AEW’s Double or Nothing closed with two incredible matches, one of the best traditional Battle Royals, and a few title changes, but did not have the one super match after another that the company has reached on its other shows.
The lineup told you that ahead of time. The Anarchy in the Arena match was super, but so much was going on that the cameras missed a lot and from being there live, it was impossible to follow everything, but based on what I’ve seen it feels like this was a far better match to watch live.
It was put on last, which it should have been because you didn’t want to have anything follow it. The Blackpool Combat Club team of Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli defeated The Elite of Kenny Omega & Adam Page & Young Bucks in their first match back together when Wheeler Yuta hit Page with the screwdriver given to him by Don Callis and then Omega went for the One Winged Angel on Yuta when a masked man brought out by Callis gave Omega a running knee and Yuta surprisingly pinned Omega with the seat belt.
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with our weekly look at AEW Dynamite and NXT! Punk is back, fallout from Double or Nothing, NXT fallout from Battleground, some low-level ACTING, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
The Bryan & Vinny & Granny & Craig & Shawn Show is back with tons to talk about including KNOCK KNOCK JOKES with Granny, her Weekly Wrestling Report, and more, then the boys review AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING, both from a live and televised standpoint. A fun show as always so check it out~!
AEW Double or Nothing was a fun show overall. The undercard was a bit of hit or miss, but the final two matches made it a very good show. Not the best AEW event by far, but a good watch.
Due to time constraints (it’s 2:30 in the morning after a loooooong weekend and I need sleep!) we’re just going to hit this show starting at the top and eventually make our way to the pre-show match. Let’s do this!
The main event lived up both to the hype and its name, with The Elite and The Blackpool Combat Club fighting all over the arena in a violent, yet exhilarating, brawl called Anarchy in the Arena. Exploding superkicks, barbed wire, SOMEONE’S FOOT BEING DRIVEN INTO THUMBTACKS, you name it, it happened. Konosuke Takeshita turning on The Elite and finally aligning with Don Callis finally gives that storyline, which I thought had been dropped, some juice. In terms of a spectacle, and this was the textbook definition of a spectacle, this was the match of the weekend.
MJF retained his championship in a four-way involving Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and Jungle Boy. There were plenty of insane spots, crazy dives, cool moves, you name it. The finish was very interesting, with MJF pinning Darby Allin with a headlock takeover, which happened in their last singles match. Someday Allin’s going to get the win. The build to this feud was underwhelming, but at the very least the match delivered.
There isn’t much to say about Jamie Hayter and Toni Storm. It was a short match, Storm won, and it’s clear Hayter is still banged up. I can see the eventual rematch and title win at All In, where it makes the most sense.
Trios match for the titles was…I dunno. It was fine. There were a lot of matches on this show and this was just kind of a match on the card, which is weird as The House of Black in general are very good and so are The Acclaimed, and I thought Billy Gunn looked good here. It just missed something, not great but just fine.
Jade Cargill’s title run has officially ended. She beat Taya Valkyrie, which I knew was likely to happen but was kind of surprised by the finish, which was Cargill barely kicking out of Road to Valhalla, cut off Valkyrie, then just pinned Valkyrie with the jaded. Kris Statlander coming back as a surprise and ending Cargill’s title run in an impromtu match got a big pop and was a memorable moment, which was something the show needed at this point.
The ladder match between Wardlow and Christian Cage was also fun. I was not into seeing my 14,000th ladder match this year, but this was good. Wardlow doing a huge swanton to the floor was insane and Arn Anderson getting involved and BITING Luchasaurus’ hand was memorable. It seems like they are eventually building towards Luchasaurus vs. Wardlow, so we’ll see if it happens soon.
FTR and Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal was fun. When you watch a Jarrett match you know there’s going to be tons of interference and false finishes, but he makes it work, and this worked as a result. I was not feeling Jarrett being a weekly television character but I can’t lie, the group with Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh, and Jarrett have strong chemistry, and FTR is among the best teams in the world, so this was good stuff.
I never got into Adam Cole and Chris Jericho. I thought the build to their match was pretty good, but the match itself after everyone’s seconds laid each other out was just kinda there. I waited for it to reach that next level, but it didn’t. I liked the idea of the finish on paper (Cole beats Jericho until he passes out) but I don’t think the crowd expected that and the finish fell flat as a result.
Blackjack Battle Royal was fine until the last few minutes, which then turned into a really great match between Swerve and Orange Cassidy. Just great back and forth stuff until the awesome finish, which had Cassidy simply kick Swerve’s hands, sending him to the floor. Love this title reign.
The opening six-man tag match was fine. I felt it when Jeff Hardy missed that whisper in the wind and ate it. I hope with Hook winning the match for this team, the Matt Hardy/Ethan Page stuff is over. I’m kinda over the contract storyline.
And that is Double or Nothing! A fun show that felt uneven at times, but finished strong. Up next for this company is Forbidden Door next month in Canada. It will be fun to see what matches both promotions come up with. I am personally hoping Sabre and Danielson will finally get their match, but we’ll see.
The main event of AEW Double or Nothing saw Blackpool Combat Club defeat The Elite in a wild brawl filled with weapons. The first part of the match had a band perform “Wild Thing” three times, ending when the Young Bucks laid out the singer with a superkick.
“At first I thought just play the song through the entire match. But it did get to the point where I thought, okay, you know what we’ve heard the song enough…they timed it perfectly,” Alvarez said.
Some of the key spots towards the end had Matt Jackson hitting a superkick with a firecracker coming off his foot, then getting atomic dropped into thumbtacks, covering his exposed foot after members of the BCC removed his shoe. The big swerve went down when Konosuke Takeshita attacked Kenny Omega as he cornered Don Callis, who attempted to interfere in the match, allowing Wheeler Yuta to pin Omega.
After the show went off the air, Omega told the crowd that he knew a couple of guys outside of AEW who could help even the odds.
“Everybody assumed Okada and Kota Ibushi,” Alvarez said.
Both Meltzer and Alvarez agreed that the final two matches helped make the event a better show.
The main event of AEW Double or Nothing saw Blackpool Combat Club defeat The Elite in a wild brawl filled with weapons. The first part of the match had a band perform “Wild Thing” three times, ending when the Young Bucks laid out the singer with a superkick.
“At first I thought just play the song through the entire match. But it did get to the point where I thought, okay, you know what we’ve heard the song enough…they timed it perfectly,” Alvarez said.
Some of the key spots towards the end had Matt Jackson hitting a superkick with a firecracker coming off his foot, then getting atomic dropped into thumbtacks, covering his exposed foot after members of the BCC removed his shoe. The big swerve went down when Konosuke Takeshita attacked Kenny Omega as he cornered Don Callis, who attempted to interfere in the match, allowing Wheeler Yuta to pin Omega.
After the show went off the air, Omega told the crowd that he knew a couple of guys outside of AEW who could help even the odds.
“Everybody assumed Okada and Kota Ibushi,” Alvarez said.
Both Meltzer and Alvarez agreed that the final two matches helped make the event a better show.
Bryan Danielson, MJF, Tony Khan, and more spoke out on various subjects following the conclusion of Saturday’s AEW Double or Nothing.
MJF
MJF mentioned that he felt that the World title main evening shows was a “dead idea,” saying that both WWE and AEW have had shows where the World title didn’t headline.
When Forbidden Door was mentioned, MJF asked if he even had to wrestle on the show, calling the promotion “a f******* indy fed” and that their greatest legend couldn’t tie his boots. He said The Great-O-Khan, however, “pops him”.
After mentioning Triple H and Nick Khan by name, MJF brought up that he was “bored” of wrestling and when he means pro wrestling, he means the entire industry, and he may be done, go home, and “f*** up the lineage of this title”.
Kris Stantlander
Dave Meltzer asked a question about her recovery. Statlander said that her 6-8 month recovery went about as expected, but had self-doubt during it.
When asked about going from 0-100 in terms of recovery and winning a championship on her first night back, Statlander said she wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t prepared.
She said at first she had hoped that the knee injury was just a hyperextension. She said that she cried when she learned it was another ACL tear.
Regarding a future rematch with Jade Cargill, Statlander said she was up for it, and that if Cargill wanted to take some time off, that was fine too.
Orange Cassidy
Cassidy said he really didn’t take any pride in his reign. All he wanted to do was to beat PAC. He didn’t know what to do with the belt, so he just made it what he wanted it to be.
When asked about Forbidden Door, he brought up Zack Sabre Jr. as a potential opponent.
Someone asked if Cassidy considers himself one of the best wrestlers in the world. He said no, not even close.
Toni Storm
When Storm’s interim title reign was brought up, she called the interim title “bulls***”.
Dave Meltzer asked if Mercedes Mone was someone she may be interested in teaming up with or facing against. Storm said she’d break her other knee and wasn’t sure if she was Outcast material.
Bryan Danielson
Dave Meltzer asked about the death of UK promoter Brian Dixon. Danielson said he enjoyed his time working in the UK with him in 2003.
He said that he is thankful AEW put Wheeler Yuta in the position that he’s in, saying that you wouldn’t see something like that anywhere else.
Nigel McGuiness is brought up, with Danielson being asked about All In and if McGuiness would be a possible opponent. Danielson said that McGuiness should keep his mouth shut because McGuiness no longer has the physical ability to keep up with him. He doesn’t have the same intesnsity as he had in 2006.
When asked if Konosuke Takeshita is part of the Blackpool Combat Club, Danielson said he had no idea Takeshita would be there in the main event.
Tony Khan
When asked about how All In and All Out would work since they air a week apart, Khan said those were great questions, but he couldn’t answer them right now. He did affirm that All In would air live for everyone to watch.
Khan mentioned that last year, AEW was usually in the top or second position in the ratings, and thinks they have a chance of climbing up in the rankings this summer as well.
One person asks the question if CM Punk will appear on the first episode of Collision. Khan said he couldn’t answer that.
Bryan Alvarez asked about Khan’s thought process behind putting the Anarchy in the Arena match last. Khan mentioned he puts a lot of thought into match order and brought up that he had put Stadium Stampede matches in the main event previously.
Regarding All In ticket sales, Tony Khan said the current number was around 65,000 and the gate was around $8 million.
During discussion on the Owen Hart Cup, Khan mentioned Jushin Thunder Liger being a name that could appear, saying he was optimistic that could happen.
When asked about a potential fanfest during Double or Nothing week, Tony Khan quipped “I guess a partnership with the UFC is out.”
Goldberg’s name was brought up, with Khan mentioning that he had spoken to Goldberg recently. However, he said that was not unusual as he has talked to him many times before and have mutual friends.
Khan said he would be up for a second season of All Access, but he hasn’t been told if they would get another season.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including our live first-person account of AEW Double or Nothing 2023, all the matches and angles and notes from the show, NXT Battleground results, New Japan Dominion and BOSJ, the death of Brian Dixon and more. A packed show as always so check it out~!
Blackpool Combat Club defeated The Elite in an Anarchy in the Arena match at AEW Double or Nothing with help from Konosuke Takeshita.
Takeshita returned to AEW for the first time in over a month at Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view, turning on Kenny Omega and aligning with Don Callis and the Blackpool Combat Club as the BCC defeated The Elite in the second annual Anarchy in the Arena match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
When Takeshita was last seen in AEW, he was teaming with Omega on the April 26 Dynamite in a tag team victory over The Butcher and The Blade. At Double or Nothing, he cost Omega and The Elite a victory.
As the match reached its conclusion, Omega had Callis cornered in the ring and victory seemingly in hand. A masked man then flew in and hit Omega with a flying knee strike. The masked man was revealed to be Takeshita. Wheeler Yuta then pinned Omega with a seatbelt to secure the win for the BCC.
In a post-show promo in front of the live crowd in Vegas, Omega teased that outside talent would be coming to AEW to assist The Elite in their continuing battle against the Blackpool Combat Club.
Kenny just did a post-show promo teasing two non-AEW friends as backup
Toni Storm is once again the AEW Women’s World Champion.
Storm defeated Jamie Hayter at Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view in Las Vegas to capture the AEW Women’s title for the second time in her career.
Hayter, who has recently been suffering from a legitimate injury according to Tony Khan, was attacked prior to the bout by Storm’s Outcasts teammates Ruby Soho and Saraya. The attack provided Hayter with a storyline out for the loss, and played into the work of the match itself.
Soho and Saraya interfered in the match on Storm’s behalf, while Britt Baker did a run-in in support of Hayter in an attempt to neutralize The Outcasts. Ultimately, Storm sent Hayter into an exposed turnbuckle, then hit her with Storm Zero to get the win and regain the title.
Hayter’s first title reign ends at 191 days, as she originally defeated Storm to win the title at Full Gear on November 19, 2022.
Storm’s first title reign stretched for 76 days after she won a four-way for the then-interim Women’s World title at All Out last September. That reign was retroactively recognized as a regular title reign after Thunder Rosa was forced to vacate the Championship without losing it in the ring due to a back injury.
AEW has revealed all 21 participants who will be competing in the Blackjack Battle Royale at Double or Nothing this Sunday.
Orange Cassidy’s AEW International Championship will be on line in battle royal. The following challengers will be joining him in the match:
Jay White
Juice Robinson
Ricky Starks
Brian Cage
Swerve Strickland
Keith Lee
Dustin Rhodes
Penta El Zero Miedo
Rey Fenix
Kip Sabian
Trent Beretta
Chuck Taylor
Tony Nese
Ari Daivari
Big Bill
Lee Moriarty
Komander
Bandido
The Butcher
The Blade
Cassidy became AEW All-Atlantic Champion in October 2022. Earlier this year, the name of the title was changed to the International Championship. Cassidy has made 22 successful title defenses in total.
Double or Nothing takes place from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Sunday. The updated card for the pay-per-view is listed below:
Four-way match: AEW World Champion MJF defends against Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, and Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter defends against Toni Storm
21-man Blackjack Battle Royale for the AEW International Championship
Ladder match: TNT Champion Wardlow defends against Christian Cage
TBS Champion Jade Cargill defends against Taya Valkyrie
AEW Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defend against Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal (Mark Briscoe will be the special guest referee)
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho (Sabu will be the special enforcer)
Anarchy in the Arena match: Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. The Elite (Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks & Hangman Page)
Ethan Page, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn vs. Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy & Isiah Kassidy (if the Hardys team wins, Matt Hardy will own the rights to Ethan Page’s contract)
Matt & Jeff Hardy will have a new partner for Double or Nothing.
The Hardys and Isiah Kassidy were initially scheduled to face Ethan Page and The Gunns on Sunday’s pay-per-view. However, an injury angle has taken Kassidy out of the match.
Kassidy was attacked by Page and the Gunns on Rampage last week. The segment concluded with Page stomping on Kassidy’s head as it was wrapped in a chair.
The Hardys then revealed on last night’s Rampage taping that Kassidy will not be able to compete on Sunday’s pay-per-view due to his injuries. He will be replaced by FTW Champion, Hook.
Several of the names participating in the International title Blackjack Battle Royal were also revealed on last night’s Rampage taping. A tag match between Big Bill & Lee Moriarty vs. The Best Friends led to a brawl with those challenging for Orange Cassidy’s title at the pay-per-view coming out to participate.
18 of the 21 participants in the battle royal were confirmed on Wrestling Observer Radio by our own Dave Meltzer:
Orange Cassidy
Keith Lee
Swerve Strickland
Big Bill
Lee Moriarty
Chuck Taylor
Trent Beretta
Tony Nese
Ari Daivari
Josh Woods
Penta El Zero Miedo
Rey Fenix
Bandido
The Butcher
The Blade
Kip Sabian
Brian Cage
Dustin Rhodes
AEW posted a graphic for the match to Instagram on Thursday morning. The graphic also features Jay White, Ricky Starks, and Juice Robinson.
AEW Double or Nothing, Sunday, May 28, 7 p.m. Eastern time —
Four-way for the AEW World Championship: MJF defends against Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara & “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
AEW Women’s World Championship: Jamie Hayter defends against Toni Storm
21-man Blackjack Battle Royale for the AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. 20 challengers
Ladder match for the TNT Championship: Wardlow defends against Christian Cage
TBS Championship: Jade Cargill defends against Taya Valkyrie
AEW Tag Team Championship w/Mark Briscoe as special referee: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defend against Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal
Unsanctioned match with Sabu as special guest enforcer: Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho
Anarchy in the Arena match: Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. The Elite (Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
Ethan Page, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn vs. Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy & Hook –If the Hardys team wins, Matt Hardy will own the rights to Ethan Page’s contract
Sabu made his AEW debut on Wednesday’s Dynamite and was named special enforcer for the Chris Jericho vs. Adam Cole match at Double or Nothing.
The former ECW Heavyweight, TV, Tag Team, and FTW Champion made a surprise appearance on Dynamite, introduced by Cole in a contract signing segment between Cole and Jericho for their unsanctioned match set for Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
During the contract signing, Jericho was backed up by Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker, while Cole’s only backup was Roderick Strong. Jericho pointed out that Cole was outnumbered, but Cole noted that he had called for backup from someone who was crazy. He then introduced Sabu. Sabu entered, and threw a steel chair at Menard to close the angle.
Sabu, 58, last wrestled in 2021 on an independent show for XWW in California.
The updated Double or Nothing lineup:
AEW Double or Nothing, Sunday, May 28, 7 p.m. Eastern time —
Four-way for the AEW World Championship: MJF defends against Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara & “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
AEW Women’s World Championship: Jamie Hayter defends against Toni Storm
21-man Blackjack Battle Royale for the AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. QT Marshall vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Aaron Solo vs.
Ladder match for the TNT Championship: Wardlow defends against Christian Cage
TBS Championship: Jade Cargill defends against Taya Valkyrie
AEW Tag Team Championship w/Mark Briscoe as special referee: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defend against Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal
Unsanctioned match with Sabu as special guest enforcer: Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho
Anarchy in the Arena match: Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. The Elite (Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
Ethan Page, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn vs. Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy & Isiah Kassidy –If the Hardys team wins, Matt Hardy will own the rights to Ethan Page’s contract
Chris Jericho and Adam Cole will meet in Las Vegas.
The match between the two was confirmed on Friday’s AEW Rampage. After footage was shown of Cole helping Roderick Strong defeat Jericho on Wednesday’s Dynamite, Jericho ran down Cole, who was shown outside of the building. After some back and forth, Jericho revealed he had lifted the restraining order that kept Cole outside of the building and challenged him to an unsanctioned match for Double or Nothing. After a commercial break, Cole was seen entering through the crowd. He and Jericho, who was doing commentary, soon engaged in a brawl that was eventually broken up by security.
Cole and Jericho have been feuding in the weeks following Revolution. A confrontation by Jericho and Cole led to the Jericho Appreciation Society attacking Cole, forcing him to watch the Outcasts attack his girlfriend Britt Baker. After Cole and Baker retaliated, Jericho revealed he had put a restraining order on Adam Cole, keeping him away from AEW buildings due to what Jericho claimed to be an unsafe working environment.
Here is the updated lineup for AEW Double or Nothing:
AEW World Championship: MJF defends against Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy Jack Perry, and Darby Allin
AEW Tag Team titles: FTR vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal
AEW International title: Orange Cassidy defends in a 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal
TNT title: Wardlow defends against Christian Cage in a ladder match
AEW Women’s title: Jamie Hayter defends against Toni Storm
TBS Championship: Jade Cargill defends against Taya Valkyrie
Anarchy in the Arena match: The Elite (Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, and Hangman Page) vs. The Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta)
Unsanctioned match: Chris Jericho vs. Adam Cole
The Gunns & Ethan Page vs. The Hardys & Isiah Kassidy
The Blackpool Combat Club and The Elite will square off in an Anarchy in the Arena match on May 28.
The end of Wednesday’s Dynamite saw Hangman Page making his return to the company, helping The Elite take out members of the Blackpool Combat Club. Page closed the show by issuing the challenge for AEW Double or Nothing.
Don Callis came out for the final segment of Dynamite to explain why he turned on Kenny Omega last week. After saying that there wouldn’t be a Kenny Omega without a Don Callis, Omega came out to contront him. As security held Omega back, The Blackpool Combat Club attacked him from behind. After Jon Moxley cut a promo in the ring, The Young Bucks came out to aid Omega with weapons. That was when Page made his return to the company, wearing an eyepatch. Together, they took out the BCC.
The last Anarchy in the Arena match took place at last year’s Double or Nothing. On that show, The Jericho Appreciation Society defeated members of The Blackpool Combat Club in a 5 on 5 anything goes match that saw everyone fight all over the arena.
Here is the updated lineup for Double or Nothing:
AEW World Championship: MJF defends against Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy Jack Perry, and Darby Allin
AEW Tag Team titles: FTR vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal with Mark Briscoe as special referee
AEW International title: Orange Cassidy defends in a 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal
TNT title: Wardlow defends against Christian Cage in a ladder match
AEW Women’s title: Jamie Hayter defends against Toni Storm
Anarchy in the Arena match: The Elite (Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, and Hangman Page) vs. The Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta)
