With Double or Nothing, AEW wrapped up a three-night stand in Las Vegas. Prior to taking over T-Mobile Arena, they’d staged Dynamite and Rampage at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.
Throughout the three events, AEW offered an experience live that was distinctive from what fans at home saw on TV, including additional content, fan interaction, and a fundamentally different encounter for the live crowd taking in Anarchy in the Arena.
Exclusive Promos Before And After AEW Shows
Each of AEW’s three events in Las Vegas for Double or Nothing week includes some time on the mic before the television product took off. The Acclaimed greeted fans with raps both before Dynamite and Double or Nothing. In addition, Tony Khan got out in front of the live crowd before and after both Dynamite and Rampage. In both cases, Khan expressed his gratitude to the fans and polled who had been in Vegas for the original Double or Nothing PPV, while trying to hype up the audience.
The most memorable promo of all that happened off air came from CM Punk. After winning the AEW Championship, he hung around to express his gratitude to his wife, April Mendez, and express how hard it is to be on the road and wrestle year round. He went on to express an inspirational message that anything worth having is hard, and thanked the fans in attendance as well for making his sacrifices worth it.
Justin Roberts Led The Charge On Fan Interaction
One of the details AEW fans wouldn’t necessarily know about TV tapings from home is the degree of fan interaction that happens before and after shows and during commercial breaks. Ring announcer Justin Roberts led the charge, vamping on the mic and polling the crowd about different matters like who they wanted to see win different
Double or Nothing matches and who was at their first AEW live event.
The TV tapings in particular felt a little more independent in nature, including security letting a child come over the railing to sit on the ring apron for a photo before the show, and Roberts going so far as to announce that his mom was in attendance for her first AEW show. In a heartwarming moment, in between Rampage and extended tapings for AEW Dark, Roberts singled out a fan named Amir out in the arena, asking if he’d dropped something. The cameras put Amir on the big screen as he got down on one knee to propose to his partner.
A Few Oddball Highlights Just For Live AEW Fans
There were a number special, oddball, and otherwise unexpected moments that happened at each of AEW’s events for Double or Nothing week that they did not broadcast. Perhaps the most noteworthy instance came after Double or Nothing went off the fair, before Punk’s promo to the live crowd, as FTR came down to the ring to celebrate his victory with him, complete with putting him up on their shoulders to parade him around the ring. Punk thanked FTR and the fans before his music started to play again. The new champ cut that off, though, saying into the mic that he was going to talk some more, to the amusement of the crowd, before the music stopped and he proceeded with his fuller speech.
Rampage had some unlikely highlights as well. Justin Roberts cited that referee Aubrey’s family was in the crowd, and suggested she should have a match, then booked her into a Rock, Paper, Scissors “Match” with Taz from the broadcast table. Taz had Excalibur coach him through the experience and wound up putting Aubrey over. The final moment of Friday night saw not only Tony Khan, but Bryan Danielson address the crowd, inviting fans to a karaoke event elsewhere at the Mandalay Bay to benefit the local Rescue Mission.
Anarchy In The Arena Could Be Difficult To Follow Live
AEW Double or Nothing’s Anarchy in the Arena match was chaotic by design. While the match has been well received on the whole, it’s noteworthy that the narrative the camera crew and broadcast team cobbled together for viewers at home was quite different from the live experience. With action happening throughout the arena and backstage, live fans were able to see what happened nearby them for a unique spectacle, and of course able to follow what happened in the ring. Fans also missed a fair bit of what was going on, though, left to listen for big reactions from elsewhere in the building and speculate about what might have occurred, or see if there’d be a replay on the big screens.
For all the limitations of the Anarchy in the Arena format, there were also some benefits and shrewd placement of the match on the card. By any measure, Double or Nothing was a long show, and a good portion of the audience was running out of steam by the time Kyle O’Reilly beat Darby Allin. Thunder Rosa vs. Serene Deeb got particularly short shrift from a tired, distracted crowd. Between wild spots and the sheer fact that most fans had to stand up to see any of what was happening, Anarchy in the Arena brought the crowd back to life and helped fans return to their lively, vocal involvement in the final stretch of the show.
All in all, Double or Nothing week delivered live with a unique and entertaining experience for everyone in attendance. Capping it with a world title change and Punk’s engagement with the crowd after the PPV broadcast ended put a fine cap on the three-night run.
