Here’s my final thoughts on All Elite Wrestling’s first ever PPV event, Double or Nothing!
21-Wrestler Casino Battle Royal – Winner Receives a Future AEW World Championship Match against Chris Jericho or Kenny Omega (Featuring Sonny Kiss, Brandon Cutler, Ace Romero, Glacier, Brian Pillman Jr., Sunny Daze, MJF, Joey Janela, Dustin Thomas, Billy Gunn, Jimmy Havoc, Michael Nakazawa, Jungle Boy, Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen, Luchasaurus, Shawn Spears, “Hangman” Adam Page, Orange Cassidy, and Tommy Dreamer)
Reactions: In AEW’s first official match, the “Hangman” claimed victory! To see him go from being taken off the card entirely due to PAC’s last minute exit to winning this battle royal was cool to see. The match as a whole was a decent watch. It was chaotic as expected thanks to the wild antics of Tommy Dreamer, Jimmy Havoc, Michael Nakazawa and the table smashing madness involving Joey Janela. The featured high-flyers also provided a batch of memorable moments. Once the final four went to war, the match picked up a bit and provided a fun closing stretch. This wild battle royal featured a bit of everything fans love about professional wrestling. All in all, it was slightly better than average.
Rating: 2 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Kip Sabian vs. Sammy Guevara
Reactions: And in AEW’s first official singles match, we got a showcase bout that put two of the company’s young cruiserweights front and center. Sabian and Guevara pulled off their slickest offense and brought the crowd to their feet with some high-flying action. Both men did a good job of putting their charisma on display and got the crowd more involved as the match wore on. The definite highlights had to be Guevara’s Shooting Star Press to Sabian on the guardrail and Sabian’s match ending counter/finisher sequence that came after a failed 630 Splash. Fine work from both men here.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky) vs. Strong Hearts (CIMA, T-Hawk, and El Lindaman) (6-Man Tag Team Match)
Reactions: This was the right way to truly begin AEW’s inaugural PPV. All six men meshed well together and put on an incredibly fast-paced affair. SCU looked more inspired than usual here and thankfully, their OWE rivals never missed a step. CIMA is still one of the best junior heavyweights in wrestling and he made that statement ring true here. His two counterparts took the opportunity to show off just how amazing they can be, too. The final moments that transpired here saw all six men go all out and evoke the spirit of wild Lucha Libre 6-man tag’s. SCU nabbed the win, but I hope OWE sends over another trio for a rematch in the future.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Dr. Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae vs. Awesome Kong (Fatal 4-Way Match)
Reactions: One of the first surprises of the evening was revealed during this all-women’s contest. Brandi Rhodes looked like she was set to compete here, but it was all a ruse. Miss Rhodes brought out the woman that turned changed this match into a Fatal 4-Way – Awesome Kong! Once we got to the action, all four women clashed in a wild brawl.
While this was a solid four-way dance, I just wish it would’ve gone a bit longer. The most disappointing part of this match was Kong’s lack of a good amount of in-ring time. She got in her signature moves here and there, but her presence wasn’t truly utilized to the fullest here. The three other competitors were the shining stars here and they still ended up making this worthwhile.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) vs. Los Güeros del Cielo (Angélico and Jack Evans)
Reactions: As someone who regularly followed ROH and Lucha Underground, I had an extremely vested interest in this tag team encounter. Both teams gave the crowd a taste of what AEW’s tag team division has to offer. This was as satisfying as I expected it to be – the Best Friends brought the heat along with the laughs and Los Güeros del Cielo took to the skies at every opportunity.
The longer this went on, the better it got. The near-falls were exciting and the unique tandem offense got everyone in attendance off their feet. Both of these teams made sure to put a positive stamp on AEW’s tag team division. Post match, we got a good look at another of AEW’s incoming duos – the Canadian madmen known as the Super Smash Bros. As for their finisher, it was simply a work of art.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, and Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho, and Ryo Mizunami (6-Woman Tag Team Match)
Reactions: You gotta hand it to the “Joshi” contingent of AEW – they sure know how to put on an entrance. This was a cool American return performance for the legendary Aja Kong and a good effort from the rest of the relatively unknown athletes. The Joshi ladies are known for putting on a show with their hard hitting strikes, big focus on crowd participation and flashy array of jaw-dropping maneuvers. Everyone did their part here and gave the crowd a reason to care about this unique take on pro wrestling. The botched near-fall near the end was the only low point in an otherwise engaging 6-woman tag.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Cody vs. Dustin
Reactions: Dusty’s sons fought it out in the type of match that he’d be proud of. Cody and Dustin clobbered each other in an old school brawl that elicited “FIGHT FOREVER!” chants from the crowd. You had your mix of unbridled physicality, callbacks to both men’s WWE runs, a crimson mask from one of the competitors and even a dose of some zany sports entertainment to boot (Dustin spanked Cody in his father’s honor!). What we got here was a classic NWA 80’s brawl with a hint of modern day mayhem. This sibling rivalry met its end, but now we’re getting a tag team reunion in the near future. The Rhodes Brothers were in top form here.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) vs. The Lucha Bros (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix) (AAA World Tag Team Championship)
Reactions: The co-main event of Double or Nothing was a bonafide banger. I loved the story being told here – the Young Bucks cohesiveness was out of whack at first and gave the fluid Lucha Bros the edge. But as the match entered a fever pitch, Matt and Nick Jackson got out all the kinks and looked like the Young Bucks of old. Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix shined bright in this match as they kept the crowd in the palm of their hands with great character work and incredible tag team maneuvers.
Another great aspect of this bout were the Young Bucks’ callbacks to their past rivals as they used their signature maneuvers (we even got a rare sighting of a top rope BRAINBUSTAHHHHHH!). This tag team classic got the appropriate amount of time to crescendo and close out in a satisfying fashion. The Young Bucks and the Lucha Bros gave everyone an extended glimpse at top-tier, modern day tag team wrestling.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
Reactions: First off, round of applause to Chris Jericho. That WrestleMania worthy entrance of his was an awesome history lesson for one of wrestling’s GOAT’s. The best Canadian wrestlers in the game today did a commendable job here and delivered a worthy sequel to their WrestleKingdom 12 meeting. Kenny Omega looked amazing as always and Jericho kept up with his younger adversary every step of the way.
The chops were vicious, the strikes were stiff, Omega’s suplexes were brutal and Jericho’s Lion Tamer looked particularly painful here. Omega used everything in his arsenal and Jericho made sure to do the same. Both men put each other through hell and came out of this show as the evening’s best performers. The new finisher from Jericho, his post-match promo and the shocking appearance of Jon Moxley all made for an amazing ending to the evening.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Match of the Night
The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros!
Final Verdict
All Elite Wrestling had a lot to prove with Double or Nothing. The company’s doubters were out in full effect before the show even began and doubted The Elite’s chances at producing a great wrestling show. Well, AEW proved the haters wrong. Double or Nothing was an immensely entertaining show that was a mix of every flavor of professional wrestling. We got tag team excellence, a bloody old school brawl, international showcases, unexpected appearances and so much more. Everyone worked hard to pull off a definitive opening statement for AEW here and they largely succeeded. Double or Nothing put AEW on the big PPV stage and they came away with a win.
Final Score: 4 out of 5 Stars
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All Elite Wrestling Double or Nothing: Reactions & Review