AEW Double or Nothing: Stadium Stampede - The Inner Circle vs The Elite
May 23, 2020
I’m veering off-course this time and taking a look at an AEW match. This is one of the most unique matches in the company’s history in a time when unique matches carried the shows.
2020 was, of course, Covid. While WWE was locked down in the Thunderdome in Tampa, AEW was locked down in a more northern part of Florida - Jacksonville. AEW had the unique plus of being owned by Tony Khan, son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan. Adjacent to the football stadium is Daily’s Place, an entertainment complex and concert arena also owned by the Khans. Daily’s became the regular home to AEW, through the hot and cold, during the pandemic. However, the feud between the Inner Circle and The Elite needed more.
The Elite side featured the crew known as The Elite: Hangman Adam Page, Nick & Matt Jackson, and Kenny Omega as well as partner “Broken” Matt Hardy. On the dastardly Inner Circle side was Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz.
Where could they escalate their battle when the company is stuck in Daily’s Place? There was one place: TIAA Bank Field, the former Alltel Stadium, former EverBank Field, and home of the Jaguars since their inaugural season in 1995. “But there have been lots of wrestling matches in football stadiums!” Sure, but this one just had a ring in the middle of the field with no outside padding and full access to the arena. Falls count anywhere in the arena. It’s a unique hook and in a world where everything was shut down, it has room to be great.
We start with the whistle blowing and both teams charge towards each other, the Inner Circle in football gear. Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur are on the call as the men battle around. You notice a few things immediately: there is no crowd in the stadium of course, the Jaguars cheerleaders are making a lot of noise, and there is plenty of plunder. The early part of the match is a lot of plunder - lots of weapons as well as a few suplexes on the turf. You also notice a man is missing, but that doesn’t last for long.
As Sammy suddenly realizes, Hangman Adam Page is charging at him on a horse. Hangman chases him across and out of the field area, going backstage. As the other eight battle around the ring, Hangman calls for Sammy in a backstage hallway, still on his horse. There is some good in-ring stuff going on, especially when Santana & Ortiz and the Jacksons have a segment together.
We watch as Sammy runs back to the field, cheering in escape. Sammy misses a big shooting star press on Hardy. Lots of leaping to the outside as the wrestlers break off across the field. Hager and Omega go in one direction while Jericho and Sammy throw the Jacksons into the goalpost. The Jacksons set up a ladder and Matt Jackson goes climbing up the goalpost, scooting across and doing a moonsault from the top onto Sammy & Jericho. A very unique use of the setting, which is something we’ll see a lot as time continues.
Most of the men start battling up the stairs in the stands. Santana jumps off a railing onto Omega and throws him down a ramp. Then we switch to Hangman and the horse, still strolling and looking for Sammy. Hangman stops, seeing a sign for the “east club lobby” - the bar.
Matt Hardy, Omega, Ortiz and Santana brawl up to a restaurant area - the Dick’s Wings Rally Area to be exact. Ortiz is slammed on a recycling can while Omega sets a barricade across two tables, setting up a bridge. Ortiz tosses some salt in Omega’s eyes and drops him on the barricade with Santana. They both climb up and powerbomb Omega through the barricade, which breaks. Hardy stops a pin attempt.
Hardy brawls with Santana near the pool, which is a thing the stadium has. They decide to “make him swim,” tossing Hardy into the pool. This is when you need your Hardy history - Hardy often changed personas when dunked into the Lake of Reincarnation in the Broken Hardy universe. They try to drown Matt, who pops up as Hardy Boyz Matt. They try again, and we get a Matt Hardy Version 1.0 stat - Matt can hold his breath for 346 seconds. After the third attempt at murder, Hardy pops up in full “delete” mode.
Hardy tells Ortiz that he must pay for his transgressions, and we see a nearby bell, which I’m assuming is rung when touchdowns happen. Ortiz runs in and Hardy backdrops him through Santana and a table. Hardy sticks Ortiz under the bell and rings it, with Ortiz shaking maniacally in pain. Hardy sticks him in a wheelchair as he convulses and duck tapes him to the “chair of wheels,” leaving him and battling Santana into the restroom area. Santana is tossed into an ice cooler and Hardy locks him in with a broomstick as the men continue to try to murder each other.
Hager walks backstage and comes upon the horse. He takes a right towards the bar area himself, where we find Hangman knocking back a drink at the bar. Hagar walks up and sits next to him, with Hangman pouring him a drink. After they drink up, the brawl is on. Hangman is tossed over a pool table, giving him a pool cue. Hangman leaps off the table into Hagar’s arms, and Hagar does a Rock Bottom right on it. Hagar puts Hangman on the bar and slides him across it, through everything on it and onto the floor. Hager powerbombs Hangman through a table but can’t get the three.
Now we come across Omega, running into save the Hangman. He busts a beer bottle over Hager’s head and then a second, followed by two more. Omega nails a knee and Hangman flips over for the Buckshot Lariat. With this putting Hangman on the serving side of the bar, he sets up two glasses - Jack Daniels for Omega and milk for Hangman.
Back on the field, the Bucks and Sammy are still going at it. Sammy charges into a Northern Lights Suplex - and Matt Jackson continues to roll through and suplex Sammy repeatedly across the field. Jericho gets a megaphone and tells Nick to go home, who grabs a football and throws it at Jericho. Jericho tosses Jackson into a Jaguars inflatable, which brings out Jaguars mascot Jackson DeVille. Jericho knocks DeVille down because he’s a jerk.
Matt finishes the 100-yards of suplexing Sammy across the field, spiking him for good measure. Then he does an endzone dance, of course - the referee throwing a flag and calling for a penalty before being superkicked. JR, Tony and Excalibur have been cracking each other up the entire match and it’s been a lot of fun, honestly.
With Jericho on a table, Nick Jackson leaps up and runs a whole set of stadium steps, jumping on the railing and down through Jericho and the table. Hangman appears with the line marker and rolls chalk across the downed Jericho. We see Sammy crawling across the field when a sprinkler starts going off on him. As Sammy stumbles around, he thinks he won the match. A motor runs and out comes Hardy and Omega in a golf cart, Sammy’s face immediately dropping. The headlights come on and the chase begins, Sammy running to and over the wall to avoid vehicular homicide. Omega follows as Sammy throws chairs onto the field. The Elite chase him up the stands, battling up to a metal stand. As Sammy chokes Matt, we switch the the display of NEO 1, the newest drone in the Hardy family. Omega hits a V-Trigger on Sammy and lifts Sammy on his shoulders, jumping off the stand and down through tables on the ground. He covers and Aubrey Edwards counts, getting the three and we cut out right there.
Listen, this was silly. It was a lot of fun. Wrestling should be silly sometimes and this was a very good use of the stadium. There are a lot of unique areas and they hit them all. It was also a good use of their characters - Hangman being Hangman, Sammy running. The commentary added a lot as well as they were clearly enjoying the craziness as well as making each other laugh.
I recommend this a lot. While a lot of people look to AEW for the serious, bloody matches they specialize in, this is the kind of thing I like best from AEW.