The stumble into Double or Nothing

With AEW Double or Nothing just four days away, the promotion is feeling less like a well-oiled machine and more like a guy trying to juggle chainsaws while on a unicycle. Tony Khan is busy doing media loops calling his guys the 'ultimate fighting champion,' but meanwhile, the actual roster is falling apart at the seams.

The news that Mistico appeared on crutches at a CMLL show in Arena Puebla on Monday is a gut punch. You bring these crossover stars in to build buzz, and then they wind up sidelined before they can even make an impact.

Jericho and the identity crisis

Then we have Chris Jericho, who decided that after decades of being the GOAT, he just needed to be 'Jericho.' He claims he didn't need any more nicknames, but it feels like a transparent attempt to rebrand a character that has been running on the same fumes for way too long.

As Chris Jericho explained, the change happened back on the April 1 episode of Dynamite in Winnipeg. It’s iconic behavior if you’re a legend, but if you’re just spinning your wheels, it looks like a desperate attempt to stay fresh in an crowded market.

The industry is in a weird place

Elsewhere, the lines between combat sports and professional wrestling are blurring into a beige mush. WWE stars are heading to the White House for a UFC event, and we are getting more documentaries with guys like CM Punk and Ken Shamrock than actual in-ring storytelling that matters.

It’s fine to have history, but when you rely on nostalgia to fill the time instead of building new stars, you end up with weird headlines. We have former stars now working at Wal-Mart and others telling stories about getting berated by The Undertaker for bad ring gear choices.

The fact that Jimmy Wang Yang recently reminisced about being chewed out for his Confederate flag gear is a reminder that the locker room culture used to be the Wild West. Now, the drama is all about who is appearing at a NYC showcase this weekend.

The verdict

Let’s be real about the booking. Tommy Dreamer and Max Caster appearing at a random independent show in New York while the AEW mothership is prepping for their own major event just dilutes the product. It feels scattershot.

We are watching these companies operate with no clear direction. They act like they have all the time in the world, but the audience is already clicking away to the next big thing. You don't build a promotion on 'what's next' language like they did with the Brock Lesnar retirement chatter and expect people to stay hooked.

Double or Nothing needs to be a hit. If it isn't, all this talk of 'champions' and rebranding is going to sound like a funeral march for the momentum they had left. Get it together, folks.