by AEW Double or Nothing Pre-Show results and reaction.
Anna Jay and Harley Cameron vs Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford
Result – Anna Jay and Harley Cameron win
Reaction – Megan Bayne has every skill available to be a prime time player in this division moving forward. This was the correct team to win tonight however as every once and awhile, you need to get Anna Jay a win or no one will take her seriously.
Bandido, AR Fox and Los Titanes vs RPG Vice and CRU and Lio Rush
Reaction – AR FOX and Los Titanes
Reaction – So, you turn Trent Beretta heel, having him breakup Best Friends and then when he finally gets back, you put him in dark matches to job to AR Fox? Berretta will go down as yet another, “AEW What If”.
AEW Double or Nothing Main Card results and reaction.
Owen Hart Memorial Tournament on the Women’s Side – Jamie Hayter vs Mercedes Mone
Result – Mercedes Mone wins by pinfall
Reaction – There are so many things wrong with having this match decide the #1 contender for the AEW Women’s Championship. It completely devalues the TNT Women’s Championship that Mone holds if she is competing in a tournament simply to challenge for the only other singles women’s title in the promotion. Also, it takes away completely from the Owen meaning anything at all. This became a glorified title eliminator match. You killed two really good angles of having a possible TNT Championship match between Hayter and Mone as well as the Owen meaning anything, simply to have a cheap gimmick here.
Regardless the match was incredible and Mone continues to prove she is the top pound for pound women’s wrestler in this country. Her microphone skills are greatly lacking, but no one in AEW’S women’s division can go bell to bell quite like Mone. This match was worthy of starting the PPV card and gave the fans plenty of high spots. Great match!
FTR vs Daniel Garcia & Nigel McGuiness
Result – FTR forces Garcia to pass out to the sharpshooter.
Reaction – So, basically you signed Daniel Garcia to a multiyear deal with a significant dollars, just to put him in a tag match months into the run with a part time performer / announcer in Nigel McGuiness? If you’re going to do that, at least team him with Adam “COPE” Copeland. But what do I know.
The commentary team was so awkward during this match with Tony Schiavone sounding like a total fake tough guy. FTR did a pretty good job to generate heat from the crowd, but honestly, the commentary team ruined a lot of this making it seem like McGuiness was one step out of the nursing home. This combined with Tony openly rooting for Nigel and Garcia was too much to stomach.
Despite all of that, the double team moves with Garcia and Nigel were outstanding. The duo appears as if they had been tagging together for years. It made you want to see this team again.
In the end, Daniel Garcia became the new Stone Cold Steve Austin as he refused to tap out to a sharpshooter and passed out from the pain. I’ll say it again, awkward at times, but overall both teams his some pretty incredible double team moves in and out of the ring that made this watchable and enjoyable despite the creepy cheering.
Mark Briscoe vs Ricochet
Result – Ricochet
Reaction – If there is one thing AEW does very well, it is senseless violence for cheap crowd pops and this match had plenty of them. Briscoe is good for one thing, and that is utter hardcore violence. He brought it tonight!
Best part of the match was when Briscoe delivered a Froggy Bow, driving Ricochet through the table on the outside of the ring. There were some nice high spots in this one as well, but I believe that one took the cake.
In the end, it was a very smart move to have Ricochet win the match. It keeps him on a pretty good roll since coming to AEW and gets him a legit win over someone the fans love.
The Hurt Syndicate vs The Son’s of Texas
Result – The Hurt Syndicate Retains
Reaction – The Hurt Syndicate looked good tonight and it was nice to see them wrestle and not have yet another talk segment. Both guys can absolutely go and Sammy Guevara does a tremendous job selling, he made them look like a million dollars.
Bobby Lashley spearing Dustin Rhodes through the barricade was a nice touch as MJF seems to be growing on Lashley. Still though, it is only a matter of times before MJF stabs them in the back like always. A win is a win for now, but it’s fools gold.
Kazuchika Okada defends his AEW Continental Championship vs Speedball Mike Bailey
Result – Okada retains
Reaction – Great match and smart move. This sets up the unification match with Kenny Omega perfectly at All In.
Timeless Toni Storm defends her AEW Women’s Championship vs Mina Shirakawa
Result – Storm by pinfall
Reaction – Mina wrestled a Hell of a match, constantly on the attack and she made a name for herself tonight. Mina was in control for 80% of the match and often looked dominant. This does set up the champion vs champion match between Storm and Mone for All In.
Anarchy in the Arena Match
Result – Team Omega / Strickland win
Reaction – The introductions were a bit too long, but you just knew once that bell rung, it was on! I loved the four screens at once capturing all the action, that was a very nice touch. The music cranking in the background at times is a staple of this match they need to keep, ads a fun element to a fun match! Let the bodies hit the floor was the perfect song for as well.
These guys and gals were having fun in this one and there were enough people in it so others can take a rest when need be too. I still miss when this was done in an actual stadium, but these guys made the most of it and it was pretty damn good! Barbed wire around a kick pad, ouch! Staple gun to the skull, double ouch!
In the end, it lived up to the hyper and far surpassed it! This match is a Double or Nothing tradition for all the right reasons and as long as they keep it just once a year, it can remain impactful for years. Also, Marina Shafir had some very good moments in this match too. Tonight’s match far surpassed any MITB Ladder match that WWE can even hope to put together in a few weeks. This was CLUTCH!
The ending sets up a Gabe Kidd vs Kenny Omega perfectly for Forbidden Door.
Paragon ( The Undisputed ERA ) vs The Don Callis Family
Result – The Don Callis Family
Reaction – Sadly, this match had no chance. Having to follow a 35-minute classic was not the spot you wanted to be in. AEW was smart to slot the match here as putting the main event to follow Anarchy in the Arena would have killed it.
Two things here, Adam Cole has lost all heat that he built up with the 2023 program with MJF and Josh Alexander needs to be pushed to the moon. This was more or less a way to set up some mini feuds for Forbidden Door with the post-match scrum.
Owen Hart Memorial Tournament on the Men’s Side – Hangman Adam Page vs Will Ospreay
Result – Hangman Adam Page
Reaction – It was good but far from great as the first 10 minutes were painfully slow. They will get another chance to collide one day, but it was easy to see this was their first clash. They eventually found their stride and put together a solid outing. I was shocked at the ending however as I had thought for sure it would go the other way.
