AEW Double or Nothing
Bang bang.
AEW presents Double or Nothing
May 24 • Louis Armstrong Stadium • Flushing Meadows, Queens, NY
Show #80
After six years, it's the sort of mantra that's just accepted: AEW pay per views don't miss. Still somewhat burnt from Vegas and fearing the venue, I nearly passed – but the FOMO is a strong motivator for ticket purchases, and I can count this year's Double or Nothing my fifth big AEW show, after the first Wembley All In and three Full Gears in Newark.
The show was jam packed, to the point where it didn't feel like it tipped past five hours. Some standout matches (unsurprisingly Ospreay/Joe, equally unsurprisingly Swerve/Bandido), some peak spectacle (the opening tag title match, Stadium Stampede), and a few nice surprises (happy to see human embodiment of NYC vibes Eddie Kingston make a pre-show show; even happier to see GCW mainstay Mance Warner join him).
That all said, the fear of the venue, tinted by two prior Grand Slam trips marred with logistical pain, was justified.
A deeply disorganized security and ticket setup significantly outside the venue warranting nearly 40 minutes to make it from the subway into the venue. An open-air tennis venue – the sides are open, not the roof – is great on a warm day, but on an unseasonably cold and rainy day, had most of my section wearing coats late in the show. And leaving Flushing Meadows Corona Park after midnight is never pleasant, even before you add a 10,000+ crowd and 7 train disruptions. Never like to feel compelled to sprint from my seat the moment the main event ends, but here we are.
The tightness of the venue did allow for a packed, loud crowd all night – and the cramped quarters meant no entrance ramp, which made for some excellent photos to remember the night with. (Not lost on me the two I've gotten the kindest comments about came from the opening pre-show match?)
