AEW Double Or Nothing Predictions
Get ready for the Stadium Stampede!
In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we predict AEW Double Or Nothing.
Has AEW produced better empty arena shows than WWE?
Chad Gelfand: Yes. The superstars around the ring add to the atmosphere and help alleviate some of that lifeless feeling plaguing empty arena shows.
David Gibb: I haven’t watched enough of both companies’ shows to give an informed answer. I will say this, though: AEW has managed the optics of the empty arena/COVID-19 situation markedly better than the WWE. Until the John Oliver piece on Sunday, AEW had avoided the worst of the mud WWE was rightly having smeared on its face for the way it has operated during the pandemic.
Juan Bautista: Even though AEW has had some flaws, it’s produced better shows. First of all, AEW has acknowledged what’s going on with the outside world. Plus, it’s made better use of the environment, mixing up faces and heels to occupy the empty seats.
Steven Jackson: Definitely. My WWE fandom has completely diminished. But regardless of my views, AEW have been doing a sterling job!
John Corrigan: Aside from this week’s go-home show, I haven’t been watching the empty arena shows. Just can’t get into them. With that said, Dynamite was decent and the Orange Cassidy-Fenix match was surprisingly just as high energy as if there were thousands in attendance.
Jack Goodwillie: Yes, but both have run their course by this point. I like that AEW is back live, but it took a ton of liberties with some of the creative decisions made recently and can really use the crowd to filter out the questionable ideas.
Which match are you most looking forward to?
Gelfand: Cody vs. Lance Archer mostly because I’m interested in the outside elements of the match. How will Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson interact? What will Mike Tyson’s involvement be? What type of elaborate, over-the-top entrance will Cody give himself? I’m sure the match will be good, too.
Gibb: MJF vs. Jungleboy and Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida are the two matches I’m looking forward to most. Both include fresh talent you can be excited about for years to come, and both have the capacity to tell great stories in their own ways.
Bautista: Stadium Stampede. It will be intriguing to see what this match brings to the table and how it’s presented.
Jackson: The ladder match. With the variety of talent involved and the stakes being so high, I’m expecting something amazing!
Corrigan: Cody vs. Archer. Cody usually delivers on the big stage, and this is Archer’s biggest opportunity to date. Plus, there’s so many variables outside the ring, such as Jake, Arn and Brandi.
Goodwillie: On paper, this is the weakest AEW PPV to date, which breaks my heart to say because I love Jon Moxley as champion. But you can chalk a lot of it up to no fans, as many of the matches simply lack heat. Moxley vs. Lee is perhaps a little rushed (though it will deliver), Cody vs. Lance HAS heat, though I question what direction they’ll go with the match, and we’ve been seeing the Elite and Inner Circle beat each other up in empty arenas since the pandemic hit. Why would this time be any different (even if they go the cinematic route)? If I did have to pick, it would be Cody vs. Lance because I am somewhat intrigued to see if Cody takes the title outright or if Lance beats him down to set up another match down the line.
Is it too soon for Brodie Lee to be challenging for the AEW World Championship?
Gibb: No way! He hasn’t been there too long, but the overall Dark Order storyline has been going on since Day 1.
Bautista: Brodie Lee as “The Exalted One” is not too soon to be challenging for the title. If this story wraps up The Dark Order, then Brodie Lee can redefine his character and start fresh. If The Dark Order story further develops, then the door is always open for Brodie challenging at a later time.
Jackson: It’s not too soon for Brodie Lee to be challenging for the title. I just hope it doesn’t hurt his credibility and hard work if he is unsuccessful. That would be a silly move!
Corrigan: Everybody’s responses have made me change my tune. If this is the conclusion of The Dark Order storyline, then it makes sense. But there’s no way Moxley loses, and Brodie Lee shouldn’t lose this early into his AEW run.
Goodwillie: I’ll double down and say while we’re already seeing the best version of Brodie Lee/Luke Harper, the ring gear leaves me scratching my head. What cult leader that you know of wears a spandex singlet and hammer pants? I guess if that’s my only complaint, he must be doing something right. There’s no chance AEW earmarked “The Exalted One” gimmick for him specifically, but you have to give him credit for how he has evolved The Dark Order since coming in. All that said, I’d be stunned if we see anything other than a Jon Moxley retention. There’s still more meat on the bone with Moxley/Jericho.
How do you feel about Jake Roberts’ promos over the past few months?
Gelfand: Jake’s delivery has been great, but the material has been hit or miss. I get that he’s trying to portray an edgy, chauvinist type, but some of the lines have been pretty weird.
Gibb: He plays right along the edge of actually making you feel uncomfortable, which is a rare art.
Bautista: They have been fantastic. While the first two indirectly put the focus on himself, Jake has put all the focus on Lance over the past few weeks. It is also great to get a taste of what his promos were like since I wasn’t able to see them in his prime.
Jackson: I’ve been absolutely loving Jake’s promos since he debuted in AEW. He really hasn’t missed a beat and his newfound role in the company is a ton of fun.
Corrigan: Riveting. He’s the best talker in the game right now. His promos are the only thing I look up after the show.
Goodwillie: Outstanding. I feel like a broken record when I mention Dave Meltzer in these roundtables, but Meltzer’s only qualm about Jake being a manager is that because he’s so tall, it’s going to work against whoever he ends up managing. Well, Lance Archer ended being a good fit. And many perceived Archer to be the guy from the start. Without Jake, I see Archer as I’ve always seen him: a guy companies will take a shot on because of his size, but a guy who has always just been missing one or two things from being a main player, whether it’s in-ring inconsistencies or promos. Well, he’s got the promos now. I hope he gets the title and am excited to see where he and Jake go from here.
Who’s your pick for the Casino Ladder match?
Gelfand: Darby Allin. Allin’s a daredevil, high-risk type of character and a ladder match is the perfect place to showcase that. This is also a good time to establish Allin as a ladder match specialist, and have him not just do cool moves, but get the win.
Gibb: People will come away from this match talking about Darby Allin, but the mystery opponent will be a heel who can have good matches with Mox, and they’ll get the win.
Bautista: Scorpio Sky. The tag team division while strong, can’t afford losing any pairs right now. So Rey Fenix and Luchasaurus are out. However, Scorpio Sky can break away because SCU is a three-man team. They have also tested the waters with Scorpio being a singles guy. Darby Allin is on the rise, too. The rest of the field falls under the umbrella of it’s not the right time or they are not ready. A mystery man is always a wild card, but unless it’s a big free agent or a guy like MJF, they aren’t winning it.
Jackson: Darby Allin. Darby is a man I’ve been following for nearly 10 years and I so want him to get a shot at the big time!
Corrigan: Darby Allin. It’s time to pull the trigger and shoot him to the main event. Chasing Moxley for the rest of the year would be sick.
Goodwillie: Just like I did with Money in the Bank, I’m going to play a little game I like to call Process of Elimination. You can safely rule out Kip Sabian, Frankie Kazarian, Rey Fenix, Colt Cabana and Orange Cassidy, just because it doesn’t suit his MO to climb a ladder, regardless of what awaits at the top. That leaves Darby Allin, Scorpio Sky, Luchasaurus and mystery man as the viable winners. While Sky has a great singles future ahead of him, he already got a title shot and the winner needs to be a credible threat to Moxley, though you can’t count him out. Luchasaurus’ size will always lend itself to a greater role, but is he good enough to burn a world title shot on?
That leaves Allin and the mystery competitor as clear favorites, which makes tons of sense considering Allin has received the best booking as a singles competitor out of the guys in this match, and there’s no way to game plan for a man whose identity is anonymous. And to me, it’s just as simple as that. The mystery competitor is going to take the win for that reason, and because there are plenty of guys who can show up TOMORROW and be impact players in AEW (pun intended), never mind the recently released guys with no-competes. Jeff Cobb is a good choice here, Drew Gulak can technically appear and draw some BIG buzz for himself, but with all that’s happened, we have forgotten about one man…Brian Cage. Remember, Cage’s deal with Impact expired and there were reliable leaks that he had signed with AEW THAT SAME DAY. We came to find that he was going to take his time to recover from a bicep tear before making any decisions, but do you know how long a bicep tear takes to recover? The answer is four to five months. But that’s for a regular human being. If Cage is ready to go, keep his name in the back of your mind this weekend.
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