Double or Nothing Loses a Huge Match

Neville is off Double or Nothing Photo Credit: WWE.com

Just eight days before the airing of Double or Nothing, All Elite Wrestling's official debut show, the card took a major hit. PAC vs. Adam Page, which was reportedly slotted to be the main event, was scrapped after "creative differences." The news dropped Saturday. PAC is also currently the Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate Champion, the promotion's top title. Dragon Gate has wished for him not to lose any matches outside the promotion to keep him and the title strong. In order to put various opponents of his over, he has worked time-limit draws, but apparently, AEW brass strongly wanted Page to win the match. PAC will now not appear on the show, although it is assumed that his partnership with AEW is not in jeopardy. The two shot a match with a disqualification finish in England with an angle explaining the match being scrapped.

While Page/PAC was probably not the most star-studded match on the show, it was built as having massive implications for the company's top Championship. Losing match strikes a major blow as it was the freshest and most narratively relevant top match on the show. Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega will probably slide into the main event spot, but Jericho is far past his prime as a regular performer. Cody Rhodes vs. his brother Dustin shows that schism in an even bigger fashion. It wasn't a lock to be the best match on the show with the Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros. (Penta El Zero M and Rey Fénix) and the joshi six-woman match on the show. However, it was going to be the most important match at the intersection of quality and narrative relevance.

Personally, I pin this all on the booking offices, namely AEW's. They wanted PAC, which is fine, because he's an incredible wrestler who does incredible things. However, as soon as he got his freedom from WWE, the first place he went was Dragon Gate, which though may be the third most relevant promotion in Japan after New Japan and All Japan, it's still a big and important promotion. Rhodes, the Jacksons, and Tony Khan really should have looked into this before booking the match, especially since PAC had won the Dream Gate Championship. Communication between people planning these kinds of shows is of the most vital importance. If I'm to believe that people in capital work so hard and do more than the labor, especially in wrestling, then maybe they shouldn't let things like these lapse.

As for Page's opponent, AEW said they'll have an announcement this week. I'm not sure who will fill in for PAC. Maybe it'll be someone from the Over Budget Casino Battle Royale like Joey Janela, MJF, or Jimmy Havoc. Maybe it'll be someone who hasn't signed yet. Maybe someone will do double duty. However, I'm sure they'll have some contingency. In the meantime, let this be a cautionary tale. If AEW doesn't want to make the same pitfalls as WWE, it should make sure it does better, from the front office down.