6 things AEW got right at Double or Nothing
AEW just held its third annual Double or Nothing event this past Sunday at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. The event marked the first professional wrestling event of its caliber at a full capacity crowd since the start of the pandemic. The presence of the live crowd made the show feel more alive and that the world of professional wrestling has finally returned to normal.
The show featured ten matches on the card and was jammed packed with surprises from start to finish. The AEW Double or Nothing Buy-In match was for the NWA Women’s Championship featuring the champion, Serena Deeb, defending against former AEW Women's Champion Riho. The main event was the Stadium Stampede match, which saw The Inner Circle vs The Pinnacle.
The event featured matches that involved many legends in the business as well. For example, Sting was in a match for the first time in over 6 years. Christian Cage and Matt Hardy were featured in the Casino Battle Royale. Paul Wight (FKA The Big Show) was on commentary for the Battle Royale as well. During the main event, Tully Blanchard and Konnan played active roles. Not to mention that Chris Jericho lead his team to victory.
There is a long list of exciting moments that took place at Double or Nothing, but there are six things that stuck out that made the show a phenomenal watch. These things will also play a huge part in what is to come for AEW in the near future.
#6 The AEW debut of Lio Rush
Lio Rush is a former WWE star and a world-renowned star on the indie circuit. At only 26 years old and 160 pounds, Rush has a long list of accomplishments in the professional wrestling world. His latest is a debut as the Joker Card in the Double or Nothing Casino Battle Royale.
After he was released by WWE during the spring releases of 2020, Rush’s career was up in the air and he disappeared for a little while. When he reappeared it was for mostly independent shows where it seemed that Rush was going back to his roots.
He has been appearing at more and more events as of late but now it appears he might be a rising star in AEW. His high-flying style and dynamic personality are a great fit for what AEW already has to offer. He will also have many more opportunities in this company than he was given with WWE.
Though he did not last long in the match, his athleticism was shown and shocked those unfamiliar with his splendid fast-paced offense. Rush is a star who can keep a crowd on the edge of their seats every single time he is in the ring.
He has the personality to be both a face or a heel so it should be interesting to see how that plays out in AEW. It's been reported that Rush has actually signed a deal with NJPW, meaning he's another name on the list of talent the company has allowed AEW to use to continue to hype up their brand. Hopefully we'll see more of the Man of the Hour stateside, as there are many matches that fans would love to see.
The possibilities are endless for him if he is to become a regular star on AEW programming. Rush in a match against someone like Matt Sydal or Rey Fenix could make for great fast-paced matches. He and PAC would also put together a classic. Rush also has a musical background so maybe joining a team like The Acclaimed could make for some entertaining segments.
No matter what AEW has planned for Lio Rush, he has the ability to do big things in the company, NJPW permitting.