and still many people remember his “Crow” face-paint and his vigilantly like style.

But the big thing that a lot of fans remember is when the “Face of the Company” the “Fans Hero” the “Face/Hero” turned on all the fans and joined the enemies! Alright so let me fully explained this! When Hulk Hogan left to join WCW two other wrestlers from WWF decided to give WCW a chance: Kevin Nash (aka Diesel) and Scot Hall (aka Razor Ramon). When they jumped they truly made an impact (pun intended)! When Nash and Hall came to WCW they were literally invading. Crashing the broadcast booth, mocking the commentators “So, this is where the big boys play huh? Well, we challenge any of the WCW guys to the two of us and our mystery partner”

Everyone including me was scrambling to figure out who the mystery partner was. Every kind of theories was going around from another wrestler jumping ship to someone from WCW who was going to help Hall and Nash. The big moment came at Bash at the Beach. Hall and Nash cleaned house and Hogan came down the ramp and everyone including the announcers and commentators were cheering with fans upon seeing Hogan! (I admit I was secretly bouncing in my seat). But then, we all bared witness to the shock of all shock! Hogan turned on WCW and joined Hall and Nash! Forming the NWO (the New World Order) taking one anyone and everyone, taking over and seeking to bring down WCW. This was a really good story-line and it was one the biggest swerve and one of the biggest story-lines that worked so well!

Now, I’m sure you saw me mention another wrestling company earlier in this post and might or might not have sounded familiar. ECWA (Eastern Championship Wrestling Association) now, this company is still around. It’s pretty big in the Indie Circuit (Independent Wrestling Promotions Circuit). But in the 1990′s it was also known by another name thanks to the “Evil Genius” Paul E. Hayman. ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling). This was the first time that “Hardcore Wrestling” came about in the United States that was televised! For the first time ever blood was actually seen on television!!! Now, ECW was more than just the hardcore aspect and the blood. It was all about giving the best show with very little money and minimal equipment. Think, developing a fan-made movie and then post it on YouTube.

They didn’t have the money for lights, pyro, and all that jazz. But what they did have was high-quality talent in wrestlers, best interviews, great promos that didn’t need a lot of effects. Many of the fans really enjoy ECW and yes, the 2200 Arena is known as the ECW Arena. That’s why when many companies perform out of there and they may have an ECW alumni wrestler, the fans will chant “ECW! ECW! ECW! ECW!” ECW literally helped reshape wrestling today.

Okay, so that’s the history there. As for why wrestling is so popular. It’s basically a life story coming to life. You have the faces (heroes) that the fans truly love to cheer for. They’re the ones that you want to rally behind and believe in and are the face of the company in a way. Then you have the Anti-Heroes. They’re the ones that basically do what they want to do. They’ll follow the rules if they wan too and at the same time they have no problem in breaking every single rule in the book!

Then you have the heels (the villains). They’re the ones that break every single rule in the book known to man. They don’t care about being liked. They don’t care how they’re seen or portrayed. They don’t care about lying, cheating and stealing they’re way to victory so long as they’re the ones on top! Now, I’m not going to lie. Sometimes, the villains are actually cheered when they’re not supposed to be. Some examples are, Tripple H, The Undertaker, Kane, Abyss, The Main Event Mafia, LAX (Latin American Exchange) The Elite, Bullet Club, The Broke Hardy (although they were more the anti-heroes then villains), you get the idea.

Many, companies today like ROH, AAA, MLCW, New Japan, AEW, MCW, literally have sports of wrestling. Where you get to see the pathetic abilities and the “Mic Skills” during promos and interviews and a combination of story-line to give the fans and viewers the best show there is.

Hope this helps. And sorry for the long post. If you can’t tell. I’m a huge wrestling fan!

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wrestlingisfake · 6 years ago

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ROH 17th Anniversary preview

I kept thinking this show was on March 17th (get it?) but apparently it’s TONIGHT (the 15th) so let’s get to it.

Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven - Lethal is defending the ROH world championship, which he won in a four-way match on June 30, 2018. Taven was also in that match, and scored a “visual pinfall” (pinning an opponent for at least a three-count which the fans see but the referee misses), so he claims to be the “real” champion. Eventually Taven introduced his own title belt and started attacking Lethal along with his stable, the Kingdom. Lethal recently got fed up with this and destroyed Taven’s belt. So now, finally, they’re going to settle this once and for all. The winner will go on to defend the championship against Marty Scurll at G1 Supercard on April 6.

This is the main even of the first big show since the Elite left to found AEW, and the match encapsulates the challenge for a post-Kevin Owens/Adam Cole/Cody Ring of Honor. For years now Lethal has felt like the guy they give the belt to because the real stars have other commitments. Taven feels like a prelim guy, and to be fair the point of his push is to change that, but every time he calls somebody a “melvin” I feel like he’s a low-rent Eli Drake, who in turn feels like a low-rent Miz. This is not a matchup that makes you think ROH is going places, with big names carrying the company forward. They can’t rebuild in one day, but I’m impatient to see where the rebuilding takes them, so this match feels like it’s a hurdle to get over.

Of the two, I think Lethal has more credibility as champion, so he’s the one I’d rather see defending the belt at Madison Square Garden. But then, I suppose the whole point of putting Taven over is to give him that credibility, so that’s the better forward-looking finish. I’ll have to pick Taven to win.

Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe vs. PCO & Brody King - The Briscoes’ ROH tag team championship is at stake. The Briscoes recently accepted a challenge to put the title up against the IWGP heavyweight tag team title at G1 Supercard, so whoever wins this match will go on to face the Guerillas of Destiny for that.

PCO and Brody King are part of “Villain Enterprises,” the new trio Marty Scurll started up after the Elite left. More interestingly, and I only recently noticed this, PCO stands for Pierre Carl Oulett, which means this freaky monster man is in fact one of the Quebecers from back in the 90s, enjoying the most improbable career resurgence in decades. Both teams rely on violence and hardcore spots to punctuate their big fights. I would expect Villain Enterprises to win, except that would screw up the Briscoes vs. GOD match, so I guess there’ll be some shenanigans and the Briscoes retain.

Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor - Cobb’s ROH television title is on the line. There’s been no word about the title being defended at G1 Supercard, but it would not surprise me. This is basically a Mean Guy Match, as Cobb is a fan-favorite guy who runs around and beats people up, while Taylor is a mercenary that just ambushes guys from out of nowhere. Cobb should retain, but Taylor looks like a project for future development.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Kelly Klein - Iwatani won the Women of Honor title from Klein in four-way match last month, so this is the rematch. I really haven’t been keeping up with the women’s division here, but then again there isn’t much in the way of storylines from what I can tell. Presumably Iwatani should win her first title defense, but then again Klein didn’t. I’ll try to learn something from watching this, but for now I have no clue.

Rush vs. Bandido - This one could be interesting because Rush is a huge star just getting started in ROH, while Bandido is top prospect that’s already booked for an IWGP junior heavyweight title match at G1 Supercard. I wouldn’t book either guy to lose this month, but somebody has to. I’m thinking Rush gets the win, but you never know.

Marty Scurll vs. Kenny King - Scurll earned a world championship match back in November which he has yet to claim. King lost a world title match in November, but since the referee waved off an illegal pinfall he insists he’s the uncrowned champion. (Yes, they were already doing this bit with Matt Taven. No, I don’t know why they’d do it with two guys simultaneously.) So King is basically trying to prove he deserves a title shot more than Scurll, although Scurll’s title shot is already booked either way. I guess a win for King might change the match on April 6, but I don’t think King is going to win so it won’t matter. Other than maybe Juice Robinson or Rush, Scurll is the biggest name ROH has, and they need to get what they can out of him before his contract runs out.

TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia vs. Mark Haskins & Tracy Williams - O’Ryan and Marseglia are part of the Kingdom with Matt Taven; the trio holds the ROH six-man tag team title. Haskins and Williams are in Juice Robinson’s Lifebood stable, which is designed to introduce a bunch of the new babyfaces in the post-Elite landscape. The pecking order in Lifeblood clearly had Haskins and Williams at the bottom, but David Finlay’s shoulder injury means these two may get more opportunities than originally planned. So this match is a good opportunity to put over the new guys. I don’t see any upside to putting the Kingdom over, so this ought to be a showcase win for Lifeblood.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Silas Young - Gresham has been rising through the ranks as one of several “this kid will be great in a few years” characters. Silas has basically become the grumpy old man trying to play gatekeeper for the young guys on the way up. If this were Flip Gordon or Bandido, I’d say Silas would come up short, but Gresham feels like he’s not quite to the level of actually winning these kinds of matches. We’ll have to see, but the safe bet is Young.

#roh #roh 17th anniversary #jay lethal #matt taven #roh17

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fallynleaf · 2 years ago

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Jasmine and Nutmeg for the ask meme! Mmmmm, fragrant.

ooh, thank you!!

jasmine ⇢ do you have a movie or book you loved but will never watch/read again?

book or movie, i'm honestly not sure. wrestling show, absolutely yes. there are honestly quite a few of them. many of them i'll never watch again simply because they're so dang long, and even though i loved them in the moment, i know that they'll never be as good in the future because i won't be able to revisit that unique point in time in which they came into existence originally. some of them, though, i wouldn't watch again for other reasons.

the example that stands out the most is probably AEW's Brodie Lee Celebration of Life, which aired on december 30, 2020, and which was possibly the most emotional media experience i've ever had. i've repeatedly struggled to explain this to non-fans, but i will try again! this was a wrestling show that happened when we were basically unable to have funerals, thanks to the pandemic (and we should have probably been unable to have wrestling shows, too, but thank DeSantis for that), so it essentially was a funeral, except it was a very public one in which the wrestlers, the crew, the fans, and his family all mourned the loss of Brodie Lee (who had died unexpectedly a few days before the show after battling health issues for months) the only way we really could. i actually really, really hate funerals, but this show, man... this show...

the thing about wrestling is that actor and character are one and the same, in a way they aren't for movies or tv. this show was simultaneously about the death of the character Brodie Lee and the man Johnathan Huber. it was sort of about his entire legacy as a wrestler and all the lives he touched throughout the years, and particularly the lives he touched in AEW during the short several months that he was there (one of the greatest tragedies in the company is that the show where Brodie was supposed to debut, in his hometown, was the first show that had to be filmed in an empty arena due to covid. he died without ever getting another chance to perform in his hometown).

everyone was in character but not at the same time. it was fake in the way that wrestling always is, but also real in the way that wrestling always is, too. i think a lot of tragedies are really about finding a way to grapple with the reality and mindless cruelty of death by folding it into a narrative, and that's exactly what this show did, all while giving the characters and their performers a space to grieve as well as celebrate someone who'd had an immense impact on them. AEW's booker and president, Tony Khan, basically completely rewrote his plans for the show that week and put the company's main storylines on pause so that they could devote the entire show to Brodie.

i don't know how it would even come across to someone who isn't a wrestling fan. parts of it would probably be very off-putting and jarring, in the way that pro wrestling is such a mess of contradictions (it's belief and disbelief at the same time, walking that fine razor's edge between fiction and reality). but they wrote it for people who understand what it's like to live in this world, who live in the world that Brodie lived in.

it was a show that was exactly what it needed to be, exactly what it should have been. no more and no less. the wrestlers were out there putting on the performance of a lifetime and then just breaking down into tears after their match was over. MJF was maybe the only person who never broke character because he had to play the villain so that Brodie's eight year old son, whose real name was Brodie (everyone called him "Brodie Jr." even though Brodie was only his father's ring name, not his "real" name), had a tangible bad guy to vanquish and got to play the hero on national TV and save some of his favorite wrestlers after he had to experience one of the most horrific things that can happen to a child.

at one point, Brodie's old tag partner Erick Redbeard made a surprise appearance. he was carrying a sign that said "goodbye for now, my brother. see you down the road". i don't believe in Heaven (and the concept of it honestly distresses me), but in that moment, i thought, "maybe Heaven can exist in kayfabe".

this was a show with a very long tail. eight years from now, if AEW lasts that long, Brodie Jr. will probably debut as a wrestler (he technically already has an AEW contract, though of course he is still a literal child), and some of these old threads will probably get picked up again as he attempts to reckon with his father's legacy. some other dominoes have already fallen: Bryan Danielson mentioned this show as one of the reasons he jumped ship to AEW from WWE in 2021, and CM Punk also listed it as a major reason why he decided to put his faith in AEW and come back to wrestling in 2021 after seven years of retirement...

(it stood out to Punk that the AEW roster didn't leak anything about Brodie's health problems until his death. in 2022, however, the boat got a lot leakier, which spurred on Punk's increasing distrust toward his fellow wrestlers, ultimately leading to his undoing, and nearly the undoing of AEW as a whole. it shook the company at its very core and seriously threatened the golden lovers story, my favorite wrestling story (and possibly favorite love story?) of all time, but THAT is a different story...)

sorry for the very long answer about a subject that you don’t care about! 😅

nutmeg ⇢ how’s your room/home decorated? do you have a specific theme or style going on?

unfortunately i am currently stuck living with my parents for the foreseeable future, and i don’t have a whole lot of control over how my overall living space looks. i’ve thought quite a lot about what i want to have, though, and what i hope my future house looks like, if i’m ever able to actually live on my own for the long term...

i think i’ve probably told this story before, but my blog title, “all green and idols,” came from the Alan Moore comic Providence, where a character was quoting the 1902 novel Felix by Robert Smythe Hitchens. i have not read that book! but the quote was specifically describing a room, and as soon as i read it, i was like “wow that is my ideal house aesthetic, actually??” i’ve always been someone who has had trouble committing to one coherent aesthetic choice. i like too many things! and many of the things that i like are contradictory, and sort of compromise each other aesthetically if i combine them. but i do believe that “all green and idols” somehow embodies the full spectrum of aesthetics that appeal to me, and is actually a workable theme? so that is what i aim for, and what i wish my house to eventually look like.

#mizufae #thx

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