MJF Winning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions
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AEW Double or Nothing 2023 certainly isn’t the most anticipated AEW pay-per-view ever, but with marquee matches for MJF, Wardlow, Kenny Omega and The Elite, it’s a pivotal one for the company.

The debut of AEW’s third weekly show, Collision, is right around the corner. So too is a potentially huge new TV deal with Warner Brothers Discovery. But AEW also isn’t far removed from Dynamite’s lowest viewership of 2023 and has once again been embroiled in a major controversy involving the possibly soon-to-be-returning CM Punk.

In other words, Double or Nothing is a huge turning point for AEW, and it must deliver after what has largely been a lackluster year for its flagship shows Dynamite and Rampage. Just one day after WWE yet again delivered a strong _____ showing at Night of Champions, the pressure is on AEW to turn things around.

Here are five smart booking decisions AEW must make at Double or Nothing 2023.

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Wardlow Loses AEW TNT Title In Cheap Fashion

AEW’s booking of Wardlow this year has been puzzling, to say the least. Once clearly positioned as the face of the company, Wardlow has lost a ton of steam this year, dropping from boiling hot to barely a simmer.

How can AEW remedy that? There is no clear-cut answer at the moment. Maybe a brand split will help, but an already crowded roster makes things difficult. Wardlow, however, still has all the potential in the world to be a top star. Yet, whereas WWE’s Gunther is being elevated by holding a midcard title and conversely is elevating the title itself, the same hasn’t necessarily been true for Wardlow.

Wardlow has held that title three times, and most wrestling fans would be hard-pressed to think of a truly memorable moment during any of them. That’s a problem, and maybe one reason why is that Wardlow really should be above that level. Double or Nothing gives AEW a great opportunity to get him back on track, though.

A ladder match against Christian Cage with Luchasaurus lurking at ringside presents the perfect situation for Wardlow to lose cheaply and move onto bigger and better things with an expected brand split on the way.

am Cole, FTR, Orange Cassidy Pick Up Marquee Wins

AEW Double or Nothing is shaping up be a show filled with marquee babyface victories. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, either.

Numerous top fan favorites on the show appear to be runaway favorites to win their match—and they should be. Among them are am Cole as he faces Chris Jericho, Orange Cassidy as he defends the International Championship in a 21-man battle royal and FTR as they look to defend their AEW Tag Team Championship against the over-pushed duo of Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

With FTR expected to be top stars on Punk’s Collision, Orange Cassidy crushing it as champion and Cole in the early stages of a major comeback story, all three of these uber-popular AEW acts should win handily at Double or Nothing.

Jade Cargill’s Undefeated Streak Comes To An End

Jade Cargill recently crossed the 500-day mark as TBS Champion, but much like Wardlow, her run as AEW’s midcard women’s champion has been remarkably forgettable. One could argue that its among the worst lengthy title reigns in modern pro wrestling history.

Cargill now has a record of 60-0, but the vast majority of those matches weren’t exactly ones that will go down in history. In fact, Cargill’s reign as champion has been, in a nutshell, pretty bad. That’s certainly not a knock on Cargill, either. She’s a must-see talent with the potential to be a huge star one day.

But AEW’s booking of the women’s division is incredibly inconsistent, and Cargill hasn’t really had any significant feuds or storylines. Her feud with Taya Valkyrie hasn’t been great either, but Valkyrie has built up some momentum just as Cargill finds herself running out of things to do. That was virtually inevitable the moment AEW decided to go the route of a Goldberg-like undefeated streak.

Cargill needs to drop the TBS title soon, and with no up-and-coming homegrown stars positioned to take the belt anytime soon, Valkyrie is as good of a choice as anyone.

MJF Keeps AEW World Title, But Darby Allin Looks Strong

Some fans are quick to blame MJF for AEW’s viewership woes, but he’s got a history of drawing well for AEW and is a fantastic all-around performer who’s worthy of being AEW World Heavyweight Champion.

MJF’s title reign has been underwhelming more so because of a lack of compelling storytelling. Though his current rivalry with AEW’s other “Four Pillars”—Darby Allin, Jungle Boy and Sammy Guevara—has been solid, it hasn’t exactly been earth-shaterring, which is typically the case in feuds involving more than one world title challenger.

With stars like am Cole reportedly planned as future MJF opponents, however, MJF should retain his world title at Double or Nothing. His hottest challenger, Allin, should be protected in defeat, though.

The Elite Topples Blackpool Combat Club

AEW doesn’t have very many red hot storylines right now, but The Elite vs. Blackpool Combat Club certainly packs the biggest star power punch. The company, after all, can use this rivalry to build to numerous marquee singles and tag matches down the road.

But the hotter act at the moment is the newly reunited Elite, with Kenny Omega, am “Hangman Page” and The Young Bucks finally on the same page once again. AEW has done a great job of rebuilding The Elite as a top act, so when they take on BCC in a highly anticipated Anarchy in the Arena match, they are the ones who should leave Double or Nothing with the most momentum.

Despite its recent heel turn, BCC doesn’t feel like a long-term group. Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, in particular, would be better off as singles stars, especially with an expected brand split giving AEW the need for more top-level solo acts. If anything, Double or Nothing should begin to create cracks in the BCC that ultimately lead to the group’s demise.

With Page and Omega looking to recement themselves as world title contenders, one of those two stars should emerge from AEW Double or Nothing with a massive victory that propels them to the world championship scene.

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