5 Headlines From AEW Double Or Nothing
Stampedes, TNT Titles, And Ladders, Oh My!
Double or Nothing, the first AEW pay-per-view of the "pandemic" era, was the usual blend of high-wire stunts, gritty brawling, and absurdist comedy, taking place in front of a rather sparse group of onlookers, who did their best to make as much noise as possible (if WWE employed Big Swole and Austin Gunn and put them behind the barricades, it'd liven up the hell out of their otherwise quiet TV shows).
Three title matches, a ladder match for a future World title match, and a few grudge matches lined the body of the show, leading to what promised to be a wacky cluster-eff of a main event, pitting Matt Hardy and The Elite against Chris Jericho's Inner Circle in the vaguely-outlined, but chaotic-sounding, "Stadium Stampede" at the neighboring TIAA Bank Field. You might not be surprised to learn that the match did all it could to exceed whatever crazy standards viewers may have had going in.
Let's walk through the night in question, and look at the biggest stories coming out of AEW's second-annual Double or Nothing.
5. Brian Cage Debuts, Wins Casino Ladder Match
The musclebound "Swolverine" that dominated Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling entered the nine-man Casino Ladder match last as the mystery man, led by new manager Taz. In a match populated by smaller high-flyers (Luchasaurus excluded), Brian Cage looked even more beastly.
After dispatching Darby Allin with a painful looking throw at the end, Cage pulled down the giant novelty poker chip to assure himself a future World title match. On night one, AEW went all in on booking the powerhouse like a force to be reckoned with.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
