With only four pay-per-view events a year, All Elite Wrestling doesn’t yet have that mega show fans can look forward to every 12 months. World Wrestling Entertainment has "WrestleMania," and "Starrcade" was the pinnacle of World Championship Wrestling years ago.
"Double or Nothing" could be that premier event for the newest wrestling promotion.
AEW’s three-year anniversary is today and it returns to Las Vegas for the first time since the pandemic with televised events Wednesday ("AEW Dynamite") and Friday ("AEW Rampage") at Michelob Ultra Arena, capped off with Double or Nothing at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
“To be going to Vegas for the biggest show of the year,” said AEW wrestler Michael Wardlow, “it’s such a relief and it just feels so good that it’s finally happening.”
Wardlow, who wrestles under his last name, was not with AEW at the first Double or Nothing show at MGM Grand on May 25, 2019. The 6-foot-3, 267-pound star signed with the company in August 2019 and aligned himself with Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the top heel — known as the bad guys in the wrestling world — in the company.
In a story that’s taken nearly three years to tell, with Wardlow serving as Friedman’s bodyguard and muscle in that time, the two will finally meet Sunday in what’s expected to be a sold-out T-Mobile Arena.
AEW hasn’t had the chance to perform in many arenas where capacity can reach 20,000, primarily due to COVID. Given the arc of the storyline and how fans outside of Friedman’s hometown of Long Island, New York have shared their disdain toward the heel, Wardlow said the potential atmosphere Sunday gives him “the craziest feeling in my core.”
“That’s going to be overwhelming,” Wardlow said. “I assumed it was going to be at the MGM. When you hear the MGM, that’s a special place. There’s a lot of history there. Then I heard it was going to be at T-Mobile Arena … and my god, what a big, beautiful, brand new arena that is. It just made me more excited. To walk out in front of that crowd will be the best moment of my life.”
Wardlow has quickly ascended as one of the top babyfaces (good guys) in the promotion, particularly with his feud with Friedman. But his athleticism, power and his Powerbomb Symphony finisher — where he powerbombs opponents repeatedly — has gotten the crowd behind him.
At “AEW: Revolution” on March 9, Wardlow won the Face of the Revolution ladder match to earn a TNT championship match. After Wardlow cost Friedman his match against Phil “CM Punk” Brooks at the pay-per-view, Friedman returned the favor the following week in Wardlow’s title match.
“I feel like ever since the ladder match, it’s literally just been a blink of an eye,” he said. “Life has been so fast, everything’s moved so fast, the crowd’s reaction. It almost feels like overnight that my whole life has changed.”
AEW has served as an alternative for wrestling fans looking for something different. Ratings wise, it’s still behind the curve from the established WWE. According to Wrestlenomics, the May 18 episode of AEW Dynamite drew 922,000 viewers, while the May 16 episode of WWE Raw reached 1.74 million.
While that’s a 5% increase over the past month, AEW still has room for growth under the eye of lead promoter Tony Khan. Khan is co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and soccer club Fulham FC.
AEW has been successful in part to its free agent acquisitions and its pay-per-view sales. AEW has had at least 145,000 pay-per-view buys in each of its last three events.
AEW women's champion Thunder Rosa (aka Melissa Cervantes) addresses the audience during a recent episode of AEW Dynamite.
The main event will be CM Punk against reigning AEW world champion “Hangman” Adam Page. The other notable single’s title match is Serena Deeb facing AEW women’s world champion Melissa Cervantes, better known as Thunder Rosa.
Cervantes, much like Wardlow, came to AEW long after its debut in August 2020. She didn’t sign a full-time deal until 11 months after making her in-ring debut, which was also against Deeb.
“If I start thinking about how many people, I’m going to get stage fright,” Cervantes said with a laugh. “I’m just going to act like there’s 30 people.”
Cervantes visited Ollie Detwiler Elementary School on Tuesday to meet with Mexican-American kids to share her story. She became the champion after defeating Britt Baker on March 19 in AEW's first ever women’s steel cage match, ending Baker’s 291-day reign.
“As a champion, I think I can make a difference not only in the ring, but outside of the ring. I take this very seriously,” she said. “If I lose this championship on Sunday, I will continue to work to make a difference for Latinos in general. There’s a few of us that are making strides in the business.”
Wardlow said the roster should feel proud for coming out of the pandemic, one year after starting. Three years after its debut, AEW returns to where it began, more established and more suited to be a competitor in the professional wrestling spectrum.
“As far as I’m concerned, I look at this as the Super Bowl for us,” Wardlow said. “I don’t think it gets any bigger than this.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.