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, Greg Coleman and Callum Wiggins preview AEW Double or Nothing 2021.
Double or Nothing 2021 marks a return to pay-per-view for AEW, with the show featuring it's usual level of enticing and exciting matches. Which undercard match is a sleeper hit? Who will win the Casino Battle Royale? And will Kenny Omega walk out of the show as AEW World Champion?
Question 1: Which undercard match are you most looking forward to?
ALLSOPP: I’m looking forward to Britt Baker attempting to dethrone Hikaru Shida as AEW Women’s Champion. I never really liked Baker's face persona in the early days of AEW, but I have absolutely got on board with her heel character. She exudes such arrogance that I cannot help but root for her, and I have no doubt they will have a stunning match. I suspect it is even a sleeper choice for match of the night.
COLEMAN: It’s a tie for me between Sting and Darby Allin vs Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky, and the AEW Tag Team Championship match between Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston vs The Young Bucks. Sting is my favorite wrestler of all time, so it’s going to be surreal to actually see him wrestling a standard match. I just hope he doesn’t get hurt. Please no Buckle Bombs on The Icon!
I personally believe the AEW Tag Team Championship match will be a potential show stealer. Moxley and Kingston would be great as champions, even if it’s not a long reign. AEW is currently short on babyface tag team challengers, as it feels like The Young Bucks have pretty much beat them already. This will be a fun old school tag team match, and The Young Bucks rarely ever have a bad match on pay-per-views.
WIGGINS: There isn't really a match on the card I'm not looking forward to in some fashion. Sting's first "real" match since 2015, the zaniness of Stadium Stampede, and another awesome AEW Tag Team Championship match, in theory. But I'll go slightly left-field and say Miro defending the AEW TNT Championship against Lance Archer. Miro has been revitalized in his current persona, and I've been very impressed with Archer's in ring work since joining AEW. Even though the result seems to be cut-and-dry, I do get a kick out of seeing two powerhouses beat the crap out of each other for my own amusement.
Question 2: Who is your pick to win the Casino Battle Royale? Can they use the victory as a springboard to become AEW World Champion?
COLEMAN: At this point, I don’t even know who’s in it, but with all of the big names pretty much tied up with other matches, I will go chalk and say Christian Cage. However, this would be a perfect spot for an IMPACT wrestler to come to AEW and win, so my complete left field pick to win it is Eddie Edwards. And no, it will not be used as a springboard to the AEW World Championship, and the person who wins won’t matter much after eating a One Winged Angel.
WIGGINS: As I'm of the opinion that the unknown entrant will be Nick Gage, and so unlikely to win the match, my head says Christian Cage, and my heart says Jungle Boy. Eventually, Jungle Boy has to win a match of this magnitude because he has come so close on so many occasions, and I think it would pop the crowd big and help elevate him to another level in the build-up to All Out.
But, Cage was signed for a reason, and I think at least one of those reasons was to have a great match with Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship, and winning the Casino Battle Royale is an easy way to make that happen.
ALLSOPP: My head says it has to be Penta El Zero Miedo. This is a match that can absolutely protect Christian Cage by allowing him to lose, yet not be pinned or submitted. This paves the way for Penta to finally achieve something of note within AEW, setting up a huge match against Kenny Omega further down the line. If AEW was prepared to have Penta go over and give him a decent run with the belt, I could see him become a permanent fixture at the top of the card for years to come.
Question 3: Is Kenny Omega the favourite to retain his AEW World Championship? Can Orange Cassidy or PAC realistically cause an upset and take the title from Omega?
WIGGINS: Firstly, this will be a great match and the crowd will be behind Orange Cassidy like crazy. But, this is not the time nor the match where Kenny Omega should be dropping the AEW World Championship. So whilst it takes away from the match a little bit because the result isn't in doubt, I'm still looking forward to the crazy journey these guys put together to reach that inevitable destination.
ALLSOPP: Realistically, Kenny Omega is not losing this match, but it is difficult for me to predict who takes the fall for him. Orange Cassidy is a phenomenal character who can actually back it up in the ring, whilst PAC is a glorious bastard! PAC is the most likely to cause an upset, which means Cassidy has to take the fall. But no, there is no way Omega walks out of Double or Nothing without the AEW World Championship.
COLEMAN: The AEW World Championship match will be the match of the night, and Kenny Omega is a heavy favorite to retain the title. The only way I can see Omega losing is if an IMPACT wrestler or wrestlers interfere and cost him. Outside of that, Omega wins by hook or crook.
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
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