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#4 The Elite vs. The Inner Circle - Stadium Stampede Finale (AEW)
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Since the premiere episode of AEW Dynamite and the formation of the group, The Inner Circle has been the top heel stable in the promotion. Beating down the members of The Elite quickly established Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz, and Jake Hager as a force to be reckoned with. This year brought more altercations between the two warring factions.
On the March 25th episode of Dynamite in Newark, New Jersey, AEW announced that there would be a clash between the two groups inside of a two-ring steel cage called "Blood and Guts". However, the COVID-19 pandemic put a snag in those plans. Although the encounter was delayed, the battle between The Inner Circle and The Elite waged on.
The debut of Matt Hardy brought an additional factor to side with The Elite despite their own in-fighting against Jericho's band of rule breakers. On the May 6th episode of Dynamite, Hardy teamed with Kenny Omega to meet Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in a Street Fight that went all over Jacksonville's Daily's Place. The now-iconic golf cart rundown of Guevara was the highlight, but The Inner Circle pulled out the win.
All this set the stage for a dramatic conclusion, which took place at AEW Double Or Nothing in the Stadium Stampede Match. An insane stadium-wide spectacle took place with both stables fighting throughout. This bout featured Hangman riding in on a horse, a ring in the center of the football field, a Judas Effect on a Mascot, and a One Winged Angel off the top of the bleachers.
This was a crazy five-on-five cinematic epic that has been critically acclaimed by both fans and analysts. With the months of buildup between the two teams, this was a fitting end to what was AEW's first major faction warfare.
