Welcome to another edition of eWN Round Table, where we gather some of the most active writers here on eWrestlingNews and share the platform to answer some questions surrounding a centralized topic, upcoming event, etc.
This is meant to showcase the potential for both a wide range of perspectives as well as how sometimes, there can be a group consensus no matter what your viewpoint is, so we also invite all of you to join in on the discussion by answering these questions yourself in the comments section below.
For this particular volume, we’ll be focusing on All Elite Wrestling’s first official event, Double or Nothing.
Participants for this round = Anthony Mango, Richard Staple, Ethan Absler and Robert DeFelice.
1) “Let’s establish a baseline. Did you watch All In and do you pay attention to Being the Elite?”
MANGO: I watched All In and enjoyed it for the most part, but I haven’t seen a single episode of the YouTube show. I watched the rally to announce AEW and set up Double or Nothing, but I didn’t watch the ticket rally.
STAPLE: I did watch All In and I have taken tabs on Being The Elite. I didn’t think All In was the all time terrific show that I was expecting going into it, but I was satisfied with some of the main event matches and Cody Rhodes winning the NWA Title was genuinely touching. I find The Young Bucks to be interesting characters so BTE is something I watch on occasion.
ABSLER: To start off, I’ve seen a few episodes of Being The Elite, however I wouldn’t say I keep up with it. On the contrary, I did watch All In and loved it and can’t wait for the second show.
DEFELICE: Yes and yes. Obviously, it’s part of my job to watch the majority of things revolving the important aspects of pro wrestling and believe it or not this Elite group of gentlemen really cemented themselves as must see characters.
2) “What are your thoughts on the lack of any official AEW championships being on this card?”
MANGO: It’s really a shame that they don’t have that in place yet, but to be honest, I’m not surprised. If they didn’t even have a ring, nor had they settled on some of the roster, how could they have established anything for a set of championships? I’m estimating they’ll use the television show as the main launching point for the titles and incorporate the win/loss record system as building up to crowning champions or something along those lines, and these pay-per-views will just be random stuff in the meantime.
STAPLE: That doesn’t bother me, although it does feel lacking. AEW is still trying to establish itself, so no titles isn’t a concern in the immediate time period. But hopefully they will have something established for the roster long term.
ABSLER: I don’t really mind it considering the company hasn’t established its name, had shows and storylines, etc. We wouldn’t want AEW to rush into introducing titles just for the sake of having titles because they will become unimportant. It is immensely important for AEW’s titles to be prestigious and mean something.
DEFELICE: We may not have any official All Elite Wrestling championships at stake but we do have Championship implications on the pre-show end in the main event, so I think we’re off to a great start.
3) “Who is your pick to win the Casino Battle Royale?”
MANGO: I really wish I knew more about nearly anybody in this, as I’m only familiar with a few names to varying degrees. Looking at the list with that mindset, I feel like Jon Moxley is a good chance to be one of the remaining people and win if that’s true. If not, I’ll hang my hat on MJF, Joey Janela and Shawn Spears, with a slight edge toward MJF. Why? I have no idea.
STAPLE: I feel kind of bad for not knowing a lot of these people in the battle royal. Since the winner will get a future AEW Title shot, the focus has to be on the future, and at the monent, I think Joey Janela, a talented 29 year old would be a good fit. Although there looks to be many surprises.
ABSLER: I could see Joey Janella or Shawn Spears (FKA Tye Dillinger) walking away with the win. Both of these guys would benefit from a huge win on this big stage and could jumpstart their AEW careers.
DEFELICE: Up until today, I had it pegged to be Joey Janela or MJF. Now, with the winner getting an official slot in the first ever world championship match, I think Adam page will find his way into the match and win it.
4) “What are your thoughts on Pac vs. Adam Page being cancelled so close to the event?”
MANGO: There are a lot of things that make me hesitant to get on the AEW train as much as some other people, but this more than anything else really took a toll on how I view their company model. For the possible main event of their first real event to be changed so close to the event itself, that either means they knowingly were deceptive that this could be stripped away and still wanted to sell tickets, or they didn’t plan enough in advance and still waited until the last minute to pull it. It isn’t like this is an injury that couldn’t be sorted out months ago. Very, very lame.
STAPLE: It’s a shame that politics got in the way of what could have been a potential great match. I don’t know if it is Pac’s fault or AEW’s fault, but considering PAC left WWE over disagreements in Enzo Amore winning the CW title, this could prove to be a personal thing for him. I really wanted this match to take place. Too bad.
ABSLER: It is a real shame that one of the coolest matches I never knew I wanted to see got cancelled so close. There are rumors about this whole situation being a storyline, but I doubt it and it looks like Neville has left his second company due to creative differences.
DEFELICE: It’s a shame for all involved. But most of all, it’s a shame for the fans. That was a match that I was pretty sure was going to steal the show.
5) “Which match are you most excited to see on this pay-per-view?”
MANGO: Cody vs. Dustin. A lot of matches have immense potential to be super fun, but this is the only one that has two people who I’m incredibly familiar with, so I have that biased perspective. Plus, I wanted to see what they had to offer with this match back when they were both in WWE, and now that they don’t have constraints preventing them from going full-force, I want to know what they had planned many moons ago.
STAPLE: Jericho and Omega. I loved their feud and their first match, and I thought they tore it down. I’m thinking Jericho picks up a victory and ties the score, leading to an intense rubber match. These are simply two of the best characters in wresting, and despite Jericho’s advanced age, Omega has brought out some of his best qualities. Cody fighting his brother in an independent scene should be intriguing as well.
ABSLER: Cody Rhodes vs Dustin Rhodes or Omega vs Jericho are what I am most excited to see. While Omega and Jericho will be better in the ring, the emotion and storytelling that will be present during the Rhodes’ brother’s match will be off the charts.
DEFELICE: Definitely Jericho vs Omega. I’m excited to see what new evolution Chris Jericho will bring to his career. Also, I’m looking forward to seeing Kenny Omega wrestle for the United States audience for the first time on a consistent basis in a very long time.
6) “What match should be the main event?”
MANGO: It should have been Page against Pac, but now, I think it has to be either Omega vs. Jericho or the AAA tag team match. A singles main event makes sense, particular since Omega/Jericho are two of the biggest names. But All In had the tag team main event cut short and this could be their opportunity to make up for that with The Young Bucks against The Lucha Bros.
STAPLE: Being The Elite have been out to prove that tag team wrestling can be the main event, and I think they will look to prove it when The Young Bucks defense against the Lucha Bros.
ABSLER: Considering that there are no official titles, I believe Omega vs Jericho should main event the show because it will send fans home happy and has the most star power of any match on the card.
DEFELICE: The one that will be. Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega. These are undoubtedly two of the biggest names outside of WWE and Kenny Omega is probably the greatest wrestler in the world currently active so there’s only one way to headline your show.
Big thanks to everyone who took part in this edition!
Those are our thoughts, but what do you have to say about these issues? Keep the discussion going by chiming in via the comments section below!
