AEW Rumors: Backstage notes from Double or Nothing, cancelled appearance of another former WWE Champion revealed
What's the story?
Everyone is talking about Double or Nothing. How can they not? All Elite Wrestling's first ever show was a booming success and the pro wrestling community is relieved to finally have a viable alternative to WWE.
For a company that put out its first major event, albeit with a few misses, Double or Nothing ended up being an entertaining watch from start to finish. While the talents had a big role in making the night a monumental hit, there were many important people backstage whose contributions went under the radar.
PWInsider has revealed some interesting backstage notes from the show that disclosed the names of a few people responsible for Double or Nothing. A few other notes regarding the PPV were also disclosed.
In case you didn't know...
All the uncertainty surrounding All Elite Wrestling's credentials were shattered as the upstart promotion put on an engaging show that had many moments to cherish. The crowd was voracious throughout the night, which briefly took us back to the Attitude Era.
From Cody and Dustin Rhodes' bloodbath to Jon Moxley's remarkable appearance in the dying stages of the show, AEW delivered when it mattered the most.
The promotion, led by billionaire businessman Tony Khan, is the talk of the town and rightfully so.
The heart of the matter
Backstage notes and updates from Double of Nothing were featured in an article put out by PWInsider. They have been listed below:
- All the credit for the video packages were given to Kevin Sullivan, who is one of the notable producers of Impact Wrestling and the man behind the video production for Bellator MMA. And, we're not talking about Kevin Sullivan from WCW.
- Tony Khan was responsible for timekeeping the show and he did a commendable job in his first outing itself. He wrapped up the show 15 minutes before the allotted time limit. He also helped the Director of the show with a few shots and angles.
- Talking about Tony Khan, the AEW president was said to be very animated backstage as he congratulated each superstar after their match. High-fives and personal messages expressing his gratitude lifted the spirits of the talents, who were impressed by how personally invested he was in the AEW project.
- The ring was set up by former TNA employee Bob Rosen, who was also in charge of the time keeping at ringside.
- Keith Mitchell spearheaded the production among other noteworthy WCW producers from back in the day. The aim was to make AEW look like a sports-oriented product.
- Regarding Cody's Triple H reference in his entrance, it's being reported that Matt Jackson had no clue about the throne that was set to be used. The Young Buck was informed about the entrance plans on the day of the show during the rehearsals.
- The security was managed by Atlas Security, who will be working with AEW in the near future.
- When it comes to Awesome Kong's surprise appearance, the deal was made four months prior to the show and was kept a secret. As noted by Kong, only four people were informed about her role at Double or Nothing. She was even given a pep talk by Diamond Dallas Page before she came out for her match, which according to Kong, helped her unleash the real 'Awesome Kong' after years of being out of action.
- Mike Tyson, Jennifer "JWoww" Farley, Cris Cyborg and Tony Schiavone were in attendance at the show.
- As revealed by WrestlingNews, Ric Flair was originally scheduled to unveil the AEW World title instead of Bret Hart, however, the doctors advised him to not make the long journey owing to his health. The multiple-time WWE Champion's appearance was thus cancelled.
What's next?
All we need is more of the same from Cody and co. and the pro wrestling fans are in for a treat in the coming few months. While a lot of work is still to be done, the future looks bright. It's sports entertainment vs. pro wrestling. WWE vs. AEW. The war is truly on.