Monday, May 31, 2021

The Best Wrestling Show Since WrestleMania XXX: A Double Or Nothing 2021 Conceptual Review

Graphics Credit via AllEliteWrestling.com

On paper, All Elite Wrestling's Double Or Nothing 2021, the third event named as such and the second consecutive one held at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, FL, was every bit a loaded show as the best wrestling events of the last decade have been. The funny thing about that, at least in America, is that the best cards on paper rarely have translated to results. I blame WWE for conditioning people never believe the hype either way. Their best shows, outside of the sublime run between Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2012 and WrestleMania XXX, were always unexpected, and the hyped shows more often than not faltered.

All Elite Wrestling, however, is not WWE. I mentioned WrestleMania XXX, and that, for me at least, was the high water mark in mainstream American wrestling for the last 15 years, and one of the top shows overall, American, mainstream, or otherwise in that timeframe. Double or Nothing this year has now entered as a contender to that title. I will break down why.

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage - The platonic ideal of a wrestling match is, as noted linguist Big E Langston says, big sweaty men slapping meat. Cage and Page both had some questions coming into the match. Cage hadn't put together a complete match in years, and Page has had people questioning whether he's falling victim to the same indulgent vices his Elite friends have with matches going too long. Neither of those things were a question here, as both dudes threw bombs like the titans they were and got the crowd primed for the main show (I wasn't able to catch Riho vs. Serena Deeb on the Buy-In, sadly). There's absolutely no question that the time away from crowds has not hurt Page either. For a first impression and a show opener, this match delivered.

The Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston - Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is famous for putting on epic tag matches that people tend to say need editing but cannot find what parts to edit from the match. While I've found them trying to maintain that same energy for singles matches and not working, the tag matches never feel like they go too long, just long enough. What does that have to do with AEW? Well, the Bucks were the ones who put that PWG tag division on their backs for most of the Tens, and this match against Kingston and Moxley felt the most like the best PWG epic tags. It took me back to a classic DDT4 tournament, and with the personal stakes, it hearkened back to perhaps my favorite two-on-two tag team match ever, The Young Bucks vs. The Kings of Sexual Intercourse, Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa. I thought the cavalcade of run-ins at the midpoint of the match dampened the pace, but Kingston and Mox were both warriors here. The match only furthered to solidify the Bucks as what they need to be in order to establish both themselves and the tag division they hold so precious.

I've seen criticisms of the Bucks and Kenny Omega as being Executive Vice President god-bookers, but honestly, they have always needed to position themselves strongly in America, where they're not as established as they were in Japan. Omega's downfall will come sooner than the Bucks', but the Jackson Bros. putting over whatever team beats them for their Tag Titles will be made a lot more than either Proud and Powerful or Private Party were when they put them over in the early days of Dynamite. Hell, perhaps Santana and Ortiz are the princes who were promised and will get their decisive win over the Bucks down the line. It's only the smart play after what happened in the main event.

The Casino Battle Royale - First thing's first, I love how every pay-per-view so far has had some variant of this match to get dudes paydays and to shake things up a bit. This version of the battle royale had its warts, but it was structurally laid out well and it had some tasty bits within the actual action, starting with Max Caster's rap to open the match. Granted, his rhymes on Dustin Rhodes weren't as cutting as one might come to expect, but the fact that he had to stop in place to think of something and then came up with something that bad was almost endearing even if not on purpose. Christian Cage's gimmick being "outwork everyone" and disappearing for a large swath of time was also a bit disconnecting unless it's leading to a heel turn in the future. But the good bits were excellent, especially the finishing sequence of the match starting Cage okey-doking Matt Hardy into being eliminated. Jungle Boy and Cage had such a furious down-the-stretch run that was accentuated almost entirely by Jungle Boy's insane athleticism. In fact, I'd argue Luke Perry's baby boy stole the entire match for himself, starting with his shot-from-a-cannon elimination of Pentagon, Jr. earlier on. I've been saying how nice it would be to hear "Tarzan Boy" twice during a single show, and it happening with this particular match was even sweeter. I don't have any delusions that he'll knock Omega off, but I feel like the match itself is going to become one of those Dynamite instant classics.

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo - No show is perfect.

Miro vs. Lance Archer - The genre of "Big sweaty men slapping meat" isn't as narrow as one might think it, but again, you can thank WWE for that misconception given how many years they tried selling the public on hoss fights being unathletic, stiff, and slow. Cage/Page earlier was more of a modern workrate classic, but Miro/Archer here fit a different mold while remaining in the same spirit of big sweaty men slapping meat. There was a classic feel to the match without ever seeming like it would resort to some bullshit Superstars match featuring Ted Arcidi (when he wasn't wrestling Bret Hart). There was snug purpose with each blow, Archer barreling out of the tunnel like a madman with manic energy, and Miro letting psychosis glaze over his eyes as he did things like suplex Archer into the crowd or toss a bag containing a snake halfway back into the tunnel. 

Dr. Britt Baker, DMD vs. Hikaru Shida - For as much as these two women are entwined with each other, they've never had the best chemistry. Even the match that started this meteoric rise for the Good Doctor felt disjointed until Baker got busted all the way open hard-style. The beginning of the match felt disjointed, but few people really give a shit about beginnings if the stretch runs deliver. It's really a testament to how comfortable Baker has gotten in her role, especially in the ring, both technically and coordinating with Rebel to do tasty cheating bits. Baker winning relatively cleanly, far enough removed from the hijinks that come with a craven heel doing cowardly things to take the easy route, says a lot about the cult of personality that has formed around her, and she has earned every bit of artistic freedom that she seems to have in front of her. AEW may have a burgeoning star in front of them. Now, if only they would open the women's division up to allow Baker and the other burgeoning star they have, Jade Cargill, operate in parallel without colliding...

Sting and Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page - I had the least expectations for this match, but when that is the case, exponential surpassing of those expectations tends to happen. You knew what you were getting with Allin, who delivers whenever he's in the ring. Whether or not you feel anything when he does what he does is besides the point anymore, sadly. If Tony Khan can't be bothered to get rid of Justin Roberts, what makes you think he'll get rid of someone who ostensibly makes him money? It sucks bad, but it's industry standard at this point. I hate wrestling sometimes.

But then you see things like Sting moving around like he's 20 years younger again, and things don't look that bad. I won't say he transported back to his famous time limit draw with Ric Flair at the first Clash of the Champions, but he wasn't the brittle guy people were led to believe he was when WWE wouldn't clear him after Seth Rollins broke his dang back with a buckle bomb. Taking the ramp suplex and then bouncing right back with a stage dive was the kind of shit you expect to see in movies, but wrestling at its best apes movies. Sting continues to surprise me, and as someone who totally did not grow up in a house that respected him, I appreciate the nostalgia even if it's not playing to my direct sense of nostalgia if it makes sense. Also, Page launching Allin into the third row from the ring tickled every funny bone in my body. I want more Steroid Julian, and I want him every week if he's going to do deranged feats of strength like that.

Kenny Omega vs. PAC vs. Orange Cassidy - When they made it a point to announce that there were no disqualifications or countouts before the match, I started to get a little fuzzy in the brain thinking that this was just another thing they gently swiped from WWE that I'm not sure I ever liked. After two full years of operation, that expectation was a "me" mistake, given how AEW rarely if ever does the kind of narrative things WWE does. They embraced the fuckery and fully explored the studio space, and the match really came off for the better because of it. It started out slow, but I think every three-man match that has happened since ECW closed doors suffers from a far weirder feeling-out process than a one-on-one match or a match where only two people are in the ring at the same time.

But the crux of a good wrestling match in 2021 doesn't necessarily have to be a well-structured, smartly laid-out, psychology-laden match like it did in 1986. Those kinds of matches still exist, even in AEW, even on this show. Even though it had MOVEZ and big flourishes, the Tag Team Championship match was every bit the modern Rock n Roll Express vs. Midnight Express match that old school storytelling freaks love to tout, just gussied up. I don't really know if you can promote a three-way match without the expectation that it's just going to fall on the wrestlers themselves doing as much crazy bullshit as they can in situations where it can only work with two or more people trying to make it pop. But that's where you get stuff like Cassidy throwing Orange Punches like they were Halloween candy or PAC dropping a Black Arrow on two dudes engaged in a submission hold. Omega throwing belt shots around en masse because he is the belt collector was a nice character touch as well. They finished hot.

Additionally, the way they have things set up is that Omega has a lot to do over the summer while AEW heats up Hangman Page for what I expect to be his All Out date with destiny. Omega can do singles matches with both Cassidy and PAC. He can face down the newly reminted Bullet Club Hunter Frankie Kazarian. And of course, he has that date with destiny against Jungle Boy. Dynamite is going to thrive with title defenses, and who knows, maybe the Kazarian title match can happen on the first episode of Rampage. Speaking of which...

Mark Henry Introduced As Newest Member of AEW Broadcast Team/Coaching Staff - Personally, I'm glad to see Henry out of the WWE fold. Even though he did get a few shots to run with the ball as a wrestler, those runs, as legendary as they were, felt paltry compared to the times WWE put him in cruel storylines that may have been racist or fatphobic. I just hope Tony Khan isn't a COWARD and paid whatever money it took to Three-Six Mafia or even Vince McMahon himself to get "Some Body's Gonna Get It" as Henry's entrance music.

Stadium Stampede II - I unfortunately didn't see last year's first Stadium Stampede, so I have no real frame of comparison. I couldn't tell you how much the production changed, but I thought it was overall a successful way to end the best PPV in company history, even if I disagreed with some of the production choices and with the idea of the Inner Circle rappelling in from the scoreboard. I fully understand I may be overly squeamish here, but I just have memories of bad rigging dooming Owen Hart to a negligent and unnecessary death. My guess is Khan wouldn't have done it if he couldn't have gotten professional rigging. I'm an old fucker of a wrestling fan, so I have long memory.

The real singular thing that felt a little bit off to me for this match was that there wasn't much action where they were all fighting together. I felt that branching off made it feel less like a match and more like a season finale episode of an action show, which isn't in and of itself a terrible thing, but it can cause some brain fog for people who have their brains wired to watch wrestling a certain way like I do.

Regardless, the action itself was quirky, violent, striking, and most importantly emotionally effective. You had meat and potatoes action at the base, but then all the fun japes and insane twists just kept piling up and gave the match a delightfully absurd feel, which I think is a must for any cinematic match. Like, if you wanted it to feel "real," there was no reason not to have it confined to the ring. Blood and Guts was the "realistic" match anyway. This one had to have a cardboard cutout of Shad Khan, a cameo from Urban Meyer, Konnan DJing in a club where FTR and Proud and Powerful had a drink before kicking each others asses, Cash Wheeler chucking bottles at Ortiz like they were shoes being thrown at an unwelcome rodent in the house, Chris Jericho breaking out the most business-casual stapler spot ever, and Wardlow trying to stab Jake Hager with literal icicles.

Past the absurdity and the japes held a lot of great meaning, a hot and impactful finish, and options to have one last showdown, even if just between the leaders, in the future. There were callbacks, both to the first Stadium Stampede with Sammy Guevara getting to run someone down with a golf cart instead of being on the business end of one, and from Blood and Guts with MJF threatening to toss Jericho from height again. And the fact that Guevara got to be the one with the spotlight on him to finish the match was a brilliant touch, both to add more to his legend and to make it so that Jericho didn't finish the job on MJF and left the door open for a rubber match down the line. Overall, it was the perfect capstone to a near perfect event.

Overall - I felt myself cursing out Jim Ross more than usual during this show (seriously, his commentary alone during the Women's Championship Match alone should have gotten him skewered, but he's been a sexist fuck for so long no one cares anymore), and there were some questionable choices even in the good matches. That being said, even with Cody Rhodes going America all over everyone's asses, there was an undeniable feeling that Double or Nothing this year was an all-time show with a runtime that felt inordinately shorter than the near-four hours it clocked in at. The mark of a great show is that you never seem to look at your watch or phone for time during it, and when the show ends, you're in awe of how much time has passed. It's not controversial to say that Double or Nothing 2021 was AEW's best show ever, or at least best pay-per-view (there have been a few insanely stellar episodes of Dynamite), but I don't think it should be controversial to say it was the best thing put on a pay-per-view basis since... well, WrestleMania XXX. I would go out of my way to watch this again, so you should definitely catch a replay if you can.