Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Ethan Neufeld and Bodeen Green will be reviewing AEW Double or Nothing 2020.

Double or Nothing was another solid pay-per-view offering from AEW which didn’t disappoint, despite the fact there were no fans in attendance. Brian Cage made his long awaited AEW debut, Cody became the inaugural AEW TNT Champion, and the presence of Iron Mike Tyson added to the spectacle. But is Hikaru Shida the right choice to lead AEW’s women’s division? Will The Elite and Inner Circle continue their feud? And just who is best placed to challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship?


ALLSOPP: This was 100% the correct decision. Hikaru Shida has been the breakout star of AEW’s women’s division, and I have no doubt she will excel as the new AEW Women’s Champion. She is fast, strong and blessed with superb technical ability. This is not to say that Nyla Rose wasn’t a suitable title holder, but Shida brings so much more to the division. Once Britt Baker returns from her knee injury, it is clear she will challenge Shida for the belt in what is guaranteed to be a stellar feud. With Shida on top, AEW’s women’s division will go from strength to strength.

NEUFELD: I think when judging the outcome of a match, you have to look at both the booking decision and the story of the match itself. This match was far better than I thought it was going to be, and although it was not without it's flaws, it was a very solid match for both women. Hikaru Shida was booked as a super tough babyface who survived a huge amount of punishment to come out on top against the odds. Nyla Rose still looked like a monster, requiring a massive amount of offense to go down. When you have a match like that, both people look good coming out of it. I’d say I’m surprised Shida won as I personally think Rose should have had a longer run, but I’m not upset with the decision. They need to treat Shida better than Riho and give fans a reason to care about a joshi star this time.

GREEN: Whilst AEW has faced criticism of their women's division, it easily has a lot of potential to improve. For it improve, it needs a game changing women's champion. Whilst this is hard during a time like this, Nyla Rose never reached that status. Hikaru Shida easily has the potential to reach this status. Both women should also be credited for the amazing match they had. Despite the fact I was disappointed that only one kendo stick was used in a No DQ match, the contest itself was great and did a good job in setting up Shida as a game changing champion.


NEUFELD: Umm, yeah. Yeah I enjoyed it. This was so... so fun. This was a hilarious and entertaining spectacle, and I laughed so many times out loud. There were some very stupid moments, but they were the kind of clever and stupid humor, if that makes sense. There was some genuinely exciting action as well, such as the bar fight scene. I have watched it twice already and will probably go back and watch it again in the future whenever I need a pick-me-up. I think they were very smart with this match, creating something incredibly fun during a time when we all need some positivity in our lives. Whilst this would be a satisfying end to the feud, I think that they are going to still have the unfortunately named Blood and Guts match, which will give a reason for Cody to be involved and be a chance for Hangman Page to defect from The Elite.

GREEN: I know that opinions for this match are going to be divided between fans, but I absolutely loved this match. From the crazy and over the top moves to the ridiculous comedy, this match was amazing to watch and is my second favourite cinematic match, just behind the Boneyard match. It's clear that cinematic matches are the future of professional wrestling, and they will be used more as this empty arena situation continues. It's tough to say whether this will be the final battle between these teams, but I feel the only place they can finish their feud is in the Blood and Guts match. However, that type of match deserves a live crowd, and trying to book these two teams consistently until we get crowds back could be problematic.

ALLSOPP: It was better than I expected it to be, but it pales in comparison to the Boneyard match that WWE presented at WrestleMania 36. Cinematic matches appear to be the fashionable trope in wrestling at the moment, therefore each new match type is breaking new ground. But this match felt… off. It was entertaining to watch at times, with all of the wrestlers involved trying their best. The issue is that the match format was not conducive to entertaining wrestling, which resulted in a match that was lacking in real emotion. I hope the feud continues further, if only so we can finally be treated to the Blood and Guts match. The Elite going over was the right decision, however I won’t discount Inner Circle from winning the next landmark match in this feud.


GREEN: This was an outstanding match, and whilst it didn't quite reach fifth gear, it did a great job at making Brodie Lee and Jon Moxley look strong. The finish of the match worked great as well, as it made Lee look strong by passing out in defeat, whilst making Moxley look smart in finding a way to retain. Unless there's a curveball, Moxley's next challenger is easily going to be Brian Cage, however I can see Lee getting another chance and making it a triple threat match. If either of these matches happen, I feel like Moxley is going to win in both scenarios. As for who's after that, it could be anyone, but I'm keeping my eyes open for Lance Archer or even someone who can match Moxley on the hardcore side of things like Jimmy Havoc.

ALLSOPP: Jon Moxley and Brodie Lee put on a great match considering the lack of drama, with Lee showing just what WWE is missing out on. I don’t think many fans of AEW would have pegged Lee to become AEW World Champion, but he at least made fans at home care about the very slim prospect of him winning. Moxley brought his A game, which is very heartening to see. As much as I’d love to see Lee continue to chase after the belt, I think it is wise for Brian Cage to take the fight to Moxley over the next few months. Cage is a strong acquisition for AEW, and I believe Moxley is capable of solidifying him as a true main event star.

NEUFELD: The match was good, but not amazing. I’d say it met my expectations of what these guys can do, and the physicality was great. Both guys acted like they were trying to brutalize each other, therefore a real sense of animosity came through. I think Jon Moxley winning was the correct decision, and if Brodie Lee was going to lose clean, this was a good way to do it and preserve him a bit. I think he still suffers from this, and I strongly feel he should not have been in this spot, but oh well. Brian Cage is obviously going to be facing Moxley sometime in the near future based on winning the ladder match. Cage is often used as a big monster man who loses to the champion in other promotions that he’s been in, but we’ll see how AEW use him. Other than Cage, I think another potential competitor for Moxley will be either Lance Archer or Jake Hager. It makes sense to book him against bigger heels, and ultimately a brutal heel will be the one to beat him, unless Moxley turns heel himself.